Double Bunk 1961

Facing eviction from their London flat, newlyweds Jack Goddard Ian Carmichael and Peggy Goddard Janette Scott are duped into buying a rundown houseboat from Alfred Harper Reginald Beckwith, while his wife, Mrs. Harper Irene Handl, seems to accept the situation with weary resignation. Mr. Watson, who owns the couple’s mooring, soon explains the steep mooring tariffs and the surcharges that apply to keeping the boat on the river.

With their finances strained, Jack’s used-car-salesman friend Sid Randall Sid James lends a hand to rebuild the engine, and the trio sets off down the River Thames to Ramsgate, with Sid’s girlfriend Sandra Marsh Liz Fraser joining as a passenger. Along the journey they tangle with a Thames Conservancy Officer Naunton Wayne and a member of the river police Terry Scott, who complicate their voyage.

Trouble intensifies when Sandra’s transistor radio ends up beside the compass, sending them off course to Calais, with no fuel or supplies in hand. In Calais, they improvise to survive, and Sandra uses a daring striptease to prompt Watson to share fuel and food, while Jack and Sid discreetly borrow what they need.

The next morning they rejoin Watson and, with their compass still broken, race back to their mooring in a contest that tests luck and nerve. After a tense crossing, the wager pays off when Watson’s boat runs aground, leaving Jack and Peggy to reclaim their home on the river.