oldgregg

The benefit of there being lots of GRP is that there's less wood to maintain. Each to their own I guess - I'd prefer an older boat to have lots of GRP than masses of wood to replace or re-varnish.

Don't forget that our sponsor the Wayford Bridge Inn offers a preferential rate for NBN members. Someone else will be able to give better details than I....

Never had a bad experience at the Bridge Inn - And the service is as consistent in July when the place is rammed as it is in the winter. Some places seem to get caught out by the demand in high season, but the Bridge seems to handle it well. As a local it's a place I go regularly and will happily meet boaty friends there for a meal as it's a pleasant setting and they're reliable. It's that experience which keeps people coming, and thus keeps them running nicely through the winter, which I think a lot of others could learn from.

I think it's usually "at least 4 hours". Not something I usually have a problem with - But I've taken over hire boats where the batteries needed a couple of days to get up to normal as the previous hirers had not done enough running.

Indeed they do - I believe Barnes fit twin alternators as standard. Swings and roundabouts really. I kind of prefer gas in that I don't have to run the engine much in order to make a cuppa, but equally a nice electric combi oven is better to cook with than an LPG stove.

Yeah that's the biggest design issue, I think. Could have been solved I think, given that the door slides out of the way, so perhaps some sort of Pearl-style door in the canopy - Although the threshold would have to be pretty low.

They can be noisy certainly, although a new exhaust system would sort that and ideally a new engine with more power, as a lot of them are underpowered and so get run at full throttle a lot. The side steps aren't ideal for older folks, although on those second-generation Connoisseurs the steps are much better than the originals, and you can also use the steps in the cockpit. They're not great when you're drunk, either (so I'm told [emoji12] ). Plus of course the side entrance was how they managed to fit so much into the space. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Yeah they're a great bit of kit, and cool enough externally to be used on top of a fibreglass boat. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Here's your spreadsheet converted to Excel. Boats.xls

Sorry, but to be clear here - Do you mean "on Facebook" or do you mean "on the NBN Facebook Group" ?

Brundall is a nice spot to be moored but as others have said you do ideally want to be on a pontoon as the tidal range is quite considerable. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

I think the team sees the NBN platform as a strength, and something that sets it apart from other groups so there's no suggestion or intention of FB replacing it. People seem to be overreacting to this thread when the message is simply that the Facebook group will be more tightly controlled in order to make it feel more like part of NBN. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Hi Fred I don't think it's a case of 'aligning' them in the sense that you have suggested here - More that the FB group is to come under the same governance and processes that are in force here. The two will never be directly 'plugged in' as it were, as that isn't possible and isn't what the team are trying to achieve.

Nope, those are usually on shaft. He was lucky! Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Welcome aboard, Dave Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

I think something on the south might be good in order to make it more of a destination and redress the balance a bit? I know there's Whitlingham, but I'm not sure that has the same appeal.

It's an unremarkable design, but hopefully if it is built then it will at least be used like the conservation centre at Ranworth is and presumably in its day that was controversial too?

Pretty standard on recent Barnes builds. It does mean that there's no gas on the boat - which is not a bad thing - and if the batteries are kept topped up then you've got the benefit of an oven that is going to be more like the one at home.

If it does then you'll be able to plug in at places like Ranworth. http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/boating/facilities/electric-boat-charging-points Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Which boat do you hire, Bexs? Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Does the boat have hook-up? Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Just be aware that with an electric kettle etc you'll be using a fair amount of juice and as you've said you won't be travelling huge distances then you may find you're doing a fair amount of engine running to keep the batteries topped up with those bits on top of the normal loads such as the fridge.

Indeed, just a quick link to that site.. http://fbwilds.horning.org.uk/

The first fibreglass holiday cruisers started to appear in the mid-sixties. Frank Wilds (Carribean etc) was something of a pioneer.

People on the Broads are generally pretty helpful, particularly if they can see an elderly couple who look like they would appreciate the offer of help mooring up - Certainly most of us on here would probably offer a hand.