Broads01

There's a picture on Herbert Woods Facebook page of their shed full of boats for winter maintenance. That explains the gaps on their quayside. https://m.facebook.com/herbertwoods/

Yes definitely agree about Coltishall lock Andrew. It was our first visit there as in the past I've always chickened out as the river starts to narrow but it was possibly the highlight of the whole trip. We used the pilot at Wroxham as per the rules and I looked up and saw the acres of clearance as we passed under, despite the bridge gauge showing 6 foot 9 as I recall. Beccles would be easy peasy with careful consideration of tides. Potter would be tough but it is so for most boats now anyway. We moored at Ranworth between a Bounty 37 on one side and an Alpha 42 centre cockpit on the other and our air draft looked lower than both of them. I forgot to mention the exceptionally wide side decks. Advertised width is 12 foot but although appearances can be deceptive it looked wider.

And some more

http://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/boats/?boatsearch=Soprano

I just wanted to post my thoughts on this boat after hiring in October 2016. Soprano is the Aquafibre 38 foot dual steer design, built around 1992. Unlike more recently built dual steers, it was designed to pass under Broads bridges with an air draft around 6 foot 9. This gives it a 'best of both worlds' advantage of a great visa from the outdoor steering combined with bridge passage. We passed through Wroxham Bridge with no issues. The saloon is spacious and airy and Richardsons as usual have maintained this well. The sofa is comfortable and large. Unlike the majority of this design there's no quarter berth in the saloon area and this may contribute to saloon space. The gallery to the rear of the saloon area feels spacious also with good size cooker and fridge. I didn't use the interior helm position which is bizarrely on the starboard side and I'm not sure if this might inhibit the view. The fore cabin has a double and single V berths with the double possibly narrower than average. There is a forward wash room of average size (not ensuite). To the stern there is a good size double cabin with good size Island double and modest size ensure. The flooring would benefit from one of the Holly and Teak updates Richardsons have added to other boats in the fleet. In common with many others of its type, Soprano was originally built without a stern door. However, Richardsons added a stern door when the boat moved from the former Thames fleet. In practice we found limitations to the door's use. Whilst it was useful for stern moorings, for side on moorings the central door (to the outdoor cockpit) was easier to use because the stern decks are very high. As you exit the stern door, there is a steep step up to one side and no step at all to the other, so requiring a gymnastic exercise to move on that direction! Overall we really enjoyed Soprano, especially the outdoor steering and interior saloon space. I'd love to hire again. Photos to follow.

I've been enjoying the series, especially the banter in the studio which is every bit as good as in the Top Gear days. My main criticism is the main two part features have been stretched out too long. I enjoyed programme 3 the most, except the house demolition thing which was so completely banal it was painful to watch.

I like the mooring ropes around the gaps idea Matt, I can see myself trying that one.

This new venture was mentioned on a couple of previous threads but it's all gone a bit quiet. Their Facebook page was last updated on 19 October and website isn't running yet. I'm hoping all is well and the business does get off the ground.

Hi Chameleon, yes I've no doubt the rear cabin is fine in reality - it was just a shock when I first saw how small it was. One further point - although Bittern passes easily under Potter Bridge some of the time there are no guarantees. There's no way we could have done so on the day we hired. The same was true the previous time I booked the boat which was for a 3 night break back in 2010. On that occasion Whispering Reeds gave me a no quibble full refund a few hours before boarding and I ended up with a Richardsons boat instead.

Yes I should have mentioned the easy stern access which is shown quite well in the first photo above. Access to the bow rope for mooring is less straight forward as there's no front door and its a tight squeeze to move around the windscreen. We didn't test the cooking facilities other than the kettle but they seemed pretty standard for a boat of thus type. I didnt mention the condition of the interior. I'd say it was tidy but just starting to show its age given the boat I believe is around 12 years old. Barnes Brinkcraft have Moorhen and Brink of Peace of similar age and design and these have smarter interiors in my view (at a higher price).

