Cabin Access

[canaldrifter]

When I chose my latest narrowboat, some eleven years ago now, I deliberately sought a boat with the galley at the rear. My thinking was, I wanted a semi-trad, as that would be safer for my grand-children (not one of whom have been anywhere near my boat!). I knew I would be doing a lot of winter cruising, sometimes solo at that. It made sense to have a wet locker in the galley area, and cooking facilities easy to hand from the steerer position. I have never had cause to regret that decision.

 

But most modern narrowboats have rear cabin access straight into a bedroom. How does that make sense?

 

OK, I can see that a trad stern with access to an engine 'ole only, would need front access, but why have a bedroom at the foot of the steps with rear access? Stripping off muddy boots and wet-weather gear in a bedroom must be a nightmare.

 

What are the advantages of this layout?

 

Tone

[deletedaccount]

When you're moored up people can use your front door and it opens into your front room

 

Also means you get more use out of your front porch ime.

 

I have to say I'm coming round to reverse layouts too. As in, I can see the benefits of both.

[steelaway]

When I chose my latest narrowboat, some eleven years ago now, I deliberately sought a boat with the galley at the rear. My thinking was, I wanted a semi-trad, as that would be safer for my grand-children (not one of whom have been anywhere near my boat!). I knew I would be doing a lot of winter cruising, sometimes solo at that. It made sense to have a wet locker in the galley area, and cooking facilities easy to hand from the steerer position. I have never had cause to regret that decision.

 

But most modern narrowboats have rear cabin access straight into a bedroom. How does that make sense?

 

OK, I can see that a trad stern with access to an engine 'ole only, would need front access, but why have a bedroom at the foot of the steps with rear access? Stripping off muddy boots and wet-weather gear in a bedroom must be a nightmare.

 

What are the advantages of this layout?

 

Tone

 

 

 

Hi

There isn't, but having the lounge next to the kitchen means you can't use the cratch area as a sun lounge of the living room.

 

Alex

[ymu]

I am very keen on reverse layout - for all the reasons you give, but also because I do all the driving and it's much nicer to be able to ask rather than yell for a cup of tea/cigarette/toilet break. However, you are a lot closer to the engine at that end, and we run the engine a lot for charging batteries..

 

We've lived on both, but it's hard to separate the boats from the layout - they all had their good and bad points. I'd probably have preferred a reverse layout, on balance, but it wasn't a deal-breaker and we've ended up with the normal layout primarily because there's more of them out there to choose from.

[Joshua]

This layout layout link (bedroom in the middle) seems to be a way of having your cake and eating it?

 

So long as one provides good facilities to eat in the kitchen (avoid having to march up and down the boat between kitchen and eating area) this seems ideal, but I am guessing there is good reason why one doesnt see it more often?

 

By the way, this boat has an obviously very low gunwale, what is the thinking/history behind this or it simply a styling preference of the builder?

 

Joshua

Edited January 31, 2011 by Joshua

[deletedaccount]

This layout layout link (bedroom in the middle) seems to be a way of having your cake and eating it?

 

So long as one provides good facilities to eat in the kitchen (avoid having to march up and down the boat between kitchen and eating area) this seems ideal, but I am guessing there is good reason why one doesn’t see it more often?

 

By the way, this boat has an obviously very low gunwale, what is the thinking/history behind this or it simply a styling preference of the builder?

 

Joshua

 

My friend has it like that. It drives her nuts because she can't cook and talk to people in the saloon at the same time.

[soldthehouse]

I like the idea of the kitchen at the rear but on the boat I'm building with a mid engine room it would mean that the kitchen/galley would be isolated. Also I will be having a large rear entrance area that will double up as a utility area for boots coats etc general storage a washing machine under two bunks and a central walkway to give occasional sleeping. This should give three uses to an eight foot space. Whether it works out like that on the day remains to be seen!!!!!!!

[canaldrifter]

Hi

There isn't, but having the lounge next to the kitchen means you can't use the cratch area as a sun lounge of the living room.

 

Alex

 

Yeah but... yeah but.... that's where the semi-trad rear deck scores, or a cruiser stern scores even more. It also means the steerer is not socially excluded.

 

I've gone the opposite way and turned my foredeck into a utilty/shower area beneath a stout cratch cover, thus opening up room inside the cabin for desk space where the shower used to be.

 

So, my bedroom is now en suite twice.

 

Perhaps the only change I would make in a new boat layout (some hopes!) would be to move the WC (and possibly a shower) to the rear, adjacent to the wet locker, with a holding tank under the sink unit.

 

Tone

Edited January 31, 2011 by canaldrifter

[ymu]

My friend has it like that. It drives her nuts because she can't cook and talk to people in the saloon at the same time.

Yeah, you'd need a pretty big boat to make that work, and most people could probably find a better use for the space than having two living rooms. Plus guests would be walking through your bedroom all the time - both reverse and normal layouts allow you to avoid that except when cruising.

Edited January 31, 2011 by ymu

[Midnight Rider]

But most modern narrowboats have rear cabin access straight into a bedroom. How does that make sense?

 

 

But do they? The back of our trad goes into an engine/laundry/drying room & then to the bedroom.Works well.

 

Tony

[ymu]

Trads really don't belong in this discussion - it's only really makes sense to consider a reverse layout in a cruiser or semi-trad.

 

Although I have seen a trad with beds at both ends. Doesn't work ... (IME, obv).

Edited January 31, 2011 by ymu

[canaldrifter]

I like the idea of the kitchen at the rear but on the boat I'm building with a mid engine room it would mean that the kitchen/galley would be isolated. Also I will be having a large rear entrance area that will double up as a utility area for boots coats etc general storage a washing machine under two bunks and a central walkway to give occasional sleeping. This should give three uses to an eight foot space. Whether it works out like that on the day remains to be seen!!!!!!!

