Why did you choose your layout ...

[StephenA]

From stern to bow:

Cruiser stern

two single bunks (one either side)

Bathroom

Fixed double bed

Kitchen

saloon

Front deck

 

Chose that layout so people sitting in the saloon can watch the world go by though the windows.

 

Bathroom didn't quite work out so is a bit of an odd shape

[PeterF]

The first boat we bought second hand and had for about 15 years was from bow to stern, larger than average well deck without a cover, saloon, Pullman dinette, galley, bathroom with corridor, bedroom with 2 lengthwise singles with middle flap to form a double, cruiser stern. We liked it as it was, we liked the larger well deck but did not like the smaller saloon that was created, we liked the corridor passed the bathroom, we did not like the cramped bathroom, we liked the saloon at the front with the windows and glazed doors, we did not like the living area separated from the stern if one of us was inside. These are all mutually exclusive points requiring compromise with no clear right answer.

Our current boat, custom built a few years back is from the bow to stern, smaller well deck with cratch cover, bedroom with king size cross double, walk through bathroom, saloon, L shape dinette, galley, semi-cruiser stern with large seating/lockers. This is radically different to the first boat and looses some of the things we liked on that one but remedies some things we were not keen on. Such a change should not be seen as saying that we did not like our first boat or that it was a mistake to but it, because we enjoyed our time on it.

[Momac]

We chose our present boat after our daughter looked at one similar and liked it for being family friendly .

It seems she was correct as 9 years later still have the same boat. 

[IanD]

5 hours ago, phillarrow said:

Isn't that funny? That is literally the opposite, and the opposite reason, of what we have in mind! I do like how we are all different and I know it's very much a 'horses for courses' thing, but I still like it when I come across such an opposing view to what, in my mind, feels like the 'best' way! 

 

Do you not find that you end up traipsing mud through your bedroom?

 

 

Thanks for the replies so far. 

 

Two things have surprised me...

 

1. The view that layout is less important than I thought. I'm not disagreeing with this viewpoint by the way, I think I was just assuming that everyone who has spent a lot of time on a narrowboat would feel strongly about what is the right layout for their own needs. It's comforting in a way to hear that it might be less important than this.

 

2. Nobody has yet mentioned any kind of utility space? My favourite part of every house I've lived in has been the porch. Somewhere to dump coats, boots, wellies, umbrellas etc. without dragging the mud and wet into the home. I'm surprised that this isn't something people have/want/miss?

I have a 600mm wide wet cupboard just inside the stern doors for things like this, with a heated radiator at the bottom to dry wet things out.

[gatekrash]

We're probably similar to @robtheplod, semi-trad, down the rear steps to a fixed double, then a corridor on the stbd side past the bathroom to the galley, which is walk through with the walkway through the middle, then an open saloon space which is 14foot long. There's enough space for a fold down table attached to the gunnel towards the rear of the saloon which sits 4 if we have visitors, and then a couple of recliners right at the front of the space with a TV / laptop area in the corner.

 

Cratch does for the porch / storing random rubbish. Used as a fuel store in winter and a conservatory with a very small folding table to sit at for 'special occasions' during the summer.

 

That's on a 50 foot boat, so there's a bit of compromise with space such as the folding tables. In reality, the Mrs has too much stuff so the big folding table in the saloon doesn't ever get folded away as she doesn't keep it clear of her stuff. If I was changing something I'd probably remove it and swap it with one of those 'butterfly' type collapsible tables as it'd force her to be more tidy 😂

[magnetman]

9 minutes ago, IanD said:

I have a 600mm wide wet cupboard just inside the stern doors for things like this, with a heated radiator at the bottom to dry wet things out.

 

That is a very clever solution. I wonder why nobody thought of this.

 

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

That is a very clever solution. I wonder why nobody thought of this.

 

I suspect if you dumped coats/wellies/boots/umbellas onto the stove next to the flue, you wouldn't have to worry about being cold for very long... 😉

[magnetman]

Nobody using a narrow boat would ever wear wellies or use umbrellas.

 

And the coat would be non flammable.

 

Tweed is a good raincoat if you have somewhere to dry it

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

My stove is near my bath, 

I simply hang the wet stuff above the bath 👍

[IanD]

1 minute ago, magnetman said:

Nobody using a narrow boat would ever wear wellies or use umbrellas.

 

And the coat would be non flammable.

