Headroom

[Peter Knowles]

Please forgive the mundane and possibly common question.

 

But even a Google search doesn't seem definitive.

The closest credible reference is one thread here on Canal World that suggests that average narrowboat headroom should be about 6'- 4"

Would the general consensus be in agreement?

 

I realize there are many variations in buildouts that affect this.

I've seen many listings that indicate much less headroom.

 

At 6'-3", the topic is of keen interest.

 

Peter Knowles

 

Still in Canada, working at getting my pup into the UK.

[Paul C]

I think its one of those things that can & does vary somewhat, so its not really possible to say what a "general consensus" is as such. Boats definitely vary (quite a bit) in both draft (ie underwater) and air draft, which are the 2 main factors which determine interior headroom. Some boats are deliberately specified with thicker-than-usual base plate to achieve a deeper draft, and thus more interior headroom without having too high an air draft. While others have a higher than average air draft. Beware that both of these factors can pragmatically limit where you can get to on the canal network. Known issues for air draft are Caldon; Droitwich; and known issues with draft are the top end of the Llangollen. No doubt there's other canals where they're a bit silted up which limits deep drafted boats too.

[John V]

edited

 

Paul C had already said it !!! .

[Tony Brooks]

Also headroom tends to vary across the width of the boat. A centre passage boat will have more effective headroom than a side passage one of the same nominal headroom.

 

Then you get some idiot putting the lights down the passage side of a boat that further reduces headroom and opens up the scalp on a regular basis.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Tony Brooks

[John V]

That sounds like words born of painful experience

Edited January 22, 2015 by John V

[alan_fincher]

What Paul C's post doesn't say explicitly, I think, is that how far the floor is above the base-plate will have a significant effect. In a modern build boat, it is not unusual for the bottom to be braced with steel sections that stand at least 3", and more usually 4" above the steel base-plate, irrespective of thickness of that plate. Even if a floor is laid directly onto those steel "joists", it may well mean that there is 5" or 6" of boat below the top surface of that floor.

 

However it is often chosen to add wooden battens to the top of these "joists" before laying a floor on them, and if this is done, it can pinch an inch or two more from internal headroom.

[nicknorman]

Being 6' 4 1/2 in bare feet, this is an issue for me. However most boats I have been on seem to have enough headroom for me. The builder of our own boat however, preferred to keep air draft to a minimum and so there is only about 6'3" in the centre of his boats. We therefore had to have a slightly taller than standard boat. I did have a theory that if I couldn't stand up straight by the sink, I couldn't possibly be expected to do the dishes, but that didn't wash.

 

It is worth bearing in mind that there are two types of headroom restriction for a boat. Some bridges etc have flat tops and for those, absolute air draft is the issue, but many bridges are arched and so it is the combination of the air draft and the shape - how much the cabin sides slope in, known as the tumblehome. So best to avoid a boat with near-vertical cabin sides because apart from looking ugly, you may struggle under some arched bridges and tunnels.

[bigste]

At 6ft 5in I have a similar gripe. When looking at boats I often see a good headroom but the beds being much less. Why bother with a 6ft 5in headroom if the bed is only 6ft long. More often it's a longer bed but low headroom. The two ought to compliment each other otherwise it is pointless.

[OldPeculier]

At 6' 4" this has been an issue for me particually when looking at older boats which seem to offer less headroom. I have made an offer on a boat with about 6' 3" which seems to be ok as long as I stand with my legs slightly apart.

[nicknorman]

At 6ft 5in I have a similar gripe. When looking at boats I often see a good headroom but the beds being much less. Why bother with a 6ft 5in headroom if the bed is only 6ft long. More often it's a longer bed but low headroom. The two ought to compliment each other otherwise it is pointless.

I know what you mean. One of the advantages of having a boat built is that you can spec these things. Both our main bed, and the dinette, are 6'6". Obviously we can rule out contemplating a cross-bed!

[Neil2]

Since the industry stopped building wet bilge boats there really isn't any need to have a bilge at all on a narrowboat, so you can theoretically have much more headroom than most boats do provided of course the baseplate is heavy enough and you don't need ballast. Even if you do need ballast there's still no need for the huge void you find on many boats which are designed for brick or concrete blocks, just use something heavier, iron, steel, lead granite etc.

 

For example, our boat has a massive bilge I think it's getting on for 8-9" simply because it was built as a wet bilge boat even though it isn't a wet bilge. But the guys who built it started off building boats that way and just carried on in the same vein even when the move to self draining decks took over. The advantage is the floor is quite a bit warmer than it was on our last boat which was very low profile, and fortunately we are both below average height and getting shorter each year so it's not an issue but if I was a "longshanks" it might have put me off buying the boat.

[John V]

< SNIP> Even if a floor is laid directly onto those steel "joists", it may well mean that there is 5" or 6" of boat below the top surface of that floor.

