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New to boating. I want to buy a new widebeam, is a 30ft x 12ft a bad idea?


ben_rogers93

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I'm very new to the boat would, I know very little.

Any information would be helpful

 

I'm an architect student and a design consultant. I had a friend of mine who has just brought a 12ft widebeam and it's between 50-60ft long, he asked me to design the interior for him. I was shocked at the space inside and after talking about how much the shell cost him and how much it costs to live on the water, I fell in love with the idea.

 

I love small spaces, but i dislike narrow spaces, so a widebeam is perfect for me, but I don't see the point in having an overly long boat.

 

I wanted to be informed or advised is there anything wrong or disadvantage of having a widebeam only 30ft long?

My friend tells me that will be a maximum of 24ft living space. I have put this in a CAD programs and come up with a few designs. I believe I could easily live comfortable and happily within this space.

 

I'm worried about electric and water consumption. I like to shower every day. I also pretty much spend all day working on my pc and laptop, I'm worried the tv/monitor will consume to much power. Any advice or any information will help.

 

I don't plan of paying for mooring, I like the idea of traveling up and down a lock each week or two

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As you are a design and architect bod, why not come up with something original.

How about a roundabout living space.

Something that could fit in all those wasted round spaces on the living roadways instead of sticking a round boat on an already overcrowded waterway.

Just a suggestion before the popcorn and donut aficionados pop along.

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As a design buff you may find a 30 x 12 boat offends the eye, it will look just wrong on so many levels.

Imagine something like a coach but twice the width and half the length and you will get my drift. Other than that your other worries can all be overcome. Excessive water use can be accomagated by having a boat built with a larger than normal (say 200 galls) water tank, you can double ot treble this if you wish (but will need a bigger boat) Power can be obtained from a large PV array (but you will need a bigger boat to fit it on) you can look at a onboard genny, a travel power pack driven by the engine, high capacity alternators, the list goes on.

Try the search button at the top of the page.

Oh and welcome,

Phil

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I'd guess there are probably very few short widebeam boats, because on the canals most people would opt to get the same floor area on a 57' by 6' 10" go-anywhere narrowboat. If you're determined to have the unusual dimensions you describe, it may well need to be built from scratch, and while I see no technical reason why it couldn't be built, maybe as RWLP implies a boatbuilder may not wish to do it? It might not have a good resale value, bit of a niche market?

 

You may be aware of how crowded London's canals are, especially central and east London, a subject endlessly discussed on other topics on this forum, if not I suggest you read some of that stuff. But the consensus appears to be that if you move about from time to time, as you seem to be aware you'll need to, it is quite possible without a home mooring. Do allow time in your schedule for the fetching and carrying involved; there is notoriously too much demand and not enough supply of water points in central London, so quick showers and/or generally keeping your boat out in the suburbs might be the way to go.

 

I doubt if heavy use of a laptop would be too big a problem compared to other electrical items on the boat, but as a CC'er in the sunny south you definitely should look at having some solar panels. You can always look for the opportunity to charge up your laptop whenever you visit a client.

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we have a 57 x 10.10 widebeam for two of us and it's just the right size, 2 bedrooms, bath, kitchen/saloon and small utility area.

 

If we removed 27 feet off the length, we'd be left with something that resembled a floating brick, and I just can't imagine what it would be like to maneuver. 10 ft wide would still give you a decent size corridor and decent size rooms, but would suggest something in the region of at least 45 ft long....at least it would stand a chance of moving in the water.

 

Water isn't an issue, nor are showers. Move your boat to a water point, fill up your tank and carry on your journey. We top up our tank at least every second or third day when we pass a water point. We ran out once, and I don't plan on doing that again any time soon.

 

We have loads of power hungry items on ours, fridge, freezer, tv, etc etc. Again no problem with 1k of solar panels, an inverter/charger and 8 leisure batteries which need regular charging. BTW the solar panels take up a massive chunk of our roof space.

 

But then again...."to each their own", what ever floats your boat really, there are loads of interesting boats on the cut that don't fit the "norm"

 

The other concern I have is your reference to "moving up & down a lock every week or two" - you may want to spend a bit of time reading the T&C's of a CRT license for a boat with no home mooring. And keep in mind there are a few who don't currently abide by those T&C's, but CRT are starting to tighten the reins.

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maybe as RWLP implies a boatbuilder may not wish to do it? It might not have a good resale value, bit of a niche market?

 

 

I can see two problems here. One would be a boatbuilder not wanting to be associated with such an odd boat. The second would be getting a boatbuilder to take you seriously in the first place.

 

30' x 12' - how much cabin space would that give, 25' by 10'?

 

Richard

 

Richard

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As a houseboat in a fixed location, that size would be fine. There are one or two on these moorings that are about that size. Portakabins on pontoons, more or less.

 

If you're planning to move it on the canals, you'd be restricted by the width to either the South or the North.

 

30 x 12 feet with the right shape hull isn't unknown for seagoing boats, but would be difficult to manoeuvre on a canal, especially if you go for the "pointed end, parallel sides on a squarish box, round stern" shape typical of canal boats.

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John Williamson 1955, on 29 Sept 2014 - 09:25 AM, said:

 

 

30 x 12 feet with the right shape hull isn't unknown for seagoing boats, but would be difficult to manoeuvre on a canal, especially if you go for the "pointed end, parallel sides on a squarish box, round stern" shape typical of canal boats.

