the pros and cons of a tug deck –v- well deck design?

[Joshua]

What are the pros and cons of a tug deck –v- well deck design?

 

 

I am interested particularly in relation to a boat used as a live on board and that will be constantly cruising with a crew of two adults.

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Joshua

[carlt]

Raised decks are pretty, well decks are pretty ugly?

 

There are pros and cons for both, though I've always seen the 'pros' for a well deck as 'cons', to be honest.

[MtB]

What are the pros and cons of a tug deck –v- well deck design?

 

 

I am interested particularly in relation to a boat used as a live on board and that will be constantly cruising with a crew of two adults.

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Joshua

 

Is there any way of turning OFF customised fonts in other users' posts? I find them irritating beyond all reason. I dunno why!

 

Chris Pink says there is, but I can't find it....

 

 

Re your question, tug deck looks more stylish from outside and gives you a ton of extra storage or bed space underneath. There are no downsides

 

Mike

[stagedamager]

i would have a tug deck any day. The Main factor is it's a bit safer to step on whilst the boat is moving. You can gain an extra cabin under the deck if hull depth permits, you can still sit on a tug deck, as well as a well deck, the only + for a well deck is you can have a cratch and cover and still maintain headroom. Other than that, much of a muchness, tankage will still be in the same place etc..........

Regards

Dan

[jonk]

What are the pros and cons of a tug deck –v- well deck design?

 

 

I am interested particularly in relation to a boat used as a live on board and that will be constantly cruising with a crew of two adults.

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Joshua

 

You might look at this thread that I started on tug decks. http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=36432&st=0&p=654511&fromsearch=1entry654511

Despite what has been posted there I do think that there is a good case to be made out for a tug deck. I think (purely a personal view) that I prefer a well deck and cratch cover since I can use it while cruising more often than I would use a tug deck, but for others that might not be a deciding factor.

 

John

[Athy]

Apart from its capacity for under-deck storage of goods or of dormant people, a well-proportioned tug deck can give a boat's profile grace and balance. Very long ones (I think of them as "extreme tug" decks) look plain daft.

[stagedamager]

a 2/3 , 1/3 split looks right, IMO!

Dan

[carlt]

a 2/3 , 1/3 split looks right, IMO!

Dan

 

I agree:

 

Edited November 6, 2011 by carlt

[NB Esk]

My tug deck is nine feet in length &, apart from the beam, is the most important measurement on the boat.

This is because the distance from the tunnel lamp mast, to the front cabin hatch, has to be able to swing a full sized hammock...

[Batavia]

A tug deck is the only sensible choice - and it means that you can't be tempted to have a cratch!

 

Chris G

[alan_fincher]

Very long ones (I think of them as "extreme tug" decks) look plain daft.

 

I could take offence at that remark!

 

 

a 2/3 , 1/3 split looks right, IMO!

Dan

 

A large tug deck makes a great office on a nice day!

 

[Joshua]

To be honest I hadn’t really given them much thought, as my initial thinking had been to maximise living space.

I do like the look of them but thought that whilst they would be great on a boat used for weekend leisure, they would be ‘wasted’ space on a live on board.

 

I am beginning to see differently.

 

First I need to convince myself then I will worry about how to sell it to my partner who has ‘generously’, given me Carte blanche over the design of the boat so long as it complies with everything she wants!

 

I have read the thread suggested by jonky and putting aside aesthetics which are subjective, the two most often repeated pros seem to be, easy access and good storage, both of which I can appreciate.

 

However, I have always assumed the well deck was a partly protected and therefore comfortable area to socialise al fresco with partner and friends.

 

Are they actually often used like this in practice?

 

Can the exposed and raised tug deck, just as comfortably be so used and are they in practice?

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

Joshua

[Athy]

Alan, I was not thinking of old working tugs - I was thinking of modern boats which are sold as or described as tugs but which were not built to do a job apart from carrying people. Yours looks reet 'andsome.

[carlt]

However, I have always assumed the well deck was a partly protected and therefore comfortable area to socialise al fresco with partner and friends.

Whenever I've sat in a well deck I've always felt I should be wearing the giant slipper, have a blanket on my lap and be reading a copy of 'People's Friend'.

[alan_fincher]

To be honest I hadn’t really given them much thought, as my initial thinking had been to maximise living space.

I do like the look of them but thought that whilst they would be great on a boat used for weekend leisure, they would be ‘wasted’ space on a live on board.

I know many people are going to leap in and say why does it matter, but is there any reason why you are using that rather nasty non-proportional font that, (in my view, at least), looks truly horrible compared to the forum default ?

Edited November 6, 2011 by alan_fincher

[Guest]

Just one thing to be aware of with the coming winter - a large flat metal expanse as in a modern tug deck can get very slippery in the frost and ice. Probably not a deal breaker but something to factor in.

