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JulesE

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My choice - from experience of hiring and our own boat - but we're not CCers / liveaboards

  • Beta engine with twin alternators
  • large battery bank
  • Trad stern (somewhere for the dog to sleep, and dry wet whatever
  • Gas cooker
  • Wet central heating (4 radiators)
  • Stove in main room
  • Dinette (to seat several people) and dining table
  • Good size bathroom (boaty size...) with bath and shower over and radiator as a towel rail
  • Pumpout loo  (why bother to cart your poo to a disposal point - let the vacuum take the strain
  • TV (satellite and Freeview) and small soundbar  (HD tv channels aren't quite as load as SD)
  • radio in the cabin for me, ditto in the bedroom for The Management to listen to the Archers while cruising...
  • Large water tank
  • 3 cylinder gas locker
  • Bus windows and side hatch (portholes are trad and OK for the rear but throughout make for a dark boat)
  • Carpet on the floor - can slip on polished wood

Some of the above are for good practical reasons and many years of hiring. Some are for comfort..... 

  • Greenie 2
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I like the above format so here's mine

My choice - from experience of hiring and our own boat - not CCer / liveaboard /marina dweller

  • Beta engine with twin alternators
  • Modest battery bank - domestic 3 x 110Ah (would prefer 4)
  • Cruiser stern (NO dog)
  • Gas - cooker, fridge, water heater (Morco D61B), tumble dryer
  • No central heating (0 radiators)
  • Small stove 4Kw in main room in centre of boat
  • Large Dinette (to seat 6 people) converting to 140 x 200cm large double bed
  • Permanent large double bed 140 x 200cm
  • Good size bathroom (boaty size...) with shower (100 x 76cm) and no radiator as a towel rail
  • Pumpout loo  (why bother to cart your poo to a disposal point - let the vacuum take the strain - YES!)
  • No TV 
  • No radio
  • 2 Large plastic water tanks
  • 4 cylinder gas locker with auto changeover
  • Bus windows 
  • Floors - make it easier to walk around

Some of the above are for good practical reasons and many years of hiring. Some are for comfort..... 

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11 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

I like the above format so here's mine

My choice - from experience of hiring and our own boat - not CCer / liveaboard /marina dweller

  • Beta engine with twin alternators
  • Modest battery bank - domestic 3 x 110Ah (would prefer 4)
  • Cruiser stern (NO dog)
  • Gas - cooker, fridge, water heater (Morco D61B), tumble dryer
  • No central heating (0 radiators)
  • Small stove 4Kw in main room in centre of boat
  • Large Dinette (to seat 6 people) converting to 140 x 200cm large double bed
  • Permanent large double bed 140 x 200cm
  • Good size bathroom (boaty size...) with shower (100 x 76cm) and no radiator as a towel rail
  • Pumpout loo  (why bother to cart your poo to a disposal point - let the vacuum take the strain - YES!)
  • No TV 
  • No radio
  • 2 Large plastic water tanks
  • 4 cylinder gas locker with auto changeover
  • Bus windows 
  • Floors - make it easier to walk around

Some of the above are for good practical reasons and many years of hiring. Some are for comfort..... 

That's interesting - perhaps if more folks could publish their specs: it might help other beginning boating to see what is the norm and what to look for.

Hat off to you with no tv or radio (but I wonder if you stream tv etc off the net. Good also to see sizes (dinette and bed).

One thing neither of us mentioned was the storage issue, so here goes -

Bedroom; forward -

  • Extendable double bed - currently standard width (4'6") but longer, set high with 2 large blanket drawers and two smaller and storage space behind for stuff one use once a year...
  • Full height wardrobe (currently with 6 shelves)
  • two small CoD
  • Shoebox acting as front step
  • Shelves above bed with reading lamps under and radio

Bathroom 6' wide

  • 4' (?) bath with shower over and extractor fan. washing line over
  • pumpout loo, tank under
  • large wasbasin with storage under
  • mirror with cabinet
  • cabinet (hides loo pipes)

 

Main cabin -

  • L-shaped dinette with storage under, converts into double bed
  • Book shelves with radio above
  • removable table, can seat 6, 4 in comfort
  • large single bed, removable with storage under, split into 3 so can be used for extra seating
  • 27" tv, soundbar, Foxsat (2), Youview, DVD player
  • Open shelving above (CDs large collection of spices)
  • Brunel stove
  • Fridge freezer
  • Double sink, open storage under
  • 4 burner, grill and oven cooker
  • worktop with 2 knife drawers and storage under
  • 2 shelf units for glasses, cups etc
  • Full length larder
  • Crew's loo (pumpout) with very small hand basin and shelves over
  • cabinet behind loo
  • Full height airing cupboard with large vertical calorifier

Engine room -

  • Extra long to accommodate 1000 Ah NiCd batteries
  • Separate cabinets for 240v mains supply and 12/24v switchgear
  • Access to engine via lifting panels on a frame so that engine can be removed...

