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Ledgard Bridge Broad Beams are ideally suited to the incorporation of a wheelhouse, unlike replica Dutch barges. We can incorporate a fixed steel wheelhouse while still maintaining a very low air draft. We achieve this by lowering the wheelhouse floor enabling good headroom to be obtained without greatly increasing the overall air draft of the boat.
Not all of our Broad Beams incorporate wheelhouses and their incorporation does need careful consideration, the following points need to be considered.
- Air Draft
A wheelhouse will inevitably increase the air draft, however the increase is very minimal when compared to replica Dutch barges whose air draft even with the wheelhouse collapsed is often more than one of our designs. The wheelhouse can be built specifically to meet a particular air draft requirement. If the customer prefers we can manufacture traditional hardwood collapsing wheelhouses.
- Space
A wheelhouse will not offer any greater space but does offer an alternative way of maximising available space. The wheelhouse provides two distinct areas to the boat and many people find this can provide a more liveable environment than can be achieved in a single cabin layout.
All inland waterway boats are built to a similar air draft and regardless of style and size of windows you inevitably can find your self looking out of one window at the bank while at the other side looking into another boats window! The wheelhouse gets you above this giving you 360’ vision and maximising natural light making it the ideal living/working space.
- An unseen advantage
A large empty space is created under the wheelhouse floor allowing all the “boaty” components (tanks, heating units, pumps etc) to be located there rather than scattered about the cabin as per a narrowboat. This then frees up the cabin space totally for residential space.
- Uses
To incorporate a wheelhouse purely to give an enclosed steering position would probably make little or no sense, it is much more suited to being used for a worthwhile purpose. Many customers choose to incorporate the galley and dining area into the wheelhouse or to treat it in much the same way that people would a lounge conservatory. The natural light also makes it ideal for office space.
- Sizes
There aren’t any fixed dimensions for wheelhouse they are again very much tailored to the customers request. In the same way the wheelhouses location is flexible and can be moved forward to allow for a deck/patio area to the rear or even a central location with rear cabin.
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