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@Turnoar The saloon in this one is unusual, having the galley along one side, rather than the more usual galley down starboard similar to bigger Brooms. I've only seen a few others with similar layout. I think they were probably all Thames boats and suspect this may have been the first trial run fit out. It's very basic in places, but that's possibly no bad thing, as less to strip out to refit. I did contemplate moving the galley, but it's a lot of work and I'm not sure it suits my needs. There are a couple of features I'd like to add which'll make better use of the space. She's a long way from a gin palace and I don't generally drink these days, but I am looking forward to kicking back with a fishing rod and a beer or two for a few evenings before getting too stuck in with improvements. Just a bit frustrating buying just as summer's coming to an end!

As you may know (thanks to those who answered previous questions), I've been on the lookout for a 30 something foot cruiser to buy for a while. I come from a very boaty background (dad owned a Broom, mum worked for Blakes, I worked on turnaround and other stuff at Summercraft in my mid to late teens, as well as racing yachts in annual regattas), so I wanted something slightly more stylish (but possibly less practical) than a 'bathtub'. NYA at Brundall had an Aquafibre 32 which caught my eye, originally advertised at £35k. I went and had a look but, as it was one of the first boats I'd viewed, ex-hire and fully painted, was a bit put off by the condition. I subsequently spent quite a few days looking at everything in budget in Norfolk, plus a couple of other options on the Cambridgeshire Ouse. Among the options was a Sancerre 33, in stunning condition externally for her age at St.Ives in Cambs. After a disappointing day in Norfolk not finding anything new, I decided to put a bid in on her. Arriving home, I went to get the number for the broker only to find a sale had been agreed. I went and saw them the next day and they confirmed she was sold pending the usual, the sale having been agreed whilst I was up in Norfolk Lots more trips out looking around and I kept seeing Aquafibre 32s, as well as a stunning Broom 9/70 (basically the same boat fitted out much better) - none of them on the market and all would've been out of my budget range in the short term anyway. So I took another trip to NYA at Brundall and gave 'Sunlight' (now priced a shade under £30k) a proper viewing. I'd had a copy of an earlier survey, so knew everything wrong with her, most of which the last owner hadn't fixed. I really couldn't make my mind up how I felt about her. She's got a very basic fitout from her days starting out on the Thames, is really rough round the edges, but a lovely design and ideal for me. After coming home that day, I wrote a list of her issues, and noted what I thought she was worth to me. Not sure whether the price was being too cheeky, I did nothing for a while. Fast forward a few days and I got an email from NYA asking what I thought. I went back saying I was unsure due to some of the faults. A short while later, they came back saying the buyer was keen to sell and would accept a price a bit lower than the one I'd set myself. As it gave me a bit of spare cash to throw at her to start the improvements off, I agreed to buy, put down a deposit, then took her for a river trial today. So, assuming no new issues are flagged by a survey, the soon to be renamed (once I've had a talk to her and Poseidon) 'Sunlight' will be mine in a few weeks time. Another member on here commented that she needs £15k spending on her. I'd agree entirely, but can hopefully cut that by doing a lot of the work myself. First jobs are: Remove the hideous stitched on name on the dodgers Try and tighten the baggy dodgers themselves, if not they're going in the bin Drain and flush the water tanks. I forgot she'd been sat a while and put my hand under the tap when testing the water pump. The resultant smell I can only describe as half bleach, half botulism. I think I'll be drinking bottled water for a while.... Try and get something into the bilges to get them smelling a bit fresher. Anyone got any recommendations? After that, it's going to be a long hard slog replacing galley doors and worktops, a lot of the soft linings and endless cleaning, painting and rewiring. I'm not sure which emotion I'm experiencing more - fear or excitement! There's a lovely boat in there somewhere, but it's going to take a huge effort to bring her back up to scratch.

I had a river trial earlier today and accidentally pushed the horn button (conveniently positioned near the companionway grab handles). Whoever fitted this one belonged to the same school of thought, as it seemed to be positioned somewhere within the upper helm console and nearly deafened me. I'd imagine it's audible for about half a mile to anyone following, but barely audible to anyone a few boat lengths in front. I don't care how unreliable they are, that's getting replaced with a nice chrome trumpet horn on the forward coachroof.

She was Marie Louise when we owned her. I think the Edna Rose name came from the following owner.

My dad had a Broom 30 very much like that. She was registered F74 on the broads, but seems to have moved elsewhere in the early 90s. I always wonder if I'll come across it one day. It was the only boat I've ever known get a proper osmosis treatment (all gelcoat fully planed off and replaced) so will probably go on forever. What engine(s) is yours?

