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Getting used to portholes...


Salopgal

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Bit of a quickie reply - housework beckons (yuk, yuk), but just to say thanks one and all.

 

I'll put a photo link on soon, but I do have a lovely hatch opposite the galley and one Houdini hatch as well. To me the boat seems light enough inside, and I agree with whoever said live with them for a while first. I think I'd regret putting bigger windows in a boat that hasn't been mucked about with in the 20 years of its life.

 

Anyway, must go. The ironing doesn't do itself ..... if only.....

 

:)

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Time to go and find a boat with big windows and spend half an hour on the towpath in it. I predict you'll get agoraphobia.

 

On the other hand some people don't value their privacy, don't mind all the towpath walkers gazing straight in at them eating their tea, don't mind sitting in a goldfish bowl, and don't think curtains are totally UNboaty and should only be allowed in houses.

 

Don't forget pigeon boxes and Houdini hatches let in TONS of light. I bet you don't have any. Forum member Kedian will make and fit some for you if necessary.

 

 

Don't worry. It's a 'maturity' thing. Caravan dwellers dabbling at boats insist on big windows, boaters born and bred will have nothing but portholes.... :D

 

(I love a bit of light trolling!)

 

MtB

 

 

Maybe I haven't got the right to speak, as I'm not a nb owner, but I've lived, and worked, on barges and boats, and I'm still living on a boat now for 40 years 365 / 24/7 and I never had portholes.

 

In my actual boat I can see out and see the live on the water, barges, boats swans, ducks etc, while seated, and that's what I really like, as I love to see the world around me in winter aswell, when it's too cold to sit outside.

 

For me it's not good enough to see only light coming in through skylights, houdini-hatches and dogboxes, and the top of the trees through portholes.

 

If I'm moored alongside a quay and people are bothering me trying to look inside my boat, I just pull the curtains on that side, and still have my unobstructed view through the other side.

 

I'm very happy living in what you call a goldfish bowl, and think that my boat looks like a real boat that's good for the sea too, with her double safetyglass windows.

 

Never mind, if you prefer portholes, that's your (and many others) choice, but I don't want them, apart from toilet and bathroom.

 

Peter.

Edited by bargemast
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We have the bus windows down both sides and it does feel very very open and spacious. That's how the boat came and having viewed a great many boats we decided we preferred the open feel. The windows have louvre blinds which I agree aren't very boaty but then it's a 15yr old ex-hire cruiser not a trad so it's never going to look very boaty (except for the pump out ;).

 

Horses for courses - I like looking out and seeing swans and other boats going by. Sometimes I put clothes on ;)

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On my boat it's got bus windows around 800mm long by channel glaze and I have to say I like them in the living and kitchen areas but I would choose portholes for bedroom and bathroom.

I have a pigeon box above my bed which lets light in (and cold/drafts, cured by a removable piece of laminated glass placed in from above) but I would also of installed another above the galley to let out steam/ cooking smells.

 

If my windows ever got broken I would install double glazed new units to limit condensation, although should improve when I keep the fire in 24 hours a day.

 

James :cheers:

Edited by canals are us?
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The boat we've just bought had bus type windows with an adhesive film on the inside which meant that folk couldnt see in but you could see out perfectly, and this didn't detract from the light inside. We were tempted to leave it in place, particularly as we plan to live aboard including a few winter months in a marina where we would have another boat alongside us. But in the end we decided to remove it, although the main reason for this was that it was scratched and starting to peel in places.

 

I posted a thread on here about it, and after some very helpful advice, it came off without scratching the windows.

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If I had a boat built from scratch, I'd have it with only portholes. But I probably would also have around 4 hatches that I could open and pop a piece of Perspex in if need be. I don't like the look of the bus windows on my boat which is why I'd opt for all portholes next time around.

 

Saying that though, I love the S-close windows.... They don't look too bus-like either! Oh ive confused myself now -decisions, decisions!!!

Edited by lewisericeric
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We have portholes and think it makes the boat look stunning!!

If we want a view whilst in the saloon we will open our 3foot by 3foot hatches, and when we have enough of people staring in at us we'll shut them and have privacy.

