Broads01

I've always liked the sedan version, they have quite a presence I feel. They have an unusually large sliding roof which I really like. They never really caught on as a Broads cruiser though with never many on hire. They were popular on the Thames where initially Maidboats then later Richardsons New Horizon had several.

Hi Russell, Simon Jarvis here, welcome to the forum side. I'm looking forward to watching Adventure 5, hoping to watch Day One soon. I think the NBN Facebook is handy but the forum is especially good for the in depth stuff. It's also good for those of us who enjoy writing.

OK Vaughan. We'll definitely be coming to Wroxham, probably Wednesday. It'd be great to meet for a pint so I'll PM you nearer the time.

Sounds like you're having a great time Vaughan. How is Monte Carlo? Are you on board until Tuesday? I'm coming up to Norwich on Sunday with Mrs Broads01 for 2 nights in Premier Inn then boat from Richardsons on Tuesday pm. I don't know if our paths will cross but it would be good to say hello.

Janet's interior looks good, Peter. I'm pleased to see Martham have kept themselves in the sensible club of hire operators that still allow solo hirers. I've never hired a wooden boat and I love it above Potter so I could see myself hiring from Martham.

I agree £70 per week for a dog is completely unacceptable. If Silverline are trying to put people off bringing dogs then why not just say 'no dogs'? I think you can't go wrong with Forth Bridge. I love that design and I've hired similar and we went under Wroxham Bridge on that trip.

John, is next year's Salhouse meet on the same weekend again, so starting Friday 17th May 2019?

Having been there a year ago I wish I was there now. The cruise from Malthouse was a great idea. Enjoy all.

Sounds fantastic.

Hi there. Bridge craft tend to get very good reports on here, as do Silverline. I've not hired Wisper but I've hired the same design and whilst far from new the design has stood the test of time well. You'd have a lot of unused cabin space with only two of you aboard but that's no bad thing. It'll fit under Wroxham but air draft isn't the lowest - it's over 7 foot if I recall so you could be disappointed at Wroxham and Wayford if water levels are high. The boat was originally Wisper at Gale Cruisers and then bought and refitted by Silverline around 20 years ago.

I think you're right Neil. It may be the same two that were later at Harvey Eastwood and Easticks.

Ah yes, Petite Magnum was a very rare variant of the Bounty 37 design. I like the idea of the extra large stern deck and I think that would work well on a large modern forward steer. I don't know why the idea never caught on. Before Petite Magnum was at Easticks it was at Harvey Eastwood. Where exactly was Easticks at Acle? Was it downstream of the bridge where Alan Johnson was?

I watched your video today, Bryan, thank you for posting it. I find your videos very calming. Thanks also for the walk through of Swan Roamer at the beginning - it looks superb and I'm looking forward to having it even more now.

Robin, do you have to keep the rib on top of Indy? Could you berth it somewhere else where it would be immediately accessible?

Hi Clive. Yes the Swancraft were a great purchase and I'm very much looking forward to my upcoming break on Swan Roamer. The sedan sounds interesting. I hope you're putting a large sunroof on it or a side entrance, as with a sedan that makes a huge difference.

Have a great time. There's no boat called Broads Gem though.

I'm always interested to see ex-hire rarities. I saw one of these last weekend at Rowan Craft Marina, it may have been the same one. Actually that marina is ex-hireboat city. I counted 4 Safari 25s apart from the sedan and all sorts of others. Geek that I am I found myself looking up the numbers on the boat database.

I was on the Broads that week too and I remember passing the boat. What a tragic story. I've watched part one so far Robin and enjoyed every bit as much as usual. Please let Sheila know it really adds to the video when she's aboard - the two of you bounce off each other really well and your personalities compliment each other. It's great also when you have the freedom for extra shots when Sheila is steering.

Officially 7 foot but based on my experience at Beccles (see my Holiday Tale) more like 6 foot 9. So yes, would pass under Potter now and again but only now and again probably.

