Listing to the left

[manxmike]

I have noticed that a remarkably large number of boats have a pronounced list to the left - my boat is no exception.

 

In my case, the bed, cooker, fridge, toilet, settee etc are all on the left hand side of the boat. When I have time (following retirement in May) I will look at the possibility of lifting the floor and re-setting the ballast.

 

In the meantime - why is it so prevalent? Is there a reason why boat builders (mine is a Liverpool Hull) put all the heavy stuff on one side of the boat? OK, I realise that it's easier to run a gas feed down one side only, but couldn't that be offset somehow?

 

Confused? You will be after the next episode of "Soap" (Now there's a blast from the past!)

[Naughty Cal]

Ours also had a list to port until we moved some weight to the starboard side.

 

Again ours has all of the heavy items, fridge, gas locker, galley etc. along the port side of the boat. Not a lot else the builder could do though given the space constraints in a 23ft boat!

[Victor Vectis]

Well I'm a Labour voter.

 

(Dunno about t'boat though)

 

[WotEver]

WotEver listed to starboard when we got her. A bit of ballast shifting and another battery soon fixed it.

[alan_fincher]

Because of things like permanent double beds, and bathrooms, (if not made "walk through"), it seems inevitable that many narrow boats have more of their weight of fixtures and fittings to one side than the other, particularly once full pump out tanks, calorifiers and the like are factored in.

 

In "trads" this often results in the walkway past the engine being on the same "corridor" side, and hence the heavy battery bank being on the side that is already the "heavy side".

 

So it is obviously necessary that the ballast under floors is biased towards the otherwise "light" side to compensate in the fully completed boat.

 

However many boats have the ballast put in, a floor laid over the top, and then everything built on top, making it hard to move enough ballast on completion - probably why our last boat originally had quite a lot of trimming ballast in the plinths under units in the walk through kitchen, but also stacked on one side of the uxter plate in the counter void, (hampering easy access to the weed hatch to some extent).

 

I have no firm expanation why most boats seem to be "corridor on the right" but it seems far far more usual than on the left.

 

Possible reasons include.....

 

1) Working boats had range, table cupboard and bed cupboards on the left, so the idea was followed to put most of the internal structure on that side in leisure boats as well.

 

Or, (perhaps more probably!)...

 

2) Many engines seem to have exhausts and water cooling arrangements on the left, meaning the less obstructed side of them will usually be on the right. Once you have any walkway on the right past the engine, it is more space efficient to keep it on the right to pass beds and bathrooms.

 

In "The Narrow Boat Builders Book", Graham Booth comes up with reasons to break this traditiomn, and I think his boat "Rome" actually has some corridor on the left. I'm struggling to remember why, but it may be to do with the arrangements on the engine he used? (Lister in a traditional "mid" engine room, but with engine room walk through).

[Bunny]

Our boat was reballast after we moved all our stuff on board , maybe that's it . Level and ballast correctly ... move on board with possessions and you get a list . Bunny .

[system 4-50]

Because of things like permanent double beds, and bathrooms, (if not made "walk through"), it seems inevitable that many narrow boats have more of their weight of fixtures and fittings to one side than the other, particularly once full pump out tanks, calorifiers and the like are factored in.

 

In "trads" this often results in the walkway past the engine being on the same "corridor" side, and hence the heavy battery bank being on the side that is already the "heavy side".

 

So it is obviously necessary that the ballast under floors is biased towards the otherwise "light" side to compensate in the fully completed boat.

 

However many boats have the ballast put in, a floor laid over the top, and then everything built on top, making it hard to move enough ballast on completion - probably why our last boat originally had quite a lot of trimming ballast in the plinths under units in the walk through kitchen, but also stacked on one side of the uxter plate in the counter void, (hampering easy access to the weed hatch to some extent).

 

I have no firm expanation why most boats seem to be "corridor on the right" but it seems far far more usual than on the left.

 

Possible reasons include.....

 

1) Working boats had range, table cupboard and bed cupboards on the left, so the idea was followed to put most of the internal structure on that side in leisure boats as well.

 

Or, (perhaps more probably!)...

 

2) Many engines seem to have exhausts and water cooling arrangements on the left, meaning the less obstructed side of them will usually be on the right. Once you have any walkway on the right past the engine, it is more space efficient to keep it on the right to pass beds and bathrooms.

