Head room in engine room & back cabins

[Mick in Bangkok]

Hi,

Given that the head room is usually very low in engine rooms & back cabins for boats with vintage engines is there an average head room or does the head room in these areas fluctuate very much. As I am 5’10” would there be a boat out there with a tolerable head room in such a boat.

 

Cheers Mick

[dmr]

Its the prop shaft running under the floor that is the main limiting factor, and this usually couples to quite a big prop so has to be a minimum of over 12" above the baseplate. A diesel electric hybrid or hydraulic drive would be the answer but these might not be what you want in a trad boat.   A lowered propshaft with belt drives might be another non optimum compromise.

 

.................Dave

[ditchcrawler]

6 minutes ago, dmr said:

Its the prop shaft running under the floor that is the main limiting factor, and this usually couples to quite a big prop so has to be a minimum of over 12" above the baseplate. A diesel electric hybrid or hydraulic drive would be the answer but these might not be what you want in a trad boat.   A lowered propshaft with belt drives might be another non optimum compromise.

 

.................Dave

That is why I installed a hydraulic drive on my boat, after years of back problems I wanted to be able to stand up straight

[Mick in Bangkok]

7 minutes ago, dmr said:

Its the prop shaft running under the floor that is the main limiting factor, and this usually couples to quite a big prop so has to be a minimum of over 12" above the baseplate. A diesel electric hybrid or hydraulic drive would be the answer but these might not be what you want in a trad boat.   A lowered propshaft with belt drives might be another non optimum compromise.

 

.................Dave

H Dave,

 

I was of the understanding that such traditional boats would not have hydraulic drives as a norm. I am looking at buying such a boat but not doing any significant work so just trying to establish what is likely to be out there head room wise.

 

Cheers Mick

[BEngo]

OThere is just under 5'10" in my back cabin, except under the rods.    You soon get into the back cabin habit:  bend your head, or sit down as soon as possible!

 

  There is just over 6 ft in the engine hole  except under the exhaust box and directly above the shaft.   The shaft arrangement is normal and the 6 in deep fuel tank tops are the engine hole floor,  except under the engine.

Draft is 30 inches and the front corners of the cabin will, just, fit the Froghall tunnel gauge.

 

What you are looking for is out there.  Theee may not be many though.

 

N

[dmr]

1 minute ago, Mick in Bangkok said:

H Dave,

 

I was of the understanding that such traditional boats would not have hydraulic drives as a norm. I am looking at buying such a boat but not doing any significant work so just trying to establish what is likely to be out there head room wise.

 

Cheers Mick

The idea of traditional boats is that they are done in the traditional way and that means a simple direct propshaft arrangement. Hydraulic drives are very rare in any boat. Note that the hydraulic gearboxes like the popular PRM260 have nothing to do with hydraulic drives.

 

....................Dave

[Mick in Bangkok]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

That is why I installed a hydraulic drive on my boat, after years of back problems I wanted to be able to stand up straight

Was this done on a vintage engine, can I ask the final head room you gained

[Mick in Bangkok]

9 minutes ago, BEngo said:

OThere is just under 5'10" in my back cabin, except under the rods.    You soon get into the back cabin habit:  bend your head, or sit down as soon as possible!

 

  There is just over 6 ft in the engine hole  except under the exhaust box and directly above the shaft.   The shaft arrangement is normal and the 6 in deep fuel tank tops are the engine hole floor,  except under the engine.

Draft is 30 inches and the front corners of the cabin will, just, fit the Froghall tunnel gauge.

 

What you are looking for is out there.  Theee may not be many though.

 

N

This is encouraging, I viewed a couple of boats last time I was in UK and this is my only concern with the boatman’s cabin otherwise this is my preference

[dmr]

Just measured ours, its 5 foot 7 but the control rods reduce this by a couple of inches and I have cracked my head on their brackets a few times.