 

Our Failine Corniche was 31 foot x 12 foot and was a wonderful spacious stable, seaworthy boat - it had a pointy end, roughly parallel sides and a squared off stern.

 

482307_0_270320040848_1.jpg&w=606&h=467&

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I'm amazed by the patience of folks on here - and so polite!!

 

This thread looks like a troll - but looking at some of the episodes on "the gloomy Kevin show", perhaps he's for real?

To my mind the canals are for cruising - that is at least boats going from place to place, regularly. NOT for mooring only.

 

Back to the request.

There are two major issues to my mind:-

1. Logistics

2. Design.

 

Most of the resources that folks use in bricks and mortar dwellings are delivered / deliverable on site.

A boater has to collect / deliver these himself:-

  • Diesel fuel for heating, power generation, vessel propulsion
  • Gas for cooking (if used)
  • Water for drinking, bathing, washing clothes etc
  • Sewage disposal - pumpout, bucket-'n-chuckit
  • Refuse disposal

If the vessel is to look something like a navigable craft, then is should have a pointy front end, not the least to enable it to be steered easily without creating huge amounts of wash for the myriads of other static boats.

IMO dimensions of say 45' x 10' would give better proportions and more space.

 

 

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ike a navigable craft, then is should have a pointy front end, not the least to enable it to be steered easily without creating huge amounts of wash for the myriads of other static boats.

IMO dimensions of say 45' x 10' would give better proportions and more space.

 

 

But he is only going to do 1 lock a fortnight

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One advantage to your idea that no-one has highlighted is the licence fee is base on length alone, so us narrowboat owners will be effectively subsidizing you. A vast 30ft widebeam has about the same amount of interior space as a 70ft narrowboat yet the licence fee is less than half. Go for it!

 

Thinking outside the box, you could take even more advantage by building a widebeam 12ft long and 30ft wide, and driving it sideways...

 

Come to think about it, I should tell CRT my narrowboat is 7ft long and 68ft wide at my next license renewal so it should cost peanuts. Will I get away with this, I wonder?

 

:D

 

MtB

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Come to think about it, I should tell CRT my narrowboat is 7ft long and 68ft wide at my next license renewal so it should cost peanuts. Will I get away with this, I wonder?

 

biggrin.png

 

MtB

 

As long as you always moor with the 7' gunwhale against the bank, I can't see a problem

 

Richard

 

I bet someone has already tried that wheeze

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J.W 1955 is quite correct in aa much as plnty of river cruisers and lumpy water boats are of those dimensions but the OP has said he wants a Widebeam and I took that to be a wide beam narrow boat if that makes sense, in other words a short Fat Boat to live on all year round and though its doable on a Corniche it is hardly the best live aboard for the canals, as has been suggested 45 x 10 would be better.

(Lovely boat John)

Phil

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If the vessel is to look something like a navigable craft, then is should have a pointy front end, not the least to enable it to be steered easily without creating huge amounts of wash for the myriads of other static boats.

 

 

Oh this tired old view that a boat needs a pointy end.

 

What we need here is a catamaran, or maybe even a hovercraft. Yes, I think a hovercraft could fit the bill. Look at the advantages, depth becomes a non issue, you don't need a weedhatch, and if you park it on the bank each evening, do you actually really need to buy a canal licence?

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To the OP: give your mate a few months and see how he gets on with living aboard, before you decide to do it, it's not as easy as just having a massive floating flat.

Also, what is your plan B for you and your boat, when London gets too packed for boats to be able to actually move/ if local authorities decide to ban live aboard boats or restrict things so much it becomes impossible?

Both could quite easily happen in the near future.

Edited by Lady Muck
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To the OP: give your mate a few months and see how he gets on with living aboard, before you decide to do it, it's not as easy as just having a massive floating flat.

Also, what is your plan B for you and your boat, when London gets too packed for boats to be able to actually move/ if local authorities decide to ban live aboard boats or restrict things so much it becomes impossible?

Both could quite easily happen in the near future.

Just look at this http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/27/business/international/in-london-houseboats-offer-alternative-to-high-rent-but-new-problems-emerge.html?_r=1#

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Ben Rogers

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

My advice, buy a park home.

 

and as for

 

 

I don't plan of paying for mooring, I like the idea of traveling up and down a lock each week or two

 

Either you are a wind up merchant or you have not done your research well enough

 

Go here and do some research on what is required to have your brick boat on C&RT waters..

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There's a very short wide beam boat based on a typical widebeam canal boat hull, moored in Bristol Marina.

It has a high level wheelhouse, with a normal height deckhouse behind, and a bedroom below the foredeck and wheelhouse. There is a good sunbathing platform on top of the deckhouse.

Despite its shortness it has a clear space about 8ft long on the aft deck where there are 2 aluminium tracks to allow a car to be driven on athwartships.

I suppose the air draught is too much for many canals, but probably no more than a dutch barge, and it shows what can be done in a very short length.

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There's also some new law going through Parliament now that would give local authorities new powers, some of us suspect these could be used to get rid of live aboard boats. My advice is always the same, to not base your plans around everything remaining the same or you could be in for a shock.

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