It's a 57 footer, trad stern, with a fairly standard layout. Of course, this layout may change drastically once I've looked around a few boats! I designed this using the Boat Planner at the Waterways World website. Takes a little getting used to, but it does the job.
By the way, feel free to leave a comment and tell me where I've gone wrong with my design! Personally, I think the saloon should be extended, and the bedroom shrunk a little. And I have to admit, I'm not 100% certain about the colour of the bedsheets. :-)
6 comments:
Hi Ian- Found you blog today through NB Waiouru's blog. Liking your wit & style. I too play with boatplanner. I am also an ex smoker, albeit 4.5wks.
Recent events have made me realise even more that life aint no dress reheasal, as the saying goes.
Therefore, Donna & I are to be liveaboards soon, with the House going on the market in April & also selling our existing 30footer. I fell out of love with mainstream society about 3 years ago & my mood towards it is now bordering on hatred. Maybe it's just natrual reflection or a MLCrisis. Don't care, don't like it anymore! SO there!
I was happier when I had diddly squat. I digress....
Look forward to your progress on the dreaded list & your boat design.
My only suggestion on your design would be to have your stove more midship /central within the boat. Distribution of heat much much better, keeping the stern warmer when we have harsh weeks.
Regards,
Kevin Ronnie 43.9yrs young!
Hi Kevin,
"wit & style"... ah yes, those who know me constantly remark on it! No, honest! :-)
RE: Smoking... it's been over 2 months and I STILL want a sodding ciggie! Arrrgh!! I haven't been able to go down the pub - the temptation would just be too much!! (I was quite a heavy smoker)
With regard to your plans to become liveaboards, at least you seem to be doing it the right way and have some experience under your belt. I still haven't been on a narrowboat yet, although I do hope to rectify that soon!
Yep, I'm sure you're right about the stove - that's my lack of experience showing there!
Good luck with your move! Who knows, maybe we'll meet on the cut one day?
Ian Clarke (43.3 yrs young!)
Hi Ian
I think this layout looks lovely, and I've been on loads of boats! (Lived aboard for 12 years.) I am a big fan of side hatches. If you didn't want to move the stove you might want to consider a back boiler that heats a radiator in the bedroom, or fin rads. My only thing I wouldn't like in your design is port holes: too dark. Glad to have discovered your interesting blog :-)
Peggy
Hi Peggy,
Firstly, thanks for your kind comments about my attempt at interior design, & the blog!
The side-hatch would be quite high on my list of requirements. Not just for the extra ventilation (i.e. getting rid of the awful smell of my cooking!), but also as I love the idea of being able to feed the ducks etc. from it. Unfortunately, I hear they can be a weak point of boat security (side-hatches, not ducks!), so if I did opt for them, I'd need to pay close attention to the 'fixings'.
Yes, if possible, I would like a stove with a back boiler. In winter, they would appear to be the cheapest way of producing hot water. However, I have heard varying reports about the efficacy of radiators on narrowboats, so I'd need to investigate further before adding those to my wish-list.
Portholes vs windows: The grounds for disagreement on these two seem to revolve around security, insulation, lighting, privacy, and aesthetics. As you can see from my diagram, I've only used portholes for the bedroom and bathroom, but I really do need to look around a few boats before forming an opinion on this one. A well-placed Houdini hatch may solve the problem of low light in 'portholed' areas I have, but these too have concerns of their own (security and condensation). There's just so much to consider!
Regards,
Ian.
Hello Ian.
Been there, done that, scars and tee shirts. Like you we planned our boat. Then we made some compromises.
One thing I am sure of is a cross bed, Pumpout toilet, the galley near the tiller and a dog!
Make every appliance as far as possible 12v only use LED lighting and plan for a 3kw invertor if you are going to use a small washing machine.
Our stove is at the end away from the bed room,which is in the bow we like a cool or even cold bedroom.
Look at as many boats as you can, then look some more.
Mick n Mags
Hi Mick n Mags,
Thanks for the feedback. I was actually about to pull the plug on this blog. I began to doubt my reasons for starting it (I suspect it was an attempt to curb my tendencies for procrastination and taking shortcuts - i.e. by having them both made public, if that makes sense?) and whether it was going to be of interest to anyone! I dare say many bloggers ask themselves the same thing at some point.
No? Just me? Okay then.
Anyway, now that I see that I have two followers (hey, that's double figures in Roman numerals!) both you and 'bottletop' have inspired me to continue. Yes, you're to blame. Haha!
I know there will be compromises, although I'm not sure how many of these there'll be in my case, as I'm not totally sure what I want. I only know what looks good to my eye, and what I imagine will suit my needs; there's still alot of flexibility in the sort of boat I'm looking for.
As you say, I need to look at as many boats as I can, and then some more. Funnily enough, one boat I do have my eye on (been on the market a while now, and just recently dropped their asking price!) has a small washing m/c and 3kw converter, so here, at least, I'm ticking a box on your list. :-)
Pumpout toilet vs Cassette? Yeah, I've read enough to know what a contentious issue that is. :-)
Cross bed? Not seen many boats advertised with those, although I see Tom & Jan are currently fitting one on Waiouru, and I guess it's something you can add later. I like Amy & James' (who also aspouse your 12v adherence) hydraulic-levered cross bed. Which reminds me, I really do admire the ingenious lengths to which storage, ergonomics, and power efficiency can be pushed to their limits on narrowboats.
To my mind, there's something quite Zen-like about it.
Regards,
Ian.
P.S. Pet-wise, I'd probably opt for a cat.
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