http://www.whisperingreeds.net/bittern/

I hired this boat with my daughter for 4 hours in October 2016. I just wanted to record my thoughts on the boat. The boat is a 2-4 berth forward drive with an unusual hire format, being available for half days and full days as a day cruiser (for up to 8 people) or as a holiday cruiser for 2-4 for any number of nights starting on any day. Fuel and damage waiver is included in the hire charge. Dimensions are approximately 25 foot by 9 foot 6 and the forward saloon is spacious taking in to account the boat's modest size. There is a large sofa which could seat a day party easily, although 8 people might be a push. The helmsman's seat is positioned a long way forward and cosseted by the windscreen and side screens which isn't to everyone's taste, especially in good weather. The relatively large saloon contrasts greatly with the rear double cabin which is very cramped, even for a boat of this size. About half the length of the bed is concealed under the rear deck and the floor space is so limited I imagine dressing could be quite a challenge. A key benefit is the handling. I've hired boats of similar dimensions in the past but this handled as if it was a basic day boat being so light and responsive. Manoeuvring by hand, for example turning on the ropes was similarly easy. At the time of hire the throttle lever needed adjustment as it failed to stay in position. Whispering Reeds staff explained this was a deliberate strategy to discourage speeding, a flawed strategy in my view. Overall we had a really enjoyable afternoon as our hire enabled us to see the beautiful area above Potter Bridge, so difficult to pass nowadays. I would definitely hire again. Photos to follow.

Thanks Howard. I would imagine the boats would be lovely to own once the necessary work had been done to bring them up to standard.

One to Swancraft? I'm confused by that Howard given Swancraft are no longer hiring - can you clarify?

Indeed the website is incorrect, unusual for Richardson who maintain their website pretty well. The old fashioned paper brochure clearly marks Far Horizon as based at Horning. The boat doesn't pass under Ludham or Great Yarmouth.

Thanks to all those who've posted, there's some really good stuff here. As a regular hirer I'm familiar with the drawback Robin raises about hire boat heating - it's hot or off! Alas also hire boats with shore power have so far been outside my budget. The theme of layers keeps coming through in the posts above and that makes a lot of sense. In the past I've asked the boatyard for extra duvets as the ones supplied are always summer-weight and I should have done so on the recent trip.

When I was on the Broads week before last it wasn't especially cold for the time of year and yet I found myself shivering in bed. I've always been taught to switch the heating off at night, but I find the temperature on board drops like a stone as soon as I do so. I was wearing thermals, socks and sometimes a jumper in bed but never really reached the point of feeling completely comfortable. I know there are many of you on the forum who go boating outside summer and I've been enjoying reading the 'Christmas afloat' thread - how do you do the night time thing?

Thanks both for your kind comments. There isn't a particular cause I'm aware of, more that it's a condition I'm susceptible to because I had a heart valve replacement 15 years ago.

Friday 28th October We could have travelled home the previous day but I hadn't felt up to the long drive. Today I felt no better unfortunately so we handed back Soprano (39 litres used) and we got on with a tough journey home. I have to report my illness was the beginnings of endocarditis and as I write I'm in hospital receiving treatment. Thank goodness for the forum, it helps me escape in to Broads world during tough times.

Thursday 27th October Today I woke up feeling ill and unfortunately remained so the whole day. I won't go in to detail but let's just say food and I didn't get along. Due to this we decided to cover minimum mileage, starting with the short run to South Walsham for some mud weight time. We headed to Ludham Bridge next and eventually to Stalham for our last night at the boatyard. There was a problem with water ingress in the bow cabin, swiftly rectified by Richardsons engineers who replaced a faulty bilge pump. Alas not my best day on the Broads ever and I was very grateful for having enjoyed Sunday to Wednesday so much.

From Wednesday

It's been a long gap since I last wrote due to illness. I will carry on with the tale. Wednesday 26th October The day began misty, grey and cold but I'll gladly take that to avoid rain. We set off around 9am for Coltishall. There was an autumnal colouring to the trees but more green than I expected, I don't know why. At Coltishall I always like to "chug on past the pub" as my dad used to call it. Usually I chicken out and turn around just after where the river turns sharp right and narrows. This time however I was determined to brave it all the way to Coltishall lock and I'm very glad we did. We even stayed afloat the whole way. Another new mini stretch of water for us. We pulled up at the lock and got the mooring stakes out. It's a pretty, peaceful spot and there was much more of the lock surviving than I expected. Refreshed, we returned to Wroxham and had a short wait for the pilot. We pulled in to Royalls for water and a break by which time the sun was shining. We had various options for the night having chosen to eat aboard and finished up at St Benets .

Our view at the viaduct moorings. It should be a nice day once the fog has lifted.

Today's photos

Crown 3 - I hired that in 2011, my poor boat! It seems an unusual spot for that to happen, I'd be interested to know what the events leading up to it were.