The British canal narrowboat is one of the most approachable subjects in ship modelling. Its long, slab-sided hull is simple to draw and build, and it has plenty of character in the paintwork and fittings. You can build one from free or self-drawn plans, start from a kit, or buy a ready-made canal boat hull and fit it out. This guide covers all three routes.
Why narrowboats are a good modelling subject
- Simple hull shape. For most of its length a narrowboat is close to a box: flat bottom, near-vertical sides, with shaping only at the bow and stern.
- Easy to draw. Because the midsection is constant, a plan needs only a few sections at each end.
- Wide range of subjects. Historic working boats, horse-drawn boats, butties (unpowered boats towed by a motor boat), hire boats and modern leisure boats all look different.
- Suits several model types. Narrowboats work as static display models, as radio-controlled boats and as scenery on model railway layouts.
Choosing a scale
A full-length narrowboat built to the maximum size for much of the narrow canal network is about 70 ft (around 21 m) long with a beam a little under 7 ft (about 2.1 m). Many leisure boats are shorter. This table shows approximate model lengths for a 70 ft boat:
| Scale | Approximate model length | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 1:12 | 70 in (1.78 m) | Large RC models, usually of shorter boats |
| 1:16 | 52 in (1.33 m) | RC models |
| 1:24 | 35 in (89 cm) | RC or detailed static models |
| 1:32 | 26 in (67 cm) | Static models, small RC |
| 1:76 (00 gauge) | 11 in (28 cm) | Model railway layouts |
| 1:148 (N gauge, UK) | 5.7 in (14 cm) | Small railway layouts |
The long, narrow proportions mean a model at RC scales can be awkward to transport and store, which is one reason many builders choose a shorter boat or a smaller scale.
Free narrowboat plans: where to look
Dedicated free narrowboat model plans are less common than plans for tugs or yachts, but there are some good sources:
- Model boat magazines. Narrowboat plans have appeared in UK model boat magazines over the years and turn up in back issues.
- Canal societies and museums. Canal museums and historic boat groups sometimes publish or hold drawings of historic working boats.
- Forums and build logs. Model boat and model railway forums have many narrowboat builds, and builders often share their own drawings.
- Model railway sources. Plans and card or etched kits drawn for railway layouts can be scaled up for a larger model.
If a plan is at the wrong size, see our guide to scaling model boat plans up or down.
Drawing your own narrowboat plan
Because the hull is so regular, drawing your own plan is realistic even for a beginner:
- Choose a specific boat and gather side-on and end-on photographs.
- Find the key dimensions: length, beam, cabin length, height of cabin roof above the gunwale. Published dimensions for historic boats and builders’ data for modern ones are a good starting point.
- Draw the profile at your chosen scale, using the length as your reference and measuring other features from photographs proportionally.
- Draw the parallel midsection as a single cross-section.
- Draw a few sections at the bow and stern to describe how the hull narrows and rises.
If you are new to drawing or reading hull sections, our guide on how to read a model ship lines plan explains how sections, waterlines and profiles relate to each other.
Model narrowboat kits
Narrowboat kits have been produced by several small, mostly UK-based makers, in materials including wood, plastic, resin and laser-cut card. They fall into two broad groups:
- Railway-scale kits at 00 gauge (1:76) or N gauge, intended as scenery and often supplied in white metal, resin, plastic or laser-cut card.
- Larger boat kits intended for display or RC, often with a moulded or wooden hull and a wooden or plastic superstructure.
Kit availability changes as small makers come and go, so it is worth checking model boat retailers, model railway suppliers and secondhand listings.
Ready-made canal boat hulls
A ready-made hull, typically moulded in glass-reinforced plastic or ABS, saves the most time-consuming part of the build. Our guide to model boat hull moulds explains how these hulls are made. Some small hull makers produce narrowboat or canal boat hulls in RC scales. You then build the deck, cabin and fittings yourself, usually from your own drawings or a fitting-out plan supplied with the hull.
When choosing a hull, check:
- whether it represents a working boat or a leisure boat, since the stern and bow shapes differ
- the scale and overall length
- whether it will need a cut-out for the propeller shaft and rudder
Building the hull from plans
For a scratch-built hull, a narrowboat suits simple sheet construction:
- Make templates for the bulkheads and the bow and stern sections. See our guide to transferring model boat plans to wood.
- Cut a flat bottom panel from plywood.
- Fix bulkheads at intervals along the bottom, checking they are square.
- Fit the sides as long sheets, gluing to the bulkheads and bottom.
- Build up the bow and stern with shaped blocks or narrow planks, carving them to the sections.
- Seal the hull if it will float.
Making it sail on radio control
A narrowboat is a slow, gentle RC subject:
- Speed. Real narrowboats move at walking pace, so a modest motor and a small propeller are usually enough.
- Ballast. A long, flat hull needs ballast spread along its length to sit at the waterline and stay level.
- Steering. Narrowboats steer with a large rudder and tiller at the stern. A servo linked to the rudder is straightforward, and some builders arrange for the scale tiller to move as well.
- Access. The cabin roof makes a natural removable hatch for reaching batteries and electronics.
Painting and detailing
Paintwork is a big part of a narrowboat’s character. Historic working boats are known for traditional decorative styles, including the painted roses and castles found on cabin panels and on water cans, and for lettering showing the carrying company and boat name, which can be painted or applied as transfers. Modern leisure boats tend to have simpler colour schemes. Details such as fenders, ropes, the chimney, a water can and planters on the roof all help bring the model to life.
For other boat types and general advice on finding plans, see our main guide to model ship plans.