Old Broads Boats

[webntweb]

Admiral 7, South Walsham Broad, August 1982.

[webntweb]

Admiral Seven passing trip boat Regal Lady at May Gurney's? yard, Thorpe, river Yare, August 1982.

[KaptinKev]

15 hours ago, webntweb said:

Admiral Seven passing trip boat Regal Lady at May Gurney's? yard, Thorpe, river Yare, August 1982.

Is that a sizeable sunken boat further up the river on the right?

[webntweb]

1 hour ago, KaptinKev said:

Is that a sizeable sunken boat further up the river on the right?

Yes, it was there for some time. I would imagine Vaughan knows more about it.

[coolcat]

1 hour ago, KaptinKev said:

Is that a sizeable sunken boat further up the river on the right?

Deffo got a bit of a list

[webntweb]

Porter & Haylett's yard at Wroxham in its Connoisseur days, Sept 81.

[Lulu]

3 hours ago, webntweb said:

Porter & Haylett's yard at Wroxham in its Connoisseur days, Sept 81.

Very fond memories of wonderful family holidays and always being terrified when dad drove over the bridge to unload our luggage! 

[Broads01]

11 hours ago, webntweb said:

Porter & Haylett's yard at Wroxham in its Connoisseur days, Sept 81.

Great picture. It was taken a month after my first visit to the Broads as a child and really takes me back. In those days the Connoisseurs were at the top end of the market and as the photo shows were plentiful in number. The 'Mark 2s' were similarly at the leading edge in the 1990s but somehow it all went downhill after the Le Boat takeover. 

[webntweb]

1 hour ago, Broads01 said:

Great picture. It was taken a month after my first visit to the Broads as a child and really takes me back. In those days the Connoisseurs were at the top end of the market and as the photo shows were plentiful in number. The 'Mark 2s' were similarly at the leading edge in the 1990s but somehow it all went downhill after the Le Boat takeover. 

The pic was only part of the fleet. There were at least as many in the moorings in the broad behind the sheds.

One of the mechanics told me that the 2 berth 37s had a white saloon roof; the 4 berths had a brown roof and a brown trakmark? panel over the rear cabins and the 42ft 6 berths had a brown roof and two trakmark panels so they could tell which was which from a distance. I don't know if it was from some steps up the side of one of the boat sheds or from the bridge,

[webntweb]

In my previous post I may have misremembered about the 2 berths (well it is almost 40 years ago).

I don't think they were in the fleet as early as 81, weren't they later conversions of some of the 4 berths?

If so possibly the different colour schemes were to tell the difference between the 37ft two double berths and the one double and two singles craft.

Possibly something similar was used to distinguish between the 6 & 8 berth 42s.

[Griff500]

1 hour ago, webntweb said:

In my previous post I may have misremembered about the 2 berths (well it is almost 40 years ago).

I don't think they were in the fleet as early as 81, weren't they later conversions of some of the 4 berths?

If so possibly the different colour schemes were to tell the difference between the 37ft two double berths and the one double and two singles craft.

Possibly something similar was used to distinguish between the 6 & 8 berth 42s.

The brown canopy boats, both 37 and 42', were the DL4's and DL6's. Those with a white canopy offered a double bed in the saloon and were designated Super 6 or Super 8's. As the builds progressed there were numerous offerings including the 3/5, the 5/6, the Super 5/7 etc.

The later DL4's were multi purpose so that you could change the rear cabin from a double to 2 singles. Inevitably customers omitted to add their preference which meant that the arrangement had to be switched on their arrival at the yard!

The GL2 which was a 37' with galley in the front cabin came at a much later stage and after the first 29' DL2's were built.

I won't get started on the FB's (Flying Bridge) boats built for France just yet

[RS2021]

On ‎22‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 09:47, webntweb said:

Porter & Haylett's yard at Wroxham in its Connoisseur days, Sept 81.

I'm fairly new to the Broads, but I love the history. This thread has lots of great photos of old boats, but its also really fascinating to see a photo of an old hire yard in its heyday. Any one got any more? Loads of yards are now gone although some fleets live on under new owners at their yards.

[Timbo]

Here's an old yard in its heyday. Royall's yard at Hoveton in the 1960s and again in the 1970s. Royal Tudor is to the right in the first image.

