Unable To Get Fuel Or Pumpout This Afternoon At Brooms

[ranworthbreeze]

One of our owners has reported that they tried to get fuel and a pumpout earlier this afternoon, unfortunately whoever was on the pumps this morning went home after an injury, sadly he has taken the keys so nobody else can service the customers at the fuel station.

I hope they can send a runner before tomorrow. Freedom are closed on Sundays and that would have been the nearest place that I know about to get any fuel.

Regards

Alan

[ZimbiIV]

Swan sell fuel and do pump outs, best phone them first.

paul

[dnks34]

Its an unfortunate situation for the person injured and I do hope he/she is ok.

But it is rather ridiculous how sparse services like fuel and pumpout are becoming especially on the southern broads. 

 

[Chelsea14Ian]

I think also city boats at Norwich  do.Unsure of timings,as Paul said give Swan and or city  boats  a call

[Matt]

The other Saturday morning Brooms had to break into the fuel hut but as they could not find the keys.....

[Baitrunner]

NYA do fuel even to non members of their fuel club.  

As for pump outs, I can see people fitting diverter valves if it becomes a problem down south!!!!

[ExSurveyor]

I have a cunning plan Blackadder, 

I will phone Brooms on Monday and suggest they get some spare keys cut 

[Matt]

6 hours ago, psychicsurveyor said:

I have a cunning plan Blackadder, 

I will phone Brooms on Monday and suggest they get some spare keys cut 

I am sure our owner suggested that the first time around.........

 

the he problem on a Saturday is I think Swancraft are closed?

[Oddfellow]

Freedom is not closed on Sundays as a matter of course. We open mostly in season but will be closed at weekends out of season. 

Always best to call ahead on 01603 858453 as Sunday is always a skeleton staff and we may be called away. 

Freedom does not retail fuel, but we have water and can offer pumpout. 

 

We will be open today from about 10:30 to about 5pm

 

Andy

 

 

[MauriceMynah]

4 minutes ago, FreedomBoatingHols said:

Freedom is not closed on Sundays as a matter of course. We open mostly in season but will be closed at weekends out of season. 

Not a criticism Andy but a genuine question.

Wouldn't it make more business sense if 'out of season' you opened at weekends but closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday? Surely with so many private boats around, weekends are the time your services are most needed.

[Oddfellow]

Perhaps, but my family don't need me Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the day, but do on Saturday and Sunday. 

I have missed a great deal of my children growing up due to business and nearly lost my wife earlier this year to a life threatening condition. My work/life balance since Feb and going forward is very much more towards Life now. Making the decision to continue next year has been long and hard. 

We carry out very few pump-outs for river users (the last one was probably two weeks or more ago). Surprising, I know, but fact. 

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Andy,

I sympathize with you, anyone who has been self employed will understand that tough decisions have to be made, long hours, holidays if you have them are cut short, and always being on call, being an unpaid tax collector, overwhelmed with paperwork and the banks whipping boy. 

Everyone thinks that working for yourself is easy, time off when you like, paid what you want, until they try it.

Regards

Alan

[vanessan]

6 hours ago, FreedomBoatingHols said:

 

We carry out very few pump-outs for river users (the last one was probably two weeks or more ago). Surprising, I know, but fact. 

We have passed by on quite a few occasions wondering if we could get a pumpout rather than use Broom's but never seen a space to pull in. Is there a specific spot to head for?

[ScrumpyCheddar]

Oulton Broad pump out station finishes at the end this month... That's going to cause big problems down there next season...

[LondonRascal]

As a general comment on services supplied by various boatyards I do find it frustrating that details of their services are hard to find, and once there difficult to actually get to. 

While appreciate not all boatyards have enough space to keep areas specifically for the likes of pump outs and fuel, when you turn up to a boatyard and see boats everywhere and no clear idea what to do it does not make things easy. 

It would be nice if:

• Boatyards kept their website, Google Maps and Facebook information updated as to their details – address, telephone number and opening times so when you search for this it is known and easy to find. I had issue in January finding simply information from no less than 6 boatyards as to when they would be open after the Christmas break only 1 (Boulters) had bothered to publish updated seasonal times to their Facebook page – which was linked to through their Website.

