Narrow boats and barges come in a variety of different stern types. Knowing more about them will assist you in choosing the right one for you. Consider what you want to use your narrow boat for. Will it be for weekends away, holidays or for living aboard full time? How many people will be on board at any one time? Knowing its purpose will help you to choose the right size, age, style and configuration of narrowboat to best suit your needs. There are four different styles of narrow boats available plus you can get something called a Dutch barge too.
Cruiser Stern – These types of sterns offer a large expanse of external space, ideal for recreational cruising. An ideal holiday boat, they have a back deck of between 4-8 foot in length, providing ample space on the back for several people to stand and socialise. The cruiser is the perfect choice for those that want the best cruising experience and are not so worried about the internal space on offer.
Traditional Stern – The traditional narrowboat is the ideal choice for long cruises and living aboard. They have a classic and attractive design stemming from traditional working boats. They have the smallest stern area offering the least external space (around 2-3 foot in length) which means there is room for only one person at a time outside, giving more room for inside living. Traditional sterns come in a variety of lengths starting from around 40 feet to 70 feet.
Semi-traditional Stern – The semi-traditional sterns are a good compromise between Traditional and Cruiser sterns. These have the looks of a traditional stern with the space of a Cruiser. They are the modern-day version of the traditional narrowboat. They benefit from having a slightly larger stern deck, which enables more than one person to be in this area at any one time, making them a more sociable boat for cruising. This style is a popular choice for families and people with dogs.
Wide Beam – Wide beam narrow boats are the ideal choice for those considering living aboard full time and who are not worried about cruising every inch of the canal network. Narrowboats are usually 6ft 10” wide but wide beam boats are generally between 10ft to 12ft in width. The most obvious advantage is the additional living and storage space. The inside of a wide beam can look like and have the feel of a small apartment rather than a boat. Wide beams are available in a cruiser, semi-traditional and traditional sterns. There are four main ‘cruising grounds’ for the wide beam owner: London and the South East, East Anglia, the Severn waterways and The Trent and North.
Dutch Barge - A Dutch barge is a flat-bottomed style barge which were originally designed to carry cargo on the waterways of the Netherlands. Traditionally they would have had sails as their propulsion but these days most have been converted to motor-propulsion. These types of barges are ideal for those of you looking for something much larger and can go up to and beyond 130ft in length.
