LondonRascal

Thank you for all the replies and tips about the Chet. I shall have to do that for sure! I had 3 boat choices around the same price point: Clear Gem, San Luis or Siesta/Mystic Horizon – I plumped for Mystic Horizon because the boatyard offer a free pick up and return minibus service from the station. I know the boat is not that spacious, but I like the decent size double berth compared to the smaller v berths on San Luis – and while Clear Gem would be practical and spacious, I would not see much apart from water and reeds when going along. Now I do need to pop out and get a tin opener I think lol. Oh and tide times for crossing – depends what your idea of favourable is, it will mean an early start for sure Sunday – sun rise is 06:40 and slack water at Yarmouth is 07:19. Because I plan on stopping overnight at Stracey Arms, these times are doable. As for the return, it will need to be a morning crossing but later in week they are all at better times not so early so looking good.

Well after much wondering, whittling down boat choices I have booked another week afloat - Mystic Horizon from Horizon Craft at Acle. 21st September for 7 nights and plan on heading south for the start of the week but have no real plan so take it as I find it. I say 7 nights but I made a bit of a cock up when I forgot in my haste the following Saturday I’m booked elsewhere n paid up, so shall actually have to return boat back to Acle on Friday – but only miss a night onboard so not end of the world. Anyway the last time I went south I did not quite get to Norwich – this time I plan to get there and perhaps head up the Chet too which will be a first though I her it can be pretty shallow so knowing my luck I’ll get stuck somewhere lol Would have loved to have booked sooner but could not afford ‘silly season’ prices.

As I've said elewhere, I think this could be a savvy move. When you think about it you have a boat hire business already, that is their 'bread and butter' along with the holiday parks and pubs. As a result of this you have a stable base to build on and explore new ventures. As far as the boating side of the business they have a really good team of staff who know about boats - from engineering, engines, fiberglass, building - you name it with most of the fabrication being done onsite. If you can buy materials and then produce the finish product it sure saves a lot than buying in from suppliers pre-made things and further your workforce has the skills to produce such which money can't buy. Richardson's have a huge site at Stalham - but they also happen to own a lot of 'real estate' in other locations that they lease and have an income on. Take Le Boat in Horning. So if they have bought the molds to then build new boats (which used to be Sealine models) - you have your market for such boats all over the world though I think UAE and American customers are more likely going to be the most common buyers of such expensive boats. Such customers need have no idea your day to day business is that of hiring out boats in England these new customers would see a good looking boat, well fitted and perhaps (knowing Richardson's philosophy) at a slightly better more competitive price than the competition. Richardson's could promote a low volume, bespoke package for the upper market - something like Rolls Royce or McLaren do - high quality fittings crafted interiors above the other options out there, those who can afford such would like that. If it took off you could then move the operation to another site - like Horning - but, if it flopped unlike Sealine whose whole business was building boats and thus would fold, Richardson's can then simple cut their losses put the molds and tooling up for sale and return to what they know best - the holiday hire industry which having been run all along separately would not have been affected by the new venture financially. As long as they do not borrow too much, and keep each business separate from the other (like Virgin did back in the day) you've got one strong single brand but without one huge risk associated if it was a single 'umbrella business'. I look forward to what becomes of this in the future past speculation. Certainly goes to show the economy can;t be as bad as it once was and now is a good time for change and good risks.

These look far too large to be ‘Broads Boats’ – and it was guessed these may be Sealine molds – which could make sense. They went into administration, Richardson’s then snap them up cheap – knowing they have the shed space, skilled labour and plenty of knowledge in recent years in building new boats. If that was to be correct it could be a nice ‘in’ to build low volume, high spec offshore boats. There would not be much sense to just have molds stored on site – or for someone else, equally it would not make much sense to buy in molds and then try and sell them on – in short we can presume these molds have a use and that use will be fulfilled by Richardson’s themselves. Below is the video that begun the rumour mill to creek into action and now is running along at a fair speed. Edited: the video was posted above while I was typing this .

