Broads01

I'm considering booking one of the three boats in the title for next year. I hired San Elena back in 2005 so I know what to expect and I think any of the three would suit our party very well. But! Tobago is buckets cheaper than the other two (hence availability is less). Why is it cheaper? I can see San Diego has Holly and Teak flooring nowadays but given the layouts are all so similar I'm confused!

I'm enjoying reading this and I think it's an entertaining and informative discussion. I'm many years off buying a boat, if it ever happens at all, but nevertheless I've learned a lot from the technical issues raised here.

Doorwedges! Great nickname!

I'd forgotten about the steep steps to the top helm Mondeoman, I'd agree with that, narrow as well. It seems I'm not alone in bemoaning the Alpha low level dual steers but I do think the fact they are low level is their redeeming feature. I know the chances of getting under Potter are minimal but on Grecian Girl we went under Beccles and Wroxham is certainly realistic. I agree hire yards may not want them although Richardsons did buy Swan Rapide which they're letting for a budget price. There are one or two around in private hands (ex Brink of Day if I recall) so they may sell. Interested to read about the sorry state of the Alpha fleet.

Today being Bank Holiday Monday 29th August reminds me of a day on the Broads which is memorable for the wrong reasons. The date was 29th August 1983, also a Bank Holiday Monday. I was 12 years old at the time and with my sister and parents on our second ever Broads holiday. We were aboard Aston Goblin, hired from Aston Boats, Loddon since the previous Saturday. The boat hadn't been behaving well. On the Sunday morning I remember walking across fields with my mother to find the nearest phone box to call the boatyard (that was life then!) due to a misbehaving sliding roof. On the Sunday evening, we had no water, kindly fixed on the Monday morning by a Brooms engineer who fixed some errant pipework out of the goodness of his heart. No sooner had we left Brooms, my father picked up from the dash that the battery wasn't charging. We pulled in to Harvey Eastwood cruisers in Brundall and phoned Astons, by now frustrated and fed up. We were told the engineer on call had a few calls to do but we wouldn't have to wait too long. It was just after 10 in the morning. Alas we waited and we waited and we waited. To pass the time I walked up and down the road that in those days hosted many hire yards. Several times I passed names like Fencraft, Bees Boats, and Wing Line. We became more and more frustrated until eventually the overworked engineer arrived at 5pm. I can still feel the sense of relief now as we spotted him across the river at Coldham Hall, beckoning us across. He duely fixed the issue and we were finally on our way. We made it further downriver for the night and experienced no further issues that holiday which was otherwise a happy one. We made it to Beccles the following day and later our maiden voyage across Breydon and enjoyed some of the North Broads. At least that shows that even with a boat holiday day from hell, afterwards happiness can be found!

Glad you had a good holiday Mondeoman and I know that last night feeling very well. I hired Grecian Girl in 2011 - yep headroom ain't great and helmsman's seat ain't either! I believe that Grecian and Rio Light (and Richardsons' Swan Rapide) were built by Alpha Craft. The boats have a lot going for them in terms of very low airdraft for a dual steer and a fair bit of saloon space, albeit with the headroom issue which worsens as you walk towards the front windows. The design does have issues though. On our trip we had a very wet day and I tried the interior steering - visibility was so poor I immediately felt unsafe and went back outside in the rain. The outdoor helm, apart from not being very comfortable, has an oddly low wheel in relation to the seat and also feels cut off from the rest of the boat. The cabins are all very much on the small side and are all on top of each other. There weren't very many built and I think I can understand why! Having said all that I always see Grecian Girl out on hire whatever the time of year and I've no doubt the others hire well as well. The low level dual steer concept (more common with the Lowliner 38s and 44s as per Blue Horizon, Forth Bridge, Aqua Light) seems to have fallen out of fashion as far as new builds are concerned which is a shame.

Wow Sue, 8 weeks aboard and it'll only be September. I assume you have a 4 week share and there've been unused weeks available?

Yes an infill is the common way of achieving conversion from 2 singles to a double. The problem I've found with them is lack of floor space in the cabin once the infill is in place. For the Monaco design that shouldn't be an issue. I guess proof of the pudding will be in the eating so you'd need to sleep aboard Monaco to test it fully. I hereby volunteer my services to Richardsons free of charge - I'll take Monaco out with my wife so we can test the new berth design - 2 weeks testing should do it! (I've volunteered before to ferry boats between Acle and Stalham but they've always ignored me.)

Really? I'm not sure I follow the logic of making such a long trip just to go to Tesco! (Especially with Roys and Lathams also available on the north Broads.)

