Broads01

Has anyone had a look inside Jay from Maffett Cruisers? My Dad hired Merlin from Maffett this year & was very impressed with the service he received. He asked to look aboard Jay at the time but couldn't because some work was being done on the interior.

No, it's not you, I've always struggled with the Blakes site, before & after it was redesigned. Bizarre that it seems such a simple thing to get right but Blakes haven't yet managed it.

Aargh! Why do I always have to wait longer than everyone else to get my brochure!? I haven't got mine yet, even though I've been with Hoseasons twice this year. I agree with Dan on the group pricing issue, sorry Clive. If I was a new customer with little idea what to expect and I'd booked San Sebastian (which I accept is good value) , I'd be a bit miffed to look aboard Rhapsody. By equal measure, knowing the boats as I do (though nothing like as well as Dan), I would never book San Sebastian where previously I might have been tempted.

Royalls have set up a new blog with plenty of photos & musings about running the boatyard. I really like it & I've left a comment on there saying so. If you like it too then I'd recommend you also comment so Royalls keep it going! http://royallsboatyard.blogspot.com/

Fascinating stuff, Clive thanks for that. Next time I see Clear Horizon 1 I'll look at it in an entirely different way! I've always thought the layout on the 42s is a bit strange with both cabins in the middle & both washrooms at the stern. I assume the washrooms are effectively converted cabins from the 35 foot or maybe I'm wrong?

This is going to sound like a quiz question but it's one I don't know the answer to. In what year was the last Richardsons designed & built hire craft launched? (Just wondering what the gap between that & these latest boats will be)

The new designs look great Clive. It's great to see after all these years that centre cockpit boats are still being built because they're so right for the Broads. Even though I love dual steers as well, to be building these with the aim of a 6 ft 6 air draft is spot on. I'll be very interested to read how things progress over the next few months.

Agree with what's been said. Diplomat is a lovely boat. I remember reading a thread on the other forum where someone had just managed to squeeze it under Ludham but it would be very tight. You could probably forget St Olaves most of the time as well. It would be Commodore every time for me & don't overlook some lovely equivalent boats like Swan Rapier.

Fascinating thread. I'm sure the new front well arrangement will be an improvement. Thanks for posting the pictures Clive & it would be great to see some more as the work progresses. Presumably you think the extra money you spend on modifying the front will be worth it in terms of future bookings?

Hi Mr T. Hired Silver Mirage back in 2004 & it was excellent. It's brilliant value for money (especially if there's only 2 adults aboard) because for some reason they price it as a 2-5 berth when it's actually a perfectly good 4-5. Either Swancraft boat would also be excellent as Swancraft have a very good reputation.

Great stuff Geoff. Thanks for the internal photos which are always really useful. Petite Gem is on my 'boats to go on on my own if my children don't want to come' list so that's really handy!

I'd forgotten about Penton Hook Dan, thanks for reminding me. I hope Le Boat don't introduce their Europe & Thames-style charging structure to the Broads. If you get an availability quote on their website you'll see what I mean. I checked for the 2-4 berth Consort for Spring Bank Holiday week on the Thames next year. £772 as a basic is reasonable by Thames standards, but they load on a £69 damage waiver, a £60 'cleaning charge' (what the heck's that?) and a 4 euro per hour fuel charge. The fuel system is the one that gets me because it's so easy for them to charge for more fuel than you've actually used because what they charge has got nothing to do with what's left in the tank. Rant over, Caprice would be an interesting choice. Gorgeous looking boats & the prices in Ireland are half reasonable. Trouble is it would have to be offered with the caveat 'Will not pass under any Broads bridge whatsoever'!

Does anybody know if Le Boat are increasing their Thames fleet as well? The overall Thames choice (Le Boat & otherwise) is tiny compared to years ago & I'm sure there's money to be made for Le Boat there too.

I'm very much in agreement with you Dan. Very much style over substance in my view. Looks good, delivers nothing above it's predecessor website & nothing above what Blakes have offered previously.

Royall's do sailing dinghys Jill. Whether or not they'd let one out that's not attached to one of their own boats I don't know but worth a phone call.

