oldgregg

Spotted this afternoon crossing Barton.... Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Unless I'm mistaken, these prototyping tools mentioned above are only being used for building plugs? So a proper mould tool and traditional lay-up of an actual set of mouldings is still required - And storage for the mould tools.... Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

F1 teams use 3D printers for windtunnel parts but not for the full-size pieces so I would guess they don't suit composites so well? Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

I think there are enough people who do know, though. I wouldn't book it and nor would you, but a new design and I probably would... Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

The Pearls are a great-looking boat, but it's a 30 year old design now. Most moulds only seem to be really popular for 5-10 years. Once they've lost their 'wow' factor, yards need to build something else or add different details etc because it's not good for them to be investing in a design that won't pull in the bookings. If a new Richardson's design was released this year, the world and his wife would book it... But if they put out a new-build Bounty 40 or Pearl 38 then it would not have the same draw, despite those both being quite timeless and elegant designs. Really it'd be a bit like Ford releasing a 'new' MK1 Focus and expecting people to buy it. Nothing wrong with it, but consumer demand just doesn't work like that.

I can think of one yard which has done just that...

The trouble is they also removed the helm / engine moulding, which included the steps and wraparound seating which means access to the deck is now more awkward. It also means that it's not possible to stand to the side of the helm (with the canopy open) and steer with your head out the top. Either way, these are old designs and it would be nice to see something from a clean sheet. Anyone fancy designing a Pearl 38 / Bounty 40 / 2nd gen Fair Entrepeneur mashup?

I think there was a private Pearl moulded within the last ten years, but not since the demise of AF I guess. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Broadland Northway? Even for a council, that's a crap name. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

The fitout is done in Northern Ireland by Westwood (not to be confused with Westward, who were an outfit in Beccles!) There are a lot of old moulds which got cut up. It's a shame, but many of them haven't been used in decades and they take up a lot of space. I think the only mould to have been used relatively recently is the Pearl 38 and I'm told the last one of those was around 2009.

Yeah that's a possibility, what did you have in mind?

I think I'd probably cover iOS. The way we build apps there is not actually much difference in effort to also deploy to iOS.

It's still an important market, it just doesn't have the market share it did. The stats show both major platforms increasing, but it's not that simple. We're talking about people who will actually BUY apps, rather than just owners of a device.

Yes I have... If you'd like to see it on iOS, probably proposing a competitor isn't the best way forward

This is where it gets complicated... To release an Android app would cost £25, as a one-off fee to set up a developer account. You can develop on Windows, Mac or Linux - A £100 PC would do the job. To release an iOS app would mean £79 a year as a developer, plus the development tools only work on a Mac. And some stuff only works on a real Mac, so you'd need one of those. Take the cheapest Mac Mini and spec it with 8GB of RAM to make it usable and you've just spent another £569. Let's assume that's got a five-year life span, so total cost over the five years of £964 (plus a bit for the developer cost going up). Apple take a 40% cut, so realistically the iOS app would need to sell £350 a year just to cover costs... And they wonder why they're losing market share.

What would you pay? I don't mean that in a capitalist way, but more what do you see as a sensible price? These things take time to build, obviously... An Android release would be easy, but it's harder to justify an iOS release because of the costs.

Yeah I think offline use is one of the critical features. Other services are available but having it in one place is perhaps the key.

The Ocean 30 wasn't a production Broom model per se, I think that's the problem. They did fit out some themselves, but they also supplied them as mouldings via sister company Aquafibre and thus there are probably more of those (and the centre cockpit 30's) around than Broom fitted out. For that reason I think they only consider models which were exclusively built by Broom as a 'proper' Broom. Broom as a boatbuilder are no more anyway, so it's all a bit irrelevant now.

Would there be an appetite for this plus other bits as a mobile app? The other bits I would see as speed / compass / map, bridge heights and some sort of distance calculator.

This is quite a nice Pearl.... https://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/boats/sunlit-horizon/

That's kind of what I meant...

Very sad. I'm a big fan of Broom's boats in general.

Haines use some 'old' Broom moulds, some generic Aquafibre moulds, some of their own design (the Haines 400) and some from others (Alphacraft in the past, and now Ferry Marina for the Haines 26). When Aquafibre went under, Haines acquired the moulds they needed and the production Broom stuff went to Brundall. I think it is generally considered that the Haines fitout is better these days, I've heard it referred to as "like Broom used to be".

I think part of the reason is that Broom were building them for less than Brinks could.. Why they're prepared to build so cheap is probably a different story. They've also built a private one which also has that daft helm seat. It's Silverline who build the smaller models.

Yeah, this seems to be what is happening at Broom. Haines can't build enough boats at the moment, so the market is there. Seems odd when it's such a major brand as Broom, but I guess taking on the business requires skill whereas putting houses on it does not.