Here are my thoughts on Lady of Freedom from Freedom Cruisers which I hired solo for 5 nights in April 2018. Lady is an aft cockpit design dating from the early 1980s and being 31 foot by 11 foot has a similar layout to the majority of aft cockpit 2-4 berths but of greater dimensions. The rear cockpit is exceptionally spacious and there is the standard seating across the stern although it's difficult to use this when the open canopy covers it. The canopy itself although large is straight forward to raise and lower even when solo. There is a central bar which assists this as it divides the process in to two stages. When the canopy is raised both the side and rear sections can be rolled up which makes for good access and ventilation. The windscreen is in 3 separate sections and is unusually easy to lower and raise. Lady is powered by a BMC engine which may be the original and I found it reliable if a little noisy in comparison to more modern engines. It wasn't exceptionally economical although this was undoubtedly influenced by punching strong tides and running the engine when moored to make frequent use of the heating. The saloon is spacious and the u shaped sofa would accommodate 4-5 adults comfortably. No doubt when converted to a bed it would be of good size for sleeping. The galley on the opposite side is standard with 4 ring hob and good sized fridge. The washroom is a reasonable size and using the shower doesn't feel cramped as is common on hire craft. The floor in the washroom has large holes for drainage to the shower tray rather than the lift out floor type which worked well. I couldn't get the spray function to work on the shower. The forward cabin consists of a 4 foot double bed with a single cross over above. This worked OK for me given I could use the single as a generous storage shelf. There is a long hanging rail underneath the single bed which was useful but I'd prefer to have a shorter rail and use of some of the space for shelving or drawers. There's an additional TV in the bows which I didn't use but it's a nice luxury touch combined with the fixed aerial mounting on the roof. I had good TV signal everywhere with very little aerial adjustment. I think it would be a comfy boat for 3 or 4 although I could see storage then becoming an issue. Saloon storage is limited to a small wardrobe, the under sink cupboard and a modest cubby hole under the sofa. Overall, the boat was well maintained and excellent value for money. The service I received from Freedom was friendly and personal. I really like their unique offering of any day to any day hire and their willingness to continue to allow solo hirers means I shall undoubtedly return to Freedom in the future.

I think it depends on who's hiring Jean. I just got through 100 litres in 5 days thanks to strong tides, doing plenty of miles and needing the heating a lot. In a week's hire I tend to use about the same and I'm careful with the throttle (but I love doing cruising miles!).

Thanks Bryan. I'm looking forward to having Swan Roamer myself at the end of the month. I've always found Richardsons great if you need to call out - prompt and no fuss as per your experience.

I'm with you Neil. Posting on Facebook as a sole course of action seems pointless to me.

Not as such Andrew, although you can usually take a rope off the cleat on the opposite side.

Of course, just as it was time to return the boat this morning the sun was shining and lots of blue sky, albeit it was still cold enough to need my coat and hat on. Having had some breakfast and packed up I couldn't wait to get outside and open the canopy. It was a short but lovely sunny cruise back to the boatyard. Andy was there to greet me and I mentioned the battery issue. He asked me if I'd had any issues with the fridge, to which I replied there were none and the lighting and TV all fine too. He thought it could be a heater issue rather than a battery issue. I had used 100 litres of fuel, mainly from fighting strong tides but also because I had to run the engine a lot at moorings, hence Andy kindly gave me a hefty discount on the cost taking that in to consideration. We had a good chat about Rambling Freedom, currently out of hire because it needs a new rear roof amongst other things and he showed me aboard. What lovely old cruisers they are. We also had a good chat about the hire industry and he mentioned the camaraderie that exists amongst hire operators, even though they're competing with one another in a difficult market. I'm home now after a journey thankfully free of delays. Overall, whilst certainly not my best Broads holiday ever given the terrible news I received on Friday morning and the persistent bad weather, I feel remarkably satisfied. It was as good as ever to fulfil my passion and I got quite a bit of satisfaction from battling against the conditions. It was lovely to be back on the south Broads after a 3 year back and the friendly, individual service I received from Freedom was a refreshing change. Andy confirmed he has no plans to stop solo hirers which is great and I'll definitely go with Freedom again. I'll do a boat review in the hire boat section. Thanks all for reading along and your kind comments. I'm back in 4 weeks time with Mrs Broads01 on Swan Roamer.