dom

Rain or dry do you think? I'm tempted to head up to spectate, but can't decide if it's worth the drive given the gamble with the weather.

I suspect that's the dilemma the owner's club faces. If it has a Broom build plate, it's hard to argue it's not one. If however it doesn't have a plate, how can you differentiate between that and a similar moulding built elsewhere? You'd need to have access to all the old build records, but presumably they're still an asset being included in the ongoing sale of the yard. I'd imagine in cases like the AF42, Broom probably viewed the arrangement as being "white label" and didn't add plates, but you might know otherwise. I would have thought if they were attaching their name (and reputation) to the builds, the cost for the build plate would probably be fairly substantial and not something a hire yard would have much reason to pay?

I think you need to at least take the current one through a lock before buying a new one On the plus side, if you did buy a bigger one, you could do so on the Broads where you can actually use the thing! I'd considered going kayaking at Hartford over the weekend, but even that's out because of the SSA.

I'm sure I said the same a while back during discussion about the Maltsters, but it always seemed to be a battle between the pub and the Granary for customers, even when there were more hire boats out each week, free moorings, and lots more boats mud-weighting overnight with dinghies. Given the amount which they must have spent on the pub kitchen, it's not entirely surprising that they'd consolidate all the food business into one site and that the site they'd choose would be the pub. It does sadden me to see every time something bad happens with the Granary though. I've spent many, many happy evenings there. When my dad remarried many years ago, they closed for the day and we had the reception there (and I got horrendously drunk ).

Not surprising the name rings a bell in that case. I lived in Ashmanhaugh at one time. I would have thought anything built there would probably have been moulded by Bridgelands, so possibly fitted out on the same site. I think Paul Bown also used to do some work around there, but I think he was always more concerned with sailing vessels. I notice the other brochure shows their address as Brimbelow Road, so not far from where I worked at LL and Summercraft. Extremely likely that they might fit out for George Smith in that case, as Duncan Prophet who ran the yard lived on the corner of the road for many years.

I remember the Nunn name from around Wroxham growing up, but can't place a boatbuilder by that name. Do you know any more about them? I've always been puzzled about a connection between Wroxham and Waldringfield on the Deben. I now wonder if Richard Nunn might have had a connection to Nunn Brothers, Waldringfield.

Just seen that one myself. Sounds almost as if, as a result of the Maltsters situation, they're going to rationalise two locations serving food down to one?

We've had the same here all day. There's probably a few more showers headed your way.

My sister used to live on Regent's Riverside opposite CBS and often mentioned enjoying seeing people setting off on holiday. I never realised quite what she mean, or that people were picking boats up literally off her front doorstep! I've not had a holiday on the Thames since I was about 10 years old, but some of my ancestors are from Bray and Holyport, so I think I need another one at some point.

I know the hull for the Ocean 30 is the same Rip Martins design used by the centre cockpit Broom 30 and moulded by Aquafibre, but I always shared the same view that it wasn't a "proper" Broom. It's entirely possible I'm just equally snobbish, as we owned a "real" 30 in the past. Weren't a substantial number of Oceans built by people other than Brooms though? Isn't calling them a real Broom a bit like people now trying to pass off Aquafibre 32s at a premium as Brooms? And wouldn't producing the less attractive aft cabin MK3 model have conflicted with the Broom 30, if it was an official Broom model? Just genuinely curious as, whilst we owned a Broom, my history and experience is very much based around the Northern Broads, so some details of Broom's history escaped me.

It's Wroxham which is closing until further notice. Hopefully it is as they say and just a staffing issue they can resolve.

I heard about the crash earlier, then went out for a quick bike ride. Whilst I was out, a two ship Spitfire/Hurricane formation flew overhead and did a bit of a high speed circuit around the village. I'm not far from RAF Wyton and Warboys, so they sometimes do a "salute" to one or the other. Came home and heard the outcome of the accident. I now wonder whether the mini display was the other pilots making a show of respect.

I don't know why, but for me the Ocean and Continental 37s will always be the definitive Broom models. I guess probably just because that era was really the peak of Broom's success.

For me, the deciding factor whether to flush would be the mechanism by which you're removing the oil and previous maintenance. Flushing oils and engine flushes contain very strong detergents or solvents (which can actually start to cause issues with gaskets or seals). If any flush gets left behind, it's going to start breaking down the new oil prematurely. For that reason, if you're emptying the sump using a pump, I wouldn't use a flush, as they tend to leave a bit behind. If you're removing a sump, or can access a sump plug and leave it out for an extended period, I'd possibly consider it. All that said, unless you know the engine contains oil which has been left in far too long, I wouldn't bother with the flush and would do what I mentioned previously. Do a change in the autumn and use a cheap supermarket oil or similar of the correct grade. After running over winter, or after a few hours running in the spring, dump it out and replace with a higher quality branded oil. The change in autumn gets rid of residual sulphur in the sump, which would otherwise combine with moisture over winter to make damaging sulphuric acid. The change in spring then gets rid of any residual contaminants or oxides before the season's use. The one time I definitely would use a flush is if you've bought a boat which is obviously neglected, as there's probably a strong chance the oil has been in the sump for multiple seasons. You do need to be prepared for it to start leaking everywhere in that case though - especially on things like old BMCs where the gunge is probably all that's holding cork gaskets together.

