Conservatory on my semi trad

[Tim Doran]

Well not quite a conservatory but this is going to sound like a terrible idea but i want a cabin on the back of my boat abit like this picture.

 

 

Does anyone else have some pics of similar boats. Is this a bad idea for getting throught tunnels. I live aboard on the Kennet at bath so i dont think that there are any low bridges. My boat is a semi trad so there is already some 'walls' along the edge.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated but dont shoot me down straight away.

 

Tim

[Yoda]

That's Daniels boat. He has to have that cottage on the back to keep the steam out of his eyes. You can build one easily out of some matchsticks and some glue.

 

Edit to state that the minor excavations were to lower the canal so that Emily Anne could get out of the marina once every ten years.

Edited February 12, 2008 by Yoda

[greywolf]

The cabins at the back are usually collapsible for going under low things.Just half an hours work taking it down then another putting it back up or so i have read.

[Tim Doran]

That's Daniels boat. He has to have that cottage on the back to keep the steam out of his eyes. You can build one easily out of some matchsticks and some glue.

 

Edit to state that the minor excavations were to lower the canal so that Emily Anne could get out of the marina once every ten years.

 

very funny! I am thinking that i would have to have it as a bolt construction then?

[stewey]

Well not quite a conservatory but this is going to sound like a terrible idea but i want a cabin on the back of my boat abit like this picture.

 

 

Does anyone else have some pics of similar boats. Is this a bad idea for getting throught tunnels. I live aboard on the Kennet at bath so i dont think that there are any low bridges. My boat is a semi trad so there is already some 'walls' along the edge.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated but dont shoot me down straight away.

 

Tim

Tim, take a look at this thread:

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/lofiversi....php/t9334.html

 

Stewey

[Gary Peacock]

 

 

 

Have a look HERE and HERE.

[Hairy-Neil]

The cabins at the back are usually collapsible for going under low things.Just half an hours work taking it down then another putting it back up or so i have read.

 

I believe Daniel has previously posted pictures of Emily Anne's roof after it was smashed off by a low bridge....

[turnbuttonboy]

Design it with dismantling in mind and it should be easy. Our barge wheelhouse can be taken down by one person in about 5 minutes - with a narrow 1 section roof you might be able to do it in less. You may have to develop a cautious manner when going through tight bridge holes as a shopping trolleys and wheelie bins lie in wait of the overly hasty!

 

Giles

[ChrisG]

Many peniches have folding wheelhouses - I watched a remarkably ancient barge lady take her full-width hutch down on her own in about 3 minutes whilst the barge continued to idle towards a lock bridge . . . mind you, she probably did it every day!

[Glenn]

Great idea and you will make good use of the space.Go for it.Gary how do they take up cabin space?

[howardang]

Great idea and you will make good use of the space.Go for it.Gary how do they take up cabin space?

He mentions that the deck in the wheelhouse is lowered to give a low profile while still providing useful wheelhouse standing room. This impinges on the cabin below, I suppose.

 

Howard

Edited February 13, 2008 by howardang

[Barno Kaison-Flower]

That's Daniels boat. He has to have that cottage on the back to keep the steam out of his eyes. You can build one easily out of some matchsticks and some glue.Edit to state that the minor excavations were to lower the canal so that Emily Anne could get out of the marina once every ten years.

I forgot to say that when I met a problem with mine, I told my crew to use explosives. My useless lot don't know when to stop. So:'You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off'.I do feel better for that!

That's Daniels boat. He has to have that cottage on the back to keep the steam out of his eyes. You can build one easily out of some matchsticks and some glue.Edit to state that the minor excavations were to lower the canal so that Emily Anne could get out of the marina once every ten years.

 

 

I forgot to say that when I met a problem with mine, I told my crew to use explosives. My useless lot don't know when to stop. So:'You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off'.I do feel better for that!

 

 

 

Twice because its so good!!!!

Edited February 13, 2008 by Barno Kaison-Flower

[ChrisPy]

Twice because its so good!!!!

er ................ really ???

[bristol & argo]

I live aboard on the Kennet at bath so i dont think that there are any low bridges.

