Click to see other stern types . Most canal hire boats have robust steel hulls and cabins with diesel engines beneath the rear deck. They are 7 foot wide because that is the maximum that can fit in a 'narrow' lock and hence the correct name of 'narrowboats'. You steer using a tiller from the rear of the boat. Although this takes a bit of getting used to for people used to driving cars from the front it means you can see where all the boat is heading when you are steering.
Most boats have decks at the front and rear.
The rear deck can be large to allow passenger to sit with the steerer, this is known as a 'cruiser' stern. Some boats have a much smaller rear deck and the steerer can get some protection from the weather from the back of the cabin. This is the 'trad' style because it is like on the traditional working narrowboats. There's an in between style which has some protection and some room for passenger known as 'semi-trad'. The information and illustrations below are courtesy of Middlewich Narrowboats.