Jump to content

Bradbeers


Broads01

Recommended Posts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Their boats had red whale logos on their bows. The yards were often ones that neither Blakes nor Hoseasons would except, such as yards that didn't actually have a premises on the Broads proper. For example some folk hired their boats from Oulton Broad Yacht Station whilst their yards were on the seaward side of the 'lock' meaning that holiday boats couldn't moor there.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK so they were around for over 20 years then, longer than I thought.

It's hard to imagine a time when there so many boatyards that Hoseasons and Blakes could be choosy. 

I'll watch these listings with interest and I might be tempted to bid. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Simon, back then all the yards on the Broads had a reciprocal mooring agreement, e.g. the clients of one yard could more at any other yard. Obviously if a yard had mooring that were unavailable to other boats from other yards then they would be outside that agreement. History has it that Fowlers, with which I was involved, had 18 boats for hire yet we had space for 60  moorings after we bought what is now the Waveney River Centre. We agreed that we should maintain 18 free moorings but would charge for the other 42. Neither Blakes nor Hoseasons would accept that so we moved the boats to Ripplecraft at Somerleyton and charged for all 60 moorings at Burgh St Peters. We were soon to realize that we could make more and easier money by not having the hire fleet so we eventually sold them all to Ripplecraft. We were one of the first to abandon Oulton Broad, we were one of eighteen hire yards there in the 60's.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Peter. I'm always interested to read about history before my time visiting the Broads. I knew there used to be many yards at Oulton Broad but I didn't know there were as many as 18 . It's a wonder there was space to fit them all in.  I also didn't know there was a boatyard at Burgh St Peter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yards at Oulton Broad during the 1960's

Fowlers, Little Ships, Newsons, Austin's, O'Heft, Broadsway, Darby's, Orient Cruisers, Fletchers, Robinsons, Collins, Sunway, Hoseasons, Trumans, Knight's Creek, Clevelands, Hampton/Safari & Bradbeers. Pretty certain that's right, might have missed one or two.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, JennyMorgan said:

Yards at Oulton Broad during the 1960's

Fowlers, Little Ships, Newsons, Austin's, O'Heft, Broadsway, Darby's, Orient Cruisers, Fletchers, Robinsons, Collins, Sunway, Hoseasons, Trumans, Knight's Creek, Clevelands, Hampton/Safari & Bradbeers. Pretty certain that's right, might have one or two.

Can add to that Collen, Pye Marine, Bell (not the one at Brundall)  Kevincraft and S&M.                                                                           

Simon, unless they go for silly prices, I think you will find them very interesting. R. B. Bradbeer always gave a lot of information about the boats, rather in the style of the 20/30s Blakes ones and much more than the big boys, especially contemporary  Hoseasons ones and I suspect their brochures cost a fair amount to produce. As Peter says they (and Broads Holidays) tended to attract the smaller yards but they did have some big boys as well. Brinkcraft and Martham Boat & Development both booked through Bradbeer. When Bradbeer closed, it coincided (by chance or design I don't know) with Broads Holidays rebranding themselves as the Helmsman Association and most of the boats they represented transferred to Helmsman, although some yards did go to Blakes and Hoseasons.

Fred

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Fred, thanks for that, I had forgotten Pye Marine & Kevin Craft and S&M is a new one on me. Collens & Collins might be one and the same or either could be Sunway, a small yard that was owned by a Wally Collins. I remember Bells although I can't remember which premises they operated from. Actually not sure that Bells wasn't Victor Bell who later emigrated to Brundall although it might just be the same name.

Victor & I, plus a few others, crossed the North Sea about 1965. Coincidently, by chance, honestly, we were held up in a lock in Kanaal Strasse when Victor took a fancy to a young lady presenting her wares in one of those famous shop windows. We'd all been hitting the sherbet over the previous 20 odd hours of the crossing & Victor was well & truly tanked up. Victor stepped off the side of the boat, shambled across the 'strasse', through the glass (without a mark on him), drew the curtains & the rest is up to your imagination! Victor was a real character!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

Yards at Oulton Broad during the 1960's

Fowlers, Little Ships, Newsons, Austin's, O'Heft, Broadsway, Darby's, Orient Cruisers, Fletchers, Robinsons, Collins, Sunway, Hoseasons, Trumans, Knight's Creek, Clevelands, Hampton/Safari & Bradbeers. Pretty certain that's right, might have missed one or two.