 

Tweed is a good raincoat if you have somewhere to dry it

Tweed still scorches badly if you put it too close to something hot, like a stove flue or the chimney from the boiler on a steam-powered narrowboat. DAMHIK... 😞

[magnetman]

A lot of these modern things like goretex coats give the impression of being really good but they actually aren't.

 

On a boat there will never be a substitute for a good fire burning loads of coal or wood. Its one of those things than can not be improved on.

 

 

Its a bit like chainsaws. The design is basically the perfect solution to the problem. It will be a long time before a better solution is found to cutting through wood. It might never happen.

 

 

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

Tweed still scorches badly if you put it too close to something hot, like a stove flue or the chimney from the boiler on a steam-powered narrowboat. DAMHIK... 😞

Obviously you keep it away from the fire !

 

Nobody is going to place a garment or item of apparel on a fire. That would be silly.

[StephenA]

44 minutes ago, IanD said:

I have a 600mm wide wet cupboard just inside the stern doors for things like this, with a heated radiator at the bottom to dry wet things out.

 

We have a central hatch - inside on one side is the engine control panel, shelf, fusebox etc. On the other side is an open front cupboard with the Alde in it and an old heater blower from a mini connected back to the engine so we can hang wet stuff up in there and turn the fan on. It also heats the back cabin up quite effectively too!

[DandV]

It seems to me that layout preference is very dependent on the intended type of boating.

 

Solo, or just the two of you, or family boating?

This dictates the space and arrangements for bedding,

And this heavily influences the required  bathroom,  galley,  and dining area,  size and configuration.

 

Heavily summer season dominated? 

Don't need a stove, oil fired central heating will suffice.

But easy access and provision of  outside spaces becomes very  advantageous for a high proportion of outside living time.

Outside time in well deck or  cruiser stern or both?

 

Intended extended stays?

Then laundry arrangements become a consideration.

Washing machine?

And drying arrangements, both  indoors, and perhaps outdoors in a covered cratch.

 

Intended  12 months a year on board?

Then heating and heat retention, and fuel storage are very major considerations. 

Solid fuel stove, where in the boat? 

 

Differening layouts provide differing advantages to the intended modes of boat use. 

 

Our boat was designed by the previous owner for six months continuous summer season on board, and six months winter lay up for 2, plus occasional 5 days max for an additional two people.

We had exactly the same use regime and it worked extremly well. 

But this was a comparatively narrow operating regime. 

It may also have worked, as a year round liveaboard, provided in winter it was on shore power, when electric heaters could provide the necessary, considerable  heating.

 

 

 

 

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

18 hours ago, phillarrow said:

...and what, if anything, do you wish you had that you haven't got?

 

So, I'm guessing that whether you had a boat built, bought a stock boat, or bought second hand, the layout was a pretty big factor in your choice. To that end ( and for the benefit of a total newbie doing research) what layout do you have and what, in your opinion, are the benefits and drawbacks of it?

 

Also, if you could change/add/remove just one thing about your layout, what would it be?

 

Cheers, Phill

Total pointless, all depends on how much money you have to soend on a boat

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[phillarrow]

Thanks folks, some really good food for thought here. I really like the idea of the wet cupboard just inside the stern. I can see that working for us.

 

DandV, you're absolutely right. However, I decided to ask a more 'open' question in the hope of receiving the widest possible range of answers. My thinking was, if I can hear as much as possible from everyone, not just those whose boats were designed around a similar intended use as ours, then I might find a 'gem', or the total opposite, that I hadn't come across elsewhere in my reading. Not sure if that was the right approach but I've enjoyed the comments so far.

 

In terms of what we're looking for, the boat is intended to be a live aboard for when we retire. The plan is to use it to CC for at least a decade, possibly even having it taken over to France for some years. We're currently thinking of 57-60 foot, definitely narrowboat, but I've still got plenty of planning to do yet before we settle on a definite length and design.

 

Now for an admission...we're ten years away from retirement! What can I say, I'm a planner! 😳😳

4 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

Total pointless, all depends on how much money you have to soend on a boat

 

 

No it doesn't?! Not in terms of basic layout. I've seen dozens of second hand boats, in dozens of layouts, at hundreds of prices.

 

Why is it pointless to ask others about their layout decisions and/or omissions?