However it is often chosen to add wooden battens to the top of these "joists" before laying a floor on them, and if this is done, it can pinch an inch or two more from internal headroom.

 

Very true!! when my wheelhouse was being built I was not able to be on site the whole time so I explained I wanted 6'6" headroom (I was planning on just putting a 1" thick rubber mat over the steel deck for the flooring. However I hadn't explained it thoroughly enough When I arrived back I found the wheelhouse shell complete with a wooden floor on 4" wooden bearers with a further 2" air gap under the beams, on top of this there was also a very attractive raised coaming around the wheelhouse roof adding a further 6" to the height. The resultant extra foot of airdraft has even further restricted the places I can visit !!!

[Alan de Enfield]

A generalisation - but I have found that older boats tend to have less headroom than newer boats.

 

We looked at one '80s boat that had 5' 9" of headroom, couldnt see Snow White anywhere aboard.

[Machpoint005]

A generalisation - but I have found that older boats tend to have less headroom than newer boats.

 

We looked at one '80s boat that had 5' 9" of headroom, couldnt see Snow White anywhere aboard.

 

That's bit harsh, Alan, given that the average height of an adult male in the UK is 5ft 9in.

[Bettie Boo]

A generalisation - but I have found that older boats tend to have less headroom than newer boats.

 

We looked at one '80s boat that had 5' 9" of headroom, couldnt see Snow White anywhere aboard.

 

As always there are exceptions..

 

Hubby is 6'2" and has about 2 - 2 1/2" clearance in our side corridor & about 4" in the middle, our WB is almost 6 years old, a friend of ours has a WB which is over 12 years old, same length, 10" narrower, but hubby has almost 2 foot clearance on his boat.

 

The visible difference between the boats is the curvature of the roofs, ours being much flatter than his. His does sit lower in the water than ours, and we have a lower air draft than his.

 

I was amazed at the difference of the interior headroom between the two boats, being "about" 2 foot! Being a short arse at 5' 6" it has no effect on me either way

[benfordboy]

I guess you can live with it !

 

I'm 6'6" & own a GRP cruiser !! No chance of standing upright in her, although its better than some where my head almost hits the ceiling when sitting!!

 

Dads Springer is better but still not the best, even a friends Nb is a struggle but I can almost stand straight !

 

However - Even when on a fortnight out, I can manage - The bow beds are fine, although it can be entertaining getting out early doors without disturbing the OH.

 

Cooking is fine , just a stoop!, Once sitting all is ok.

 

I would say I would rather bend & stoop a little aboard than be stuck in the house with all the headroom I could wish for !!!!

[Neil2]

I guess you can live with it !

 

I'm 6'6" & own a GRP cruiser !! No chance of standing upright in her, although its better than some where my head almost hits the ceiling when sitting!!

 

Dads Springer is better but still not the best, even a friends Nb is a struggle but I can almost stand straight !

 

However - Even when on a fortnight out, I can manage - The bow beds are fine, although it can be entertaining getting out early doors without disturbing the OH.

 

Cooking is fine , just a stoop!, Once sitting all is ok.

 

I would say I would rather bend & stoop a little aboard than be stuck in the house with all the headroom I could wish for !!!!

You'd just about make it in our house where all the ceilings are around 6'6" except for the sitting room which deflects to about 6'4" in the middle. At your height I reckon you could clean the upstairs windows without a ladder

[blackrose]

My widebeam has 6'10" headroom in the middle.

[peterboat]

My widebeam has 6'10" headroom in the middle.

My widebeam is about the same I am 5.8 and I can touch the roof with my hand flat. It is handy having a boat built for you as you hopefully get it right first time

 

Peter

[blackrose]

I'm only 5'6" so for me it's like a cathedral!

 

[Bettie Boo]

I'm only 5'6" so for me it's like a cathedral!

 

 

Mike - where's your oven?

 

*yours looks to be about the same as our friends boat, wonder why ours has so much less headroom inside. Like I say, we aren't deep drafted and definitely don't have as much curve to our roof as either yours or our friends boat.

 

Guess we must have loads of space between the floor and the bottom of the boat.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

 

Guess we must have loads of space between the floor and the bottom of the boat.

 

You are not trying to tell me that in all this time you have never been down into the basement ?

[Peter Knowles]

Thanks all,

This pretty much confirms my understanding.

 

Peter

[Bettie Boo]

 

You are not trying to tell me that in all this time you have never been down into the basement ?

[Phil Ambrose]

I was standing in my well deck when a chap came past with his lad, both in canoes, he stopped for a chat during which he said " of course one of those would be no good for me because I'm over 6 foot" I then had to explain that in fact I had to go down steps into the boat and the headroom was 6' 4", the floor being below the waterline, it took him a while to get it.

Phil