Well, I must be the odd one out. I use window cleaner - in fact it is Astonish one and contains white vinegar. Now people will suck in breath and think ‘No!’ think of the acid and other such ingredients – but never used anything else and never had an issue. No smearing cleans well – I use it on my monitors, TV’s, phone screens be it plastic or glass never had an issue with any marks, or reactions and I am pretty sure if it was going to risk causing damage it might say not to use it on screens – which I did notice something I bought from Poundland recently did say. What is far more important that the ‘wet stuff’ is the thing you put it on and take it off with I have a spate microfiber cloth just for this because I’m more worried about hair line scratches than anything else. Other things I would say: Do it when the screen is cool – do it when the power is off too. Spray on to cloth not on top screen (no risk of runs getting into the bezel). I would never use any thing like ‘Mr Sheen’ because they build up a layer of product over time and I find even leave smears on mirrors let along LCD panels.

Well, annoyingly the French don't just help make blue engines for Broads boats - they have made a car that runs on compressed air - and this was in 2003! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSq6vb3ztWQ

Baz, My advice is Sony WX200. £166.40 delivered free off of Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AWMDY6I It is what I use for my Captain's Blogs - great HD Video (Upto 1080p) and 18MP cystal clear photos, and 10x zoom. It is also the worlds smallest 10x zoom compact camera. I've attached an example photo taken with it (note this will be resized here from the original so won't reflect the true clarity of an original image)

This is going to sound like some sort of bonkers Victorian idea that was patented, tried and failed...Like moving a train through a tunnel through the use of vacuum. Anyway...I was thinking about how one might power something to basically turn a propeller. You need either something to cause an explosion to turn an engine, or something to store power and let it go (could be batteries – even a rubber band). Anyway I’ve got the solution – Compressed air power. Yep that is it - problem sorted green boated solved in a puff of air...Ok, now you’ve stopped laughing think about this. A boat unlike a car for example, has rather a lot of space inside it (depending on the boat of course) and while some of this is used for the fuel and water tanks, they are more often than not put down the sides of the boat to equal weight and be kept pout of the way under the side decks. Batteries might be anywhere from under the seat in the saloon, to outside under a hatch at the stern. Take away the fuel tank and use the space for an air tank - then utilise space under beds, loose a few drawers and the like here and there and your capity will grow. The air is compressed – but not volatile - and would need a hell of a crash to ‘go up like a bomb’ although on a smaller scale commercial vehicles and trains have tanks (though capacity smaller) for their brakes etc. All the bits you need are right there ‘off the shelf’ no special manufacturing required. Sure the air tanks would need to be larger and so that would cost more but the principal is easy. You can then have 'recharge' points along the rivers – basically an air line and compressor. Onboard you can have a couple of extra batteries and a smaller compressor as a sort of ‘emergency backup’. The compressed air can then be injected into an engines cylinders – instead of the explosion of expanding gases (petrol or diesel) driving the engine, the compressed air would be doing it. Especially with a diesel engine where the PSI of the injected fuel is already very high I recon that would work just find if that was injected air. (This is not I might add my invention I am pretty sure compressed air engines have already been thought up). But you get the point that with a boat at a far more constantly speed and load, more space to store more compressed air and river side air recharge points and the only actual thing coming out of the ‘exhaust’ would be – air. The engine would do all that it currently does, recharge domestic batteries and power the boat along the water. Of course there is the cost of installing the recharge points, and electricity to power them – that could be bought from renewable suppliers to keep the green lobby happy – and while it might take longer to ‘recharge’ the air tank than fill a fuel tank it would be a damn sight faster than recharging batteries!

