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Faircraft Loynes New 2-4 Berth Cruisers


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You think thats what the market wants but its the yards who will tell you different!!

Its those types of boats where you have to cram 2 people into a Richardsons RC45 that they want and its always those which let the most weeks - if the punters want them then the yards will build them. Remember "character" is in the eye of the beholder, or rather hirer!!

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You think thats what the market wants but its the yards who will tell you different!!


I think that’s a very fair point. If they can’t hire them out why would they build them?
Speculation is all well and good but the yards know exactly what’s popular and what sits in the yard for most of the year.
It would be interesting to see how sales are split too.
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Truthfully, do people really hire based on look? I mean this coming from a bit of a nerdy point of view.  My Mum and Shiela would see a centre cockpit boat like Western Light and in conversation are very likely to say "Its the same as Carousel" at which point i will interject how much is different. They just see a big white boat with a sliding canopy in the middle.

I think most people see the same - so when you have new boats they come in white, are shiny and have deep tinted windows with no visible frames and look all sleek and modern. That gets interest the next is the interior - why are Ferry Marina's so popular? Well they have domestic showers, domestic toilets and lots of headroom and 'square' cabins  - they are built internally to look almost like a modern small apartment. The trade off is the boxy external appearance.

A boat of small flat's bathroom?

Modern Shower Room.jpg

Time and again when I speak to those working in the area it is said "this is what people want" and I would agree. I spoke to a chap at the Horning Boat Show about the fact Richardson's are, slowly but surely changing their customer away from the budget hunting family to couples who want larger boats with more space, of families wishing to have a new luxury boat. Each 'class' boat that is sold may either be replaced with a new build (far more pricey to hire) or for every two sold one is built. This makes sense to their business - fewer boats overall in time to look after, earning more.

That is the key and as I have been told in the past too the Broads will become 'a rich mans play ground' and I can see that is the direction things are headed in.  So why it may be so you could build a classic boat with a modern interior it would not be economic because you would be constrained by that boats classic lines what you can actually fit in - all you'd end up with is much the same internal layout and design, but with modern amenities, fabrics and feel. The same goes if you took a mould from an old wooden boat and then re-created it in GRP complete with 'fake' wood topsides etc (think wood effect eaves, windows and garage doors that are on the market now) it would not keep the traditionalists happy and it would not keep the modern new loving people happy since it would again be an old layout fitted in a modern way.

Sorry to say but the future is rainfall shower heads, stone effect tiling, and wine coolers and faux suede seating.

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1 hour ago, LondonRascal said:

Sorry to say but the future is rainfall shower heads, stone effect tiling, and wine coolers and faux suede seating.

And probably requiring an electric post at every mooring! I think Robin is probably spot on with much of his thinking but as for saying it will become a rich man’s playground, I can’t make my mind up on that. I do think however there will always be a place for budget boats, I certainly hope so anyway. Broads boating must stay accessible for everyone. 

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1 hour ago, vanessan said:

I do think however there will always be a place for budget boats, I certainly hope so anyway. Broads boating must stay accessible for everyone. 

I guess it depends on how you look at things. If you were being reasonable and fair, yes it would be nice to have budget boats 'for everyone' but the issue is us people. You see we might want 'budget price' but not expect to rough it too much.

Eventually the 'Gold Gems' etc will come to the end of their useful life - they simply cannot go on forever, but by then what was new in say 2012 will be seen as more 'classic' though I can never see Broadsman hiring for £250.00 for example. I think the long term outlook to my mind is when these boats no longer are considered 'luxury hire craft' they may well find willing buyers - either from a smaller yard unable to build such boats from scratch or from private owners.

The issue with the above presumption is that the originating yard (Richardson's in this case) continues a slow but ever present new-build program, so budget boating by default is pushed over as new boats come on stream. Smaller yards upgrade with 'newer' styles of boats but charge their own premium on their new flagship and may help finance such by selling one of their own 'classic' boats. Eventually when all the older boats have been sold etc, I cannot see there being any 'budget' boats for hire.

