Her hull is made from a material called 'Twaron', claimed by Neptune to be a slightly stronger material than Kevlar, which means she is as impact resistant as you can get.

The main engine is backed up by a 38hp 'wing' engine, again Yanmar, which surprisingly, delivers a speed of between 5 and 6 knots.  As importantly, it has its own propeller, set away from the main propeller, a separate fuel supply, with a changeover valve to the main fuel supply.  This means that, in an emergency Jamyla has more options than a standard 'twin-engined' boat and can, of course, go on for miles and miles..........

The extent to which she stays steady can be seen every time we're waiting for a lock.  Whereas the power boats are constantly using their thrusters and jockeying for positions, we're sat still in relative calm, usually sipping a cup of tea.

LIVEABILITY - This is another area where the Elling E4 really excels.  With near-silent, thermostatically controlled heating, the batteries keep all systems operational uninterrupted for about three days without any external power source.

What the batteries can't power, is dealt with by a very quiet generator - it's virtually silent outside of the boat (it's the sound-proofing qualities of Twaron that does it), so the neighbours aren't disturbed.

Unlike most, if not all, power/sail boats, the bathrooms are fully heated and the kitchen/galley is of the size and with the facilities that you'd expect at home, including a full size fridge/freezer, dishwasher, oven, hob and microwave and clothes washer/drier.

 UK Distributors for Elling are Q Marine, Moor Lodge, 26 Moor Road, Broadstone, Poole, BH18 8BD