 

H'mmmm.. but to me centrally engined modern boats just waste cabin space. Of course, if you're fitting a trad engine, then it becomes one of the main features of the boat, so it should have pride of place, and easy access. Much as I love trad engines on other folks' boats, I'd rather have the cabin space. Good engine access is t'other reason why I went for semi-trad, though there have been times I wish I'd gone for cruiser stern, like when changing the alternator drive belt, water pump, alternator, etc etc.

 

Tone

[NB Lola]

When you have just had fitted a new engine, you really do need to be close to it!

:blush:

[steelaway]

When you have just had fitted a new engine, you really do need to be close to it!

:blush:

 

 

Is it so loud that you have got to SHOUT

[soldthehouse]

H'mmmm.. but to me centrally engined modern boats just waste cabin space. Of course, if you're fitting a trad engine, then it becomes one of the main features of the boat, so it should have pride of place, and easy access. Much as I love trad engines on other folks' boats, I'd rather have the cabin space. Good engine access is t'other reason why I went for semi-trad, though there have been times I wish I'd gone for cruiser stern, like when changing the alternator drive belt, water pump, alternator, etc etc.

 

Tone

Agreed there are so many variables. I am having a traditional engine room as thats where my interests lie and this has a great deal of influence over the rest of the layout, but if a .modern underfloor engine was the choice then a reverse layout would be my choice. Its horses for courses and I'm sure all layouts will be a compromise at some time or other.

[NB Lola]

Is it so loud that you have got to SHOUT

 

LOL sometimes my eyes need a help

[RichardH]

I think if you do lots of cruising then reverse is good with easy access to the kitchen and lounge. If you prefer staying in one place for a while and use your engine for charging batteries then it is better to be relaxing at the front rather than in front of a thumping engine.

[ymu]

LOL sometimes my eyes need a help

No need to change the font size. Holding the Ctrl key down and hitting the + key will sort that out for you - on all text, not just the stuff you type. Ctrl and - to make it a little smaller again, if you overshoot.

[Chagall]

Trads really don't belong in this discussion - it's only really makes sense to consider a reverse layout in a cruiser or semi-trad.

 

 

 

why? if a steerer on a trad needs occasional company, and brews, then granted there isn't much room on the back but surely company don't want to hang about in a bedroom or be isolated at the front of the boat?

 

my modern trad has a reverse layout, stepping down onto an platform with engine under, then a small laundry and electrics cabinet then through a side door (an extremely useful door which stops drafts from the rear hatch) into the kitchen, then I have a huge work table and a living room central, a centre door into a walk through bathroom. ...and a further door into the bedroom at the front. The bedroom is private and the bow deck makes a great sun terrace in the summer and an escape from the hubbub at the working end. Suits me perfectly.

[ymu]

Fair dos. Thinking about it, I have seen a couple of modern trads where the stern is nicely accessible - I was thinking more of the type where you have to squeeze past the engine to get to the rear counter. If the stern door is properly usable as the main entrance/exit, reverse-layout would work just as well.

 

Nice sterns those - wish we'd seen more like that.

[BlueStringPudding]

We intentionally kept the middle cabin as the bedroom (all the cabins were bedrooms when we first got the boat!) because I didn't want to come from the outside at either end, into a bedroom. The front door opens into the dinette / galley area (which tends to get used a sitting room in the summer as there are 5 large windows in there) and the back door opens into the other sitting room (which is more of a winter sitting room / tv room). Suits me just fine.

[mayalld]

We intentionally kept the middle cabin as the bedroom (all the cabins were bedrooms when we first got the boat!) because I didn't want to come from the outside at either end, into a bedroom. The front door opens into the dinette / galley area (which tends to get used a sitting room in the summer as there are 5 large windows in there) and the back door opens into the other sitting room (which is more of a winter sitting room / tv room). Suits me just fine.

 

Layout on Mr Jinks (from rear)

 

• Galley
• Dinette
• Through Bathroom
• Wardrobe
• Bedroom
• Saloon

From our POV, this has the following advantages;

• Proximity of tea making equipment to steerer
• Cooking and dining adjacent to each other (no spillages)
• Bathroom between the two beds (privacy)
• No muddy boots in bedroom or saloon (we seldom go forward of the bathroom whilst cruising)
• Saloon adjacent to outside seating area in well deck for the passengers that we don't want on the stern (M-i-L etc)

[nb Innisfree]

Ours from rear of cruiser stern: Back cabin - bedroom - corridor/bathroom - lounge/dining/kitchen. Kitchen is part of the socialising dining/lounge and there are four doors to keep engine out of earshot when charging. Sometimes we would like this layout reversed but then spoilt by noisier engine.

 

Aint life a bitch, how we boaters suffer

[WJM]

"but why have a bedroom at the foot of the steps with rear access? "

 

To answer your question - I don't think of that area as a bedroom during the day. It is all tidied up and neutral during the daytimes. I keep coats and lifejackets on the bed and passengers sometimes use the bed as a large sofa. It simply isn't a bedroom until the hatch is pulled shut at the end of the day.

[Naughty Cal]

"but why have a bedroom at the foot of the steps with rear access? "

 

To answer your question - I don't think of that area as a bedroom during the day. It is all tidied up and neutral during the daytimes. I keep coats and lifejackets on the bed and passengers sometimes use the bed as a large sofa. It simply isn't a bedroom until the hatch is pulled shut at the end of the day.

 

Dont you find it gets muddy in there with people wandering around in shoes all day?

 

I only ask because our cockpit carpets are a nightmare to keep clean at this time of year. We seem to be constantly vacing mud from them.