Windows, Port holes or Both?

[Mr Who]

Well whats your thoughts on this .....windows portholes or a mixture of both on your new boat?

 

I thought perhaps portholes may be better because of the security situation,

your thoughts as always... appreciated

[DHutch]

Personaly, i'd rather have windows than portholes anyday, ive even if it ment boarding them up every time i left the boat an replacing them reguarly.

 

Im a light person, i hate dark places, so ive have windows, and glazed roof hatches, and plenty of them.

 

Out boat (as you may have seen from pictures) has large/medum windows in all the rooms, except the engine room. Which has porthole, mainly to be more in keeping with what people expect.

- Then theres a large houdini hatch over the galley and engineroom, and plans to replace the pidgion box of the kitchen with the same.

 

Also, fit plently of highgrade flurencents all over the place.

 

 

Daniel

[John Orentas]

Who.

 

You should not let security considerations determine the design of your boat or anything else for that matter, I have owned a boat for many years and have not had a break-in or even an attempted one in all that time.

 

That said most people tend to design too much window area into their boats (including myself). Portholes look better from the outside and when supplemented by some form of 'roof lights' and glazed front doors they allow sufficient light into the boat on sunny days though on a dull winters day it is debatable.

For a boat up to 60ft length, two full size windows plus a couple of smaller ones and/or portholes in specific areas per side are enough, that will make the boat look interesting and prevent it looking like a hire boat, they have very different priorities.

 

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that your boat must look in any way symmetrical, in fact the reverse is true the more random the better ! More important and very obvious when you think about it your boat certainly does not need to look the same from both sides, in fact there is a positive advantage in alternating the window positions it avoids having dark corners, very common in boats and also the see though effect which does not look good from the outside.

[jollyroger]

I have a combination, portholes in the bedroom and windows elsewhere, we find that this works well. Others might not agree, but everone to their own. It's a matter of personel choice

[david and julie]

I would also think that portholes would add to the cost with a self fit-out, unless you were buy a lined boat.

 

My boat has 4 15" portholes at the back(2 eitherside) and the internal Ash liners were £70 apiece. This would add up to a sizeable cost if the boat was all portholes.

 

That said, always buy for what you like, rather than the cost, because you have to live with it for a long time.

 

My personal preference is portholes in bed/bathrooms, at the back, and the rest ordinary windows.

[Maffi]

So my 7 windows and 2 portholes and a side hatch might be OTT in a 58 footer?

[Richard Bustens]

£70 each that is rediculous. i paid £20 for chrome and £35 for brass.

 

Wood ones are easy to make with a router or lathe.

 

It took me longer to polish the alloy ones to look like chrome than to make a wood one.

 

If anyone wants wood ones making in any solid wood they like i will make for £25 each.

[Carrie]

So my 7 windows and 2 portholes and a side hatch might be OTT in a 58 footer?

 

Sounds more like a greenhouse Maffi!

Might get a bit warm in Summer , but what do I know. I like it light inside.

[AJLintern]

Why is there so little variety in narrowboat windows? 99% of boats seems to have 1970's caravan windows - Yuck!

[reddi8]

On our marina there is a boat being fitted out with hardwood windows which look awful. We had ours made locally by Caldwells & very pleased with them

[John Orentas]

Why is there so little variety in narrowboat windows? 99% of boats seems to have 1970's caravan windows - Yuck!

 

 

Andy.

 

It is because the builders, professional and amateur cannot be bothered or do not have the imagination to look elsewhere for their windows, there are plenty of window manufacturers that make purpose built units for commercial vehicles, horse-boxes and motor homes, ambulances etc. and usually to a better quality.

 

I bought mine from Wigan Aluminium Windows of Salford. 0161 832 6626. I don't know if they are still in business but there are plenty of others. I had mine made to my own design for much the same price as the off the shelf boring ones, black anodised too.

 

Years ago all narrowboats where fitted with hopper type windows of some kind for very good reasons, now that lock walls do not pour water out from behind the brickwork in the way that they used to, you can manage perfectly well with sliding glass windows which are much nicer to use.

Edited October 28, 2005 by John Orentas

[AJLintern]

Yes that's what I though - the same lack of imagination that means narrowboat all look pretty much the same!

 

Who's Alan? (I'm Andy )

[Bernie]

We have the lot, portholes in the bathroom, bedroom and engine room, sliding windows in the galley and hoppers in the saloon. How's that for variety?

[Maffi]

Sounds more like a greenhouse Maffi!

Might get a bit warm in Summer , but what do I know. I like it light inside.

 

 

Well I have to have somewhere nice to grow my 'special' plants.

Edited October 28, 2005 by Maffi

[Moley]

Well we've got 9 windows in a 45 footer (4 each side & 1 at the front), and they're all different!

 

All 9 leaked until this Tuesday, when we managed to remove, clean up and refit / reseal 5, and I'm hoping for some dry weather to do the other 4 tomorrow.

 

Does anyone know where I can get new seals for the one sliding window?

 

Thanks,

Ade.

[Richard Bustens]

Yes that's what I though - the same lack of imagination that means narrowboat all look pretty much the same!

 

Who's Alan? (I'm Andy )

 

A rose by any other name,, etc etc

[bottle]

Well we've got 9 windows in a 45 footer (4 each side & 1 at the front), and they're all different!

 

All 9 leaked until this Tuesday, when we managed to remove, clean up and refit / reseal 5, and I'm hoping for some dry weather to do the other 4 tomorrow.

 

Does anyone know where I can get new seals for the one sliding window?

 

Thanks,

Ade.

 

Found this http://www.sealsdirect.co.uk/ no knowledge on them though.

[Mr Who]

I appreciate what your saying about light but I`ve been in quite a few with 15inch portholes andthey look bright enough inside to me, I just thought that since all your worldly goods will be on board it might be a good idea to have 15 inch portholes so that if a thief smashes them at leaste he cant get in.

 

Might be a bugger if you locked your keys inside though

[anthony]

I must confess i prefer the look of portholes on boats.

The larger ones would be good for light.

[redfastlad]

Polished brass portholes look fantastic and combined with pigeon boxes and side doors there is plenty of light ,we were offered " BUS WINDOWS" no thank you cos no matter what colour you have em they still look like bus windows sorry all you light fantastic lovers,also whats all that mixing bus and portholes about cant decide eh ?