It might take another 30 years to reach that point but reach it I think the industry will.

 

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40 minutes ago, LondonRascal said:

I guess it depends on how you look at things. If you were being reasonable and fair, yes it would be nice to have budget boats 'for everyone' but the issue is us people. You see we might want 'budget price' but not expect to rough it too much.

Eventually the 'Gold Gems' etc will come to the end of their useful life - they simply cannot go on forever, but by then what was new in say 2012 will be seen as more 'classic' though I can never see Broadsman hiring for £250.00 for example. I think the long term outlook to my mind is when these boats no longer are considered 'luxury hire craft' they may well find willing buyers - either from a smaller yard unable to build such boats from scratch or from private owners.

The issue with the above presumption is that the originating yard (Richardson's in this case) continues a slow but ever present new-build program, so budget boating by default is pushed over as new boats come on stream. Smaller yards upgrade with 'newer' styles of boats but charge their own premium on their new flagship and may help finance such by selling one of their own 'classic' boats. Eventually when all the older boats have been sold etc, I cannot see there being any 'budget' boats for hire.

It might take another 30 years to reach that point but reach it I think the industry will.

 

I think the boatyard owners particularly the big 4 or 5 have shown that they have their fingers well and truly "on the pulse" not only for what the hirers will want this year, but for the next few years to come. The balance of "Gucci Vs. Budget" will be market driven.

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it's pretty obvious many yards (except richardsons) have given up with going through the bridges. It may save problems with damage and pilot fees. but the customers that want the quieter side of life will go elsewhere with the business.

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On 08/05/2018 at 14:36, LondonRascal said:

Eventually the 'Gold Gems' etc will come to the end of their useful life - they simply cannot go on forever, but by then what was new in say 2012 will be seen as more 'classic' though I can never see Broadsman hiring for £250.00 for example. I think the long term outlook to my mind is when these boats no longer are considered 'luxury hire craft' they may well find willing buyers - either from a smaller yard unable to build such boats from scratch or from private owners.

 

 

For my own sake (budget hirer) I really, really, hope your wrong, but my gut tells me your probably right! 

But surley there will always be a market for cruisers with familys on a budget...?

Fingers crossed there is more money in my piggy bank when Richardson’s starts selling off ‘Broadsmen’ into private ownership. 

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6 minutes ago, Bexs said:

 

For my own sake (budget hirer) I really, really, hope your wrong, but my gut tells me your probably right! 

But surley there will always be a market for cruisers with familys on a budget...?

Fingers crossed there is more money in my piggy bank when Richardson’s starts selling off ‘Broadsmen’ into private ownership. 

I think you will be OK for many years to come, unless you are completely unique in wanting a budget boat which you are not, means there will continue to be a market. If there is a sufficient market opportunity someone will always come up with the goods,  Downside is if the market is small then the choices will be equally small.

The only factor that could change this would be if the numbers of hire craft on the broads was to become  limited, then obviously the boatyards would focus on the "Gucci" boats with high hire charges to maximise income. 

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The only factor that could change this would be if the numbers of hire craft on the broads was to become  limited, then obviously the boatyards would focus on the "Gucci" boats with high hire charges to maximise income. 



Very much agree with this, limiting the number of hire craft would certainly result in the Broads becoming the rich mans playground mentioned earlier. Let’s hope it never happens...


Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

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On 15/03/2018 at 22:28, Broads01 said:

It's good to see new 2-4 berth boats being built, they've been few in number in recent years (Richardsons please take note). 

I can see the resemblance to the Alpha Lowliner but alas dual steers that can pass under low bridges have fallen out of fashion and I'll be interested to see what the air draft is on this one. 

Hi Simon, 

This is why we bought the Swancraft fleet, before that we have recently built Far Horizon as well as the Broadways and Crystal Horizons but the customers can't get enough of the Commodores and Commanders which we will keep building until our sedan (which is currently in development) is produced next year which will be  either a 4 berth or 4-6. 