Helps Keeps heat in the boat too :-)

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I agree with Narrowboat Communicator portholes look stunning

 

We like portholes for the security

 

we also have four side hatches in our lounge and kitchen with plastic screens and two wooden dog boxes above with double glazed panels so no drips!

 

Side hatches can be bought and fitted to most boats to let more light in and give you a view of the outside world

 

Hope this helps

 

John

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Spent a lovely afternoon aboard today - butties, flask of coffee and a jolly good snooze along with latest Jack Reacher novel. Am fine with portholes and think that this place just feels more and more like home. Just wish I could work out how to get the flipping stove door to open!! :)

 

Tried to post an image in here from photobucket but got a "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this board". Need to find another method of posting images... not sure what I'm doing wrong.

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Spent a lovely afternoon aboard today - butties, flask of coffee and a jolly good snooze along with latest Jack Reacher novel. Am fine with portholes and think that this place just feels more and more like home. Just wish I could work out how to get the flipping stove door to open!! :)

 

Tried to post an image in here from photobucket but got a "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this board". Need to find another method of posting images... not sure what I'm doing wrong.

I use Photobucket, you just have to chose the right link.

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Tried to post an image in here from photobucket but got a "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this board". Need to find another method of posting images... not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Photobucket images are fine to post on here, and many of us use it.

 

Any image has 4 possible links listed with it.....

 


  • Email & IM
    Direct Link
    HTML Code
    IMG Code

 

You want the 4th one, (IMG code), which contains the full URL of the JPG image (ending with a .JPG) surrounded by IMG and /IMG in square brackets.

 

Copy the whole of that, including the IMG tags, straight into a post....

 

Like this.....

 

IMG_3332.jpg

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I can kinda understand people having all bus windows but what i really don't understand is the mixed square & round combo, it just looks silly from the outside dunnit

:unsure:

 

Oh dear - portholes in the bedroom big windows everywhere else on Iona :unsure:

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Oh dear - portholes in the bedroom big windows everywhere else on Iona :unsure:

 

Similar on the Dog House but no 'Oh dear' here it's our boat and we ain't bothered what any body else's opinion of what it looks like is, :cheers:

 

To prove the point we even have a semi-trad stern and a pram hood.

Edited by The Dog House
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Oh dear - portholes in the bedroom big windows everywhere else on Iona :unsure:

 

I am probably too busy grinning at the boaters to notice the windows when Iona glides into view

:D

 

 

Similar on the Dog House but no 'Oh dear' here it's our boat and we ain't bothered what any body else's opinion of what it looks like is, :cheers:

 

To prove the point we even have a semi-trad stern and a pram hood.

 

agree wholeheartedly with the first para but dear god, a pram hood! ;)

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agree wholeheartedly with the first para but dear god, a pram hood! ;)

 

Luvin it.... :cheers:

 

When it's raining we can still sit 'outside' soaking up the outside air, when we don't need it it's folded down and gone.

 

We very nearly got shot when we first got the boat but wouldn't be without it now.

 

It's as ugly as sin up or folded down but hey ho..

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Luvin it.... :cheers:

 

When it's raining we can still sit 'outside' soaking up the outside air, when we don't need it it's folded down and gone.

 

We very nearly got shot when we first got the boat but wouldn't be without it now.

 

It's as ugly as sin up or folded down but hey ho..

 

Ah it would fall under the 'came with the boat' dispensation then. useful to dry clothes when its raining and a good smokers porch. they are all ugly as sin though

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Luvin it.... :cheers:

 

When it's raining we can still sit 'outside' soaking up the outside air, when we don't need it it's folded down and gone.

 

We very nearly got shot when we first got the boat but wouldn't be without it now.

 

It's as ugly as sin up or folded down but hey ho..

 

We are in the same position.The boat we've just bought has a stern pram hood and when I mentioned to my surveyor that we were going to get rid of it he suggested we try it first. When we took her for her maiden cruise last Saturday it was a right pain to dismantle and then put up again afterwards.

 

What we might do when we begin our living aboard in spring is to remove it for the summer cruising and store it in my son's loft. Then put it back up for the winter when we will be mainly staying in the marina and it will serve as a good place for extra storage and for things like muddy boots. If this works we'll probably keep it.

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