The Wheelyboat has probably been the single most important innovation in recent years to help disabled people get out and about on water. Although there are accessible narrow boats, cruisers and sailing dinghies, the Trust knows of no other charity providing a wheelchair accessible day-boat perfectly suited to angling and other waterborne activities on inland waters.

By their very nature, reservoirs, lakes, ponds, rivers and canals are generally inaccessible to people with disabilities. The banks are often steep and unmade and if there is any disabled access at all the area is likely to be confined. Getting in and out of boats, particularly for people in wheelchairs, is awkward, requires considerable assistance and is unsafe. Once on board, the disabled person is reliant on others to skipper the boat. As a consequence, the pleasures and activities that being on or around water can provide are mostly out of bounds to disabled people.

On almost any body of water, a Wheelyboat would overcome all of these difficulties. Designed to accommodate disabled people, and wheelchair users in particular, easily and safely, it has a watertight bow door that is hinged and lowers to form a ramp enabling ‘roll-on, roll-off’ access. The deck is flat and provides access to all corners of the boat allowing disabled people complete freedom to skipper the boat themselves. The Wheelyboat is extremely stable and is virtually unsinkable due to its foam-filled buoyancy chambers. In short, Wheelyboats provide disabled people with independent access to waterborne activities on equal terms with their able-bodied counterparts.