First Step Towards the Cut

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, PD1964 said:

  Thought you might of went for his finger grip rail, a bit better IMO when moving on the gunwale or front should you need it.

 

 

I have those on my boat. In over 40 years boating I hadn't come across them before, but the lip does offer a greater degree of security.

 

I much prefer them to sid plain handrails or raised handrails now.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

On 19/07/2022 at 19:23, ditchcrawler said:

A good engine in their day 🤑

Mine still is 👍

Just about 😃

 

 

[Crewcut]

If you haven't ever been on a narrowboat at all you really should hire one for a week or something first but bottom line is any first boat is unlikely to be that which would best match your wants/needs no matter how much research you do. For that reason buying second hand makes a lot more sense, especially since you're unlikely to lose much when you resell - assuming you don't pay way over the odds to start with and you at least don't allow it's condition to deteriorate...

 

Good luck with your plans...

[Captain Pegg]

8 hours ago, IanD said:

Except I wanted the semi-trad stern for social cruising with guests, and the locker space is usefully employed. The bed can't move forwards because then it gets into the taper of the hull. The cabin rear can't move backwards because all the "engineering" that makes any noise heat or mess (generator, silencer, skin tanks, motor, controller, inverter, diesel boiler, calorifier, isolation transformer, fuel tank) is there under the deck, and needs that much space, which puts the steps down inside the cabin in between the wet cupboards...

 

I think a steel cratch cover could have been built which was indistinguishable from the canvas ones, except for not leaking -- but just as ugly, so we agree there... 😉

Ian, I don’t need you to justify your boat to me. I think it’ll be a very fine boat, but it’s your’s not mine; it doesn’t matter a fig what I think.

 

I happen to own a boat that straddles the line between genius and madness. I sleep with my feet three inches above the rocker box covers and it’s my favourite space in the world. But it’s also bonkers; the product of a brilliant but eccentric craftsman. Space saving in the extreme, although I can’t recommend it to others in all seriousness.

 

But yes, cratch covers, we appear to be in agreement.

Edited July 20, 2022 by Captain Pegg

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

Ian, I don’t need you to justify your boat to me. I think it’ll be a very fine boat, but it’s your’s not mine; it doesn’t matter a fig what I think.

 

I happen to own a boat that straddles the line between genius and madness. I sleep with my feet three inches above the rocker box covers and it’s my favourite space in the world. But it’s also bonkers; the product of a brilliant but eccentric craftsman. Space saving in the extreme, although I can’t recommend it to others in all seriousness.

 

But yes, cratch covers, we appear to be in agreement.

I wasn't trying to justify it, just explain why your suggestions wouldn't work -- for me... 😉

 

I also had some bonkers ideas which fell by the wayside when confronted with the realities of fitting out a boat, but some made it through to the final design -- if you're not willing to try something new (assuming it's properly thought through) you never make anything better...

[Jimbo435]

I had a crazy idea I wanted to entertain with a future boat builder/fitter/renovator.

A sturdy metal?/fiberglass? (another name in UK) shade/rain cover that folds down on top of the rear of the roof when not in use, and then swings up for cruising/G&Ts in the rain.  The pram type covers look abhorant to me and seem like consumables.  This could even have solar on top.

I saw something similar on a Themes Electric widebeam, but it was fixed in place.

 

Another item I wanted to explore was an in-line adjustable bed frame welded to a frame that enables it to hinge up out of the way while underway for access to the bow from the inside.

[LadyG]

18 minutes ago, Jimbo435 said:

I had a crazy idea I wanted to entertain with a future boat builder/fitter/renovator.

A sturdy metal?/fiberglass? (another name in UK) shade/rain cover that folds down on top of the rear of the roof when not in use, and then swings up for cruising/G&Ts in the rain.  The pram type covers look abhorant to me and seem like consumables.  This could even have solar on top.

I saw something similar on a Themes Electric widebeam, but it was fixed in place.

 

Another item I wanted to explore was an in-line adjustable bed frame welded to a frame that enables it to hinge up out of the way while underway for access to the bow from the inside.

