MaceSwinger

I did wonder. Surely it's got to be pretty difficult to sink one of them though. Clouted the post coming out of Blackhorse maybe? Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Just seen the following from BA on Facebook: "Urgent Boating News - There is a sunken day boat on the River Bure just upstream of Black Horse Broad. Rangers are currently on site marking the hazard and working with the boatyard to remove the vessel. Please navigate with extreme caution if you are in the area." Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

They do look strange, almost like they're adrift! For me personally it'd be a no; they seem to be focussed on the accommodation rather than the experience of motor boating. Sticking an outboard on a houseboat seem more for just to get from A to B rather than it being about the journey.

Whilst I agree that legislation would possibly be ignored, I do think that having something in black and white could at least protect a law abiding boater getting totally rinsed by a paddleboarder who's chosen to act recklessly.

You could turn an old 50' bathtub into a literal bathtub [emoji1787] I was leaning more towards private ownership than hire yards, but I agree that the old bathtubs are certainly still popular. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Certainly does, although I misunderstood slightly and though you meant my kayak specifically! I think that in the case of Broads cruisers people will seek to sell their older models in favour of newer Alphas and Sheerlines etc, and if nobody is after an older boat that will force the end of life upon it. I find that quite sad really, that a boat that is still serviceable could end up scrapped just because it's not the nicest to look at or because it's a bit old fashioned.

Same as with anything else; damaged beyond economical repair.

I remember a few years ago I was trying to dispose of an old GRP kayak that had exceeded it's useful life. I trawled the web for a while trying to find out about GRP recycling but all I could find was ruinously expensive. The best advice I ended up with was "cut it up, chuck it in a skip". I felt guilty, knowing full well that GRP is anything but biodegradable.

We've had a 42' at the lock, and Horstesd Mill is very pleasant and just a short walk from the lock. (Disclaimer to say please don't try and get a boat to the mill pond!) Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Me neither, but how very '70s!

I feel I need to meet this Tolly, they seem to share my affinity for rum.

That particular Sonata I had lost it's mudweight the first time I brought it up on the winch. First outing of the season and the shackle just let go at the top! I must say I much prefer manual, especially after that. Luckily I had a spare in the back!

Hold my beer...

I thought the same, I had Brinks Sonata for a solo trip a few years ago and that had an electric windlass. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Thank you all for your valuable input. JM, funnily enough I had a lengthy discussion/argument with my dad and brother in law (oh we know how to live!) on the subject of dropping mudweights. I'm firmly in the camp of let it hit the bottom with some force in order to bury itself and gain some decent suction! Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Not wishing to hijack the thread, but if you're talking about Alpha then I shared the surprise. I know there was an accident a year or 2 before they closed up in which a life changing injury was sustained by one the the staff (I forget who) and I'm not sure if that contributed to the closure. The last time we hired from them they showed us the plans for a new boat they'd developed for use on the French waterways, impressive stuff too. Sadly with Alpha closing and the demise of Bee's Boats it's only left the one yard, who (without getting into details) I've not been blown away with.

Thanks JM. It's quite odd really; I'm 35 and have been on the Broads at least once a year for every year of my life (with only 2 or 3 exceptions) but I've never taken the time when solo or just with my wife to explore more of the south. Given we collect from Brundall (assuming Hoseasons haven't stitched us up, seeing as the yard were saying they couldn't find our details a couple of weeks ago...) I thought I'd have a bit more of a snout around down south before heading north!

I've spent ages exploring all around the north, but never so much the south, and even less upstream of Brundall. I've seen reference to wherry wrecks off Surlingham Broad's Bargate, and NBD say it's a lovely place to drop your mudweight. My Heron map however displays a warning to beware of shallow water. So my simple question (hopefully) is how safe a place is Bargate to spend a night on the mudweight? I'm not sure I've ever even cruised through it before!

Almost something of a trimaran about the front end; the pointy end really isn't that pointy

If it was me... I'd put as much distance between myself and Stalham as I could (not for any other reason than to try and break out of the pack!), although it all depends on what time you get out of the yard. Ricko's is a big yard and there'll be lots of boats leaving when you do, and all will be looking for somewhere to moor their first night. Local to Stalham you have Sutton Staithe which is lovely, Gay's Staithe off of Barton Broad is very nice too. Irstead (on the Ant just after you cross Barton Broad from Stalham) is popular, but there's only room for a couple of boats and they'll likely be no room. There's also the option of heading further upstream up to Wayford Bridge.

I suppose the issue there is funding. It's not a big staithe, and it's local authority run and I'd imagine they'll be ploughing money into other local services. It's without question that bins would certainly cut down on littering and fly tipping, but when it comes to funding most local authorities have to spend wisely. I believe the parish staithe at Irstead only has a bin there because they got sick of people dumping bin bags and then buggering off. And it's even parish members that come and mow the grass there on their own time!

Not too sure on the boat, my wife was looking while I was working away. But she says the £2k was actually between 1900 and 2000, but the 4k was actually £3.5k That's still a hefty increase though. I've told her 20 million times not to exaggerate...

We looked at a boat for next year for 2 weeks ago and it was c.£2,000 for the two weeks we specified. The same boat is now approaching £4,000 for the same 2 weeks.

Banks can still make a service charge for credit cards I believe. In the case of my mother's bank they charge 50p per transaction, and more for the like of Amex etc. Not so bad if you're talking a £50 bill in a restaurant, but for a £6 mooring charge or the cost of a pint it cuts in quite considerably.

Not at all, I found their page on gofundme or the like, and it was clear they hadn't even proof read it which doesn't send the best message. I wasn't surprised that it seemed they hadn't garnered any support whatsoever. It's a shame, because from what I could see they actually made a bit of effort with the interior of their boats, old as they may have been. The other thing that sprang to mind is where they'd have been getting their moulds from. As I recall all of Alpha's tooling was snapped up fairly quickly.