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Don't boaters snore?


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We're looking to become liveaboards in a couple of years, when I retire. Not sure how long we'll manage it for but planning on 2,3,4 years or so therefore it doesn't make sense to buy a new boat and I'm starting to look at the secondhand market.

We want to cover the Northern canals so it's a 58 footer, or around that.

Problem is that, like many couples, we have separate bedrooms because one of us snores. It seems that boats with two bedrooms are rare as hens teeth.

My ideal boat would be a 58 ft trad with a small boatmans cabin containing a single bunk. Then a compact engine room followed by a double bedroom. Is this impossible in 58 ft? Perhaps it is.

Any ideas, other than abandoning the North and going for a 70 ft boat?

Perhaps the Leeds/Liverpool is incompatible with snoring couples?

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The boat we used to borrow was 57' with double bedroom, bathroom, double bedroom. Modern engine in semi-trad stern. The space is obviously lost from the living area, but we still managed to holiday with 4 on board. I suggest that having a mid engine room takes up too much space in a 58' boat. I've seen it done but the living area ends up really small.

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It should be possible to fit two bedrooms in 58 foot but a mid engine room does make it more difficult. I managed to fit 3 bedrooms into 70 foot with rear engine but I'm grateful that I only need 2 now that we've got a mid engine room. Have a look at ex-hire boats, they're often built to sleep lots of people and my meet your needs.

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We're looking to become liveaboards in a couple of years, when I retire. Not sure how long we'll manage it for but planning on 2,3,4 years or so therefore it doesn't make sense to buy a new boat and I'm starting to look at the secondhand market.

We want to cover the Northern canals so it's a 58 footer, or around that.

Problem is that, like many couples, we have separate bedrooms because one of us snores. It seems that boats with two bedrooms are rare as hens teeth.

My ideal boat would be a 58 ft trad with a small boatmans cabin containing a single bunk. Then a compact engine room followed by a double bedroom. Is this impossible in 58 ft? Perhaps it is.

Any ideas, other than abandoning the North and going for a 70 ft boat?

Perhaps the Leeds/Liverpool is incompatible with snoring couples?

Our sixty foot boat has two cabins with separate sleeping accommodation which we use for guests. The second cabin has a permanent single that converts to a cross double if needed.

 

The boat could be two foot shorter and still easily accommodate this arrangement.

 

Not sure about squeezing an engine in too though, that would encroach I bit too much into the cabin space in my opinion.

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2 bedroomed boats are quite rare. Your best bet would be to search for 'ex-hire boats for sale'. Most of these would have 2 bedrooms or even more in some of the larger boats.

 

Another way of doing it would be as you suggested, by getting a traditional boat with a back cabin/engine room set up. I sleep in a trad back cabin and find it quite quaint and cozy, although it did take me quite a while to get used to not having much (any) room to stretch out in bed. I've not seen many boats of 58ish foot that would be of this configuration AND have a complete second bedroom. It's much more common to find the space forward of the engine room to be made up of a bathroom and kitchen/living space. Some 'tugs' have a permanent double birth under the tug deck, this could be an option for you but means the bed is open to the living space. To be able to get a trad set up (back cabin/engine room) AND a seperate double bedroom whilst keeping a reasonable amount of living space, you may need to look at boats longer in length.

 

Ignore Betty's advice above. Don't get a widebeam, they are ugly.

Edited by junior
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If you are considering not only a "mid" engine room, but also a fully traditional layout to a back cabin, then it is hard to achieve that part in under 13 feet, (living space 8 feet, engine room 5 feet). The equivalent with a rear engine, and a bedroom forward might be about 11 feet, assuming full length bed along the boat, so may only "save" about 2 feet.

However, if you are not aware of the confines of a traditional back cabin, be aware that.....

 

1) Headroom significantly reduced due to prop shaft under.

2) This pushes any cross bed higher, meaning length is constrained by upper cabin sides, not full hull width. If it is a modern b0at, rather than an old (wider) historic one, then this will make useable bed length well under 6 feet, so for tall people very restrictive.

3) Unless the back cabin is longer than "traditional", the width of the bed is reallyt only what most would call a single - hard to get more than 3 feet.

 

I don't think you will find many "go anywhere" boats that incorporate "traditional" arrangements at the rear, with another dedicated bedroom forward. They tend to make the back cabin a bit longer, for more generous bed, and have bigger engine rooms than many working boats would have had, to alklow the swanky overpowered Gardner (or similar) to have pride of place display, and hence space for the rest of accommodation is reduced.