Yes we know about fibreglass, so named due to fibres of glass mixed with resin. There are boats made from it, not steel narrowboats of course, but cruisers aka yogurt pots.

Sometimes the boater resorts to an outsize canvas and aluminium contraption, known here as 'a pram hood’, derived from baby perambulators aka prams. They can be made in various designs, short and inefficient to large and rather ugly.

The cot bed can be found on proper salty water yachts built up to late 1950's, which were very narrow. They hinged upwards when not in use.

Edited July 20, 2022 by LadyG

[Jimbo435]

16 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Yes we know about fibreglass, so named due to fibres of glass mixed with resin.

I only meant I thought that it was called something else in the UK.

[LadyG]

4 minutes ago, Jimbo435 said:

I only meant I thought that it was called something else in the UK.

Yes, sorry was just joking , I should have used a

[Beo]

7 hours ago, Jimbo435 said:

 

Another item I wanted to explore was an in-line adjustable bed frame welded to a frame that enables it to hinge up out of the way while underway for access to the bow from the inside.

https://www.wallbedking.co.uk/classic?gclid=Cj0KCQjwz96WBhC8ARIsAATR252FgDIAGgOKc04J-m5B-NxU2y9EcYSzxIWrsw8h1-QpxIc0KTeVmbgaAlkgEALw_wcB 

We have a fold up bed, not this model as it was a bespoke item - two thirds folds up and the other third is fixed and used for storage. It won’t go up completely vertically because of the tumblehome. It works for us but doesn’t look as neat as it would if installed in a house.

[gatekrash]

8 hours ago, Jimbo435 said:

 

Another item I wanted to explore was an in-line adjustable bed frame welded to a frame that enables it to hinge up out of the way while underway for access to the bow from the inside.

My friend's boat has exactly this in his bow cabin. I've never looked at how it works (I was too busy drinking beer at the time 😁 ) but he folds it right up out of the way during the day then it pulls down and locks to make a full width double at night. I think it's got some sort of mechanism on it that enables him to slide it down at an angle to use one side as seating as well.

[IanD]

8 hours ago, Jimbo435 said:

I had a crazy idea I wanted to entertain with a future boat builder/fitter/renovator.

A sturdy metal?/fiberglass? (another name in UK) shade/rain cover that folds down on top of the rear of the roof when not in use, and then swings up for cruising/G&Ts in the rain.  The pram type covers look abhorant to me and seem like consumables.  This could even have solar on top.

I saw something similar on a Themes Electric widebeam, but it was fixed in place.

 

Another item I wanted to explore was an in-line adjustable bed frame welded to a frame that enables it to hinge up out of the way while underway for access to the bow from the inside.

A bit like this then... 😉

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, IanD said:

A bit like this then... 😉

 

 

No, I don't think it retracts and that was one of the OPs requirements.

[IanD]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

No, I don't think it retracts and that was one of the OPs requirements.

I know that, as is blindingly obvious from the picture I took -- it was a joke (it's fiberglass, hence the "a bit like...") but it seems you missed that... 😉

Edited July 21, 2022 by IanD

[ditchcrawler]

12 hours ago, Jimbo435 said:

 Another item I wanted to explore was an in-line adjustable bed frame welded to a frame that enables it to hinge up out of the way while underway for access to the bow from the inside.

That was something I was planning but found the shape of the hull made it a none runner, had to be to far from the end of the boat to get a straight bit of hull

[IanD]

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

That was something I was planning but found the shape of the hull made it a none runner, had to be to far from the end of the boat to get a straight bit of hull

Same issue I had with bed placement. You need things at both ends of the boat which fit into a gradually tapering space, the swim at the stern is a particular problem if it's long to get a good hull shape -- and the bows as well if this taper is long for the same reason.

[ditchcrawler]

15 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

That was something I was planning but found the shape of the hull made it a none runner, had to be to far from the end of the boat to get a straight bit of hull

For the hood a bit like this arrangement. Not overly practical if you are cruising narrow canals with bridges etc

 

 

[cuthound]

7 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

No, I don't think it retracts and that was one of the OPs requirements.