Other -

  • All LV cables run in ducting built into the ceiling
  • 240v cables run under gunnels with lots of sockets (I hate extension leads)
  • C/H and water supplies run under floor with access panels

 

 

Now this is far too much detail, but  when I see folks on here wanting to add their comforts to an existing boat or try to run / modify existing wiring - which in most cases have been setup  as if a boat was a house... Then I begin to wonder...

 

 

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I think many fitments on boats are purely personal choice. However as a long time served liveaboard this is what I have now most of which I ensured the boat had on buying and some I have fitted to improve the boat for myself.

Isuzu with three alternators ( travelpower )

Travelpower unit on engine ( First class well worth the money )

Morso stove ( added by me )

Webasto diesel heating ( was hurricane on purchase of boat )

4 x 110 ah 12 volt battery bank this allows for full time use but needs charging daily ensuring longer life of cheapo batteries

Prefer cassette bog but maceraotor is fitted so bought porta bog for when bog goes wrong, no pumpout available, frozen in etc etc etc etc etc

Pure sine verter/charger. ( exellent bit of kit but I would have fitted seperates personaly )

Seperate laundry room at very rear of boat away from living area housing washing machine and tumble dryer

Cross bathroom ( bigish )

6ft 6inch long by 4ft 4inch wide fixed double bedroom

Huge storage built in

Galley kitchen

dinette

large saloon at front

Semi trad ( had them all and wife wanted this style this time )

Though second hand the boat was specced as I would have wanted it if I had built it other than I had to ad a solid fue stove ( doddle of a job )

Double glazed ( unecessary gimmick )

Gas cooker

Hot water from engine/webasto/immersion

All led lighting ( a must ) fitted by myself cheap as chips from limekiln chandlers ( top outfit )

Telly etc

Last but not least a chimney ( plus 2 spares!! ) from Alex who simply builds vastly superior chimneys to anyone else in the known universe.

Edited by mrsmelly
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Last four posts on individual spec preferences are really good to read and I found myself mentally ticking off the 'yep, got that' or 'hmmm' or 'nahhhh' as I went! Might be worth adding the length of your boats as well though, because that does affect choices for space use.

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16 minutes ago, Jo_ said:

Might be worth adding the length of your boats as well though, because that does affect choices for space use.

Beam also plays an important part.

We have a queen sized double bed with 'walk down' both sides, wardrobes, dressing table and cupboards both sides (his & hers) and a Toilet & basin (bathroom) on the starboard side and a shower room (wetroom) on the port side. However - we are a 14 foot beam.

Versatility-35-28.jpg

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Beam also plays an important part.

We have a queen sized double bed with 'walk down' both sides, wardrobes, dressing table and cupboards both sides (his & hers) and a Toilet & basin (bathroom) on the starboard side and a shower room (wetroom) on the port side. However - we are a 14 foot beam.

 

So if money was no object I should live on a widebeam and not move if very often and have a narrowboat for cruising the waterways.  Now where is my lottery ticket.........

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1 minute ago, Chewbacka said:

So if money was no object I should live on a widebeam and not move if very often and have a narrowboat for cruising the waterways.  Now where is my lottery ticket.........

Why have both ?

Just do what all the other 'fat-boats' do and bimble along causing chaos - 'might is right' you know !!!

 

Now - my other boat is a real 'fatty' being 23 foot beam but that's not likely to be seen on the canals anytime soon as it has a 60 foot air-draft.

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2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Why have both ?

Just do what all the other 'fat-boats' do and bimble along causing chaos - 'might is right' you know !!!

 

Now - my other boat is a real 'fatty' being 23 foot beam but that's not likely to be seen on the canals anytime soon as it has a 60 foot air-draft.

What variety of cat is it?

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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Why have both ?

Just do what all the other 'fat-boats' do and bimble along causing chaos - 'might is right' you know !!!

 

Now - my other boat is a real 'fatty' being 23 foot beam but that's not likely to be seen on the canals anytime soon as it has a 60 foot air-draft.

You could join us on the G&S canal, air-draft is limited by the high electric cables that cross over, doubt 60' would be a problem.

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6 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I'll give you a wave if you visit Wells-Next-The-Sea in it this year.

We planned to do Hull to Wells, turn around and then Wells to Inverness, Caledonian canal, down to Anglesey and then return for 'this Summers cruise' - however rather serious medical problems with No1 Son means everything on hold.

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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

We planned to do Hull to Wells, turn around and then Wells to Inverness, Caledonian canal, down to Anglesey and then return for 'this Summers cruise' - however rather serious medical problems with No1 Son means everything on hold.

That sounds like a descent summers cruise.

Hope things work out.

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17 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

We planned to do Hull to Wells, turn around and then Wells to Inverness, Caledonian canal, down to Anglesey and then return for 'this Summers cruise' - however rather serious medical problems with No1 Son means everything on hold.

I hope your son gets well soon, then he can go with you so you can keep an eye on him.

Neil

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