ranworthbreeze

Hi Robin, I hope that terrace hinges down for Potter Heigham Regards Alan

Hello Paladin, I am a moderator not a admin member, yes I have set up and researched a number of our information pages but that done to help the forum members find information about the Broads, be it where to look for marine services, canopy repairs, BSS inspectors etc. I know of a number of viewers of the forum have yet to post and a few long standing forum members have only just started posting. I know when I first started going on the various broads forums it was so I could find out information regarding Broads stoppages, tide tables, distance charts and local weather and viewing the webcams to help make our visits to the Broads more fulfilling. A number of first time members to a forum tend to be members that are hiring a boat for an holiday, they may just visit a forum for that period or like what they see and stay and may become more involved posting many messages every week or per day. As I have said many time both on this and other forums members are entitled to come and go as they wish, all we ask is that when they are on the NBN forum that they treat all the other members with respect, and think about what you post before hitting the post button. We like debate, we like tips, we like advice, pictures and even some of the jokes, however a condescending manner can sometimes go against the grain. Regards Alan

Maybe if the councilors had all had a few drinks of coffee or tea and then gone on a bumpy roadtrip journey by minibus to inspect all of the facilities they may have decided on another outcome. The benifits of having the key to the execitive washrooms seems make them remote from normal people. Regards Alan

Hi Iain, If syndicate shares had been available quite a few years ago you would have been the ideal ower, two or up four weeks just turn up and enjoy your time aboard your boat (well a small part of it) like a hire boat but all the comforts of home and at a reduced cost. Boats are great to own if you have plenty of time on your hands or have pockets full of cash, the average working man has neither. So for us boatshare syndicate ownership was the way to go, after recently finished my 29th week on the Broads I can say it really works. These days I am involved with the management of the boat so it does take up some of my time, but again I like everything related to boating. With regards to the cost of the toll fees most owners regard this as a small percentage of the boat anual costs, in our case it is about 3.5%. Regards Alan

Hi Andy, Where have you been, I thought you usually looked in most days. I hope there is no damage to your boat. Regards Alan

Hi Clive, "Thats the silly thing, we have to pay the multiplier as we use hire boats more than the private boaters use theirs (although they do have the opportunity) I would say the average hire season is roughly 23 weeks. how can it be fair that a syndicate boat gets a subsidised toll when it probably does at least 35 weeks (thats a guess) I dont blame the syndicate owners for taking advantage of this loop hole, i just think the hire companies are beaten with a stick as it is easy revenue" I can understand your frustration; on Ranworth Breeze our official season is 40 weeks with additional weeks available for our owners to hire outside of our scheduled winter service times. Most of the syndicate boats do operate up to 50 weeks of the year. Please use the information above if it helps your case for a fair tolling system. It is only the high use of hire craft and owners that use their boats throughout the year that keep the Broads alive; providing employment, keeping pubs open and supporting a boating industry. The concession of what a boats classification by the Broads Authority is not a loophole, every application is vetted by the licencing/tolls department, we had submit an application after submitting our owner contracts after we went self managed. Any syndicate that is fully or partially managed by a management company still has to be register as a commercial boat. As I said earlier the collapse of the Challenger Syndicate in 2007 effected at least six syndicate boats on the Broads and left a turmoil in its wake. On the canals this however was far reaching RCI had to cancel hundreds of canal holidays at this time. Boatshare/syndicate ownership was an all time low. Regards Alan

Hello Paladin, Being as you seem to have plenty of time on your hands maybe you would be good enough to produce a spread sheet listing all current members, how many posts they have made, if none have they logged in recently, or have they recently joined, etc. If you do find time please send me your results so we can act on them. Maybe you could do the same on all of the other boating forums so everyone knows where they stand. Regards Alan

Hello dnks34, "Alan out of interest is the Toll for RB at the private or Hire rate?" When we were managed by a management company our toll fee was the commercial rate, when we went self managed the Broads Authority agreed that we could be registered as a private toll user and Ranworth Breeze is registered under the names of our three trustees. The Broads Authority of course have had to look at a number of syndicate boats on the Broads since the Challenger debacle of 2007, our re-registration was in 2012 our toll fees in 2011 were almost up to £800 per year on the commercial rate. Regards Alan

I can understand that there is a need for a toll on tenders, but when it is registered with another boat I think it should be an addition to the main boat used and be at a reduced rate, lets face it how many of us use more than one registered boat at the same time? We got rid of ours, it was too small and got in the way of the escape hatch, in addition the outboard took no prisoners every time you bent down to open the gas locker. Regards Alan

Lets face it everyones pride and joy is their boat (every boat is bought with compromises, be it to high, to low, under powered, over powered, to little bearths or to many). I have never come across the perfect boat. Be it from a small launch to the largest boat on the Broads (or the canals for that matter), We all want a boat that we can see over the reeds but is low enough to get under Yarmouth most of the time. I know we can not get under Wroxham, Potter Heigham or Ludham bridges for that matter, but you can always hire a day boat if you want that boating fix. Regards Alan

