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Contempory Boat Design - Maximum Height


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I am planning to either go down the traditional route or go for something a little different.

 

I have spotted this design called the Demi-Whisper. Please see link below.

 

http://www.325099.co.uk/Interesting%20Stuff.htm

 

What strikes me is the possibility of cruising from within the boat, but it also has traditional methods of steering with what looks like a tiller at the stern.

 

I am cautious about the height though! Does it look as though the lower forward section of the roof above the main accommodation is lower than a traditional narrowboat in order to see over from the heigher section further aft or could there be this amount of clearance under low bridges and tunnels? Any ideas?

 

Regards Chris.

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I am planning to either go down the traditional route or go for something a little different.

 

I have spotted this design called the Demi-Whisper. Please see link below.

 

http://www.325099.co.uk/Interesting%20Stuff.htm

 

What strikes me is the possibility of cruising from within the boat, but it also has traditional methods of steering with what looks like a tiller at the stern.

 

I am cautious about the height though! Does it look as though the lower forward section of the roof above the main accommodation is lower than a traditional narrowboat in order to see over from the heigher section further aft or could there be this amount of clearance under low bridges and tunnels? Any ideas?

 

Regards Chris.

Great for potted plants!

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Great for potted plants!

You don't like it then? LOL

 

It'll be hot in the summer & cold in the winter so not ideal for a live aboard, and not entirely what I'm thinking about, but the height is what I'm looking at, rather than all that glass.

 

There must be a maximum height above the waterline that narrowboats are built to! Anyone know what this is?

Edited by Steamerpoint
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It'll be hot in the summer & cold in the winter so not ideal for a live aboard, and not entirely what I'm thinking about, but the height is what I'm looking at, rather than all that glass.

 

There must be a maximum height above the waterline that narrowboats are built to! Anyone know what this is?

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the lowest air draught 5'9"?

Mind you Dudley is pretty low!

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Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the lowest air draught 5'9"?

Mind you Dudley is pretty low!

This subject has been debated several times on the forum before.

 

I think the honest answer is "it depends".

 

For example the official sources quote even the lowest of those low bridges up the River Stort as having at least 6 feet clearance, and this is backed up by guides like Nicholson's.

 

However people who have tried it in practice when river levels are high have said even 5 ft 9 ins would struggle.

 

A bridge on (I think) the Wey also gets quoted.

 

We are quite high at the front, (heavily depending upon contents of water tank), and the lowest we have encountered was the one on the Gower branch on the BCN, just below the Brade's staircase lock, (I think I have that right). Anything over 6 feet would not have made that on the day we did it. (Not a show-stopper, as there are easy ways of avoiding this short interconnecting branch).

 

The issue is not just about maximum height, though, but also the profile. For example Aylesbury arm bridges have good headroom in the middle, but being only boat width, you can take your handrail out on the non-towpath side. I wouldn't want to try that in something like what is pictured - it could mean severe damage to the "greenhouse" at the back, and it's hard to keep away from the arches on a windy day.

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The issue is not just about maximum height, though, but also the profile. For example Aylesbury arm bridges have good headroom in the middle, but being only boat width, you can take your handrail out on the non-towpath side. I wouldn't want to try that in something like what is pictured - it could mean severe damage to the "greenhouse" at the back, and it's hard to keep away from the arches on a windy day.

You'd have difficulty getting through Froghall with box rails.

I was thinking of more quieter waters, but the Avon bridge holes spring to mind too.

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You'd have difficulty getting through Froghall with box rails.

I was thinking of more quieter waters, but the Avon bridge holes spring to mind too.

Thanks people, that's scuppers that idea then! :lol:

 

Back to the drawing board!

 

Regards Chris.

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I am planning to either go down the traditional route or go for something a little different.

 

I have spotted this design called the Demi-Whisper. Please see link below.

 

http://www.325099.co.uk/Interesting%20Stuff.htm

 

What strikes me is the possibility of cruising from within the boat, but it also has traditional methods of steering with what looks like a tiller at the stern.