I didn't realise Hoseasons and Bradbeers were boatyard operators as well as agents. I take it then that Topcraft (the final Oulton Broad survivors of course) came later, presumably taking over the premises of one of the others. Although I never hired from anywhere at Oulton Broad, I have lovely memories of mooring at Topcraft in the 2000s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Simon, Hoseasons started off as a boatyard in Commodore Road before becoming, very wisely, a letting agent and selling on their boats. Bradbeers,  allegedly cousins so many times removed,  had a small yard that later became, if I remember correctly,  Pye Marine but don't take that as gospel. I'm sure of the location but not the name. Like Hoseasons they subsequently set up as agents. Topcraft took over the old Collins/Collens Pleasurecraft yard that previously had been what we now know as Richardsons of Stalham. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Talking of brochures, this is a reproduction (in limited numbers) of a 1947 Blakes Boating Holidays brochure. No idea how we came to have this, or when it was produced, but certainly has some interesting boats in it and pretty certain as my dad was born in 1947 it may have been why he decided to have got hold of it.

 

IMG_4065 (2).jpg

IMG_4066 (2).jpg

IMG_4064 (2).jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, springsong said:

1939 Golden Eagle at Salhouse.jpeg

 

These boats ended up in the Jenners fleet in Thorpe in the late 60s, by then called "Sea Smuggler". There was also a smaller version, called "Gay Gambler". We called them the Strugglers and the Grumblers, as they were not very reliable, by then. 

They had a direct cooled 3 cylinder Lister diesel, which had a habit of "hydraulic-ing" - the cylinders filling up with water. When they left the yard on a Saturday and (sometimes) got as far as Bramerton, you could see them coming all the way down Postwick reach by the clouds of steam coming out of the side exhaust!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a forum newbie I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread. My first experience of the Broads was at "Camping Boats" on Oulton in the 50's. Does this ring any bells?

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

Talking of brochures, this is a reproduction (in limited numbers) of a 1947 Blakes Boating Holidays brochure. No idea how we came to have this, or when it was produced, but certainly has some interesting boats in it and pretty certain as my dad was born in 1947 it may have been why he decided to have got hold of it.

One of a set of three, 1908, 1916 and 1947. Published by Blakes on one of their anniversaries. Think it was their 90th but not sure. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello High6,
Welcome to the NBN forum. 
A friend of mine used to go on camping narrow boats with the Scouts, I assume that your experience will have been similar but on the Broads.
 
Regards
Alan

Hi, Alan
I can only have been about 5 years old. I recall camping with my parents in a field near the water with use of a wooden sailing dinghy. My first taste of sailing. It rained, as I remember, every day for a fortnight, so parents decided to stay for a further week in hopes of an improvement. Guess what.
A year or two later we spent a week with friends on board White Moth which was moored as a houseboat at Wroxham.

All happy times.

Doug

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember chatting in the mid 60s to an old chap working at Sanderson's in Reedham. In those days the boatyards had a system where they would do minor repairs to boats from other boatyards from the same group - I think they issued the hirer with a chit to give to the yard on their return, possibly so some form of payment could be claimed - I'm sure Vaughan will know more about this.

Anyway this old chap was complaining that every Saturday he spent as much time putting faults right on boats from a yard near Thorpe as he did on their own fleet.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, trambo said:

One of a set of three, 1908, 1916 and 1947. Published by Blakes on one of their anniversaries. Think it was their 90th but not sure. 

Yep, reproduction versions and I used to have a 1947 one like Robin's. They come up on eBay from time to time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Vaughan said:

 

These boats ended up in the Jenners fleet in Thorpe in the late 60s, by then called "Sea Smuggler". There was also a smaller version, called "Gay Gambler". We called them the Strugglers and the Grumblers, as they were not very reliable, by then. 

They had a direct cooled 3 cylinder Lister diesel, which had a habit of "hydraulic-ing" - the cylinders filling up with water. When they left the yard on a Saturday and (sometimes) got as far as Bramerton, you could see them coming all the way down Postwick reach by the clouds of steam coming out of the side exhaust!

Still got my eagle awaiting restoration. I met Adrian who was the apprentice at Jenner's when the (4) Eagles arrived to be updated into Sea Smugglers. He was going to find out some photo's, I will chase him up.

Golden Eagle is still around down west. Not seen her personally but talked to someone who had seen her last year. She is now blue and white and modified but the lines are still clearly there. 

My Eagle is in a very bad state and probably beyond restoration but we will give it a go and see where it leads us. Anyone got some spare oak?  Lol

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Sponsors

    Norfolk Broads Network is run by volunteers - You can help us run it by making a donation

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

For details of our Guidelines, please take a look at the Terms of Use here.