Janice

This bloke is a member of the Broom owner club, he might know. URL below http://www.broomowners.com

Dave and Shelagh That's good news, what are the opening times for pump outs please and do you have to book appointments and if so what number should we ring please. We tried to get pumped out the last time we were at the boat, weekend, but it's hard to know who is open and we ended up not getting it done. Thanks Jan and Mike

Contacted Alphacraft yesterday they said they can do it, the unfinished product is £300 plus VAT. Not sure what unfinished means? Am wondering how much to finish it off. They have said to get In contact to have a chat over the phone. Now we have a rough idea if cost will follow up on the other leads to see what other options out there too before we do anything else. Moving forward tho! Thanks.

Alan Thanks for the info that's interesting I will contact Alpha, thanks Jan

Hi Thought I should say that we have advertised it on Ebay today as well as the Forum. The auction ends next Sunday, if we get the asking price via the forum we will remove from Ebay. Thanks Jan

I love the padded seats that Jeckles do and want to do that too, once we get the seat. I drove mike mad to purchase a boat I fell in love with just because it had nice seats, that were the same as the Jeckles ones, but as the boat had no hot water or heating mike said no lol. Happy with the boat we have now, it's got nice covered material seats and so just need to get the deck sorted.

The small BBQ we got was SMALL, much too small really. We ended up getting a BBQ from Asda which is called something like the big BBQ, cost £25. It folds up into a case that you can carry around (not whilst on of course lol) and has folding legs. It has a warming rack too. We've not tried it out yet but are sure it's going to be just what we need. We looked at the Webber equivalent - the Webber one was better quality but it did not have a warming rack, was a third smaller and cost £70 so no contest the Asda BBQ won hands down! We also got some cherry wood chips, can't wait to try those out.

We have a stainless steel calorifier for sale, it's approx 10 inches in diameter by approx 34 inches tall. it came our off our boat it has a date on it, 1997. There are no leaks, the calorifier itself is in good nick although we think the coil may need descaling. It does not have an immersion heater but you could have one fitted. It's being stored at Potter Heigham at the moment, if you are interested let us know and we can arrange a mutually convenient time for you to see it/buy it. We would be happy to accept £100 for a quick sale.

Broads Authority electric charging points link has changed from the original post. It is now http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/boating/facilities/electric-boat-charging-points

Sounds perfectly normal to me John Am enjoying reading your posts by the way! Keep em coming!

That's a good tip will definitely consider that as it will mean there is no walking for Mum. She is quite spiritedly for her age, she's still getting on buses and going shopping on her own and my younger sister often takes her to the big shopping malls, Bluewater, and they shop for hours. I don't know where she gets the energy from but I wouldn't want to ever exert her really and so think we will have to have a plan in place. Thanks

We would like to take my mum on the boat and then to Salhouse to the Fur and Feathers when the weather picks up a bit, she's in her 80's and I am not sure if she could walk all that way, especially as going there is up hill. I suppose Mike could give her a piggy back, mental picture lol or alternatively maybe the taxi is a good idea lol. I will have a ring around nearer the time, thanks Jonzo.

Do know what, this thread has been really interesting and I have enjoyed reading it. Let's concentrate on the nice stuff and not spoil it. Jan

People make errors of course, but it's good business to offer something in return if all goes wrong as customers appreciate that, no matter how small the gesture, and will come back time and time again and recommend friends maybe. Word of mouth is a great way to gain customers - and - to lose them! Don't forget that when the boat was hired that they entered into a contract to have a service provided, which is sounds as though it was not fully. I am not understanding why a gesture of goodwill would not be inappropriate!!! What if they did not notice that the bedding was missing until it was too late, it was very cold that night.

Ha ha that's our boat in the background, second one from the left. Sidestand's boat was first on the left. Can't believe you were there and we did not all say hello

What would be really nice, and romantic, would be a trap and horse(s) that could ferry people from the broad to the pub although I am not sure if it would navigate the path through the forest (it may be wide enough for a small carriage with one horse). It could probably work if it was just along the road I suppose and make money in the busy season. I know we would pay £5 to hop on and save the walk there. Jan

Tescos are selling Eco friendly washing up liquid that was £1.50 for £1. (It's pomegranate flavour). It's says its does not produce much in the way of bubbles but as long as it cleans the cups that's fine ).