Age doesn't really bother me too much (within reason), it's just a question of finding the right boat which has the right sort of shortcomings. I fully expected to have to repaint the AF32 and refit a lot of interior - but the engine alignment/possible gearbox issue was an issue too far. I'm not sure NYA had noticed the extent of the issue. The Sancerre on the Ouse was 1980 and in really nice condition externally. I suspect it'll make someone a very nice boat, to the extent that I'll probably go back and leave my number in case the sale falls through! It's evident from Waterside's old listings that quite a few suitable boats have sold within budget in the last few years. It just seems that my timing is off and the market isn't as slow as it should be right now. Logic says people ought to be trying to offload boats now, as we're heading towards the end of the season, but that's not the case. NS actually listed an old '83 Aquafibre 35 on Friday and it had sold within 24 hours. I can't help but think they underestimated the market and let it go too cheap.

I've seen a couple with this layout, rather than the more usual galley down. This one came from the Thames, via the Ouse before ending up on the broads. It seems to have had a really cheap fitout originally. There's bare fibreglass in the heads, just painted over with a bit of gelcoat. I thought someone may have done the usual trick of stripping stuff out, but not being able to replace, but seeing it in the flesh, it looks like it's always been that way.

I've looked at the Aquafibre in quite a lot of detail. It's very shabby and needs a full repaint, which isn't unexpected at the price, but the propshaft and gearbox was a bigger concern. Its last survey showed up an issue with the alignment of the engine and bearers, potentially putting the Halyard flexible coupling under excessive load. It also had a bit of a gearbox rumble at low rpm in forward drive, which made me wonder if the output shaft bearings had been damaged by the misalignment. I might still consider an offer on it, but I think it's a bit of a risk.

Something in the 32-35 foot range. Preferably 2 permanent cabins. Centre cockpit or sedan, not a single level/forward control 'bathtub'. Ideally £30-40k. Must go under Ludham bridge. If it goes under Wroxham even better. There was a Sancerre 33 on the Ouse which was attractive, but someone's put a deposit down on it, just as I was about to seriously consider an offer. Alphacraft 35s are another option which I plan on trying to view soon.

I'm still constantly trawling the secondhand market for a boat to buy, including a couple of days driving around anywhere I can think to try, but not really finding much which catches my attention. Just wondering if there are any brokers on the broads who don't have much presence online which I might be overlooking. I've tried: NYA Brundall and Horning Waterside Potter Heigham NBS Brundall and Wroxham Norfolk Boats at Horning Considering how many boats there are on the broads, and how many sit there neglected slowly going green, there seem to be very few actively for sale. Can anyone recommend anywhere else? Just wondering if there's anywhere Trowse/Norwich area, Beccles, or elsewhere on the southern broads I might not know about.

I should have recognised the Bounty 34 @WherryNice. I'd actually seen the one in the ad you've linked, but they look quite different without the coloured gelcoat on the topsides which the hire ones all seemed to have. I think you're spot on with the Princess 35 suggestion for Moretime. Unfortunately, it does seem like she was probably the only one built minus the flybridge. A flybridge model is completely out, as I need something which'll pass under Ludham bridge. @Smoggy I'd ruled out the 30DS, but saw one moored at Horning ferry yesterday and was struck by what a good looking boat it is. The one I'm looking at is twin diesels on outdrives. I'd rather have shafts, but they're seemingly less common. @Mouldy I'm actually just up the road from Jones boatyard and already planning to view the Sancerre. The only thing I wonder is how it handles with the single engine, dual shaft arrangement. I'm assuming you get no independent prop speed control, unless it's somehow achieved hydraulically?! The Buckden one is obviously much newer and more modern looking, but it's getting a bit pricey and there's probably a lot more competition at that sort of price level (ie. Broom Ocean 29).

Hi all, Just signed up, as I'm currently looking to buy a cruiser around 30-35ft or so. I've looked at a couple of flybridge options (ie. Aquafibre 32), but decided that they're probably too large, as I'm likely to be single handling a fair bit (mainly due to freeboard and access). Now thinking a sedan may be a better option (may look at a Princess DS30 locally). Came across a couple of photos today, but can't figure out the manufacturer/model of them. Can anyone ID either of them? http://norfolk.broads.org.uk/wiki2018/index.php?title=Boat_Photograph&photo=z956_13959&BoatId=8195&BoatHistory=13959 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3512623825734848&set=pcb.1382784302302111 1st one's just listed as design "Moretime", but I presume she's built to broads spec using a moulding sold elsewhere under other branding? Annoyingly, someone posted the 2nd on Facebook around the time I was driving back from Norfolk. If I'd known earlier in the day I could have stopped off for a look. From the photo, the front end looks quite Aquafibre-ish, but not sure if they produced anything this style?