 

• Had clear signage to say what services they offer and at what cost

 

• As to Pump Outs like this sign (below) and believe it should be adopted more than the odd shaped ‘u bend’ representation of signage common to the rivers currently - nice and clear to see what it is.

 

• Make it easier for those passing to know what to do for service such as ‘if service bay blocked sound horn three times’ and then someone can come and move boats or otherwise direct the customer. 

And finally...How about some loyalty schemes based upon what the customer may have used the yard for such as someone who had a full engine service getting a voucher valid for three months giving them a free pump out.

 

[ranworthbreeze]

I had a message from the owner that was on Ranworth Breeze late yesterday saying that no services were available at Broom's at all yesterday, lets hope they were open today.

I have had to ask the next owner to refuel & pump out and this will be paid by the leaving owner.

Not very often this happens but problems happen, a few years ago Broom's had sold out of fuel so I managed to get 37 liters  from Sanderson's  and a pump out, not ideal but fuel is sparse at times on the Southern Broads.

Regards

Alan

[JanetAnne]

4 hours ago, ScrumpyCheddar said:

Oulton Broad pump out station finishes at the end this month... That's going to cause big problems down there next season...

Its a lovely run to Beccles with not only a choice of boatyards to have your pump out done (Hippersons and Derbys) but you can also arrive back at Oulton Broad with fully charged batteries without gassing the rest of the Oulton Broad Yacht Station residents.

[dnks34]

Dont forget the self service pump out at the WRC. 

I just wish they would install some proper mooring rings or cleats as those large diameter bollards are a pain to tie up to, its the only place on the broads where my boat likes to untie itself! 

[JennyMorgan]

20 minutes ago, dnks34 said:

Dont forget the self service pump out at the WRC. 

I just wish they would install some proper mooring rings or cleats as those large diameter bollards are a pain to tie up to, its the only place on the broads where my boat likes to untie itself! 

Just take a turn round the bollard and make fast back onboard, makes casting off a doddle. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Last year we used the services  at freedom. Pump out and water.Very good to.I do understand  Andy you and many other's  need a life.Brooms who are closet to us have limited  opening  in the winter.For us it should  not be to bad.The boat is coming  out  of the water  next month. But if you carry  on boating December  and January  it can be  a problem  weekends.Glad you are carrying  on Andy. 

Ian 

[webntweb]

7 hours ago, vanessan said:

We have passed by on quite a few occasions wondering if we could get a pumpout rather than use Broom's but never seen a space to pull in. Is there a specific spot to head for?

We had a pumpout at Freedom last year. We just double moored stern on to the boat at the upstream end of the moorings.

[Oddfellow]

On 26/09/2016 at 2:22 PM, vanessan said:

We have passed by on quite a few occasions wondering if we could get a pumpout rather than use Broom's but never seen a space to pull in. Is there a specific spot to head for?

We can pump out along the whole of our quay; however, the chalet is not part of our land. 

[Vaughan]

On 9/26/2016 at 8:39 AM, FreedomBoatingHols said:

We carry out very few pump-outs for river users (the last one was probably two weeks or more ago). Surprising, I know, but fact. 

I know very well that on a small boatyard business the only one who is going to be there on a Sunday is the owner. You can't afford to have staff on overtime - maybe double - just in case a couple of boats come by for a pump out.

But at least if the owner is down there anyway, working on a boat in the sheds, you will get personal service!

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Vaghan,

You would think that, but it is not always the case A few years ago when we were moored at Ferry Marine (we only used their fuel station once, it used to be right at the back of the marina and very difficult to get in) so we used Bolters mostly. That Monday afternoon it was very windy so we decided to use that yard that Richardson's have now taken over.

I can not remember who operated their then, we managed to moor up and went to the office, A manager was in their and I asked for fuel and the two toilet tanks emptying, you would have thought I had two heads. He just said we do not open Mondays! 

So I leaned over the wall and shouted to Sonny, if they could take our lines if we popped round the corner. No trouble was the reply.

So this managers loss was Boulters gain because the fuel and pump outs came to well over £100.00 because we had been all over the Broads that week and fuel was a lot cheaper then.

We love the slow place in Norfolk but the mind boggles at times with the lack of business sense.

Regards

Alan

[Vaughan]

You don't say how long ago this happened, as I have I feeling I might know who that "manager" was.

I think the key words here are "manager" and not owner.