 

I am cautious about the height though! Does it look as though the lower forward section of the roof above the main accommodation is lower than a traditional narrowboat in order to see over from the heigher section further aft or could there be this amount of clearance under low bridges and tunnels? Any ideas?

 

Regards Chris.

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Looks suspiciously like the Issima Whisper widebeam - Issima. I recall went to the London Boatshow a few years ago with a £400k price tag, and did not sell. Full of luxury bits and bobs, but visibility from helm position was atrocious.

 

 

I confess....... I designed both boats, along with our tame interior design consultant - i.e. the wide beam "Whisper" category C at the London Boat Show in 2004, and the "Demi Whisper" category D for canal use.

 

With regard to visibility on the wide beam Whisper, I guess visitors may have missed the two CCTV monitors in front of the steerer, connected to cameras at the bow. Having said that, and very regrettably, this vessel did not sell at its asking price and so I ended up cruising it around on the Thames for a couple of years before taking it to France. And it was actually a joy to manoeuvre (well, I'm bound to say that I suppose, but I did receive compliments from Thames Lock-keepers - praise indeed!! - for how she manoeuvred in and out of locks - with little to spare on the upper reaches). Weighing 28 tons and with a double V hull either side of a 4ft wide flat bottom plate, she was extremely predictable and stable, helmed using finger tip controls, and I never used the CCTV monitors.

 

She didn't sell because (a) I hadn't done enough marketing, and visitors said "Who?" and "What?"!....... and (B) because the product fell between two markets. It had the kind of interior specifications you would find on £1M plus offshore luxury yachts - complete with Jacuzzi bath (!), climate control........ I won't go on, but the guys with that size of cheque books wanted to stick with the Sunseekers and Brooms that they knew and understood (Whisper was built to pass under all the bridges in Europe - even Osney - as well as going offshore). On the other hand, the inland waterways boaters looked at the £400k price tag (it cost over £300k to build!) and said "I can buy a new Dutch barge for half that price" - even though they were talking about apples and oranges......... (in fact the Dutch barges we built - to a good spec - cost less than £150k. But they ARE very different animals).

 

With regard to the Demi-Whisper (all electric, by the way, with a large quiet running generator in the bows) the air draught at the rear is 5ft 9in, and the (water) draught is 2ft 3ins. (The (computer generated) pictures have the increased height at the rear looking higher than it actually is). In terms of curved bridges, the width of the roof at the rear is approximately 4ft 0ins - AND care must indeed be taken on some canals - but she DOES go under. Helming is either inside (steering wheel) or outside with a conventional tiller. But all you hear at is the propeller noise. And the "greenhouse" is double glazed, AND slides open, so both winter and summer cruising can be pleasant (either in the raised rear saloon or the smaller one forward of that).

 

I would love to build another wide beam Whisper - the original was sold in France in 2007 - it certainly generated alot of interest in both the London and Southampton boatshows in 2004, and was, and still is unique in its design concept and on board specification. And the new Demi Whisper has yet to be built.

Edited by Allenm
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Sorry, I should have added that the price for a Whisper Yacht has now halved (!) ....... (a) because we have since moved our production to Poland (no, not Gdansk - we use yachtbuilders based at Tomaszow), and (:lol: because we went a bit OTT in the interior specifications of the prototype - televisions that slid back into cupboards by remote control, CCTV security inside and out that would alert your mobile (from anywhere) and send images, home-cinema, programmable mood lighting.........

 

So a VERY comfortable 60ft version with two double bedrooms (not curiously shaped "cabins") and two bathrooms, and a lot of living space, is possible for under £200k - or smaller and less if you prefer. Like its slimmer sister, this vessel can be all-electric, although a direct drive diesel is more practical for offshore cruising.

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Looks suspiciously like the Issima Whisper widebeam - Issima. I recall went to the London Boatshow a few years ago with a £400k price tag, and did not sell. Full of luxury bits and bobs, but visibility from helm position was atrocious.