Hi Steve, Do you have a raw water filter (you should have) this filters out such items as plastic bags, twigs and small fish. Having a filter is yet another daily check but is worth the inconvenience before it can get to the pump and the engine. We usually replace our each year for piece of mind, I have know many owners not change them until there is an issue. I would have the pump checked out for wear on the bearings and that there is no wear on the cover plate that is snaging the impeller. Regards Alan

That bridge is not suitable for "Rolls Canardly's" Personally I would leave that one alone. The humpback bridge at Ludham could have been slightly higher. Potter Heigham would be better on hydraulics Regards Alan

Hi Jonzo, Could you or any of the forum member please give us a report of this years Horning Show? The scope of the stalls and the exhibitors attending, whats new and what clientele the show is aimed at. Regards Alan

It happens season after season, usually you do not see the crew onboard on the ones we have seen I expect in many cases they are in hiding below and thinking what did the guy at the boatyard say about Breydon? It is not only hirers I have seen one or private boats also fall foul to Breydon. Regards Alan

Hi Steve, Its a good job you had that old impeller onboard, we tend to leave the last one onboard ourselves. It sounds as if they did not replace the impeller on the last service unless the boat was stood for a long period of time after the service. Regards Alan

Hi Martin, Its later in the day; to be honest it is still not any clearer. Maybe Grace "fishcake" can make a few suggestion of what they are on about? Regards Alan

Hi Griff, The boat looks completely different, but reading some of your blogs; underwater I guess she is. I like the pictures especially the one of motley crew; but the guy on the end looks as if he need s a good meal Regards Alan

Hi Iain, What arrangements have you made regarding charging of the scooters batteries? It may interest forum members who may be thinking of bringing theirs to the Broads. What size inverter is required to charge the batteries or would you try to moor to use shore power? Did you contact the boatyard with regards to the power requirements? I know that many yards will not guarantee the continuous supply of power for a nebuliser. Regards Alan

Hi Geoff & Wendy, A great writeup and pictures to match; you certainly enjoyed the weather. Looking forward to more reports. Regards Alan

Hi Iain, It seems we must have gone to the same school of hard knocks. I can remember using the timber with a hole in it but it was a pain doing a dogsleg. My first two years of my apprenticeship I was on loan to Batchelors Foods so we tended to do some heavy installations whilst dodging the rats as big as small dogs, one ran through a set of busbars, it effected production that day made a great mess and the smell lasted for weeks. The joys of being in the trade. Regards Alan

Hi Geoff, Where about do you go in Devon? We normally go to Hope Cove in the South Hams. Regards Alan

Hi Iain, Going by your post does that make our fishermen forum members Fishcakes? I'll get my coat Regards Alan

Hello Johnb, Good point. I would have thought that the insurance covering collecting & transporting cash would be an heavy premium and of course you are charged a higher fee for banking cash. Years ago I was involved in the Amusement Trade, I was a service engineer but part of my job was to fit alarm systems and lockable boxes into all of the collectors vans when new collectors were hired. Any company invovling cash knows the pitfalls involved with its collection and from a personal point of view if I were a ranger I would refuse to get involved with its implementation from a honesty point of view. Regards Alan

Hi Grace, "p.s Ok, so if having a shoe fetish makes me a fruit cake then I'm a fruit cake and proud lol" I would just click your ruby red glass slippers (white when empty)and wish to be home in Norfolk; it might work but if not console yourself with the contents. Fruit cake or not, three of your passions covered in one post. Ok Alan have you not added that shoe emotion yet? Regards Alan

HI Iain, "However, things are not the same on the Scottish islands, or did not use to be when I worked on Arran and Mull. ALL plumbing pipes had to be copper for bonding. The reason being, its only a two wire feed into homes and cottages in the middle of nowhere, so you looped the neutral to make that your Earth. Not a job for DIY ers as Viking says. Many have 3ft copper rods knocked into the ground and bonded thus. What really tickled me was the size of earth wire you had to put through any metal conduit box, as a ringed earth system The size being 10mm!!! The Scottish Hydro Board don't like taking any risks" I have come across many installations in various locations over the years similar as you describe. I have debated with supply authorities when connecting our tails about the size of the earth cables, one authority wanted a 25mm earth that was linked to a 16mm neutral. As we have both said there is no rime or reason with the regulations. Of course if there is a fault on the neutral then everything that is bonded is not always a good idea! Plastic pipes are ok for a quick fix and in certain environments such as boats because of the vibration. The times I have spent over Christmas gluing the toys the children had played with. The only indestructible plastic I have ever come across is Leggo, the rest you can keep it. In all honesty plastic is a pain and in the end always breaks. Just my thoughts. Regards Alan