I think the lowest bridge we found on the K&A was the flat farm access bridge near hilperton (as in had to duck),

the next lowest being the lock tail footbridge near Newbury Racecourse, but mainly when the river is up (that just knocked the exhaust over).

 

My boat is a semi trad so there is already some 'walls' along the edge.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated but dont shoot me down straight away.

 

Tim

I think the expression you are looking for is 'folding wheelhouse', the complication for you will be the arrangement of how/where you steer and access the boat.

The conventional arrangement being wheel steering and side door access.

 

 

 

Simon.

[Gary Peacock]

Great idea and you will make good use of the space.Go for it.Gary how do they take up cabin space?

 

Well you have to consider the BARGE STYLE narrowboats shown were built with wheelhouses and most of the wheelhouses we do are intended to be usable space rather than just being there to keep the rain of your neck.

 

Most of them are used as a dinning area incorporating a table and seating or pullman style dinette bed conversion, to allow for this the boats design tends to be basically a cruiser stern but maybe 1-2ft longer than normal.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2008 by Gary Peacock

[DHutch]

Hi all!

- Sorry, i seam to be a little late.

 

Yes, the boat in question (emilyanne) is ours.

- Yes the wheelhouse folds down.

- Yes i have got somephotos of it.

- Yes in the past it has hit bridges.

- And yesi have posted photos of that too!

 

Picture paints a thousand words. So before we get started have a look here at these photos which show the various states of the wheel house folding up and down (in seamingly so real order) and photos of the stearing system just before it was repainted last year (if your interested, its just upthere anyway).

http://www.emilyanne.com/gallerys/doghouse/index.htm

 

The steel work stops at normal cabin leval, and is shaped very much like that of a semi trad really.

- Then the wooden stucture consists of the front, with two side parts. And the sides, with two small back parts.

- The doors are one-peice and are removed first, by lifting the hinge pins out of the three hinges down each door.

- With the doors removed the roof is them uncliped and lifted forward of the wheelhouse, and the little 'lintle' lifted out.

- Then the front (with the sidebits) is uncliped from the sides and folded forwards, with the side peices folding in over that.

- Then the sides are uncliped (one clip each, on the rear sections on the line of the hinge) and flod down against the steel work, with the small rear sections folding right back on themselfs and resting on the provided block which serves to hold them and the rest of the side agasnt the steelwork.

- Then the roof can be carryed back to overlap with the now flat front, or bought back as far as the weather requires!!

 

On narrowcanals, you basically have to have the top down, beucase it doenst fit the bridges at all. Hence time spend with the roof pulled back as far as possable (so you can just reach the wheel) in inclement weather!

- And, to be frank, anytime its sunny, its soo much nicer to have it down anyway, time spend with it up is limited.

- However, on the thames, avon, bridgewater, and quite a few other bits, it does go though with the roof up.

 

No part of if is that complex, and if you want to have a look at it even, drop us a line and well sort somthing.

- Two people can get it down in about as many minutes, and its goes back up equally fast.

- Often we leave the doors off overnight in summer, as the security is the the steel door to the rest of the boat anyway. And without the doors, the time to take it down can be got down to maybe 40seconds. Ive not timed it, but its quick!

 

The roof is maybe the hardest bit to get right. Were on a third, which is now very good.

- Its all about geting it an easy lift for if you do it singal handed, while making it fully weatherproof, and strong enough to walk on.

- In then end we;ve gone for a softwood frame, with a sheet of 5*10ft 6mm plywood, sheathed in a thin layer ov epoxy and glass cloth.

- You could do something far less fancy. But i like playing with epoxy, and it is pretty dam good now id like to think. lol.

 

But yeah, go for it. Dont listen to the people say you will knock it off, or it looks stupid.

- If you do it right, make it from nice wood, and keep a boating look to it (not greenhouse) its fantastic really.

- We've knocked it on two bridges in 17years and maybe 3-4000 miles of canal/river crusing and both times it was repaired simply by sticking the splinters back together, replacing the one broken pane and geting on with it the next day.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...p;hl=wheelhouse

 

 

Daniel