I'm extremely wary of challenging your knowledge Clive but, (assuming it passes as a replica) isn't it exempt from all length limits by virtue of byelaw 8(e): I believe the exemption had to be included to allow Womack Water/Dyke to be used as a wherry base? There is actually a more interesting point if, as I interpret things, they're planning to carry freight. The Vessel Dimension Bylaws only apply to pleasure vessels, so I think they'd effectively be free from any limit on length or beam in that case. I think it'd be nice to see from that perspective, helping to curb BA's assertions that the waterways can be maintained to a lesser extent, as they're no longer used commercially.

Sadly, Water's Edge have just announced that they're forced to close from 30th May until further notice due to a staff shortage. Apparently, they need a Head Chef, Sous Chef, Restaurant Manager, and General Manager.

It seems an odd choice to me to do a full build, rather than a restoration, when there's at least one potential candidate still around. Even if you only retain 20% of the original, that's still 20% less material you'd need to source. What's not clear so far is where he intends to use her, but possibly the Thames from his location and the intended use - which may account for the size. If it's the Broads, the originality of looks could be a critical issue. If it's not a true replica, BA could reasonably argue it's oversize for a lot of areas which have exemptions for classic and replica wherries in the bylaws.

Seems a very ambitious plan and some potential pitfalls along the way (not least being funding), but will be interesting to see if the project gains traction.

I think there's also a meet for "bathtub owners" planned on Ranworth Island as well as the first round of the British Powerboat Championship at Oulton, so hopefully it brightens up for everyone.

From the description of him, plus knowing he owned a larger Broom. I've not actually met him in person, but have dealt with him in a professional capacity. Should be a good day. You get to cruise in style plus the bonus of insider knowledge about Brooms.

A man whose ancestors probably weren't especially tall?

I only cast an eye very briefly over it earlier - but it seems like EA are now using BA's toll increases as supporting evidence to justify another substantial increase. I've seen a proposed 10% EA increase in 2025 mentioned, but not sure how accurate that is.

Oil is ultra-critical with modern car engines because they're pushing the limits of engineering to such extremes. 1 litre or 3 cylinder engines producing enough power for a mid sized vehicle is insane and components have to be engineered to amazing tolerances. Fuel economy even has a bearing on things. The engine in my Honda required that they develop a new oil grade, solely to achieve a few extra MPG. It's a 0w20 grade and like water. A while back, I changed to a slighty less expensive Castrol Edge fully synthetic 0w30, which Honda say is acceptable - but fuel mileage went down quite noticeably. With an older marine engine, which has significant hours running, I wouldn't keep using the same oil by default, unless you know why the last owner chose it. It may be fine in the short run, but important things like corrosion or contaminant protection can be wrong - by the time it becomes apparent, it may be too late.

When I used to work for a company in the motor trade, I did the odd bit of training with both Comma and Miller Oils. I also saw the processes they go through to prove that their product wasn't responsible when a customer claims that "I did an oil change with your oil and it wrecked my engine" - which can get to be a very interesting situation! Based on that experience, I wouldn't get hugely hung up on branding, would use any brand you recognise, but would always change at 80-90% of the recommended interval, at most. Contaminants and wear elements in the oil are far more likely to do harm than running on a cheaper, no-name brand - and especially sulphur with diesel fuels. I'd be more concerned with ensuring you're using the right grade. It looks like Nanni recommend API CD SAE 15W40 and changes at 200 hours or annually. API CD is effectively obsolete. Personally, I'd ask a good oil supplier for advise on the best replacement - as it's a high sulphur protective oil grade and I'm not sure what the best equivalent is now (probably CF-4 or CI-4). Gearbox oil needs changing at the same interval. ATF-A for a Hurth gearbox, or the same grade as the engine if it's Technodrive. Did you have an oil analysis done during a survey? If not, it's worth considering, as it can give a better picture of the condition of the engine and whether, for example, it's worth changing oil grades to compensate for wear.

I got notice around 9.45am this morning. The locks were all closed yesterday, so probably not a great prospect of being able to go far before Tuesday unfortunately. I wouldn't imagine EA will have staff out over the weekend, and there's also a lot of rain forecast over the next couple of weeks. There's some real discontent locally. I think the minute Brownshill re-opens (hopefully in June, but possibly beyond) there'll be a bit of a mass migration over to the Old West side.