Nothing to do with this, I recently found BETA Marine have a very limited number of videos on you Tube. One of which is about their Hybrid Engine – I ‘ll put the video up so you can see how it works. It is very simple – but with such technology very expensive (and that is still using ‘old fashion’ Lead Acid batteries). Take a look at the automotive industry – slowly, grindingly slowly a few cars are being launched that are pushing the technology a bit further – which in turn pushes the scientists behind the batteries – but I think that is being pushed more through wanting gadgets to last longer than cars to go further on a charge. The point is nothing is going to change very soon with cars – so even less would ever change with recreational craft on an inland waterway. It is all very well to be nice to the environment but there is always the cost equation. Leave aside the manufacture of batteries and pollution and mining and such like which goes into that, and the provision of power to re-charge (and boy that is an argument that goes on and on between sides I don’t want to get involved with) you have the end of the day problem: money. If a boatyard built a boat that run solely ion batteries – and these were nothing fancy just a bunch of big lead acid cells, it would cost a fortune to ‘kit out’ verses an off the shelf engine. Then you have to worry about the batteries and how each time they are charged, physics dictates a bit of the lead plates is lost – so despite being able to recharge them many times, with each successive re-charge capacity (thus power and range) is lost until it gets to the point that you need to replace them all over = huge cost. What do you win for doing this as a business? You can only let the boat out to so many people in a given season and you can’t really charge much more for it being ‘green’ because while someone who prefers organic food and might have the money and morals to support such and opt to hire it – many more just want a holiday be it their boat has an engine or a battery bank. So, realistically I think as far as being green goes it is the small things that actually can cost very little that might help more (at least locally). Have easy to see, and get to recycling bins – impress upon customers the importance of not throwing away their waste but to recycle it (not just boatyards – but disposal points around Broadland should be cleaner, easier trot understand colour coded bins – glass, plastics, paper and general rubbish). Lead by example and show your business and staff take such seriously too – from the cleaners using environmentally friendly products, to the engineers who fill the boats with fuel to take as much precautious against spilling any as they can – and with oil and oil changes. It might be wonderful if you could have America, China and Russia (as examples) cut down their general pollution – and that might globally help improve things for us – and the Norfolk Broads – but if you leave that to one side and think about things from how boatyards get their electricity, dispose of rubbish, anti foul and chemicals to clean, farmers with what they use on fields and water companies with waste water treatments and people who fish with lines and plastic packaging that may be left or just ‘thrown in a that would have a noticeable, direct impact on the area. So you see it does not just revolve around propulsion of a boat. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Bngp8gFlo

I beleive this is true. Here is the Blog of Steve Truss a well respected Marine Surveyor when he surveyed a Freeman 33 MKII: http://steve-insightmarinesurveyor.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/freeman-32-mk-ii.html

Dan, We are so alike in some ways – small little tiny things to most, sway us from one boat or the next. You don’t like the colour of Sunlit Horizon – I don’t like the squeezed in seat in front cabin and ‘old style’ incandescent lighting on Sensation. Same boat, same price tiny differences you go for one, me another. I have to say while i may not like a 'bath tub' in some respects, I was really taken in March by San Selino. Really cosy and warm with the Eberspacher heating, spacious and practical layout – cheaper price, but nice finish. I would say therefore that these make good ‘out of season’ boats because they have no drafts unlike centre cockpit designs where that is inventible.

Pleased peopled liked watching it. As you can see, it was calm and the slight swell on the return trip did not last too long – the most hairy part was crossing a large wash from a passing ‘gin palace’ as we left Felixstowe. While we all held on we forgot about the drinks... much mopping up was needed. The Aquafibre hull always had looked to me very ‘masculine’ as if a bit too much for simple sedate river work, and this footage proved to show what it can do. Far less spray made it on the decks because it flung it off to the sides, whereas Broad Ambition would let it ride up and once the breeze got it would then come onto the forward cabin windows and roof. What I learnt was even in slight swell in small boats one moment you are on the correct heading, the bow gets picked up by a wave and by the time the boat has gone through it you have suddenly got to correct back 10 degrees to stay on course. That was a little wearing keeping an eye on the bearing, looking out for lobster pots and keeping the steering on course. My favourite part was leaving Yarmouth - having been stood up on the bow as look out and damp and chilly with moisture from the fog which we had to deal with all the way from the River Ant – it was clear, the air was mild and I could sit at the helm and steer the boat as dawn broke.

Dan, I have to say that the Aquafibre Pearl 38’s are in my opinion the most practical, graceful fibreglass centre-cockpit boats. However, it is not just the look of the boat; it is the way these boats seem to have packed in so much in to their 38ft (although some are 35ft and slightly different in layout). Of these Sunlit Horizon has to be the best – It only sleeps four people, in two proper width/long double berths. It has three wash basin’s and two toilets – but then has the addition of a ‘proper bathroom’ (as far as you can get in the confines of a boat) but to have a shower and sit bath and wash basin in its own self contained cabin Is great. The raised stateroom with plenty of storage – the fact when the canopy is close, you can still open the sliding glazed ‘door’ above the helms seat which you can (if nimble) use to exit and enter the boat. The galley because it is arranged across the width of the boat gives another real sense of space. All of this plus an aft well to sit out in at an attractive price? It has to be my favourite! It is layouts and designs such as this which sadly seem to be forgotten when new built boats come along.

