Tug decks and beds

[flatplane8]

Hi,

 

Does anyone have some pictures of beds placed under tug decks, either 'rollaway' or a 'bedroom'?

 

Any comments from the experienced on good/bad points?

 

As you may have guessed, my boat has a tug deck with and empty space underneath it........

 

Thanks,

 

Simon

[charles123]

Hi,

 

Does anyone have some pictures of beds placed under tug decks, either 'rollaway' or a 'bedroom'?

 

Any comments from the experienced on good/bad points?

 

As you may have guessed, my boat has a tug deck with and empty space underneath it........

 

Thanks,

 

Simon

 

Hi Simon I am a great fan of the raised deck tug especially when done to the right proportions. I have thought many time about the underdeck bed idea and have seen a number of conversions, none really work in my opinion.

 

Here is one version I was looking at

 

http://nbwarrior.blogspot.com/

 

scroll down if you look into the site there are an number of other photos of the bed.

One of the problems is even if you design the bed there is no room for storage under the deck for clothes so you have to design i some cupboards somewhere and I could never figure a solution

 

good luck

 

Charles

 

BTW you will see my use of the space but its not a bed

 

http://tuglyranarrowboatcharles.blogspot.com/

[flatplane8]

Hi Simon I am a great fan of the raised deck tug especially when done to the right proportions. I have thought many time about the underdeck bed idea and have seen a number of conversions, none really work in my opinion.

 

Here is one version I was looking at

 

http://nbwarrior.blogspot.com/

 

scroll down if you look into the site there are an number of other photos of the bed.

One of the problems is even if you design the bed there is no room for storage under the deck for clothes so you have to design i some cupboards somewhere and I could never figure a solution

 

good luck

 

Charles

 

BTW you will see my use of the space but its not a bed

 

http://tuglyranarrowboatcharles.blogspot.com/

 

 

Thanks for the tip Charles, I've read your site before, but I'll take another look.

[Cafnod]

Hi

We thought about going for a tug but felt that the underdeck space was not really usable by us. I did thank of having a well deck tug and fitting a vintage genset on the deck, something like a 50's Lister twin cylinder or similar.

But back to beds, really there are three options, the crawl under coffin, the roll out bed or a cross sofa that converts to a double.

I think Charles use of the under deck space is excellent.

[steveh]

My friends tug 'Resolute' which was feature in the July edition of Waterways world has a roll away bed installed under the tug section. I haven't seen it yet but I i can PM you his email address if you want further pictures or information. Might be a good excuse for me to visit him in the pub and take a few myself mmmm

[charles123]

I did see the magaze report on Resolute and a fine vesel she is however to get to the tug deck you either climb over your sofa and scramble through the front doors as there is no over head sliding hatch or you shin along the gunells to get to it, neither are sadly very practical or well thought out. Nor is there anywhere to store your clothers. No offence in criticising the boat its a personal opinion

 

I have posted some more examples below

 

 

 

[charles123]

Another example

 

[flatplane8]

Thanks Charles, some good pictures there. I've found the 'nb-warrior' blog very useful and interesting too. I've also re-visted your site to look at your lettering for your boat, I'll be needing to get some for mine before it goes onto the Thames.

 

My underdeck space will be investigated for use as a bed once I've spent some more time on the boat. the current sleeping arrangements are not very well made, so I won;t loose much by trying this.

 

My under deck space looks like this.....and this IRIS, my boat...

Iris

Edited July 30, 2006 by flatplane8

[Chertsey]

Thanks Charles, some good pictures there. I've found the 'nb-warrior' blog very useful and interesting too. I've also re-visted your site to look at your lettering for your boat, I'll be needing to get some for mine before it goes onto the Thames.

 

My underdeck space will be investigated for use as a bed once I've spent some more time on the boat. the current sleeping arrangements are not very well made, so I won;t loose much by trying this.

 

My under deck space looks like this.....and this IRIS, my boat...

Iris

 

Hi Simon

 

Glad you liked the our Warrior blog. You look like you have plenty of headroom under there - more than us. It works for us; we have just enough headroom - about two foot. Getting in and out is the fiddliest part. Once in it's very nice and cosy, and there's plenty of room to spread out sideways. A local upholsterer should be able to make you a foam mattress cheaper than a specialist boat supplier - we gave ours detailed measurements, including the angle between the base and sides, and they did a lovely job. The ventilation is probably quite important - I imagine it would get quite stuffy otherwise. We have a hatch that was already there but you could perhaps use mushroom vents or, if you were worried about water getting in in locks etc, it might be possible to get special deck vents - I think I've seen them.

