Hourhouse

I've long pondered the problem of lack of space on a narrowboat, and the balance between being able to cruise the network on a narrow beam but having great difficulty in even accessing all the wide waterways in a widebeam. I wonder, has anyone considered the possibility of a slideout on a narrowboat, as they have on upmarket motorhomes? Obviously, it couldn't be full depth, or the probability of a leak and sinking would be enormous. On the other hand, if the slideout were above water level, it should be possible to provide seating outside the normal boat lines, with feet firmly within the hull. It could potentially also increase bedroom space, particularly with single bunks. These would be fairly narrow slideouts, taking up the space of seats or bunks with a walkway between when closed, but could potentially increase the perceived space quite dramatically when opened out. They would need to operate on both sides at once for stability, potentially be GRP mouldings for lightness, and could only be opened on a suitable mooring, but even when closed, they would occupy no more space than the standard item, although storage below would be lost. It's a bonkers idea, but I wonder - might it just work?