[Broads01]

3 hours ago, Griff500 said:

I won't get started on the FB's (Flying Bridge) boats built for France just yet

Please do, I'm aboard one at the moment. 

[Griff500]

3 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

Please do, I'm aboard one at the moment. 

You're on Jazz I think, which was an FBF4 based upon the 29' DL2 hull with a different superstructure moulding. There weren't that many built and even less of the FBF6's which were on an extended 35' hull. They were always rather ungainly with a narrower 11' beam and seemed quite top heavy.

The broader 8 through to 12 berth models with the front well were far more popular and I think many have ended up as liveaboard houseboats in France. There was even a handful of FBGL4's which, as the name would suggest, were a luxury 4 berth on a 46' hull. My recollection was of a Swiss couple who, as the first hirers of the boat, proceeded to cook a brand new Peugeot 2.5 engine. They believed that the red flashing overheat light was an unusual design feature! They were not overly happy about losing their full damage deposit at the end of the week     

[Broads01]

6 hours ago, Griff500 said:

You're on Jazz I think, which was an FBF4 based upon the 29' DL2 hull with a different superstructure moulding. There weren't that many built and even less of the FBF6's which were on an extended 35' hull. They were always rather ungainly with a narrower 11' beam and seemed quite top heavy.

The broader 8 through to 12 berth models with the front well were far more popular and I think many have ended up as liveaboard houseboats in France. There was even a handful of FBGL4's which, as the name would suggest, were a luxury 4 berth on a 46' hull. My recollection was of a Swiss couple who, as the first hirers of the boat, proceeded to cook a brand new Peugeot 2.5 engine. They believed that the red flashing overheat light was an unusual design feature! They were not overly happy about losing their full damage deposit at the end of the week     

Thanks. Indeed I am on Jazz 5 and I've really enjoyed it. The top steering isn't for the feint-hearted, being inaccessible for anyone with the mildest of mobility difficulties and full on as far as exposure to the elements is concerned. However, you get all the benefits of a forward drive with the top steering thrown in, so all good from my point of view. 

I think it could be the case that all the 29s are back 'home' on the Broads now. Brinks have 5, Silverline have 2, Richardsons have 1 and I've seen 2 private ones. 

[Griff500]

Most of the bases in France had two each so there are probably a few more floating (hopefully) around somewhere! They were all incredibly well laid up boats and I’m sure that of the 300 odd built most are still around in one form or another.

i was privileged to work at P&H during that era in a time where they just built themselves out of recession with hard fought capital investment. Bill Moore had a vision which he fully achieved 👍

[webntweb]

Bit faded this one: Hipperson's John E, Sept 81.

[Broads01]

The Bridge Inn looks exactly the same now I think. 

[webntweb]

Salhouse Sept 81 - how we used to moor.

[Captain]

I remember mooring like that as well, what I don't remember is how we got off, jumping off the bow and paddling perhaps, I don't remember getting wet perhaps we did back then or am I being really thick?

Neil

 

[Helian]

I too vividly remember Salhouse. From memory, in some places you could jump from the bow onto the grass, otherwise onto the beach or a few inches of water.

I remember mooring like that as well, what I don't remember is how we got off, jumping off the bow and paddling perhaps, I don't remember getting wet perhaps we did back then or am I being really thick?
Neil
 

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[Lulu]

1 hour ago, Helian said:

I too vividly remember Salhouse. From memory, in some places you could jump from the bow onto the grass, otherwise onto the beach or a few inches of water.

I remember hunting for mussel shells. I thought they were treasure 

[stumpy]

3 hours ago, Captain said:

I remember mooring like that as well, what I don't remember is how we got off, jumping off the bow and paddling perhaps, I don't remember getting wet perhaps we did back then or am I being really thick?

Neil

 

Valoma (13th Ipswich Sea Scouts boat) had a modified decorators stepladder with pivoting feet stowed in the forepeak for just that purpose.

[webntweb]

1 hour ago, stumpy said:

Valoma (13th Ipswich Sea Scouts boat) had a modified decorators stepladder with pivoting feet stowed in the forepeak for just that purpose.

When we holidayed on Vestella 4 in 1958 there was a gangplank on the boat.

We used it a few times as there were a lot more casual than made up moorings then.