oldgregg

Synology do have cheaper models! They start at about £150 brand new IIRC. All config is done through your browser and is way less painful than managing old kit. https://www.synology.com/en-uk/products/DS218j Under the hood they run Linux but you never see that unless you want to. The architecture is either ARM or x86 depending on the model. One of the consumer models and a BIG pair of drives to run in RAID1 for redundancy will probably cost you £350-400. Less than a year's electric bill on the current setup and power consumption is from 20W depending on the model. And you can set it to sync everything with Google Drive, Dropbox, S3, Glacier etc overnight. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

I don't think it matters to all, but it matters to quite a lot of seasoned boaters and they're the folks who keep coming back. Look at the RC45's - 7 years since the first one launched and you still can't get one at anything like short notice. And that's with 15 of them in the fleet. It's no different to ugly cars - They'll still sell, but a pretty one sells way better because people want to be seen in it. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Pete if you're using 400W on servers, then you'd definitely benefit from a NAS appliance. People often look at the relatively high initial cost of the hardware as a reason to not get one, but with that usage you'd be ahead within a year vs running old PC's.

Cover Girl and Moneypenny are lovely boats - Not cheap but to a high standard and having been next to one earlier in the season I can say they're immaculate and properly look like a high-end private boat. I'd be happy with something like a Melody or Major Gem and then eat out every night, but as Mouldy says, each to their own.

Here's the thing. They don't let badly when they're fairly new and have nice interiors... You've just got to photograph the interior well and show off with lots of Tweets on FaceTube about how comfortable they are - look at the shower cubicle on the Ferry Marina ones, they're huge. BUT no other yard is going to be biting their arm off to have a secondhand one in their fleet, and what do you do with them when they're 15 years old and looking a bit shabby and ugly? I don't doubt it's possible to make money on them, but the point is that it's possible to make a lot more.

No I mean there is a market for them, but there would be much more of a market for them if they were prettier. Every yard wants a set of Broadsman moulds, but I doubt many are too fussed about having one of these creations. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

I think the bottom line is that pretty boats let more easily, so boatyards who defend ugly creations are just in denial... Some people will hire anything, but you don't make a £150K investment based on a business case of 'well someone might hire it'.

I've always assumed the styling was based on one of these..

That is one of the Funnell boats.... And after Haines have tried to make it a bit less ugly. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Nice boat. I heard a rumour that Jonathan Greenway actually borrowed the Alpha mould tools and laid their boats up himself. I have no idea how true that is, though.

John Moxham was the architect they used for the more recent stuff, and I guess perhaps the 80's boats too? The Bermuda hull was the basis for them all, though, just with the length altered and the gunwales built up a bit.

Is that the one which recently came back from the Thames?

Yes, NYA have the site and are leasing the workshops to Vogue Marine which is the boatbuilding arm of the Broads Boating Company. https://www.nya.co.uk/vogue-marine-move-brundall/ The boats will be new designs based on Funnell hulls, as most of the Alpha mould tools were sold to Brinks.

If you haven't already got the mobile app then you may find that handy for uploading pictures snapped on your phone. Simply search for 'Norfolk Broads Network' in either Google Play or the iOS App Store.

I think they are considered to be fairly solidly built, yeah. If you're looking to remove much of the internal structure, remember that it is the bulkheads which give the boat its stiffness and stop the roof from sagging etc. Where strength is being removed then it needs to be added back in.

Plex? Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

There are a few jobs on the list which I think the tech team will be doing in the next few months when things are a bit less hectic. The app can't really be changed, though, so there is a limit to what can be achieved. Any changes need to be made on this side. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

You and me both!

Unless you need REALLY high network performance, I'd suggest looking at a dedicated NAS appliance from Synology or QNAP. All configuration is done through a browser and they can automatically backup to cloud accounts while you sleep and generally use so little power that they pay for themselves over a couple of years. There's a ton of media and sharing functionality too but I sense you are just after the basics.

Dare I ask why a file server is running a desktop OS?

Would it be the wierd dual-steer sedan thing they did?

Yeah, that's just the boatyard stating what they allow. I think there was an incident in the summer of '98 where a lot of boats got stuck the wrong side.

They sure were. Out of interest, do you know who designed them for Faircraft?

Ah, the Jaguars... If Coltishall were very lucky, several of them would run at the same time

Compare this https://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/boats/viscount/ with https://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/boats/swan-renown/ But basically as Jimbob88 has shown above. The old angular design was totally reworked to improve the aesthetics, but the angles were what gave such impressive interior space. Also take a look at https://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/boats/highland-gem/ - Unlikely to win any beauty contests, but massive inside for a 38ft boat.