I think it really comes down to what makes a good holiday for you. Some people love to travel aboard – not just to the ‘usual places’ either, but to really feel and soak up another place and culture. Others would be happy to stay in the UK and go for example to Cornwall, yet others would hear none of that and want sunshine, all in prices and head off to a hotel with a pool along with many other families from Britain. I think when it comes to boating it is being sold increasingly for what it is not. If you have a self catering holiday, like a caravan or a chalet – you kind of know what you are getting – because both are land bases they can have all the usual amenities of home – a boat can try, but is always a compromise. You pay for what you feel is affordable and represents good value – or you pay more to treat or spoil yourself. To some value is to tavel and explore, to others coming on the Broads time after time might cost more but is their idea of happiness and enjoyment. With boats, you might have a perfectly comfortable centre cockpit boat that sleeps 4 comfortable for just over £500.00 a week and you then have a far newer fancy looking centre cockpit boat that also sleeps 4 for £800.00 a week. If you have not been boating before you might think the £800.00 boat is going to be far more superior to the £500.00 boat – but is it? What is value in this example? Both will have foam beds, small showers and toilets that are not like what one has at home. Both will have the same types of heating – fridge and ways to cook – but one will be new and look modern and the other more ‘lived in’ shall we say, less bling going on. Regulars would be able to say therefore than £500.00 for a decent 4 berth centre cockpit boat was ‘good value’ because we know that is how things are and cost, but someone new to boating might consider that very expensive indeed and £800.00 out of this world to spend on a holiday, and then have to pay for damage waivers, parking, food, fuel.... But the thing is boating is not and has never been cheap. What I would say personally is, since I have shifted from just holidays to more a ‘lifestyle’ of wanting to go boating, boat choice and cost all mean a great deal more than they used to. Many ask ‘when will I get a boat’ (of my own) and I plan on that one day...But the time being I would still need to put fuel in my own boat, I would still need to get from London to it and I would still need to feed myself when on it. I would then also need to pay to insure, toll and moor it – and then on top pay to maintain the engine and general running gear and exterior of the boat. That would all add up and that is before you begin to make improvements to a boat. So that is why I hire – because although the cost of so doing may seem excessive to some, if you are not looking at it so much as a holiday and compare it to ownership (especially if not splitting it between people as far as costs go) wise hiring can be reasonable. I have planned to wait just after the price bands fall at the start of September, then see what is on offer as far as ‘last minute deals’ go – then in October plan to ‘cash in’ my loyalty points with Richardson’s – in 2014 I will begin in March and April when things are cheaper and quieter..and once more start to earn my loyalty rewards – by doing this I can afford more boats per year and thus enjoy the Broads more.

Earlier in July Broad Ambition and The Corsican - two very different boats but with two things in common: Both ex-hire boats on the Norfolk Broads and both not being thought of as ‘sea going boats’ headed off to Haven Marina in Ipswich to attend the 10th Anniversary and Personality Awards for Anglia Afloat magazine. You can see the photographs (here) and (here) of the boats at sea and in the Marina looking splendid. Now join their adventure in a film taking us through the night and as dawn broke over the sea, then on past Felixstowe and up the River Orwell – and finally their return where the swell had got up a little and they had some small waves to play with. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3uCSHam8W4&feature=share&list=UUsQ0yVtKouBnYgj-03LMhHQ

Reading your reply Jonzo made me smile – because we are all here bringing some very valid and good points to the table – but we are not working for the tourist board and it makes you wonder those who do, just what they think and feel should be done. It reminds me of a conversation I overhead returning to London on the train. Two young chaps were talking about the client they had just seen in Norwich - they were given the task of brining social media to pubs. The two of them were coming up with all sorts of ideas about how you get customers in your pub to connect through Twitter and Facebook. As I sat there I thought to myself that 99% of people (maybe 99.9%) will go to a pub to drink, eat and have a good time – watch some sport, read the paper and so on – some might connect to the pub’s WiFi and browse the net – I certainly would not choose one pub over another because they were ‘trending on Twitter’ or it appears I needed to ‘like them on Facebook’ for a free packet of crisps. The problem is the likes of these two guys and their ethos is working its way through companies and culture – sure social media is a great tool, but it has its place (and limits) and returning to the point of the Broads being promoted, one has to be very careful what direction you take a campaign – buzz words and slogans are all very well and might sound ‘super cool’ over a cappuccino in the management meeting on bean bags, but we at the end of the day you are dealing with promoting an area, a place, businesses and activities – a lifestyle – and one has to be as broad as one can to attract the widest range of people (or in buzz word land) ‘wide demographic’. I fear the message is being lost because it is all show and not enough action – not enough joined up thinking.

