FreedomBoatingHols

We get this all the time; sadly it is very common and a major detraction to our job which is, essentially, to provide enjoyment to others. It is a real downer when people act like ****holes. Only last Saturday, we had a voicemail from someone who we felt we wouldn't want to deal with from the way he spoke, but called him back anyway. This proved to be a mistake. He wanted a rebuild of a BMC 1.5 and I told him that, sorry, but we were not taking on that kind of work at the moment. He then proceeded to argue with me, swearing and then put the phone down.

The current trend for new boats is to provide fewer berths and more living space and there has always been a need to use space cleverly. In something that is just 12ft wide by, on average, 35ft long, getting everything in that a few humans need to live comfortably together is always a challenge and trade-offs exist everywhere. There hasn't been a 10 berth boat built in years, and whilst it is true there are a few 8-9 berths, the trend is more to produce walk-around beds which seriously impact the amount of space available for other berths. It's slightly cynical to suggest that boatyards put in more berths so that the charge can be increased; demand creates supply and, a large boat with fewer berths but more space will still demand a high hire price anyway. It is also fair to say that in a 44ft x 12ft space, getting 10 people all sleeping and then eating around the same table at the same time is a utopia that few vessels have EVER pulled off. Large capacity boats have been produced for donkeys years though nobody has built a new one that will take over 10 people in at least a decade. It is inaccurate to suggest that older boats have more space than newer boats. Different boat layouts with different designs produced by different people have different amounts of space available. I am currently refitting a 33ft cruiser which was originally a 4 plus 2 berth with two shower/toilet compartments. With a rejig of the saloon/galley area, I can increase the galley space, improve cupboard storage, add new appliances AND put in an additional sofa which doubles as a berth making her a 4 plus three. All this modification is achievable without encroaching on the original floor space of the boat.

If I can comment on some of this. Firstly, a modern diesel engine compared to an old-tech BMC 1.5 is barely any more economical if at all. We have just had a customer back after 6 days on the Southern Broads and they have been pretty-much everywhere. They used about 26 litres of fuel and must have covered about 120 miles. This is on a BMC 1.5 which is known to be a very reliable engine and is used in thousands of Broads boats still. We have modern engines and these too are capable of very low fuel consumption in a similar way to the BMC; the rule is simple, beat the engine and it will beat your wallet. At Freedom, we have invested heavily into improvements across the fleet. All boats have: USB charging points TV & DVD systems Heating Electric Fridges (many full-size under counter units) Uprated charging systems 240v Mains system (except Tranquil which has a plug-in inverter) Current upgrades programmes include: LED lighting across the fleet (most boats have already had this for years) Shore power (including battery charging) Hot water immersion systems on some In the main, these upgrades do not mean that our boats cost more; we are keeping up with advances in technology and customer need and we do this to keep our vessels attractive and competitive. I am unaware that any other fleet has installed USB charging points across all its boats but stand to be corrected. I really take issue with the phrase "better modern cookers". Sadly, many common modern cookers on boats are far from "better" than a solidly build older one. Increasingly, these are made of nasty thin stainless steel (inside the cooking cavities and out), are poorly put together and often badly designed. The hob burners are truly nasty and we have a few "modern" units that I would truly love to rip out and replace because of the lack of resilience these remarkably expensive things offer. They look nice, but often, looks are only skin deep. One of the absolute key points of a Freedom Boating Holiday is the freedom to start and end your holiday on any day. This is unique on the Broads and allows our business to work around the very busy lifestyles that people lead these days.

Yes, we have a 27ft Aft Cockpit (Sweet Freedom) and a 31ft Alpha Aft cockpit (Lady of Freedom) both of which are good solo. We will offer solos additional and longer ropes for mooring also.

We already allow Freedom day boats and Pod to go up there. Not too many people make the trip, sadly. It's about a 90 minute return journey from the Freedom boat yard and we provide a detailed map of the river and hazards.

They are called Quick Cam connectors. They are commonplace hose equipment so any decent hose supplier will have them too.

Sent you a PM.

As a local, but perhaps without his ear to the ground, I know nothing of any food service from the Broadshaven, but I am aware that the place has been occupied in some way for some months. Be good to get it open again.

There are lots of fibreglass laminators in the area and Brooms have the tooling, so there is nothing to suggest that a building programme could not continue.

Damn stupid forum software allowed me to post this three times. Sorry. There was no indication it had worked so I clicked again.....

All three of these companies have their own mould tools and build their own designs. Since the loss of Alpha, this has been the only real option as the availability of shells for fitout was mostly limited to Alpha in the end. In recent times though, Richardsons have invested massively in new designs which are exclusive to them. Barnes bought the Aquafibre Diamond tooling and made their own modifications to it which became Serenade and more recently, Barnes also bought all the old Aquafibre tooling too. NBD has its own tools and will also fit out other mouldings and Herbert Woods has been busy with the smaller cruisers which became their Starlight fleet. Ferry Marina has a number of it's own, exclusive designs too. It's only the small yards (like myself) that have no real tooling to make exclusive cruiser designs (though I have our Pod open day boat.

Risks Business risk assessments are not for this purpose. They are peculiar to each business and each will handle things in a different way. None of this is for public consumption and as RSF says above, no company would make any such internal document public. Solo sailors need to consider the potential dangers of going out alone in varying different types of vessel / conditions and so on. None of it is rocket science; it's all about the risks of injury and incident and how you plan to reduce them by guidance and mitigate them through implementing change. Anyone can do one for anything; boiling a kettle for instance where the risks would include injury from boiling water, steam, electrocution or burning, spillages / slippages. Probably things missing from that list... If you solo with Freedom, you will be asked about your experience and skills and be expected to demonstrate them before we wave you farewell. You will experience the level of attention we give to solo hirers at that point when we do everything to ensure people are as well informed as they can be.

Why would you think anything else?

Unlikely to happen, Griff. Richardsons' decision is not insurance related and it's a red herring to think otherwise.

This will be an internal document, the likes of which would not convey the level of consideration and planning. It is not for public consumption in the same way that your bank statement isn't