60 x 10 Widebeam, Bidstone Marina, excellently-equipped off-grid liveaboard
McAbacus is a well-proportioned 60x10 Bidstone Marina widebeam built in 2004.
Open-plan kitchen & living room, large bathroom, and significant storage throughout.
The current owner’s been living aboard for over 8 years, and has made significant upgrades to provide a comfortable and convenient lifestyle.
As a result, McAbacus is a fine example of a widebeam canalboat with many off-grid features, allowing up to 1 years’ cruising without requiring facilities.
Details
- 1000L+ water tank (recently painted with potable water coating), and 7-stage water filtration system including UV light.
- Instant hot water gas boiler.
- Compost toilet (pump out tank still in place).
- 630w solar panels.
- 200aH Lithium Ion (LiFePo4) battery with BMS and bluetooth.
- 3,000w Sterling pure sine inverter supplying 240v system.
- 3 x 13kg propane gas locker.
- Considerable storage throughout.
- New Karndean floor and carpentry work completed 2023.
- Fenders, ropes, and all boating equipment included in sale.
- Boat safety certification until October 2026.
- Barrus Shire 45hp engine (300L diesel tank) with separate alternators for Starter and Leisure batteries, serviced September 2024.
Current owner’s annual running costs approximately £2,300:
- CRT continuous cruiser licence: £1,000
- Blacking: £500 (£1,500 every 3 years)
- Heating: £500 (wood & coal)
- Diesel: £100
- Gas: £100 (2 bottles)
- Compost: £50 (Circular Revolution composting)
- Water: £50 (replacement filters)
- Electricity: free
Living area
- 190cm high, you enter through the stern door into a generous and well laid-out space.
- On your left are 3 shelves of floor-to-ceiling storage, carpentry completed 2023.
- Sterling Pro Combi S 3000W inverter, electric control panel, solar charge controller, central heating control, and the Lithium Ion battery are also kept here, along with the Sony radio head unit providing music / radio to 4 x Wharfdale speakers and 2 x Kenwood roof speakers in the living/kitchen space.
- 5 portholes light the room, with additional side hatch.
- The 5kw multi-fuel stove is perfectly positioned in the middle of the living and kitchen area (last serviced in 2021 by Ship Shape).
- New Karndean floor laid Summer 2023.
Kitchen area
- Tiled floor, new Wren kitten fitted February 2022 with soft-close cabinets.
- Breakfast table unit with storage, and two breakfast chairs.
- Waeco CR50 12v fridge (high efficiency), hard-wired to the battery with breaker.
- LPG Thetford Duplex 4-burner hob, oven, and grill.
- 440x440 square stainless steel sink with flexible tap.
- Morco D-61B gas instant hot water boiler.
Bathroom
- Large 5 sqm bathroom, entirely refitted Spring 2021.
- Big 1200 x 900 shower!
- Compost toilet with Oak lid and built-in extractor fan blowing air externally (Cluett Carpentry).
- Corner drawer storage unit.
- Towel rail connected to central heating.
- Top-loading twin-tub washing machine.
Bedroom
- King size bed, with slatted base to improve airflow, and raised to provide significant storage underneath, with built-in step to aid getting into bed! (And the step lid removes to provide more storage.)
- Shelf at foot of bed, corner drawer unit, half-height 3-door wardrobe.
- Pump out tank is under the bed, and can be restored with basic plumbing skills.
Bow deck
- Steps lead up to double-doors which open from the bedroom onto the bow deck with table and two chairs. (Yet more storage behind these steps.)
- On the left is the water filtration system: pre-filter, pump, 50 micron, 5 micron, 1 micron, hydrocarbon, heavy metal, and finally a UV filter feeding into the 1000+ litre water. This provides water whenever you need it, and takes around 45 mins to fill the tank from empty.
- Water tank treated and painted in 2020 with Chemco RA500M & RS500P epoxy, the best products the owner could find, with 15-year expected life. 2L accumulator tank installed.
- Bow locker, with approximately 2sqm storage (currently used for additional ropes/lines, sawdust, compost boxes).
Stern deck
- Gas locker with space for 3 tanks, with new hose and bubble tester installed in October 2022. (Current owner has two tanks, to gain some outside storage space for football kit, for example).
Roof
- 4 sqm underlaid and astroturf seating area.
- Heavy-duty anti-slip (aggregate) painted in 2018.
Water
- 7-stage filtration system, providing clean water on demand, filling the 1,000+ litre tank in approx 45 minutes.
- Tank treated with ChemCo epoxy, with expected life until 2035.
Electrics
- 630W LG solar panels.
- 60A iTracer MPPT Charge Controller.
- 12V Archibald 200Ah LiFePO4 Bluetooth battery with A Grade EVE Cells and warranty until 2027, stored in the cabin.
- 2 x alternators (standard for Barrus Shire).
- 12v system, with 3,000W Sterling Pro Combi S (pure sine) inverter supplying 240v plugs.
Gas
- Morco D-61B gas instant hot water boiler.
- Locker capacity 3 x 13kg propane tanks. Current owner uses 1 tank every 6 months.
Toilet
- 17 litre solid + 10 litre liquid containers in Oak compost toilet with extractor fan (Cluett Carpentry).
- New containers are widely available online, owner can provide links.
- Pump out tank is still under the bed and could be plumbed-in if required.
Heating
- 5kw Villager stove.
- 9.5kW Eberspacher diesel central heating system (Hydronic M. D10W), supplying 2 x radiators in the living room and kitchen, 1 x radiator in the corridor, 1 x double radiator in the bedroom, and the towel rail in the bathroom.
Hull & surveys
- Hull blacked in May 2020 by Little Hallingbury Marina, with new anodes installed.
- Hull ultrasound survey by Colin Mallard in May 2020, with no remedial work recommended.
- Hugh Ellacott survey 2016, all advisories actioned.
- BSS until October 2026
Recommended jobs
- Blacking: under £2k.
- Eberspacher repair: £800.
- Repainting the outside: £5k or so.
(These have already been included in the asking price.)
Selling as I live alone, and it's time to downsize to a smaller boat.
Vessel type: | Widebeam canalboat |
Builder: | Bidstone Marina |
Make: | Bidston Marine |
Model: | 60 Widebeam |
Constructed: | 2004 |
Registration: | 514764 |
Berths: | 4 |
No. of engines: | 1 |
Engine model: | Barrus Shire |
Engine power: | 45 |
Fuel type: | Diesel |
Length over all: | 18m |
Hull material: | Steel |
Note: Indicated location is approximate general area only.