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What type of boat do you like?

Jon

By Jon
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Sam Rising Star

Sam

Posted
Posted

Just posting the original post from the old forum for this topic:

 

Hi All!!

 

What types of boats do you guys prefer?

Eg- Trad, cruiser, etc..

???

 

Will be interesting to see!!

 

Cheers

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sam :rolleyes:

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David Schweizer Veteran II

David Schweizer

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Posted

If you stand in the correct steering position on a Traditional Stern (ie. inside the Hatches) and not on the Rear Counter as so many people seem to do these days, you have far more protection from the elements. And if it is raining hard you can close the cabin doors behind you to give even more protection. In the winter with the stove burning it is a nice snug place to be well at least for the bottom half of you.

 

You may have guessed that having started my boating nearly 40 years ago on an ex GUCC working boat I still prefer the Traditional Stern, and if others want to join you what is wrong with either sitting on the cabin roof or standing on the gunwales?

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Jon Rising Star

Jon

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If you stand in the correct steering position on a Traditional Stern (ie. inside the Hatches) and not on the Rear Counter as so many people seem to do these days, you have far more protection from the elements. And if it is raining hard you can close the cabin doors behind you to give even more protection. In the winter with the stove burning it is a nice snug place to be well at least for the bottom half of you.

 

You may have guessed that having started my boating nearly 40 years ago on an ex GUCC working boat I still prefer the Traditional Stern, and if others want to join you what is wrong with either sitting on the cabin roof or standing on the gunwales?

 

 

I agree, and I do like traditonal boats, but having boated on all 3, the semi-trad seems to be the best compromise for modern, holiday/short term liveaboard boat (particularly when you have 6 people, all of whom want to stand at the stern!)

 

Jon

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Keith Lodge Explorer

Keith Lodge

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Posted (edited)

David, you forgot to add that by standing inside the boatsmans' 'ole to steer, you can use the small of your back to do the majority of steering, rather than your arms, saving those muscles for the paddle winding. :rolleyes:

 

Also because you are physically facing forward the brain subconsciously steers you in a straight line without actually thinking about, if you stand sideways, ie facing the bank, we are not designed to move sideways, thus you actually tend to move the tiller far more than if you are facing forward. <_<

Edited by Keith Lodge
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Sam Rising Star

Sam

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David, you forgot to add that by standing inside the boatsmans' 'ole to steer, you can use the small of your back to do the majority of steering, rather than your arms, saving those muscles for the paddle winding.  :rolleyes:

 

Also because you are physically facing forward the brain subconsciously steers you in a straight line without actually thinking about, if you stand sideways, ie facing the bank, we are not designed to move sideways, thus you actually tend to move the tiller far more than if you are facing forward.  <_<

 

Keith is correct! Didn't think of that point!

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Paul Evans Rising Star

Paul Evans

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You can use the "back" steering method on any boat as long as the tiller arm is at the right height. I find it very useful when it comes to indulging my habit of rolling fags. With a trad, I could roll them under the slide on wet days instead of producing soggy, floppy smokes. Unfortunately, my wife does not find this a compelling argument for buying a trad so we have to stickwith the semi-trad for the time being.

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Sam Rising Star

Sam

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Posted
You can use the "back" steering method on any boat as long as the tiller arm is at the right height. I find it very useful when it comes to indulging my habit of rolling fags. With a trad, I could roll them under the slide on wet days instead of producing soggy, floppy smokes. Unfortunately, my wife does not find this a compelling argument for buying a trad so we have to stickwith the semi-trad for the time being.

 

LOL Paul,

You could buy fags which you don't have to 'put together' yourself. Then you wouldnt have to roll them. LOL Just A suggestion <_<:lol::blink:

 

:rolleyes:

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Cussy Gongoozler

Cussy

Posted
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If you stand in the correct steering position on a Traditional Stern (ie. inside the Hatches) and not on the Rear Counter as so many people seem to do these days, you have far more protection from the elements. And if it is raining hard you can close the cabin doors behind you to give even more protection. In the winter with the stove burning it is a nice snug place to be well at least for the bottom half of you.

 

 

Don't you find that if it's raining hard, the rain puddles at your feet and then finds its way further inside?

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Keith Lodge Explorer

Keith Lodge

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There is more to the rolling cigarettes on working narrowboats. I was taught that the art of cigarette rolling was a useful gauge of time. If an incident was likely to happen in front of you, like another boat coming towards you, there was time to take out your tobacco tin, roll a cigarette, light it, and pop the tin back in your waistcoat pocket before having to take any steering action. Unfortunately I no longer smoke, I might have to use an egg timer instead!!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Martin Contributor

Martin

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I'll go with the Trad camp although for partying, there is no beating the cruiser stern.

The warmth from the engineroom in the steering 'ole of a trad is very nice in winter and you get at least some protection from the rain.

You can also adopt the "traditional" sitting position when steering too - on the roof at the side of the hatch.

Wifey tends to "perch" on the gunwale - leaning on the cabin roof while underway.

There must be some way of designing a "sling" which hangs from the edge of the roof so that she can perch in greater comfort - I will get the designing fingers out!

I had also thought of bringing hot air to the stern through a duct from the exhaust manifold as it is the fingertips that really suffer in the cold and wet.

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Keith Lodge Explorer

Keith Lodge

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I had also thought of bringing hot air to the stern through a duct from the exhaust manifold as it is the fingertips that really suffer in the cold and wet.

 

Martin, that's why they had the coal stove in the boatsman's cabin right by the cabin doors, the chimney makes a great hand warmer, and the draught of warm air up your left trouser leg does wonders :rolleyes:.

 

If you study a traditional working narrowboat, apart from being very basic, a lot of thought was put into what they had. I do understand that modern day boaters have different requirements, but 200 years of design and experimentation can hardly be ignored. As much as our new boat will be a traditional working narrowboat, it will have modern facilities, toilet, shower, galley with washing machine, spare bunk and office area, and living area, all built in a cabin under the sheets. But also facilities like marine vhf radio, and cb radio will be fitted in the boatsman's cabin for all our boating communication needs, both requiring aerials on the roof, along with external aerial for the mobile phone.

 

We are also considering that we will be living on the boat into old age, and we will be having things built into it now to make it easier when we are older, for example the small sprung loaded cabin steps that are used these days on boats, will make it easier to gain the boatsman's cabin roof when I am too old to leap up there with one bound.................. when I am 90 <_<

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John Orentas Veteran II

John Orentas

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Posted

I used to moor next to a very old ex hire boat. It had a cruiser stern and a Lister air cooled engine. Very clever ducts were built into the engine space and a diverter valve could be changed to give a winter or summer setting.

 

The winter setting would divert the warm cooling air from it's normal route away from the boat to a vent directing it towards the steerer.

 

John Squeers

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  • 6 years later...

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