dnks34

We bought an exhire boat and never wish to repeat the experience!! Initially it was an absolute nightmare and not the vision we were being sold. It took a long time (years) to get it up to a reasonable standard, my advice to any would be boat owner is never to buy a boat thats just come off hire unless you plan to keep having to spend on it to put right years worth of hidden hire yard neglect however some yards are definately better than others. I noticed some of the old alpha boats have sold, now they really would benefit from such a paint job!

When sealing stanchion bases or anything else thats screwed or bolted down you will get better results with a sealant thats compressible. Basic silicone sealants tend to be squeezed out which doesnt leave much of a gasket between the mating surfaces. I used to use Sikaflex but now I prefer to use CT1 in clear if its for exterior fittings as i think it cleans up leaving a neater finish. Captain Tolleys is good to use around window frames where the silicone between the glass & frame leaks but as said it has to be run in dry or it will continue running through, not set and just end up making a mess. If used dry it can hold up for a long time if your lucky but many times the only reliable way to sort it out is with a proper window refurb/reseal. I have done this myself and found captain tolleys in the frame wet months after putting in so as good as it can be it can still be hit & miss. Its certainly a worthwhile emergency item to have onboard. Leaking windows espeacially if onto beds or bedding can be a big PITA and I think really spoil the onboard experience.

I would say its an issue significant enough to require careful consideration which would obviously happen at the in house planning stage anyway. Its not going to be a show stopper but looking on google earth the layout of the existing turn into the site is not particularly suited to a Coach if you expect to make the turn in one go coming in or out, I havent taken a lot of notice of the entrance when passing in person but you do not want to be shunting a bus to make a turn onto or off of a main road. Reminds me of a time in the Lakes I had to stop traffic and ask other motorists to block a road for me as the only way I was getting an 11.2m vehicle out of the entrance to a special needs adventure centre centre I had dropped some children at was to reverse out. Its a major consideration in my opinion.

I have experienced near misses whilst at the wheel of Coach (through no fault of my own) and I think unless there are some changes to road layout this location has the hallmarks of a serious accident waiting to happen. I may well not be listened to but thats not a reason to keep quiet!

Now that would be a worthwhile project in my opinion, increasing moorings at Whitlingham,

https://www.pedrosrestaurants.co.uk/acle/ and dont forget the Bridge does food to! I would think that prime waterside plots such as this one at Acle should and in this case would be put to better use providing for the boating industry, the life blood of waterways. Without which there would be even less visitors to spend 10 minutes in a visitor centre, buy an overpriced coffee and a poshly named sandwich, then realise theres not much going on and get back in their car and head off to Roys to spend some money. If the Broads Authority havent realised by now that Visitor Centres are not very interesting to all people then I dont know what to say. I also dont think Whitlingham is tucked away, easily accessible from the A47, car parking, cafe and I think importantly away from a dangerous main road with poor access and slap bang at the edge of a lake with quite a nice safe walk with watersports going on. What could be better. How Hill I agree is very tucked away.

The rest of the country has been suffering austerity which must have missed Yare House completely! It may not seem an unreasonable proposal but I certainly dont want to see my boating costs increase as a result of it. Its simply not necessary. I would sooner see some moorings with electric, a loo block, some bins and whatever they intended for the visitor centre they could fit on a waterproof notice boad array. Theres a cafe over the bridge! Theres nothing the building can bring to school children that couldnt be achieved at Whitlingham.

Bled dry? Milked?

I think starbrite just needs a spare part for his existing setup, sounds like something like this:

Are these any good? https://www.asap-supplies.com/propeller-drivetrain/remote-greasers

Im with you now, its the plunger in the greaser! (Meant piston!!!)

If the BA had shareholders they would probably get fleeced along with the Toll Payers.

Do you mean the grease cup? I have never seen one with a washer.

Are you saying if there were some sort of expensive disaster to Navigation and the supposedly ring fenced nav budget couldnt cover it the BA would want to put their hand in their other pocket to pay for it? I suppose they might but Im quite sure Tolls would go up in a heartbeat to recover it. There is something fairly significant to Navigation happening as we speak......the Lower Bure is silting up affecting the entire Northern Broads....

I have just been perusing the sustainable development project for 2013/2014 and am wondering how Norfolk Broads Direct managed to recieve £2392 in BA cash toward paying for 47 gps speedos fitted to their dayboats...

How do you know that I never have? I am not suggesting for one moment that anybody is pocketing cash or anything like that but what I am suggesting is I am utterly convinced funding is not put to best use or used in the places for which it was actually intended.

This is a major problem of today, cash grabbing at every oppurtunity and it really is just the tip of a very big iceberg in my opinion.

This is a major problem of today, cash grabbing at every oppurtunity and it really is just the tip of a very big iceberg in my opinion.

Smoke & mirrors

If you are calling me thick I could be tempted by that report button. When your argument isnt accepted what else is left in your armoury but insults?

So can The BA assure me without any shadow of doubt that no funding for this monstrosity will be taken from my Toll Income which has increased at least 35% in 8 years as the levels of Toll income allegedly haven't been enough to pay for the Job in hand?

It isnt so much about the cost but the Authority pleading poverty every time the Toll review kicks but suddenly they have all this cash for a completely unnecessary visitor centre the aims of which could easily be served in existing BA buildings on other sites elsewhere. There is most definately an element of truth bending I might even suspect deliberate dishonesty when it comes to how funding is used by the BA. You cant plead poverty on one hand then find all this cash on the other and expect to be supported. Its just one crackpot idea after another. I was informed on another thread the Broads Authority are not a River Authority, ask any tourist or uninformed local what they think the Broads Authority are or do what would you expect the majority of people to say? I would think most people believe the Broads Authority are a River or Waterways Authority but if the general public dont even know what the BA are there for its no wonder the BA continue to operate in free hand mode doing almost everything they dont need to be doing at the expense of everything that they should! In some cases the tripe they come out with is almost idiotic. I would like to see my BA with sensible leadership not living in fantasy land getting the basics in order and regaining stakeholders trust and respect instead of seemingly doing everything within their power to get almost everything wrong. I cant understand those who seem to support them on this mission to destruction, if I hear one more time that boat owners will be stumping up for the Broad Authority’s short comings with another rise in Tolls I think steam will come out of my ears and my head will explode, wake up people!!

There are those that want it and those that dont. There are also those that wonder where they are getting the cash from having seen the Toll rise 35% in 8 years on the basis there wasnt enough money in the pot to cover costs!

What do the workings of the swing bridges have to do with large boat owners, all they need is the bridge to open when they need it to. What is the workshop intended to achieve? To see if large boat owners can make their vessels smaller? Guilt trip them in to staying in the marina so network rail dont need to open the bridges? spend any money or risk any disruption to the precious railway?!

The idea behind the new crossings for Great Yarmouth & Lowestoft is one bridge can be opened while the other is raised improving traffic flow in each Town whilst maintaining access for Boats. In theory it should mean Haven Bridge in Great Yarmouth becomes less of a restriction to Boats given that an alternative route for traffic will always be available whilst each bridge is open. For anyone living in this area the introduction of these crossings is long awaited and vitally important for future economic growth. The last I read about the proposed Lowestoft crossing is there is now a 7 million shortfall. I would also say If it came down to it Lowestoft is the Town most in need of a third crossing.