This is an issue that seems to come up time and time again – and its not just the Norfolk Broads – it is Norfolk as a whole. I recently read a book which had a passage about Norfolk describing it as the ‘forgotten part of England’. Indeed, the public transport that gets you to Norwich is not the best, most reliable or new. The stock compared to other lines is very dated and so it starts to build a picture that perhaps the area as a whole is somehow ‘forgotten’. There are plenty of areas in the country that (at lease in London) will get a mention – tube posters and so on for Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Devon etc – these adverts are not paid for by a holiday park on the Welsh coast for example, it will be the Welsh Tourist Board and yet when it comes to the Broads, nothing. The Broads has to rely on mentions here and there, the weather on ITV being filmed from the banks of the River Ant, the odd mention on the likes of Country File. And yet when you arrive in Wroxham (for example) you have leaflets everywhere about where you are – boat trips, day boats, hire craft, holiday cottages and chalets you name it – WHY this information cannot be spread wider afield I know not. Of course it is up to the businesses to advertise (if they wish) they products and services in a medium they feel works for them, but it is not down to them to promote the area as a whole – and that job seems to be a very confused mish mash – ‘Britain’s Magical Waterland’ won’t sell the area if that message is not being put out to the masses. In short it seems nobody can really agree on what they wish the Broads to be sold as being – a tranquil river system? An adventure holiday full or family activities and fun? Somewhere you come for a good time and party with your mates...They of course cater for all sots of people, but I think we need a single message and campaign everyone can get behind and ‘read from the same Hymn sheet’ from. Quite how an authority - who from what I read on various forums - can’t get things right as far as transparency and they core roll goes, will be able to promote the area to the rest of the UK (and/or Europe) and encourage new people in I cannot begin to fathom. Something pretty simple might do the trick...Big poster picture of boats, river and ‘Go boating and have fun’. Mention the Norfolk Broads, website and phone number...at least people might think ‘oh boats..Norfolk..what’s that all about then...’

@ Jim: I have no idea but presume I must have bought it from Roys - in their 'DIY Building' - they also have a bunch of other vehicle related things so much cheaper than I am used to seeing and for boaters and caravaners’ in the household lighting section have 8w mini florescent tubes (the 12v sort) for a couple of quid.

I confess for absolutely ages I've been referring to it as 'Stacey Arms'. It was only recently when I looked at a map properly I saw the true name. I've never stopped off there I spose I should have a nosey one of these days.

THis is pretty common have a look: http://www.google.co.uk/#output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=child+climes+into+claw+machine&oq=child+climes+into+claw+machine&gs_l=hp.3..0i13j0i22i30l3.1241.6309.0.6404.36.32.4.0.0.0.198.3707.13j18.31.0...0.0...1c.1.17.psy-ab.m9Ec8BJ9DGk&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47883778,d.d2k&fp=ce42366cbac5f732&biw=1280&bih=933

It is hard to use manufacturers data for an engine to determine what your fuel consumption will be – just as cars will not get what the manufacturers claim they will – but even more in a boat where the boat the engine is in makes a lot of difference – how heavy it is, hull type, prop – even how much growth might be on the hull hidden below the waterline. As a rough idea to cover all the above I calculate a rate of 2 litres per hour which means on a weeks cruise my £150.00 fuel deposit will get around 53 hours of cruising or roughly 107 litres of fuel. That does not include heater use, and is based on £1.40 per litre. Anything to aid the above is always helpful – it is better to try and have nature as your friend pushing you along with the tide, than your enemy going against it. It really can make a huge difference in RPM (and noise). Every boat is as I said to being, different some will have 38HP engines, some 40HP and some 50hp – I always have a look to see what engine is installed and it is always nice when one finds a Nanni for the smoothness, though I was impressed with the old BMC fitted in Distant Horizon 2 – it seemed better on fuel. Something I have seen with regard to the ‘big rush home’ is not limited to hire boats. Last year at the beginning of September on the Ant, it was as if someone had dropped the flag mid Sunday afternoon when it was not hire boats heading for Stalham but the privateers – and many seemed in a great rush to get to the marina, unload and get in the car and off home if their speeds were anything to go by. So far I have not used all of a fuel deposit up – I’ve come close though on longer outings but I always go wit the expectation I might and then there is money in the kitty to pay if that was to be the case. As far as fuel goes, I really think the Broads could do a lot more with alternative means of getting a boat along. The electric posts (so I believe) were put in to begin for the charging of electric craft – Quiet Light from Herbert Woods when launched was all electric – hence her name – but that did not last long and though in recent years more posts have gone in, it is to fuel the need of electrical items on board than charging of batteries for propulsion. Faircraft Loynes have a Hybrid boat – but not much has ever been said about this, how good it is, is it viable – does it work and save fuel etc. The fact other yards have not followed and indeed Faricraft Loynes themselves have only the one says it may not be working out as well as hoped. If there was a network of electric posts though – you could then have more boats being electric – cruise in the day – moor up, plug in and charge batteries at the same time as using residual power for the telly etc before leaving the next morning and heading for the next place – knowing points would be there. You would have near silent cruising, the posts could be supplied from electricity generated through carbon neutral suppliers and hey presto you’ve done something for the environment and kissed goodbye to worries about diesel spills and the like. Problem is it would cost a lot of money for infrastructure and fitting such ‘electric engines’ to boats.

