Narrowboat bathroom ideas

Every bathroom deserves an update or a refresh from time to time – that’s as true on a narrowboat as it is in a home. And sometimes, it can be a question of ripping everything out and starting again.

Whether you’re looking for narrowboat bathroom ideas or just browsing narrowboat bathroom design for inspiration, take a look at our list of layouts and styles to get you started.

Narrowboat bathroom layouts

The bathroom, or more usually shower room, of a narrowboat has happily evolved from the basic heads (aka marine toilet) of yesteryear. New boats can have larger bathrooms that make expert use of the available 6ft 10in beam of the boat. And there’s no reason that older boats shouldn’t get the star treatment as well. 

Your starting point for a newbuild project or a major narrowboat bathroom refit should always be the layout of your boat’s interior. They usually follow one of two basic designs.

Traditional layout

Because narrowboats were originally working boats, they were designed with the living quarters right aft and the bulk of the volume given over to cargo carrying. Older traditional boats tend to follow this pattern, with the cabin for sleeping aft and the bathroom amidships, where it loses part of its width to a corridor. This gives access to the galley and saloon farther forward.

Reversed layout

More recent design thinking puts the main cabin at the bow – hence ‘reversed’. This way, the bathroom forms a full-beam natural divider between the open social space of the galley and saloon and the private sleeping space forward.

The reversed layout works really well for liveaboard couples and gives you more space to work with in the bathroom. More space means more options and a more comfortable shower. However, some boaters recommend putting the shower and the heads on opposite sides, each with a closing door. 

It would need a back-to-the-frames refit to change the layout of an existing narrowboat, but there are plenty who undertake this as a multi-year project. And if you’re commissioning a new hull, you can choose any configuration you like.

Can you fit a narrowboat bathroom yourself?

Working in the confined space of a boat’s bilges is not for the faint-hearted, and jobs will always take longer than you expect. Specialist marine-grade parts are also expensive but rarely worth skimping on quality.

It's worth bearing in mind that plumbing jobs are among the trickiest and can cause several further problems if you get them wrong. Leaks in the bilges can be dangerous and damage other parts of the boat, and the consequences of failing to handle toilet blackwater are unthinkable. 

You can work on the styling yourself, such as putting up shelves or mirrors, but it's best to hire a professional for major plumbing work.

Bath or shower in a narrowboat bathroom?

Believe it or not, some narrowboats really do run to a full bathtub. For some of us, there is nothing more luxurious than reclining in a soothingly warm bath after a long day at the helm or an ambitious walk.

But there are some practical considerations beyond giving up the space required by the tub itself (typically 5ft 6in by 2ft 4in). For starters, a fully laden tub can weigh 200kg or more, so you’ll want to get a specialist to ensure the floors and bearers are in good nick.

Then there’s the water itself. Compact tubs hold upwards of 100 litres of fresh water, which will run your water tanks down pretty quickly. Heating half this volume of water from 10 to 60 degrees C also requires around 3kWh of energy. Whether using electricity, gas or solid fuel, you’ll need to factor this into your energy budget.

By contrast, a shower has a much smaller footprint and uses an average of 7 litres of water per minute. So, an economic five-minute soaking uses just 35 litres and around 1kWh of energy.

Either way, you’ll want to be certain that your narrowboat has big enough water tanks and sufficient heating capacity to supply the bathroom. Think 700 litres or more unless you want to be refilling the tanks every other day!

Choosing a narrowboat shower

Headroom and width are strictly limited in narrowboat bathrooms, so it’s vital to choose a shower with the right dimensions. If you’re opting for a glass cabinet-style shower, this will limit your options somewhat, but you can still find workable options at a big DIY store. Remember, installing the glass panels under the flatter part of the cabin top, not on the angled sides, is easier.

Some narrowboaters like to have an especially deep shower tray to catch the water before it’s pumped out. The German-built Bette brand gets a good write-up for this, with its 28cm depth.

It’s perfectly possible to fit a more elegant, low-profile shower tray, as long as the shower sump pump is up to the job of clearing water quickly while you shower. You don’t need anything flashy, but a diaphragm pump is usually a better bet than an impeller pump for this sort of work because it doesn’t clog as easily. 

Alternatively, you could consider a wet room shower if you have the bilge clearance.

This will involve slightly recessing the shower floor so that water trickles down towards the drain rather than flooding out. Plenty of modern boats feature this solution, but it is definitely not a DIY job! And if it goes wrong, it goes very wrong – think rotten floors, mould everywhere and sodden bilges.

Whatever shower you choose, you need quick, easy access to the sump pump that drains the water. Blockages are fairly common, and you’ll want to check regularly for leaks. You don’t want to pull up floors or rip off tiles to reach it.

