Smifco

Hi all, I have hired a log cabin houseboat near Horning, and being a newbie to all things Broads, I would like to know if anyone can point me in the right direction with regards to hiring a "day" boat. I say Day boat because I know these small crafts are hireable usually from approx 9 am to 4 pm depending on the season. However, I see these boats are costing between £120-£200 per day and have to be returned to the boatyard every night but as we have our own private berth included with the houseboat we are hoping we might be able to hire a small boat not only much cheaper but we would be able to keep it overnight and rent it for 2 to 5 days if the price is right. As it would be used only for short trips it would not need to have a toilet or anything but I guess it would need a canopy in case the weather was bad ( 18th-23rd September 2022). I have no idea if this sort of hire is possible but I am thinking that someone might have something suitable that they might consider renting and I expect to have to pay for insurance etc but really can't afford the boatyard prices I suspect I may be asking for something that doesn't exist but I guess I won't know unless I ask so am I being a bit too optimistic or not?

Hi all, Im new to this boating thing but am thinking how nice it would be if I could hire a houseboat for a short break weekend then follow it up with a short break midweek on a boat Is this possible? I found a houseboat at Wroxham called Marinella which might fit the bill and a couple of the reviews said that the owner hired them his dayboat so they could cruise the local waterways but its bookable through hoseasons so I cant contact the owner to ask about his boat hire. Now I know most houseboats come with a dinghy but thats not really what I want, I would ideally like to hire a cruiser. So the question is does anyone know of a firm that might be able to offer a package deal for houseboat/boat or am I asking too much? The internet seems to be a bit sparse on combining the two. Anyway if anyone has ever tried this combo or has any advice I would be very grateful to hear from you so Thanks in advance guys

This would mean that I probably would not be able to get under most of the low bridges, which is not really a problem as long as I hire a boat from a boatyard that is situated in an area where I would be able to sail a reasonable distance without encountering such a bridge. Is this feasible? Also as you can probably tell I have never sailed in my life so I am trying to research as much as I can first, hence joining this forum. I am told from other sources that the Southern Broads might be better for me as a novice as it's supposed to be less crowded during the late season ( Sept,Oct,Nov) but there are fewer pubs, villages, sights, etc to see? Anyway I am open to any and all suggestions from where to hire a boat and what type would be best for 3 adults and anything else that might be useful to me, so if you can help I would be very grateful. ps my membership is still awaiting approval so I hope I will be able to see any replies.