 

I remember 'skating' on Wriggly's at the Audlem banter last November. Nice if you want to practice your 'Bolero' but something to be aware and careful of.

[Timleech]

I know many people are going to leap in and say why does it matter, but is there any reason why you are using that rather nasty non-proportional font that, (in my view, at least), looks truly horrible compared to the forum default ?

 

I'm going to leap in and say it does matter, it annoys me as well because I find it more effort to read

 

 

Tim

[Athy]

Joshua, leaving aside discussion of your chosen typeface, there was one boat with a tug-style deck which I particularly admire (and which I considered buying about 2 years ago). It had what at first appeared to be a forecabin, but in fact this raised bit was intended to give the occupants of the bed beneath the deck adequate headroom to sit up in bed without crowning themselves. The raised section also had a small porthole each side to give light in the "bedroom" in the mornings. The effect thus created was of a proper bedroom rather than a hole under the deck which just happened to contain a bed.

The boat is based on an 1890-ish Bantock and was converted ten or so years ago. Her name is Emerald and until she was sold she was moored at March. Perhaps a forum member has photos of her?

[Joshua]

I know many people are going to leap in and say why does it matter, but is there any reason why you are using that rather nasty non-proportional font that, (in my view, at least), looks truly horrible compared to the forum default ?

Edited November 6, 2011 by Joshua

[Guest]

MMM.

 

you do have to use at least one of them though or we can't see what you have posted...

[Joshua]

I know many people are going to leap in and say why does it matter, but is there any reason why you are using that rather nasty non-proportional font that, (in my view, at least), looks truly horrible compared to the forum default ?

 

 

I have always considered the style of my handwriting an important aspect of expressing myself, I mean over and above the actual text, like a signature.

 

When I first started using a computer to communicate (e-mail etc) I found that the font I used felt equally important and for the same reasons.

 

I suppose it is similar to why people use a variety of avatars or sign off with historical quotes that they feel expresses something about themselves.

 

Personally I found the default font awkward and pinched and had not considered that using an alternative would upset anyone.

 

I have been the member of several forums over the years, representing other and quite different interests and never once received a complaint about using a none default font.

 

It is not, in my experience, an uncommon habit.

 

However, if it upsets the 'forum', it won't kill me to use the default.

 

I had formerly used Comic sans, a font I find easy on the eye and which for that reason is very popular with for example dyslexic readers. After a complaint from forum members 'carlt', 'deletheaccount' and 'boiler man', I changed it to this one thinking that it was just comic sans that offended, clearly not, but all fixed now.

 

 

Joshua

[Guest]

Isn't there something about Arial (which I think is the default one) being regarded overall as the easiest to read even for people with some visual impairment - I seem to recall why this was our 'default' font for all correspondence that we sent out from work and for all documents we produced.

[Athy]

I have just noticed that the time of posting of each message is still shown in BST. Perhaps this is the forum's default time?

[Catrin]

As a teacher of ICT I spend a lot of time making sure that my KS3 students think very hard about the fonts that they use, and how they are suitable for audience and purpose, and don't swap to a different one for every new page or slide. It often doesn't matter which one they start with, but they need to stick with it throughout.

 

Although most people nowadays are competent and fluent readers reading is actually quite a difficult process, requiring a lot of background processing. Complex sentences will take longer to process, as will sentences where the context is not immediately obvious. Even thinking about 'it' in a sentence will take a millisecond longer to process than if 'it' is expressly named (you may, for example, have had to read that last sentence twice to make sense of it).

 

Newspapers and books tend to use 'serif' fonts like 'Times New Roman'. Many years ago I read that these are 'easier' to read in large areas of print than 'sans serif' fonts, such as comic sans. Having said that, many of the fonts used on the Internet are 'sans serif' - Trebuchet or Verdana, for instance. The different medium seems to need a different type of font.

 

I have to admit that I also found your non-standard font slightly irritating, which I think is because it slows my reading down a little bit - almost like listening to someone with a different accent. I appreciate that you like to express your personality, perhaps it is just that on this forum you might find yourself reading an awful lot of posts - anything that slows you down can be a bit irritating. If everyone used the same font as you I doubt that there would be any difficulty.

 

cheers

Cath

(oh, tug deck, definitely)

Edited November 6, 2011 by Catrin

[Higgs]

I have a 59' Mike Heywood and bought it for living aboard. It's a trad and all I wanted to do was maximise the living space. It is not as attractive as a working type boat or a tug deck boat.

 

The all weather use of the well deck with cratch cover is fine, and it keeps the weather a little bit further away from the front doors and helps to contain the heat in winter.

 

While I enjoy looking at other boats, I wouldn't buy another boat based on it's pedigree or history ; that is for others to do. Most of that is to do with money, basically. I'm afraid the living space comes first. Happy with what I have others will keep the history going.