CALL it a floating hotel suite, call it the leviathan of luxury – just don’t call it a houseboat. This is the Boatel, the new class of boating that merges world-class accommodation with the freedom of river cruising.
Designed and built in South Australia, the $1 million vessel is the work of husband-and-wife architects Paul and Susan Pruszinski.
“It’s a vision that came our of our eight years of Houseboating,” Paul Pruszinski said. “We used to analyse what we did and didn’t like about houseboats, and dream of how we can fix it.”
“Every year we planned to build our own, then we realised a conventional houseboat frame couldn’t handle what we wanted, and so we started from scratch.”
The Pruszinskis conceived and built the two-storey vessel in 18 months, working the craft out of Mannum, an-hour-and-a-half from Adelaide CBD.
Powered by two fuel-injected Honda 115 engines and measuring 21.8m in length, the Boatel is capable of cruising the Murray River at up to 14km/h.
It has five master bedrooms – each with its own ensuite and walk-in robe – and each king-size bed can split into two singles.
Just like a hotel, there is no need to do any washing – all linen and cleaning is taken care of by marina staff.
A spiral staircase leads to the second floor, where the helm bends in seamlessly with the gourmet kitchen, with gas oven, stove and water dispenser.
A six-burner barbecue stands on the rear deck for a casual, outdoor meal.
Every feature, from the light to the electric windows and the music in every room, is controlled by 85 computers linked to the helm.
“Traditional houseboats are steered from downstairs, which cuts your living in two – someone is always stuck downstairs on their own,” Pruszinski said.
“One of our first ideas was to bring the helm upstairs, so people can still participate in the fun.”
He said the vessel, which is based at Greening’s Landing, at Mannum, had already drawn praise from locals.
“As we’ve sailed down the river we’ve had people running down from their shacks to look, or take pictures, and, in some cases, to cheer and applaud,” he said.
A 10-person booking on the Boatel costs $1500 a night.
Holiday makers buy their own fuel, food and drinks.