It just dawned on me that since the ‘refresh’ of the forum there seems to be a lot more going on, people getting involved and topics which are ever changing and threads with a good rate of discussion. It may be because such is easier to see what is new – or the easier navigation and smoother site – either way, it is good news and thanks goes to those who keep things going behind the scenes and especially all the members who contribute to the discussions here. I just wanted to say thanks.

Thanks for the info there Clive, this is why I should remember to always ask (there is no harm in that and may be a positive outcome) and not assume the answer will be no and a negative one.

I have not tried this, so it maybe wrong of me to presume – but I recon I may be right in what I have to say. Let us say I called a boatyard on Wednesday, I wanted to book a boat that was not booked for a week starting from Friday. The boat in question however had a Saturday start day – I recon the boatyard would say very sorry Sir that boat is free but your holiday will need to begin on the Saturday. If I was not able to do that (lets say the super cheap train fare was not an option for Saturday) I would loose out on a boat from them, they would loose out on several hundred pounds from me and the boat – well that would sit happily floating in the yard. Now I may be wrong – as times are tight, you might be able to haggle over a start day if the boat was in the yard, cleaned and ‘ready for the off’ type thing. But start days are there for a reason, after all if you have a lot of boats you need to have your team of cleaners and engineers stagger their jobs to turn around these boats and you can’t have all the boats being done at random times – but perhaps it might be an idea to think about more relaxed start days – especially as peoples working patterns increasingly are no longer 9-5 Monday to Friday.

Neil, It is pretty simple – the boat will normally pass under Ludham Bridge, but at the time I went there had been a lot of rain and it was pretty much hovering at the 8ft mark at the Ludham Bridge – compare that to last weekend when there was more than 9ft! Originally I had intended to book something cheaper (and smaller) Sonata – but then moved up to Ladymore – and then thought well if I am going to do that I may as well hire Belmore and get more space and a nicer internal fit out and 240v power. In short it was this which swayed me. I had looked elsewhere – Freedom and Richardson’s to see what they had and for how much. When I then looked at what I was able to hire at the price Barnes Brinkcraft were offering, taking into account a smaller £30.00 damage waiver and a £70.00 fuel deposit - it was settled I’d go with them – the actual hire boat cost had the 30% off it, bringing it in line at that time of year with the likes of a Calypso – but of course Belmore is a newer nicer boat that one of those. It is not just the hire cost I had to budget for which lead me to choose the boat but over all additional costs too. As it tuned out I spent £60.00 in fuel, if I had hired (let us say with Richardson’s), I’d have got the £60.00 back as a refund – but I would not have had the £120.00 available in the budget to pay that and £16.00 more for the damage waiver at the time of booking - not to mention taking into account over and above that extra money my food costs and train fares. So all in all had it not been for the offer Barnes Brinkcraft had and their lower deposit and waiver costs I’d have never got to have gone. I think because no taxi/bus is needed to get from Wroxham station to their yard, I’ll hire with Barnes Brinkcraft again, at a discounted ‘last minute’ rate and use them for weekend breaks only. However, I‘m already planning for October which will be for more than a week - maybe 11 days - and will be with Richardson’s and more than likely see me heading back to the Southern Rivers.