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

44 minutes ago, phillarrow said:

 

Now for an admission...we're ten years away from retirement! What can I say, I'm a planner! 😳😳

Even more totally pointless, 10 years away, go and keep buying the magazines and watching the Vlogs and come back in 8 years time.

 Canal life will be totally different by then, a system full of floaters not boaters. 
 10 years away from living the dream😂 how do you know your going to wake up in the morning from the dream you dreamt tonight?

 Go and do it tomorrow instead if talking about it😂😂👍

Edited November 30, 2023 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[Ewan123]

The main thing I would change (and will when I have the time/money available) is our L-shaped kitchen. In theory we have plenty of storage space in the cupboards, but you'd have to lie on the floor and go shoulder-deep to get near the back of one of them, so much of the storage is inaccessible.

 

I'd also rather the circulation pump for the radiators off the back boiler wasn't at the end of the bed - bit too noisy to think about leaving the fire in overnight.

[Jon57]

2 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

My stove is near my bath, 

I simply hang the wet stuff above the bath 👍

My stove is near the engine. The engine is near the bath . The bath is near the galley. The gallery is near the stove. The stove is in the saloon. The saloon in near the fixed bed. Perfect.👍

[DandV]

Endorse the wet cupboard adjacent to the stern companionway. Minimal time needed to retrieve a raincoat, when the threat of rain quickly materialises to actual rain. Ours was heated by the eberspecher, mounted on the opposite side of the bulkhead, and the heating pipes passing through at low level. 

We had a conventional layout and did enjoy the immediacy of access to outside space from the saloon to the well deck. The Ultimate in indoor outdoor flow. And sitting there was reminiscent of being in a dinghy, sharing your life with the water life.

Sitting outside on the cruiser deck, and you shared your life with those ashore. So different spaces with different outlooks.

 

We would not be keen on a walk through bathroom if you ever have somebody on board, that bathroom time is a time consuming ritual.

Thus obstructing access from one end of the boat to the other.

 

For reverse layout a Galley midships or adjacent to the access way? 

Midships facilitates the indoor outdoor flow between the saloon and the outdoors, but adjacent to the access way is central to catering in both directions.

 

The previous owners, and designers of our boat spent at least a couple of weeks a year hiring for a few years whilst they refined their specification.

Hence the Wyvern Shipping bin lockers for mooring hardware , that doubled as seats on the cruiser stern.

Not so much for seating while underway, one person each side could sit forward of the tiller swing, but really most times they were too low to sit while steering. But they provided both seating and bench space when moored up. 

 

A good feature on our boat was the deck house was extended back over engine bay about 400mm either side of the central companioway to provide a locker each side. One side the paint locker, and the other storage for those cheap, but comfortable folding camping arm chairs.

 

 

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

2 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

My stove is near the engine. The engine is near the bath . The bath is near the galley. The gallery is near the stove. The stove is in the saloon. The saloon in near the fixed bed. Perfect.👍

Does sound perfect,

the gallery by the stove being final touch 😃😃

[Jon57]

1 minute ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Does sound perfect,

the gallery by the stove being final touch 😃😃

Yep. Should have put man cave in between stove and engine.🤣👍

[magnetman]

When one's boat moves from being a load of steel plates welded together with a load of wood inside separated by insulation to the position of being a Work Of Art one knows that one is onto a winner.

 

I have two of these and one day I suppose I will have to choose between them. This will be a sad old day. 

 

I'm full of trepidation. 

 

It might be alright. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by magnetman
typi

[phillarrow]

24 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

Even more totally pointless, 10 years away, go and keep buying the magazines and watching the Vlogs and come back in 8 years time.

 Canal life will be totally different by then, a system full of floaters not boaters. 
 10 years away from living the dream😂 how do you know your going to wake up in the morning from the dream you dreamt tonight?

 Go and do it tomorrow instead if talking about it😂😂👍

I'm already living the dream, I just have a different dream for the life I want when I no longer have the responsibilities of work and children I currently have. 👍

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

2 minutes ago, phillarrow said:

Canal life will be totally different by then, a system full of floaters not boaters. 

no doubt all displaying “Slow Down” signs. 😃🤬🤣

 

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

6 hours ago, phillarrow said:

I'm already living the dream, I just have a different dream for the life I want when I no longer have the responsibilities of work and children I currently have. 👍

The canals will probably be a nightmare to navigate in 10 years time, 

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by BoatinglifeupNorth