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3 minutes ago, Jbx5 said:

Ah a new sedan give us a clue Clive is it going to be like the Broom 35 sedan (aquafibre hull)? 

 

John

Half serious, half nostalgia driven; is there not a limited market for say a Bourne 35 (half grp/half timber) recreation or would it be more cost effective to restore one?

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41 minutes ago, C.Ricko said:

Hi Simon, 

This is why we bought the Swancraft fleet, before that we have recently built Far Horizon as well as the Broadways and Crystal Horizons but the customers can't get enough of the Commodores and Commanders which we will keep building until our sedan (which is currently in development) is produced next year which will be  either a 4 berth or 4-6. 

Hi Clive. Yes the Swancraft were a great purchase and I'm very much looking forward to my upcoming break on Swan Roamer. The sedan sounds interesting. I hope you're putting a large sunroof on it or a side entrance, as with a sedan that makes a huge difference. 

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Hi Simon, 

it won't have a side entrance as it will  be in the same room as the aft doors but will have  the same sunroof as the RF45 which will be central due to not having a side door.. 

as with all our creations we don't stick to a plan so we don't have a proper plan for this one, only a model of a 35.. 

 

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23 minutes ago, C.Ricko said:

as with all our creations we don't stick to a plan so we don't have a proper plan for this one, only a model of a 35.. 

 

As I get older I realise that most people are just winging it, including me ! :default_biggrin:

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  • 2 weeks later...

when you look at boats like Clive Richardsons Broadsventure, it would be very easy to build that out of GRP, and moulding the top in a matching wood colouring would make it look reasonably authentic. For me, the problems of modern broads cruisers are that they are far to big, lack character, and are pig ugly. Look at some of Richardsons and Ferry Marinas modern designs and you can see what I mean. And the worst of it is, they are so big and only sleeping 4, or 6, resulting in places with limited mooring facilities being full up with only 6 boats. Wouldn't it be good to see a yard having the foresight to introduce new boats that are smaller (like they used to be) but having modern tech, and made from modern materials.

 

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So!!! Where are we heading here? Wooden boats painted white to look like GRP and GRP boats with "wood effect" hulls. This all reminds me of my brother in laws comment about houses these days. "rooms full of plants and gardens full of furniture."

Now, the Richardson's 45 centre cockpit I find pretty easy on the eye, less so their forward steer version, though if I were to own one I'd be looking for a bit more wood inside to break up the internal white GRP.

Most of the modern "Emblem" boats are unattractive to me, and I can imagine Ernest Collins  turning in his grave so fast as to be a heat source.

Still, each to their own.

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On 15/03/2018 at 22:49, marshman said:

The punters like them and thats the main thing. Also remember that many hirings are for "short" breaks as well so if its  an 8' air draft, even Ludham not usually a problem.

They are listed as 8'3" air draft on line, hiring Silent at the end of July, so will know first hand then.

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3 hours ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

when you look at boats like Clive Richardsons Broadsventure, it would be very easy to build that out of GRP, and moulding the top in a matching wood colouring would make it look reasonably authentic. For me, the problems of modern broads cruisers are that they are far to big, lack character, and are pig ugly. Look at some of Richardsons and Ferry Marinas modern designs and you can see what I mean. And the worst of it is, they are so big and only sleeping 4, or 6, resulting in places with limited mooring facilities being full up with only 6 boats. Wouldn't it be good to see a yard having the foresight to introduce new boats that are smaller (like they used to be) but having modern tech, and made from modern materials.

 

I agree Ferry Marina boats are ugly, but Richardsons were spot on with the RC45 centre cockpit on my view. It's elegant and slightly retro and yet very modern all at the same time. The forward steer designs are a throw back to the days of the Caribbeans, Bountys and Horizons and there's nothing wrong with that in my view, proper Broads boats through and through. 

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