 

..................Dave

[ditchcrawler]

5 hours ago, Mick in Bangkok said:

Was this done on a vintage engine, can I ask the final head room you gained

No but it could have been, just a Beta BD3, the height through the engine room and back cabin is the same as the galley and lounge, a level flour right through.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

7 hours ago, dmr said:

Just measured ours, its 5 foot 7 but the control rods reduce this by a couple of inches and I have cracked my head on their brackets a few times.

 

..................Dave

Vintage height (Per bloke) was about 5’7”. .

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Goliath

[roland elsdon]

You need a royalty class narrowboat.

[Alan de Enfield]

10 hours ago, roland elsdon said:

You need a royalty class narrowboat.

 

Queen Victoria was only 5' 0"

George 5th was 5' 6"

The Queen Mother was 5' 2"

Queen Elizabeth II is 5' 4"

 

Your point is ?

Edited June 2, 2020 by Alan de Enfield

[roland elsdon]

Royalty class Yarwood .

Huge beasts.

[captain birdseye]

I am 5'10" and the only problem I have is when I forget to duck going through the door between the engine room and back cabin as I am alright in all other door holes, the frame is lower than the top of my head but as BEngo says you get used to the back cabin height so I'm not sure how it is against my height. I always wear a hat when boating and the hat hitting the door frame acts as a reminder

It's a more modern boat with an engine room by the way

Edited June 2, 2020 by captain birdseye

[David Mack]

43 minutes ago, captain birdseye said:

I am 5'10" and the only problem I have is when I forget to duck going through the door between the engine room and back cabin

I'm alright on that score. I don't have a door between the engine room and the back cabin.☺️

[rustynewbery]

Also 5' 10".  Engine room same height as rest of boat, duck down at the back cabin bulkhead but can stand upright in the cabin.  Have also 'ouched' on the control rod brackets!

[Mick in Bangkok]

On 02/06/2020 at 01:47, ditchcrawler said:

On 01/06/2020 at 19:50, Mick in Bangkok said:

Was this done on a vintage engine, can I ask the final head room you gained

No but it could have been, just a Beta BD3, the height through the engine room and back cabin is the same as the galley and lounge, a level flour right through.

Would it be rude to ask what such a conversion might cost

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, Mick in Bangkok said:

Would it be rude to ask what such a conversion might cost

Started a reply earlier and lost it.
The system was supplied by ARS who use to be just down the road from me before they sold out, so not the same company anymore. The Motor was a second hand one they had in stock, it was a spare for some company and didn't even have a grub screw mark on the shaft. The pump was from a corporation dust card from a breakers yard, I stripped it down and ARS inspected/ rebuilt it for me. ARS supplied the tank and the valve gear, that was a bit special as I have a hydraulic  bow thruster which has a  different maximum working pressure and a maximum flow rate. I had the hoses made by a company in Lowestoft, I would pick up a coil of hose and take it to the boat, run it in and mark the lengths, then next day take it back for the ends to be fitted, this involved about three trips. so as you can see it would be very hard to price it up.  The Pump and motor a Voac units

[Mick in Bangkok]

57 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Started a reply earlier and lost it.
The system was supplied by ARS who use to be just down the road from me before they sold out, so not the same company anymore. The Motor was a second hand one they had in stock, it was a spare for some company and didn't even have a grub screw mark on the shaft. The pump was from a corporation dust card from a breakers yard, I stripped it down and ARS inspected/ rebuilt it for me. ARS supplied the tank and the valve gear, that was a bit special as I have a hydraulic  bow thruster which has a  different maximum working pressure and a maximum flow rate. I had the hoses made by a company in Lowestoft, I would pick up a coil of hose and take it to the boat, run it in and mark the lengths, then next day take it back for the ends to be fitted, this involved about three trips. so as you can see it would be very hard to price it up.  The Pump and motor a Voac units

Glad to know this can be done, I will keep this in mind when I am looking at boats.