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Matt

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Posts posted by Matt

    Syndicate Enquires

    in Broads Chat

    Posted

    Thunder is a great boat, but not necessarily the easiest if you'll be single-handed - At 43 feet she can often seem to be just that bit too big to fit into the gaps people leave at popular mooring spots. Also, from the interior helm the visibility of the stern is best described as 'quite limited'. The size is also such that really you do want one person at the helm and then at least one person on deck (ideally at least two).
    If you're planning on boating more as a party of two or three then she's a different proposition, and doesn't feel cramped with a larger party aboard. With a group of five mates, we've been able to use her comfortably with no-one making beds up each night as she has five separate beds (plus the saloon).


    You should try her in the school holiday weeks- the gaps at side on moorings are often too small! We always take the dinghy to increase our options.

    We have peaked with 4 adults, 4 children and 2 dogs. I would describe it as cosy :-)

    No doubt solo cruising could cause some problems, particularly as the upper helm only exits to one side.

    M



    Sent from my iPhone using Norfolk Broads Network
    • Like 1

    Syndicates, Thoughts

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I wonder if I might offer a different perspective on this, as the subject of the thread is "thoughts"?
    I have a lifetime (literally) in the hire boat business, so I know how much it costs to run a hire boat.
    In May this year we have hired a 10 berth cruiser from Richardsons for two weeks, for about £1400. This includes the fuel deposit and a damage waver (which is optional). This is a large boat just for Susie and I but we have hired it for 3 reasons :
    1/. We like to have plenty of space when we are living on a boat in comfort.
    2/. We can invite family and friends to join us for a night or two during our holiday.
    3/. It can be used as a clubhouse for impromptu cocktail parties if there is bad weather during the spring meet!     :default_drinks:
     
    Meantime, we have a great boat, maintained in top class condition and the hire price includes winter moorings, maintenance, servicing, upgrades including a new engine, damage repairs, insurance, river tolls, "management fee" and free car parking for our camper van. We also have the protection of a full breakdown service which is 24hr if necessary, we are provided with bed linen, we don't have to clean the boat in more than a cursory fashion (although of course, we do) and we don't even have to pump out the toilet tanks before we give it back. Depending on the speed that we have been driving it, we might even get a few quid back out of our fuel deposit!
    In late October we might well book a smaller boat for a week, which will still bring our annual costs for 3 weeks on the Broads to no more than £2000 - total. In addition, we have the choice of whatever boat, from whatever yard, we wish to book it.
    Personally, that is a deal that I am very happy with.


    In terms of Thunder we pretty much get all of the above. With the exception of:
    - we need to take bed linen, duvets onboard
    - we need to clean the outside ourselves
    - we need to fuel and pumpout

    But we don’t get a choice of boats!

    Thunder is also well equipped inside- shore power, immersion heater, a new spring mattress, a galley equipped to feed about 20 people and more.

    I paid £3,500 for my 2 week share about 5 years ago and it has cost £900 a year plus fuel and pumpout. A couple of those years we had an extra week.

    And as a bonus (for us anyway!) we get school holidays!

    That is a deal that I am also very happy with!


    Sent from my iPhone using Norfolk Broads Network
    • Like 4

    Syndicates, Thoughts

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    The fact is that the market value of the boat is not the only thing that impacts the value of a share that can be realised. Demand is one of the main drivers, affected by many things even the way the weeks are selected and where it is berthed.


    And how much money a Syndicate has in the bank!!


    Sent from my iPhone using Norfolk Broads Network
    • Like 2

    Syndicates, Thoughts

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Although with Thunder she is probably out 40 weeks a year so probably has higher costs as a result but spread between 12.5 owners.

    Doing work yourselves is okay if you have the skills and expertise amongst the owners but don’t forget those owners can sell up and move on.

    My suggestion would be that if 3 or 4 of you want to buy Into a Syndicate and take it down the self managed route then all buy into the same syndicate and then vote together accordingly. I imagine most syndicates are probably around the 60/40 for self managed so probably quite easy to swing the vote.


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    • Like 3

    Syndicates, Thoughts

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I have always held the view that we as a syndicate we should buy back shares for Thunder when an owner is keen to sell and the price reflects that. We could turn reduce the number of owners over time.

    However, not much appetite at the moment and one barrier is the management fee.


    Sent from my iPhone using Norfolk Broads Network

    • Like 2

    Syndicates, Thoughts

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I think most of any points that I would have made have been made.

    Syndicate ownership is far more aligned to that of hiring as opposed to sole private ownership and so should be compared cost wise to that.

    I think the only other point to make is that I reckon starting a self managed “stranger” syndicates from nothing would be bloody difficult. I assume that most current stranger self managed syndicates came about following a split from a management company?


    Sent from my iPhone using Norfolk Broads Network

    • Like 6

    Speeding On The Broads

    in Broads Chat

    Posted

    Always good to bring an old thread back to life but this seemed the most relevant.

     

    Interesting Broads Beat Twitter post just now:

     

     https://twitter.com/broadsbeat/status/1070323965942472705?s=21

     

     

     

    I presume the picture is of the offending vessel.

     

    You will need to click on the link through to twitter to see all of the pictures.

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Norfolk Broads Network

     

    My Day

    in The Broadscot Lounge

    Posted

    Well I am pleased to say that my 15 year old Vauxhall Corsa SXI passes her MOT yesterday first time with just one advisory.

    However, signs of rust breaking through underneath ☹️


    Sent from my iPhone using Norfolk Broads Network

    Is The Tipping Point Approaching?

    in Broads Chat

    Posted

    Brilliant thread!

    We were fortunate enough to buy into a syndicate boat about 8 years ago and have had at least 2 weeks afloat each year since.

    I reckon Thunder currently costs us about £850 a year for those 2 weeks.

    If we didn’t have the share I doubt we would often holiday afloat as the school holidays are pricey.

    My biggest frustration is the increasing in tolls over the last few years for which the return on the things that matter to us have dwindled.

    For the last few times afloat we have spent very little in the local pubs and restaurants, choosing instead to spend that money away from the Broads in other holidays.

    Next August we have Return Easy Jet flights for 4 to Lanzarote for £750, Air BnB for £700 for the week and car hire for £90.

    The tipping point will be when the £850 buys somewhere else. I imagine that will be once we don’t need to go in the school holidays.


    Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

    • Like 1

    Breydon Rescue

    in Broads Chat

    Posted

    I have personally seen Spirit of Breydon come to the rescue of a hireboat who had suffered an engine bay fire. They went alongside for the tow.

    Of course when it’s there and efficiently dealing with these types of incidents I would imagine they very rarely become newsworthy.


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    • Like 2

    Brinks Serenade

    in Hire Boat Discussion

    Posted

    Yeah that is the benefit of a Diamond - They have about 6'9" air draft and the roof is very much shaped for the bridges, even by Broads cruiser standards. It's not immediately obvious from looking at them, but they probably have another 6 inches of clearance over a Pearl 38 for instance.
    The older-style interior does give you a good platform for two to three people to stand on and it's quite easy to see all around from there.


    Do you reckon the difference between the 2 is six inches?

    I used to take Evening Shadow through Wroxham bridge regularly, in fact our first ever time we used her we came out of Barnes and went straight through!

    I seem to recall she was marked at 6ft 10 inch on the dash. But I find taking Thunder through far more of a challenge!

    It’s possible it’s the benefit of the centre cockpit on ES it even the nav lights on Thunder.


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