I don't think Richardsons Acle to Stalham relocation will have the impact on traffic people fear. The Acle fleet is tiny compared to the current Stalham one and Richardsons are sure to pension off some older craft over the winter to be able to operate all the boats from the single location. If you factor in the modest Acle fleet is spread over multiple start days then the impact on the Ant will be minimal. I've always enjoyed the bustle and challenge of negotiating Ludham Bridge. Having boating challenges is one of the reasons I'll always keep coming back to the Broads. It gives me a buzz passing through a busy Ludham, negotiating a sailing regatta or mooring in tricky conditions. I cant understand why anyone would avoid Wroxham and Horning just because its busy - its such a beautiful part of the Broads, in the summer as much as any time and its ever been thus.

Richardsons have added internal photos of the recently launched Monaco http://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/boats/monaco/ It looks identical to Carousel from what I can make out, except I think I can now see what they mean by a scissor berth. It looks to be an innovative way of making a double/ two singles conversion.

Yes I know that now Chris, I made the mistake at the time of thinking because it was low season I'd be ok. Last September I arrived on a Wednesday afternoon (so only a few Richardsons boats finishing the following day) at 4pm and it was full once again. On that occasion however, we asked permission to moor at Sutton Staithe boatyard which was granted for a modest fee and that's something I would do again.

I have no expertise at all in marine engineering but I can say how quiet and smooth the Richardsons Nannis are in comparison to the older engines. Not all the older boats have had a Nanni replacement and the difference is noticeable. From that perspective, if Herbert Woods policy is not to replace engines then they're doing their customers a disservice.

I look forward to reading how you get on Bob. I hired in early October 2 years ago and found it surprisingly busy. I wanted to moor at Sutton on my last night (first Monday in October) and it was full at 5pm. That said, it's a lovely time of year to go, moorings are generally available and there's something lovely about a fine October day. I'm there in late October this year.

One word comes to mind looking at the Le Boat photo - LEGO!

Many yards do still charge for parking which is understandable where they have limited space (Barnes for instance have to take keys and shuffle cars around to fit them in). Richardsons scrapped charging for outside parking 2 or 3 years ago. The exterior cleanliness of Richardsons boats has niggled me when I've hired from them and I've tended to use the feedback form to highlight. I do accept Robin's point however that customer expectations on turnaround times limit opportunity to rectify this. Interior cleanliness is always faultless. I don't accept the argument that hirers should feel responsible for mopping down boat decks (which has limited effect anyway). In fact I've never really understood why people feel the need to scrub down interiors when the boatyard has responsibility for this and hirers pay for it within their hire charge. I only make sure washing up is all done, rubbish is emptied and everything is tidy.

Enjoyed that Robin. The shots of BA from MTB102 worked really well. I'm so used to you being in control of all your cameras I found myself wondering how you'd managed to 'jump ship' from one boat to the other! Good to see the BA with the roof lowered on such a sunny day.

When I first came to the Broads with my parents in the early 1980s many boats, including the first we hired, only had a black and white tv option. I can recall watching the tv aboard, I think the screen was only about 10 inches. Things have improved since!

Don't worry about having any paper when you check in, I've never been asked for it. It is nice to have that old fashioned letter in the post though, isn't it. Funnily enough, I had to phone again today because the email I received after the online booking was partially complete and had no booking reference. I received a correct email afterwards so all sorted.

I had an odd experience trying to make a booking with Richardsons yesterday. I wanted a 5 night break (amazing value because they're the same price as 3 and 4 night breaks) next May, with Broadland Wave as my first choice and Symphony as my second choice. When I checked online both boats were available for the dates I wanted and yet when I phoned to book mysteriously both boats were taken for dates which I know were available online. I didn't query this but I did manage to book online straight after the phone call! I could have had either boat and opted for Broadland Wave, all booked now.

Hi Robin. I've watched the complete Belmore series now including the boat review. Thank you again, especially as I know you've had to fit in the editing work for this around other commitments. I know you enjoy doing the blogs but I do appreciate you doing so much work for other people's entertainment! I have a question about Belmore. One of the things I enjoyed about hiring Broadland Wave from Richardsons was being able to get my head out of the sunroof when stood at the helm (I'm 6 foot). Am I right in thinking I couldn't do this on Belmore? It looks as if the roof is too high and the sunroof tapered towards the front.

This is good news the Lord Nelson is opening. What a fabulous location for a pint outdoors on a fine day. It seems to have been shut for a very long time - does anyone know how long?

Ah I didn't realise the new Richardsons boats had the gauges. Yes I can see what you both mean now. I guess with water, although I religiously top up every day we are careful with water use so a gauge might show we didn't need to do so.

Eric, thanks again for your write up and your boat review. Boat reviews are always useful, especially as its always good to know things like large bathrooms. I'm intrigued by a couple of your 'minus' comments though. Why would you want a water gauge and a fuel gauge? For water, if you top up every day I think you'd be unlikely to run out and for fuel there's normally enough even for a 2 week cruise.

I do hope it stays as a pub and there is an investor out there who'll put the necessary money in. It's such a lovely spot and yes reviews can be subjective but I've always thought of it as a dive and the landlord a grumpy old eccentric with no clue about customer service.