So if a builder can go out of business for building a boat 7 foot wide that wont go through Hurleston locks how do they get away with a 14 foot wide one that will go anywhere

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I am planning to either go down the traditional route or go for something a little different.

 

I have spotted this design called the Demi-Whisper. Please see link below.

 

http://www.325099.co.uk/Interesting%20Stuff.htm

 

What strikes me is the possibility of cruising from within the boat, but it also has traditional methods of steering with what looks like a tiller at the stern.

 

I am cautious about the height though! Does it look as though the lower forward section of the roof above the main accommodation is lower than a traditional narrowboat in order to see over from the heigher section further aft or could there be this amount of clearance under low bridges and tunnels? Any ideas?

 

Regards Chris.

have tryed doing the birmingham ring at all its so looverly in the summer i had gone 2 years ago in the school holidays

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Sorry, I should have added that the price for a Whisper Yacht has now halved (!) ....... (a) because we have since moved our production to Poland (no, not Gdansk - we use yachtbuilders based at Tomaszow), and (:lol: because we went a bit OTT in the interior specifications of the prototype - televisions that slid back into cupboards by remote control, CCTV security inside and out that would alert your mobile (from anywhere) and send images, home-cinema, programmable mood lighting.........

 

So a VERY comfortable 60ft version with two double bedrooms (not curiously shaped "cabins") and two bathrooms, and a lot of living space, is possible for under £200k - or smaller and less if you prefer. Like its slimmer sister, this vessel can be all-electric, although a direct drive diesel is more practical for offshore cruising.

Hi Allen,

Thanks for posting. Very interesting indeed.

 

Actually Phil Capp from OwnerShips Ltd emailed me back today and has said the price of the Demi-Whisper is £108k including VAT.

 

The part of the design I like a lot, but this could be done with most narrowboats is the front bedroom arrangement. I am not keen on sleeping on a 4-foot wide bed with my wife and this would give you around 6-feet, though I accept that getting up onto the bow would require a walk down the outside of the boat, which is less fun.

 

Phil also goes on to say that the height of the stern roof area is only about 9 inches above that of the main cabin, but without cameras, it must be difficult to see the canal water in front of the boat. That said, at least there is an option to use the tiller.

 

It is a shame they have never built one of these as it would have been better to see actual photos rather than computer generated images.

 

Chris.

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It isn't being sold as a canal boat.

May be not, but this is what it says "A 17m (56ft) X 4.2 (14ft) floating apartment that will go anywhere. Low enough to travel throughout the whole of Europe "

 

Hi Allen,

Thanks for posting. Very interesting indeed.

 

Actually Phil Capp from OwnerShips Ltd emailed me back today and has said the price of the Demi-Whisper is £108k including VAT.

 

The part of the design I like a lot, but this could be done with most narrowboats is the front bedroom arrangement. I am not keen on sleeping on a 4-foot wide bed with my wife and this would give you around 6-feet, though I accept that getting up onto the bow would require a walk down the outside of the boat, which is less fun.

 

Phil also goes on to say that the height of the stern roof area is only about 9 inches above that of the main cabin, but without cameras, it must be difficult to see the canal water in front of the boat. That said, at least there is an option to use the tiller.

 

It is a shame they have never built one of these as it would have been better to see actual photos rather than computer generated images.

 

Chris.

Didn't Winchingham Wharf do a similar hull a long while ago. Not the same sort of fit out.

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I am planning to either go down the traditional route or go for something a little different.

 

I have spotted this design called the Demi-Whisper. Please see link below.

 

http://www.325099.co.uk/Interesting%20Stuff.htm

 

What strikes me is the possibility of cruising from within the boat, but it also has traditional methods of steering with what looks like a tiller at the stern.

 

I am cautious about the height though! Does it look as though the lower forward section of the roof above the main accommodation is lower than a traditional narrowboat in order to see over from the heigher section further aft or could there be this amount of clearance under low bridges and tunnels? Any ideas?

 

Regards Chris.