 

The advantages of doing it this way certainly outweigh any inconveniences. It uses otherwise wasted space - if you use it for storage you still have to crawl in and out and are unlikely to use the whole length. We still use the space for storage in a way anyway - we store most of our clothes in big bags (one each) which we chuck on the bed during the day, hidden behind the curtain, then we just chuck them out into the saloon at night. It gives you the best sized bed you are ever going to get on a narrowboat. It's ready to crawl into without any setting up, and in the morning you can just crawl out and shut the curtains on it. It doesn't take up any space or cause any disruption in the saloon or anywhere else. The only caveat really is the amount of headroom you have available and whether you have any tendency to claustrophobia. If you can, try setting something up temporarily and see how you get on with it. Roll out beds are a nightmare - we had to move all the furniture out of the way every night, and it was narrow, and the head sloped downwards.

 

The base was quite straightforward to build. You could maybe put a mattress straight on the floor but we put the base in for three reasons, firstly to allow some air flow round the mattress, because everyone says you should, second, because there is a water pipe running straight down the middle from the tank to the pump, and lastly because there were some sharp steel stumps where we had cut out the old roll out bed. We just put strips of 2x1 batten round the sides and a piece down the middle, raising it 2" off the floor, and went across with 6 x 3/4 cheap pine planks from Wickes leaving about a 1" gap between. We measured and cut them with angled ends to fit fairly flush to the sides of the boat and screwed them in place with drywall screws, which didn't need predrilling. It It took Jim a morning to do, with me passing him things! There's a picture of the base without the mattress, and of the building process, on the photo site http://community.webshots.com/user/nbwarrior in the album 'Working on Warrior'. I know of one other boat with the bed under the deck, and they are very happy with it too. Good luck - let us know what you decide and how you get on!

 

And Jim adds: In addition to what Sarah has just posted it is clearly a very good thing...... and also the fore end curves upwards towards the front so that it is very much higher at the head end. I am fairly large (16st 9lbs) and about 5'11" and I am very comfortable and despite not being in the first flush of youth(!) find getting in and out very easy, much easier in fact than getting in and out of a conventional bed in our other nb. What really was the desider was the fact that despite the fact that it would never be seen the builder had panelled it out beautifully with old pine and mouldings. I have been up to the boat twice during the recent heatwave, and it is the coolest place on the boat.

 

My first post! Hope it isn't too long - please forgive if so.

 

Sarah

[flatplane8]

Hi Simon

 

Glad you liked the our Warrior blog. You look like you have plenty of headroom under there - more than us. It works for us; we have just enough headroom - about two foot. Getting in and out is the fiddliest part. Once in it's very nice and cosy, and there's plenty of room to spread out sideways. A local upholsterer should be able to make you a foam mattress cheaper than a specialist boat supplier - we gave ours detailed measurements, including the angle between the base and sides, and they did a lovely job. The ventilation is probably quite important - I imagine it would get quite stuffy otherwise. We have a hatch that was already there but you could perhaps use mushroom vents or, if you were worried about water getting in in locks etc, it might be possible to get special deck vents - I think I've seen them.

 

The advantages of doing it this way certainly outweigh any inconveniences. It uses otherwise wasted space - if you use it for storage you still have to crawl in and out and are unlikely to use the whole length. We still use the space for storage in a way anyway - we store most of our clothes in big bags (one each) which we chuck on the bed during the day, hidden behind the curtain, then we just chuck them out into the saloon at night. It gives you the best sized bed you are ever going to get on a narrowboat. It's ready to crawl into without any setting up, and in the morning you can just crawl out and shut the curtains on it. It doesn't take up any space or cause any disruption in the saloon or anywhere else. The only caveat really is the amount of headroom you have available and whether you have any tendency to claustrophobia. If you can, try setting something up temporarily and see how you get on with it. Roll out beds are a nightmare - we had to move all the furniture out of the way every night, and it was narrow, and the head sloped downwards.