I knew I could count on you Dan! Like you, I associate the Hearts base with a pre-hiring location (although I did hire from them once as well back in 1989). Natasha & Christina - yes, not 'proper' Hearts boats in the sense they only appeared in the fleet briefly & didn't have a Hearts name, but they were Hearts boats nevertheless. The Natasha-Star Gem conversion just shows what can be done - an early 80's 4-6 berth became a modern 2 berth with a completely different layout. I'd forgotten about the Pacific Cruisers ones - Pacific win the prize for the hirefleet with the highest percentage of ex-Hearts craft!

....they just fall into a state of disrepair over several years then get brought back to life as hire craft once again. As one or was very sorry to see Hearts go back in 2002, I'm kind of cheered up by the thought of their boats coming back. Examples I can think of are Richardsons' Rio (860D, ex Lady of Hearts 2) & San Pedro (R733 ex Light Heart 3) & Freedom Boating Holidays' Tranquil Freedom (H814 ex Lady of Hearts 1). I'm sure I could find others if I trawled the Boat Database. Can anyone think of any?

I agree with you about the interior saloon Keith. With a centre saloon it doesn't seem to matter how well the roof fits there's always a draught somewhere! This isn't to say I'm anti centre-saloons though & in many ways any centre cockpit has advantages (& disadvantages) over other designs. I've always liked the (rarish) variety that have a centre saloon combined with a ligh level 'passenger' seat, for example Silver Wisper/Solano, San Valentino & the Le Boat fleet.

Like it! From the interior pictures it looks smart & it may have had some improvements made since the Fencraft days. The price list hasn't been updated yet so I'll keep a look out for that but depending on where they pitch it I might be tempted for next year. Having hired an Alpha 35 in the past (Silver Mirage) I've always liked the layout. The trouble with central saloons is the seating for non-helmsmen gives theno forward view. Pacific Dawn & its sisters have the high level passenger seat behind the helmsman which I rather like. Depends on your party size though because there isn't much room in the centre there!.

I assume Jay is the 32 foot aft cockpit? If so that would be a full circle-type thing as the very similar Sanderson's Sandwift used to be Jay at Maffett.

Thanks for the quick response once again Clive - it's really good having you on here! I'll accept your better judgement on the brochure issue. I'm not a marketing man so I'll defer to your experience on that one. I'm looking forward to getting a look at Rio when I come to the Broads in April. Whether or not I choose to hire it in the future, I hope it books well for you - in these cash strapped times from which none of us are immune it could end up being a really popular boat.

Clive, thanks for coming back about the brochure timing. I understand your reasoning, it's just I think it gives a poor impression of the company that as late as December, the following year's brochure isn't available. I'd like to ask one more question & this one relates to a boat that's only become available in 2009 & so one which I haven't seen yet. It's Rio - just why is it THAT cheap?! (Very tempting by the way). I assume that it's in basic, original condition, but it's a 4-5 berth cheaper than all the 2 berths!

Air draft heights in the brochure - fantastic idea. I think in these times of unpredictable tides & weather conditions, it's no longer black & white as to which boats will pass under the low bridges & which won't. If it was clear that say, Petite Gem needs 6ft 4 against Salerno's 6ft 10 that helps the hirer make a more fully informed choice about which boat to go for. The information doesn't necessarily need to sit within the boat descriptions - a separate list towards the back of the brochure would serve equally well. As I said on the other forum, I've always liked the layout & presentation of the Richardsons brochure. The best thing about it is having boats of the same style, Stalham & Acle, grouped together. If more internal pictures could be added that would make it even better. On the loyalty card subject - an excellent scheme & one which I could see regular hirers really benefitting from. Clive, I know this is a long shot, but can the loyalty discount be built up retrospectively or does it start with 2009 holidays? I ask because I've been with Richardsons twice (2005 & 2007) & I'm likely to do so again.

Hmmm, I shall never look at Richardsons boats with armchairs in the same light again now! I haven't hired Symphony but would echo Dan's comments. I have, however, hired Salerno that's also been refitted. It's identical on the outside but it's been fitted out as a 3-5 berth & I was impressed when I hired it in October 2007. It's also cheaper to hire & there are no armchairs!

Wow, what an offer, Clive & Dan. Sorry if this has already been mentioned elsewhere but are we talking the Prisma that was at Horizon Craft & on the Thames before that? I look forward to some photos!