Narrowboat toilet types

The heads or marine toilet is the other key feature of narrowboat bathrooms. And once again, there is a range of different options here if you’re looking to upgrade or modernise - it all depends on how intensively and where you use your boat.

Flush toilet

The most elegant and comfortable solution is a nice piece of porcelainware, just like you have at home. Still, these are not designed for boats and aren’t recommended. Luckily, there are smaller marine versions available from manufacturers such as Jabsco, Johnson and Raritan. These can be either manual or electric, pumping fresh (or canal) water in and blackwater back out. You’ll need to ensure you have a good-sized holding tank (up to 300 litres) for dirty water to avoid frequent trips to the marina's pump-out station. 

If you baulk at the space required for the water handling, there is another possibility. An increasing number of narrowboaters fit composting or cassette toilets, which require no running water or tankage.

Composting heads

Brands include Separett or Natures Head, but they don’t actually do the composting themselves. They separate wet and dry waste into different containers, often using sawdust to help keep the solid waste dry and reduce odours. While the liquids can be regularly emptied with ease, the dry waste eventually has to be taken to a composting site – precious few of which exist for canal boats. Some people carry small hot composters with them for this purpose.

Cassette toilet

These systems simply collect all waste in an air-tight canister underneath the heads. This needs to be emptied every few days in a marina with an Elsan unit. Brands include Dometic, Thetford and Porta Potti. Naturally, the range is much shorter than with the separation option.

Where does wastewater go on a narrowboat?

One of the most common questions from those new to narrowboat owning – particularly as they eye up the possibility of swimming in the canal! Well, so-called greywater from showers, basins, washing machines, and the galley sink usually gets pumped overboard into the canal. It may contain bits of food and soap suds (all the more reason to buy and use plant-based chemicals/products on the boat), but it isn’t dangerous.

As we discussed above, blackwater from the heads must be treated differently. It is collected and separated, or pumped wholesale into a special ‘holding tank’ that must be pumped out later at dedicated pump-out stations. You’ll usually have to pay for this service.

Narrowboat bathroom ideas

Those are the key decisions you’ll face when grappling with narrowboat bathroom design. Now for the fun bit: inspirational ideas to help you find or create the perfect narrowboat bathroom for you.

Use natural light

Light is a vital part of any interior design and can be brought flooding into a canal boat through windows, portholes, hatches, or skylights. An opening one is particularly handy in the bathroom for ventilation purposes.

Choose complementary light fittings

Light fittings help to define the character of the bathroom and should fit in with the lighting elsewhere on the boat. Whether you go for traditional wall sconces and lantern-style lights or bang-up-to-date indirect LED lighting strings, think it through before you start work.

Mirrors create space

A mirror helps enlarge the sense of volume in a small space, so it serves a double purpose in a boat bathroom. The gentle tumblehome of many narrowboat sides may make it difficult to fit, so be imaginative!

Make the most of bright colours

Bright colours can also give a sense of lightness and of space if used carefully. Think a splash of colour or wallpaper to a bulkhead, for instance, or some (carefully fixed) knick-knacks on a shelf. 

Funky basins add a splash of colour

You don’t have to plump for a standard white basin, either. Go for something more design-oriented, like a glass or metal basin. We’ve even seen owners repurposing an antique vanity table and recessing a basin into its top. 

Fixtures and fittings

It’s always good to let the interior reflect a bit of the original function of your narrowboat. Recycled wood, industrial chic and nautical references are all good.

Towel rails

Staying warm and dry is a priority on a boat. The towel rail serves a dual function: heating the bathroom and warming or drying your towels. 

Plants

A bit of greenery can add a lot of warmth and interest to any room – including bathrooms. Just make sure it’s something that can deal with the steam of a hot shower and the low-light conditions below deck. Spider plants work especially well for this.

Don't be afraid to put your own twist on the design

There’s no reason a narrowboat bathroom has to look like one! Parquet-effect flooring, antique mirrors and unique basinry give this design from Boutique Narrowboats a really luxurious finish. 

If you want more ideas and inspiration, Pinterest and Instagram are awash with narrowboat interiors. There are also lots of specialist interior fitters whose websites make a useful starting point. Check out Boutique Narrowboats or Perrydale Narrowboats

Once you’ve bottomed out the all-important practicalities of the bathroom, you can let your imagination run riot!

Specialist narrowboat insurance through Insure4Boats

If you’re investing in kitting out your narrowboat bathroom, you may want to protect it with specialist narrowboat insurance.

With Insure4Boats, the cover protects your boat against theft, accidental damage, malicious damage, and salvage charges.

Find out more about specialist narrowboat insurance, or get an instant online quote today.