Overall height of shell is the key thing. Ours is 7' which I think is a good average for narrowboats. We have 22" draught which leaves 5'2" + 4" to top of vents + 6" to top of top of roof boxes for air draught.(boat level) You could increase height and have a deeper draught but I think 7' is about right

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Hi Allen,

Thanks for posting. Very interesting indeed.

 

Actually Phil Capp from OwnerShips Ltd emailed me back today and has said the price of the Demi-Whisper is £108k including VAT.

 

The part of the design I like a lot, but this could be done with most narrowboats is the front bedroom arrangement. I am not keen on sleeping on a 4-foot wide bed with my wife and this would give you around 6-feet, though I accept that getting up onto the bow would require a walk down the outside of the boat, which is less fun.

 

Phil also goes on to say that the height of the stern roof area is only about 9 inches above that of the main cabin, but without cameras, it must be difficult to see the canal water in front of the boat. That said, at least there is an option to use the tiller.

 

It is a shame they have never built one of these as it would have been better to see actual photos rather than computer generated images.

 

Chris.

 

 

 

Yes, the "under £200k" was for the wide beam. "Demi Whisper" costs much less.

 

And, by the way, both have jet thrusters (one at each corner). Cheating, I know, but virtually silent, and less vulnerable to jamming up than a bow thruster. And it means you don't have to walk along the gunnel to get to the bow - you just put the bow against the bank with the jet thruster, and walk along the towpath. (And visibility for the helmsman is the same as for a standard narrow boat).

 

You obviously gather that I am part of OwnerShips, as is Phil Capp.

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Yes, the "under £200k" was for the wide beam. "Demi Whisper" costs much less.

 

(And visibility for the helmsman is the same as for a standard narrow boat).

 

You obviously gather that I am part of OwnerShips, as is Phil Capp.

Hi Allan,

I didn't know if you were or not, but one question, why don't they build one?

 

I mean, it looks very different indeed. Hasn't someone already said "I like it, I want one" ?

 

And, by the way, both have jet thrusters (one at each corner). Cheating, I know, but virtually silent, and less vulnerable to jamming up than a bow thruster. And it means you don't have to walk along the gunnel to get to the bow - you just put the bow against the bank with the jet thruster, and walk along the towpath.

Hence the reason why the bedroom has no door to the forward deck & bow, because it doesn't need one!

 

Unfortunately £108k is way too high above my budget, so I'll have to wait for a second hand one if they are ever built!

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Hi Allan,

I didn't know if you were or not, but one question, why don't they build one?

 

I mean, it looks very different indeed. Hasn't someone already said "I like it, I want one" ?

 

 

Hence the reason why the bedroom has no door to the forward deck & bow, because it doesn't need one!

 

Unfortunately £108k is way too high above my budget, so I'll have to wait for a second hand one if they are ever built!

 

 

 

I guess, a bit like you, we have to justify spending money on building a very different kind of boat with more than just the thought that someone might like it - hence the computer generated version. Needless to say, this was the mistake we made when we built the wide beam original. Yes, we had a queue of visitors every day at the London Boat Show, and plenty of "Wait till my wife sees this" type comments to go with it. And it generated five different magazine articles. But I learnt the lesson then that however much people SAY they like something, it's the hard cash that matters!

 

And yes I would love to build another one - this or the narrow beam version. But it will be built to order this time.

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A bridge on (I think) the Wey also gets quoted.

 

Lowest flat top bridge I've been under was on the Basingstoke Canal. We had to remove the tiller pin. There is a lower one on the Middle Levels somewhere that only the intrepid will bother with.

 

Lowest tunnel will be Froghall, though the gauge at Tipton for Dudley Tunnel is lower still and at the end of the day it's the gauge you have to fit under.

 

Boats are getting taller as draughts are much less than they used to be. Pretty needlessly I might add.

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Does my memory serve me right that the yard fitting out the widebeam whisper had a bit of a party with and on her?? All faithfully recorded by the security system and then accompanied by a few red faces????

 

 

 

Don't ask...........!

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