If you can find what you are after in a historic boat conversion, rather than a modern one, you are likely to find us fighting you for it. Hens teeth springs to mind!

 

I'm not sure the soundproofing qualities of many internal dividers on narrow boats will do a lot to deaden the noise of a heavy snoorer either!

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Sponge rubber ear plugs are what we use - both of us snore very 'badly' (but we are practising daily)

 

Quality ear plugs as used by shooters are ideal.

Cheap ones are not so good.

 

We have tried, pills, potions, creams, wire nose grips. the wife even has a machine that breathes for her (plugs into the elec)

 

Nowt works.

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I snore, so LongSufferingWife gets a better night, if she goes to sleep first...rather than trying to get to sleep with me wheezing next to her. i was dropped as a baby and I have a skew nose ;-)

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Sponge rubber ear plugs are what we use - both of us snore very 'badly' (but we are practising daily)

 

Quality ear plugs as used by shooters are ideal.

Cheap ones are not so good.

 

We have tried, pills, potions, creams, wire nose grips. the wife even has a machine that breathes for her (plugs into the elec)

 

Nowt works.

Electrocute the wife....bit extreme Alan.

 

ian

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Longer boats don't suit the northern waterways, wide boats don't suit the midlands narrow locks so "go anywhere" must be short and narrow.

Take your boat length and take off six feet for the stern and 10 feet for the bow and there is precious little left, which is why many boats have permanent and convertible berths, likely a double for the owners and sofas in the lounge that convert to singles or a double for visitors.

Hire boats will have lots of berths, project boats (failed sailaway fitout) may offer some prospects but need a LOT of DIY and TLC.

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Sponge rubber ear plugs are what we use - both of us snore very 'badly' (but we are practising daily)

 

Quality ear plugs as used by shooters are ideal.

Cheap ones are not so good.

 

We have tried, pills, potions, creams, wire nose grips. the wife even has a machine that breathes for her (plugs into the elec)

 

Nowt works.

My CPAP machine works well according to SWMBO. I keep asking her to get one!
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My CPAP machine works well according to SWMBO. I keep asking her to get one!

 

But the wheezingy sort of noise is almost as bad as the snooring and the elephants trunk is a little off putting during those intimate moments (maybe I'm going about it the wrong way - is she supposed to be awake ?)

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But the wheezingy sort of noise is almost as bad as the snooring and the elephants trunk is a little off putting during those intimate moments (maybe I'm going about it the wrong way - is she supposed to be awake ?)

But they arevery usefull for pressurizing a siphon feedbubble stove fuel tank to initiate flow.
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We felt the same as you, and despaired of finding a go-anywhere boat with two bedrooms. We decided that we'd have to settle for a boat that could be converted easily to two bedrooms.

 

We started looking for a boat with a dinette that was a ) between the kitchen and the loo, so was in the right place for a bedroom b ) had full-height bulkheads on both sides, so just needed doors to convert to a cabin. We were going to convert the dinette to a single bedroom, because that left space for a bedside table and cupboard at one end, and a wardrobe at the other.

 

Surprisingly, we found a few boats with that layout, but didn't like them for other reasons. But we found we were starting to see the odd two-bedroom boat cropping up. And, dear reader, we bought one!

 

You definitely have to sacrifice something for the extra bedroom if you aren't going above 60 ft. Trojan is 55ft, and has no dinette. It does have a remarkably long saloon. The cleverest compromise is that the foot of the double bed goes under the rear step (it's a semitrad). We thought we'd need to do something about that pronto, but we've got used to it very quickly.

 

One tip. Don't tell the brokers you want two bedrooms, or an easy conversion. If one comes up, they'll know you will be willing to pay a premium for a particular type of rare boat. I don't think two bedroom boats are in great demand, so it's better that the broker is asking you apologetically if you would consider two bedrooms and you are condescending enough to go and look at it!

 

edited to remove unintentional smiley!

Edited by Clifford
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It has to be possible....One of my boats is a narrow beam yoghurt pot 25.5' that has seperate double cabin fwd bathroom/toilet and galley midships and a dinnette aft that converts into two single bunks...(the inboard diesel is under the galley sink).

 

If a good designer can squeeze that lot into that space then it must be possible in something double the length boat.gif

 

idioted fer spelnig

Edited by John V
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