 

Looks like it could automatically retract in the proximity of a low bridge or tunnel.

 

Whether it would return to its former position is debatable... 🤣😂

[Jimbo435]

I had just started thinking about how I would do it, so this is very basic, but something like this.

I am next working on the shape of the supports so that they are more out of the way when up, so that it is easier to get on the boat.

It also needs to be further forward when up.

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo435 said:

I had just started thinking about how I would do it, so this is very basic, but something like this.

I am next working on the shape of the supports so that they are more out of the way when up, so that it is easier to get on the boat.

It also needs to be further forward when up.

Wouldn't a sun hat (or a twirly girly parasol...) be much simpler and cheaper? 😉

[Jimbo435]

We like (very much) an adjustable bed, such as this.

Whether we get two singles and then have them open like a book, or use a double and weld it to a frame that is hinged one side I don't know.

1 minute ago, IanD said:

Wouldn't a sun hat (or a twirly girly parasol...) be much simpler and cheaper? 😉

Yep, and most likely what I end up with.  But hopefully we can spec it out and get a quote to find out how much cheaper

[LadyG]

9 hours ago, Jimbo435 said:

I had just started thinking about how I would do it, so this is very basic, but something like this.

I am next working on the shape of the supports so that they are more out of the way when up, so that it is easier to get on the boat.

It also needs to be further forward when up.

Look at the Bickerstaff pramhood, 

[Paul Charlton]

My Mrs was dead keen on living on a narrow boat, it had been her dream for years. She’d never actually been on one though. A few months back we toured round a few local marinas and viewed some boats. 
As soon as she stepped on board the first one I could see she'd lost interest. The reality is that boats are much smaller than they appear on YouTube and on brokers web sites. It’s that special estate agents camera effect, making rooms seem much larger than they really are. 
Anyhow, canal boats are no longer talked about in our house 😢

[MtB]

36 minutes ago, Paul Charlton said:

My Mrs was dead keen on living on a narrow boat, it had been her dream for years. She’d never actually been on one though. A few months back we toured round a few local marinas and viewed some boats. 
As soon as she stepped on board the first one I could see she'd lost interest. The reality is that boats are much smaller than they appear on YouTube and on brokers web sites. It’s that special estate agents camera effect, making rooms seem much larger than they really are. 
Anyhow, canal boats are no longer talked about in our house 😢

 

 

Take her to look at a widebeam. Despite being no more than twice as wide as a NB, they seem at least three times as wide inside and as big as a two bedroom flat. 

 

 

[Tony1]

18 hours ago, Jimbo435 said:

We like (very much) an adjustable bed, such as this.

Whether we get two singles and then have them open like a book, or use a double and weld it to a frame that is hinged one side I don't know.

Yep, and most likely what I end up with.  But hopefully we can spec it out and get a quote to find out how much cheaper

 

I think the Americans call this sort of thing a murphy bed, and there are some examples on youtube that have been made/fitted into vans and motorhomes (of similar width to a narrowboat). 

In the example above the bed folds into four, with the fold lines running transversely, but this wont be so easy on a narrowboat, as the head or the base of  the bed will need to be attached to a bulkhead.

I wonder if it might also be worth considering one that folds along its length, with the side of it attached to a side wall? 

I'm sure you'll have considered this, but if the bed stays permanently flat (and doesnt fold like the example in the picture) it will take up a big area of the side wall, thus blocking any windows behind it, and reducing the sense of light and space a bit. 

On the other hand, if the bed folds along its length into two sections, it might take up a couple of feet of space along the side wall.

When people put them into vans, they tend to have the bed base rigid/ permanently flat, so the bed stays made up.

When the bed base is lowered, the edge of it comes to rest on top of a bench seat on the opposite wall. 

Its a clever idea but I am not 100% convinced about how useful it really is.

Lifting the bed can create some open floor space during the day, which sounds good, but what would you do with that space, bearing in mind you have to lower the bed again in the evening, or if someone is feeling under the weather and wants to lie down for an hour?

Anyway its all very interesting, and I hope you'll let us know what design you settle on, and how it works in practice. 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by Tony1