 

The base was quite straightforward to build. You could maybe put a mattress straight on the floor but we put the base in for three reasons, firstly to allow some air flow round the mattress, because everyone says you should, second, because there is a water pipe running straight down the middle from the tank to the pump, and lastly because there were some sharp steel stumps where we had cut out the old roll out bed. We just put strips of 2x1 batten round the sides and a piece down the middle, raising it 2" off the floor, and went across with 6 x 3/4 cheap pine planks from Wickes leaving about a 1" gap between. We measured and cut them with angled ends to fit fairly flush to the sides of the boat and screwed them in place with drywall screws, which didn't need predrilling. It It took Jim a morning to do, with me passing him things! There's a picture of the base without the mattress, and of the building process, on the photo site http://community.webshots.com/user/nbwarrior in the album 'Working on Warrior'. I know of one other boat with the bed under the deck, and they are very happy with it too. Good luck - let us know what you decide and how you get on!

 

And Jim adds: In addition to what Sarah has just posted it is clearly a very good thing...... and also the fore end curves upwards towards the front so that it is very much higher at the head end. I am fairly large (16st 9lbs) and about 5'11" and I am very comfortable and despite not being in the first flush of youth(!) find getting in and out very easy, much easier in fact than getting in and out of a conventional bed in our other nb. What really was the desider was the fact that despite the fact that it would never be seen the builder had panelled it out beautifully with old pine and mouldings. I have been up to the boat twice during the recent heatwave, and it is the coolest place on the boat.

 

My first post! Hope it isn't too long - please forgive if so.

 

Sarah

 

 

Thanks Sarah and Jim for the reply. My intention is to open out the underdeck space and then just try it with a mattress on the floor. The underdeck area is a little untidy too, so I may be able to get some more depth there. At the moment it extends back about 4 feet from the door above. Another possiblity may be to have some sort of cross-bed arrangement. The hull shape is not like yours, so the sides don't curve in so much. Basically Iris seems to have a very simple bow shape like an icebreaker or a WW1 battleship. The curve you can see on the front of the boat is almost cosmetic, she essentally has a straight stem.

 

Lots of ideas at the moment, but first I need to move the boat to Reading (its currently in west London) and then see whats what.

 

The current arrangement has the sleeping area half way down the boat, between the entance at the front and the galley area. This has been cobbled together by the previous owner from an old chest of drawers and some other bits of wood. My plan if I can do the the under-deck bed thing, is to create a more open plan space in the middle of the boat. There is still a large wardrobe for storage, and the last 10 feet of the boat is an engine room, although not with a nice old engine like yours! The engine room is also unlined, so I was interested to read about you lining yours on Warrior.

 

This is my first boat, so I'm sure the learning curve will be steep!

 

Simon

[Jason Wilson and Family]

Thread ressurection!!!

 

I know I'm pulling this topic out from beyond the grave but I cam across it while searching for tug topics and have some relevant information to add. Keeps the thread useful to those who know how to search and avoids clutter to just pen it here.

 

Hi Simon I am a great fan of the raised deck tug especially when done to the right proportions. I have thought many time about the underdeck bed idea and have seen a number of conversions, none really work in my opinion.

 

...

 

One of the problems is even if you design the bed there is no room for storage under the deck for clothes so you have to design i some cupboards somewhere and I could never figure a solution

 

After seeing Charles' post I started thinking about what my wife and I would do with the underdeck of our (still a dream) tug 'Pirate Queen Grania'. I wanted a solution that would give us a double bed which could be used as a couch, but still have some storage space and, possibly, still give us a door in the front bulkhead to get on deck.

 

This is what I came up with:

(Operating off of traditional bow dimensions)

 

The closet down the starboard side is flush with the bulkhead (optionally extended past it, but i didn't take time to sketch that). The foreward section is a closet for stowing the pillow and other junk, the aftward section slides out and has hanging space for a fistful of garments as well as shelf space for folder clothes or baskets. The entire aftward section runs on tracks and pulls clear of the bed for easy access.

 

If the assembly was shifted aft, you would have space for more cupboards/shelves at the foot of the bed and a taller section to hang your clothes as well as a small landing to attach a retracting ladder to so you can enter through a centerline doorway and hatch.

 

I think when we get around to getting our dream boat (at least one second hand boat away) this is what we will put under the tug deck.

