A cabin cruiser is a type of power boat that provides accommodation for its crew

Crew

A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard...

 and passenger

Passenger

A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....

s inside the structure of the craft.

A cabin cruiser usually ranges in size from 25 to 45 ft (7.6 to 13.7 m) in length, with larger pleasure craft usually considered yacht

Yacht

A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

s. Many cabin cruisers can be recovered and towed with a trailer and thus easily stored on land, which reduces maintenance and expense. These craft are generally equipped with a head

Head (watercraft)

The head is a ship's toilet. The name derives from sailing ships in which the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the ship.-Design:In sailing ships the toilet was placed in the bow for two reasons...

 (toilet), a galley

Galley (kitchen)

The galley is the compartment of a ship, train or aircraft where food is cooked and prepared. It can also refer to a land based kitchen on a naval base or a particular formed household kitchen.-Ship's kitchen:...

, and at least one berth

Berth (sleeping)

The word berth was originally used to describe beds and sleeping accommodation on boats and ships and has now been extended to refer to similar facilities on trains, aircraft and buses.-Beds in boats or ships:...

. Most cabin cruisers usually have a small dining area and some have an aft cabin (a cabin to the rear of the cockpit, with a double bed) Some cabin cruisers are equipped with heating, air conditioning

Air conditioning

An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...

, and power generators. Most also have water heaters and shore power electric systems.

The cabin cruiser provides many of the amenities of larger yacht

Yacht

A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

s, while costing much less and normally being fully operable by the owner, whereas larger yachts often require a professional crew.

Most newer cabin cruisers are faster than older models because of improved aerodynamic and hydrodynamic designs. Cabin cruisers are generally able to handle the water well because of their size and give a stable ride. They are generally spacious in the cockpit (open seating area towards at aft or centre).

In the UK purpose built cabin cruisers were popular on the canal network in the 1960s and 1970s. Leading manufacturers were Norman

Norman boats

Norman boats are small glass-reinforced plastic cabin cruisers. Built in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, in England by Norman Cruisers limited of Shaw and Crompton in Greater Manchester, England. Norman Cruisers went bankrupt in the 1980s...

, Viking, Microplus

Microplus

Microplus were a range of GRP boats produced in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s.Originally trading as Microplas, the company has its origins in the 1950s producing bodyshells for a small number of fibreglass sports cars...

, and Dawncraft. Today they are more commonly found on the navigable rivers rather than canals.

See also

• Boat
  Boat
  A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
  
  
• Narrowboat
  Narrowboat
  A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of Great Britain.In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals...
  
  
• Motor Launch
  Motor Launch
  A Motor Launch is a small military vessel in British navy service. It was designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high speed air-sea rescue....
  
  
• Launch
  Launch (boat)
  A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...