 

In "The Narrow Boat Builders Book", Graham Booth comes up with reasons to break this traditiomn, and I think his boat "Rome" actually has some corridor on the left. I'm struggling to remember why, but it may be to do with the arrangements on the engine he used? (Lister in a traditional "mid" engine room, but with engine room walk through).

The corridor on the right comes from the requirement in the middle ages to have your sword arm, usually your right arm, free to defend against intruders coming in through the stern doors of your narrowboat as your stern doors were more likely unlocked.

[RLWP]

The corridor on the right comes from the requirement in the middle ages to have your sword arm, usually your right arm, free to defend against intruders coming in through the stern doors of your narrowboat as your stern doors were more likely unlocked.

 

This is utter nonsense! The conventional weapon for defending a narrowboat in the middle ages was the pike. There are faint vestiges of this on most boats today, although the ignorant don't understand and use the weapon as a 'boat hook'

 

Richard

[NB Lola]

I have 4 56lb weights which I move around as required. These were mainly because of stern/bow imbalance following install of a heavier engine but our new larger holding tank may require us to make minor adjustment as it fills so my weights can also be used to counter any effects.

[bizzard]

An open plan interior with no corridor would suite a broad beamed cowboy full of bacon and beans, that has big six guns sticking out on each hip.

[dmr]

The corridor on the right comes from the requirement in the middle ages to have your sword arm, usually your right arm, free to defend against intruders coming in through the stern doors of your narrowboat as your stern doors were more likely unlocked.

 

And this is why the spiral staircase on a narrowboat is always clockwise going down. I did visit a castle in Scotland where the staircase went the other way and this was because the original owner was left handed.

 

The stove should always go on the left to best locate the chimney, could this be a factor?.

Not sure about the engine services theory. Very few boats have proper engine rooms, and on working boats the engine room was not walk through anyway. It somehow feels right that the bathroom should go waterside rather than bankside ?

 

...............Dave

[Jrtm]

Sit level when water tank isnt empty over winter but we have so much weight in ours that even with that full or empty you cant really notice it. But when all work is done well re ballast it to sit level again.

Where boats with boliders in have a bit of an advantage when comleatly empty as the silancer ballasts out the back cabin range compared to other working boats with no ballast and also empty.

Modern boats its normally down to design flaws that all kitchen big items are on 1 side as well as stoves and beds and most fuel and water tanks sit in the middle of the boat or spred from one side to the other

[cuthound]

This is utter nonsense! The conventional weapon for defending a narrowboat in the middle ages was the pike. There are faint vestiges of this on most boats today, although the ignorant don't understand and use the weapon as a 'boat hook'

 

Richard

Don't tell 'em err Richard

[NB Lola]

 

This is utter nonsense! The conventional weapon for defending a narrowboat in the middle ages was the pike. There are faint vestiges of this on most boats today, although the ignorant don't understand and use the weapon as a 'boat hook'

 

Richard

Oh, so you slap the intruder with a wet fish (pike)?

[Pie Eater]

Ours is a Liverpool Boat and had the same problem. I put a couple of tractor weights in the bow locker and even went as far as putting all our books on one side of the boat.

 

Steve

[Guest]

I just moved my wife's shoe collection to the other side; job done.

[WotEver]

I just moved my wife's shoe collection to the other side; job done.

:lol:

[Neil Smith]

I fitted mine out on dry land so I put an even layer of bricks across the base plate, then after getting weights of all the stuff inside and putting all the heavy stuff on the starboard side ie calorifier, fridge/freezer, washing machine, cooker etc to compensate for the bank of traction batteries, engine battery and the pro combi, I was fairly confident it would be ok but how wrong was I, it listed to port a fair bit and needed half a ton of steel ballast to level it, I was lucky it fitted under the kitchen units behind the plinths and under the floor where it cant be seen.

 

Neil

[Guest]

I position my guests accordingly and place a spirit level next to each of them with clear instructions on the importance of keeping the bubble within those lines, otherwise sinking is inevitable.

[NB Lola]

I position my guests accordingly and place a spirit level next to each of them with clear instructions on the importance of keeping the bubble within those lines, otherwise sinking is inevitable.

I would nearly pay to see that!

[Jrtm]

Step right up step right up see the amazing level sitting boat.