Edited July 2, 2007 by Jason Wilson and Family

[sarahavfc]

I did see the magaze report on Resolute and a fine vesel she is however to get to the tug deck you either climb over your sofa and scramble through the front doors as there is no over head sliding hatch or you shin along the gunells to get to it, neither are sadly very practical or well thought out. Nor is there anywhere to store your clothers. No offence in criticising the boat its a personal opinion

 

Resolute is my Dad's boat and to be honest I am a bit offended by your comments. To say that they have not been well thought out could not be further from the truth, the bed works incredibly well and we don't have any problems with entering the boat. We don't need to climb over the bed to get out, we just use the entrances/exits which are on both sides of the boat, it is not a problem at all. As for the wardrobe space, if you cared to have a proper look at the article before criticising the boat you will notice that it says that at either side of the bed there is shelving and wardrobes.

 

I've attached an article showing our bed which was in this months edition of Waterways World for you Jason, so you can see how ours works.

 

 

Edit - Just like to add that Dave Moore and my Dad co-own the boat if anyone is confused.

Edited July 2, 2007 by sarahavfc

[dave moore]

I did see the magaze report on Resolute and a fine vesel she is however to get to the tug deck you either climb over your sofa and scramble through the front doors as there is no over head sliding hatch or you shin along the gunells to get to it, neither are sadly very practical or well thought out. Nor is there anywhere to store your clothers. No offence in criticising the boat its a personal opinion

 

I have posted some more examples below

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Charles123

I've just come across your comment on Resolute from almost a year ago. As the owner and a boater since 1962 I thought I'd correct your erroneous opinions.

I elected to have no sliding hatch to ensure that any entry to the cabin with muddy boots was via the side doors which run on to washable galley flooring. Most modern narrowboats have direct access to the saloon via a well deck. You certainly wouldn't walk straight into your lounge at home thus attired.

I'm well versed in walking (not shinning) along gunwales and have never had a problem. I learned my boating with a mix of working boatmen and enthusiasts and strive to keep good practice alive in a radically altered world, tho I realise that t this is a personal hobbyhorse.

There are mini wardrobes under the tug deck which didn't feature in ww article. They won't hold a ballgown but are ideal for boating clobber that we both wear.

Frankly I find it depressing that you see fit to comment in an uninformed way. Should you wish to view the finished product, contact me on davemoore4@tinyworld.co.uk and I'll happily arrange it. Being closely involved at Norton Canes Boatbuilders,I'm fiercely proud of the work produced at one of the country's finest traditional yards. I wouldn't thank you for the output of many modern builders. No offence,merely a personal opinion!

My wife has asked me to add a comment that she has no difficulty in accessing the tug deck,despite major surgery in the last 12 months.

I await your reply with interest

Dave Moore

[Jason Wilson and Family]

So Sarah, was the foreward hatch ever used on Resolute or was it used more like a window?

 

We have thought of several different configurations, including one which would permit use of the front hatch via a 'notched' bed that formed two chairs when pushed in.

 

I thought of the configuration above in the interest of creating some hanging clothes space in response to Charles' critique of tug under-deck spaces.

I do like the idea of having a full width berth though.

 

 

ps. Sorry Charles it seems, my resurrection has brought some hot water for you.

Edited July 2, 2007 by Jason Wilson and Family

[sarahavfc]

So Sarah, was the foreward hatch ever used on Resolute or was it used more like a window?

 

We have thought of several different configurations, including one which would permit use of the front hatch via a 'notched' bed that formed two chairs when pushed in.

 

I thought of the configuration above in the interest of creating some hanging clothes space in response to Charles' critique of tug under-deck spaces.

I do like the idea of having a full width berth though.

ps. Sorry Charles it seems, my resurrection has brought some hot water for you.

 

No forward hatch, just used as like a window, we have a bit of perspex we put in on a chilly day.

 

ps. Sorry Charles it seems, my resurrection has brought some hot water for you.

 

I wouldnt worry about it Jason, if Charles wants to make those comments, he has to live with the response to them. I have been meaning to respond to this thread for a while.

[starman]

We recently bought a tug with an under-deck bed that became a sofa in day use. The sofa was very uncomfortable (because the cushion was basically the end of the mattress). Also we opened up the solid front bulkhead with doors and a sliding hatch which would have meant access to the deck was by scrambling over the sofa.

We opted to have steps and slide the bed right away under the deck, pulling it out at night. I still favour a bed/sofa option but can it be made comfortable and how do you resolve the access to the deck problem.

Interested to hear/see pictures of other solutions.