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Question regarding glass fittings


Fly Navy

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Newbie here. Shortlisting design criteria for my "new" boat.... Need your advice/experience please?

 

Having now done several tours of many narrow boats, I notice there are few (if any) that use glass for partitions.

IE: Glass shower unit, Opaque glass dividing walls.

These make compartments look more spacious and also light and bright.

 

Thinks bubble:

Is this deliberate because the average NB is known to flex, either on the canal with people climbing over and around it and/or when it is lifted out of the water for dock work?

Flexing boats would not be good for sheet (laminated) safety glass obviously.

 

The same goes for porcelain tiles. I have surplus 300 x 600mm porcelain tiles from a previous house build. Now would these crack if I used them in the bath compartment - surrounding the shower cubicle for instance - if the boat flexed?

 

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When we had our galley refurbed, I wanted to keep some of the kitchen 'environment' from the rest of the boat, and to stop splashes going onto the upholstery.

 

The 'half' glass petition will also (hopefully) help contain any fire from the hob which is about 9" from the glass.

 

It's set in two grooves (on the left and bottom), and can be lifted easily out. The left piece of wood is shaped to the tumblehome so the glass could be cut straight.

 

We ordered the tinted 4mm toughed glass cut to size, and it came finished with the edges bevelled and polished, it was just under £105 delivered.

 

Glass website https://www.glasstops.co.uk/

 

 

glass.jpg.3a26a813a518c50f92a47c85fa0f0a02.jpg

Edited by Jennifer McM
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59 minutes ago, Fly Navy said:

Newbie here. Shortlisting design criteria for my "new" boat.... Need your advice/experience please?

 

Having now done several tours of many narrow boats, I notice there are few (if any) that use glass for partitions.

IE: Glass shower unit, Opaque glass dividing walls.

These make compartments look more spacious and also light and bright.

 

Thinks bubble:

Is this deliberate because the average NB is known to flex, either on the canal with people climbing over and around it and/or when it is lifted out of the water for dock work?

Flexing boats would not be good for sheet (laminated) safety glass obviously.

 

The same goes for porcelain tiles. I have surplus 300 x 600mm porcelain tiles from a previous house build. Now would these crack if I used them in the bath compartment - surrounding the shower cubicle for instance - if the boat flexed?

 

 

Even narrowboats flex so however you fix the glass needs to allow for this. Likewise the base for the tiles. Cork tile adhesive being of a rubbery consistency is often recommended for sticking wall tiles up in a boat.

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42 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

We ordered the tinted 4mm toughed glass cut to size, and it came finished with the edges bevelled and polished, it was just under £105 delivered.

Its very nice, although the tinted glass  seems to be making the colour of your laptop a hideous purple colour!

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3 hours ago, BruceinSanity said:

The Fernwood concept boat Whitefield had glass bulkheads throughout. Fernwood build on land and crane in and Ken admitted he had visions of the lot going ping ping ping when she was first afloat.

I was moored a few pontoons from Whitefield for a year or so. I kept thinking that its appearance would 'grow on me' eventually - but sadly that never happened. 

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I have ceramic tiles on my boat, fixed with flexible adhesive designed for wooden floors on the floor for kitchen and bathroom and with instant grab adhesive on the walls for stove and cooker areas. None have fallen off the walls yet, but have had some crack on the floor. Suspect the later is more down to my lack of skill getting the adhesive level when laying. If you are using a lot of tiles consider what the weight is going to do to the draft and trim. Floor tiles are low down, which is good.

 

Jen

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14 hours ago, Fly Navy said:

Newbie here. Shortlisting design criteria for my "new" boat.... Need your advice/experience please?

 

Having now done several tours of many narrow boats, I notice there are few (if any) that use glass for partitions.

IE: Glass shower unit, Opaque glass dividing walls.

These make compartments look more spacious and also light and bright.

 

Thinks bubble:

Is this deliberate because the average NB is known to flex, either on the canal with people climbing over and around it and/or when it is lifted out of the water for dock work?

Flexing boats would not be good for sheet (laminated) safety glass obviously.

 

The same goes for porcelain tiles. I have surplus 300 x 600mm porcelain tiles from a previous house build. Now would these crack if I used them in the bath compartment - surrounding the shower cubicle for instance - if the boat flexed?

 

Do you mean brand new or new to you? If brand new I suggest not throwing your money away until youve had a few years boating and have some idea of what you realy do want. Until youve done it you have simply no idea. Ive had and lived on 8 boats including one brand new one completely to my spec that after it was finished I should realy have done slightly differently.

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Thanks so far guys.

That has me thinking (trim and balance).

I have noticed on nearly all the boats, that everything heavy is either one side or the other of the boat (kitchen stove/seats/bed/bathroom furniture). Does this not upset the trim and do some people cater for this by alternating heavy fittings throughout the length of the boat (admittedly causing the route through the boat to be more of a circuitous affai?

 

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You either allow for it at fitting out stage by not fitting ballast on the heavy side or  having floor traps (like possibly under the kitchen units) that allow you to remove or add ballast as required. Many boats also use chunks of  steel as trimming ballast tucked away in odd corners. Anyway unless you can arrange your tankage and gas storage in the centreline you will always get a  degree of list at certain times.

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29 minutes ago, Fly Navy said:

Thanks so far guys.

That has me thinking (trim and balance).

I have noticed on nearly all the boats, that everything heavy is either one side or the other of the boat (kitchen stove/seats/bed/bathroom furniture). Does this not upset the trim and do some people cater for this by alternating heavy fittings throughout the length of the boat (admittedly causing the route through the boat to be more of a circuitous affai?

 

My boat was like that with too much heavy stuff on one side. I'm a bit of a bookworm, so used bookshelves on the other side to help even things up. Surprisingly heavy things books. Eventually, moving the four house batteries (100Kg total) from one side to the other put the boat on an even keel, even though it doesn't have a keel. Planning things out to be equalised in the first place is a much more sensible thing. Then adjustable ballast options as Tony describes for final trimming.

 

Jen

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17 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

My boat was like that with too much heavy stuff on one side. I'm a bit of a bookworm, so used bookshelves on the other side to help even things up. Surprisingly heavy things books. Eventually, moving the four house batteries (100Kg total) from one side to the other put the boat on an even keel, even though it doesn't have a keel. Planning things out to be equalised in the first place is a much more sensible thing. Then adjustable ballast options as Tony describes for final trimming.

 

Jen

our boat in an ideal state (full fuel tank, full water tank, both gas bottles full and waste tank empty) sits absolutely level with nobody on the boat

changing that to a full waste tank gives a noticeable list, this means that looking at the back of the boat we can tell at a glance how full the waste tank is.

 

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1 hour ago, Jess-- said:

our boat in an ideal state (full fuel tank, full water tank, both gas bottles full and waste tank empty) sits absolutely level with nobody on the boat

changing that to a full waste tank gives a noticeable list, this means that looking at the back of the boat we can tell at a glance how full the waste tank is.

 

A very useful "Krap" ometer 

:)

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2 hours ago, Fly Navy said:

So if it's listing, then presumably your waste tank is off centre - yes?

 

Yes, as most are, and if you start to do some rough plans you quickly find a decent sized loo tank has to be off centre unless you put it under a cross bed or double towards the walkway. In both cases you tend to lose potential storage space for draws of cupboards. If you try with two tanks ether side of a walkway you end up with balance pipes and potential problems related to pumping on;y one tank. If you make it shallow enough to go under the floor then the capacity suffers even if it was possible having allowed space for ballast etc..

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