boating information

boat types – styles

Canal boats come in many different styles and sizes. We will concern ourselves here mostly with narrowboats and cruisers but much of what is said can be applied to widebeams as well.

A modern narrowboat (or cruiser) is normally built to a 6� 10� beam giving an internal width of about 6 ft. Lengths vary from about 30 ft up to about 70 ft (cruisers tend to be less than about 30 ft in length), the maximum being limited by the length of locks on the system. Many boats are built to a length of 57 ft, allegedly the maximum length to get round the whole main system whilst 62 ft gets you to most places with the benefit of a little extra room.

The Shell: Cruisers are made of GRP (glass reinforced plastic) and won�t be considered here. Most narrowboats fall into one of three categories; cruiser, trad (traditional, so called because it more closely resembles an old working boat stern) or semi-trad. Some, usually with a trad stern, can have a longer, flat �tug deck� at the front. And then there is the dutch barge narrowboat, so called because it resembles a dutch barge but is built to narrowboat dimensions. Modern shells are normally quoted as �10/6/4�, where the figures relate to the thickness of the steel: baseplate, hull sides and cabin sides respectively. Older boats may have thinner steel but this does not mean they are any less serviceable if well looked after. A hull survey will confirm the integrity of the structure.
The Cruiser Stern: The large, open stern of the cruiser style is regaining popularity after losing ground to the more �purist� trad stern. Popular with hire fleets, the deck allows whole families or groups to be outside with the steerer and so is much more sociable. The engine is out of the way underneath the deck, although the noise can be quite intrusive. A rail, often with seating, encloses the stern which can be filled in to a lesser or greater degree to increase the security for children and dogs.
The Trad Stern: This takes its style from the old working boats and reduces the outside deck to a small area with a sliding hatch giving access to steps into the cabin. This maximises the internal space, although some will have to be given up for the engine, usually either built in under the steps or in its own separate engine room. There is little room for more than one person to safely be outside so is less sociable, but the steerer usually has the option to stand just inside the hatch which affords some protection from the elements. Some trads will take the old working boat style further and have a boatman�s cabin inside the hatch, a replica of the accommodation used by the working boat families. This will usually be combined with an engine room which frequently contains a restored or replica �vintage� unit.
The Semi-Trad: The above styles have their pluses and minuses. A compromise style is the semi-trad which has an enclosed area at the stern giving some protection from the weather but allowing a small group of people to share the experience of being outside with the steerer. From the side the profile is that of a trad, which many find more aesthetically pleasing than the similarly sociable cruiser stern. The engine will normally be located under the deck as for a cruiser stern, although some are combined with a traditional engine room.
The Tug Deck: Normally only found with a trad stern, the tug deck consists of a much longer than normal deck at the front level with the gunwales. As its name implies, this copies the deck of the old working tugs which didn�t need hold capacity. It significantly limits the internal cabin space, although a number of ingenious designs are used to maximise the use of the void under the deck.
The Dutch Barge: Whilst �barge� is usually taken to refer to boats of a wider beam, there has developed a ‘Narrow Beam Dutch Barge’ style. Modelled in the manner of the much larger dutch barges, it is usually built in a similar manner to a narrowboat below the waterline, but radically different above with vertical sides and a wheelhouse. You either love them or hate them!
The Wide Beam: Strictly speaking, the term applies to anything that cannot pass through a narrow lock, i.e. with a beam greater than 7 feet. The increase in the number of people wanting to live on the water but not wanting to be confined to the limits of a narrow beam has led to the rise of the �wide beam narrowboat�. This contradiction in terms comprises a narrowboat style but with the width increased to between 10 and 14 feet. Whilst perfectly capable of cruising, they tend to be kept in marinas and are of course limited to the broad canals.

Internal Layout

What will you find inside a narrowboat? Most these days conform, to a greater or lesser degree, to the ‘floating cottage’ concept. This typically comprises a saloon at the front, followed by a galley (kitchen), a bathroom and a cabin (bedroom) at the rear. In the saloon you will often find a solid fuel or diesel stove along with built-in seating or loose arm chairs. Between the saloon and galley may be a dinette made up of two fixed bench seats with a table between or an �L� shaped, fixed seat and table. This converts to a double bed by rearranging the table and seating. The galley will resemble a small domestic kitchen and, depending on the space available, contain either caravan-style equipment or a full size cooker and fridge. Small freezers, microwaves and other electrical appliances are increasingly finding their way into narrowboats as well.

Bathrooms are either enclosed with a narrow corridor alongside or �walk-through�. The latter, whilst offering more space when the doors are closed, have the disadvantage of blocking through access on the boat when occupied. At the rear will usually be a double bed, with either a four foot wide fixed base and mattress in line with the boat or a base that extends across the width of the boat (a cross bed). Whilst having a more conventional sized mattress this does come at the cost of having to make up the bed at night and the join in the mattress can be uncomfortable to lie on. Longer boats designed with families in mind may also have a couple of bunk beds in a separate cabin.

The main alternative style is the 'reverse layout'. This will have the bedroom at the front, usually followed by bathroom, galley and saloon. The advantage of having the bedroom at the front is that it is more private and out of the way, but may make access to the bows more difficult. In some people�s eyes, the conventional layout has two disadvantages; people coming into the boat are walking straight into the �bedroom�, which may well have a carpeted floor that doesn�t take too kindly to towpath debris being trampled in. The other disadvantage, particularly with a trad stern, is the steerer tends to be stuck out on his (or her) own. Having a galley or saloon at the back keeps the steerer in contact with the rest of the crew and avoids everyone tramping through the bedroom.

In between these two styles are many variations. No style is 'better' than any other, it is down to personal preference and boating lifestyle.