Just an update, we got the meat from Ludham Butchers, on Good Friday and we have to say it was excellent. We did not have the BBQ in the end as the weather was against us. We cooked some of the chicken ( there was too much too cook in one go ) in the oven with Italian herbs and cooked the sausages with a sprinkle of herbs with chilli and ate it with rice. All was very nice. Tonight we cooked the rump steak in a curry sauce, it was very lean and tender. Have not tried the beef burgers. Would recommend the butchers for good food and a very friendly service. Jan and Mike

The sun is shining, hurray. We've both come to the broads with a bad cold and laryngitis but still had a nice time. All the baloons are now off the boat lol. Steve and Tracy did any excellent job and between you and I it's Steve's (sidestand) 50th in July (26th I think) but keep it to your self it's our little secret lol Jan

We had a lovely meal last night for Mikes birthday at the Fur and Feathers. I had liver and bacon and it's the first meal I have eaten in weeks (been off my food a bit) that I have enjoyed and cleared my plate. Mike was in his element that they had a great selection of ales. The suet puddings are crammed with meat, don't order it unless you have a big appetite! It is a bit more expensive than a average pub, in my opinion, but the food is really good. The service was good also, they were really busy but still managed to look after us. Jan

Got to the marina this morning and found that the little fairies had been to work on our boat. It quite windy and cold

Happy Easter everyone A nice long break for family fun Small ones big ones little ones too An Easter Egg for me and you Hot Cross buns are yum yum yum Don't eat them all and leave me some! Have a great time

It sounds like every little bit helps. New to the Broads - we were not aware, the BA have lots of info on their website but unless you look there you won't see it, new boat owners could go on for ages being unaware. Holiday makers, the same how can they take care if they are unaware? Not sure how that is solved. We may never have known about the water if it weren't for accidentally dropping something in the water and wondering if it's safe to dive down to retrieve it.

I was just thinking (dangerous!), reading all that stuff has made me more aware, I feel a bit guilty now about using washing up liquid that is not environmentally friendly but we were not aware - but are now .... As said on the Surcal thread we don't wash ha ha, so we are not polluting via the shower lol. Its good to understand what the BA are doing though. Am not on a crusade, by the way, just asked the question about swimming in the water to retrieve lost items that sunk to the bottom : lost treasure lol. Defo don't want to fall in but I suppose that will happen at some point as I am very clumsy just need to remember to keep my mouth closed (difficult), don't want to drink the water Jan

I looked on Broads Authority web site, they stated that "clear water now only occurs in about five of the 63 broads so, as part of the Water Quality Partnership with the Environment Agency, Natural England, and other scientists and wetland experts, we are seeking practical ways of repairing years of ecological decline. There is potential for recovery back to clearer water conditions using certain restoration techniques like removing the small fish that eat beneficial water fleas." Broads restoration techniques: Phosphorus control – removing the harmful nutrient phosphorous from treated sewage Suction dredging – removing nutrient-rich mud from the bottom of rivers and lakes like Barton Broad, the largest broad to have been dredged in this way. Biomanipulation by removing the fish which eat water fleas, giving the water fleas a chance to graze algae and clear the water. Reduction of nutrients from agricultural sources through environmentally sensitive farming practices Educating boat users about environmentally friendly boating." ------------------------------------------------------------- The BA mentioned a project called 'Green Blue' which is in place to help improve our waterways. http://www.thegreenblue.org.uk/boat_users/sewage_and_waste.aspx They said: "Sewage Untreated sewage from boats can spread gastroenteritis; contaminate shell fish beds and mussel ropes and use up vital oxygen in the water. Human waste also contains phosphorous and nitrogen which increase the levels of algae and reduce water clarity. Chemicals such as chlorine, formaldehyde, ammonium and zinc compounds used as disinfectants, breakdown and deodorise waste are toxic to marine life. Discharge of boat sewage to coastal waters is regulated under MARPOL Annex 4 and whilst this only applies to recreational craft carrying 15 or more passengers, you only need 3 boats (with 5 crew in each) in a rally to cause a similar amount of damage. So it is certainly worth considering using your holding tank when out and about. Sewage discharge from vessels in rivers, canals and lakes is regulated by many authorities and byelaws and although there may be varying local byelaws it is generally prudent to assume that discharges are not permitted. Since 2006 the Recreational Craft Directive, applied to newly built vessels, has required provision to be made for a holding tank to be fitted. If buying a new boat consider having the holding tank installed by the manufacturer." ---------------------------- I have only scraped the surface so there is probably a lot more information that considers the different types of boats and what is actually possible. It says that the laws may vary with the local Bylaws.