Hiring And Private Craft Care

[Andrewcook]

As to Royals  that are No Longer in the Hiring Fleet .They used to do at the end of Each Season do a lot of Maintenance  work on their Cruisers  such as the Fibre glass repairs and other things  ready for the New Boating Season as they put on there Blog what they do. They took pride in doing those things as for having loyal Customers returning to them each Year and being Voted the Best Boat Yard by Hoseasons for Customer Awards etc.. I can remember Allen Royal and Janet Royal set the Royals Standards of Boat Hiring as to there son Nigel and Sarah Royal taking over the reins  when Allan and Janet Royal retired. The question is do other Hiring Boat Yards set a very high Standard on their Hiring Craft Fleet doing it the same way each Year? As  to Privately on Cruisers  Griff always gets B A Maintained either in the Water or Out when it needs it along with other Privately  owned Cruisers do the same T L C treatment?  

Andrew Cook   

[Wonderwall]

Hi Andrew

I can only imagine that the hire yards have no option but to properly maintain their fleet. A boat which breaks down/ springs a leak for example , is going to cost them more than any pre planned maintenance would.

I have hired from many yards, but mostly Herbert Woods, so I will use them as my yardstick. Their boats run as they should, are always superbly turned out , the engine compartments are spotless , considering the hours of load they are under.

Richardsons and Pacific ( Loddon) are exactly the same in my experience .

I can't think any are any different, they simply can't afford to be. 

From my very limited knowledge, and as unlikely as me landing on the moon , and meeting Elvis when I was there , if  I was  to buy an older boat, I would seriously consider purchasing from a hire yard. 

Im not sure if this was the type of opinion you were after, but hey ho , I hope it makes some sense 

All the best 

Neil

[Polly]

I think that you cannot own a boat and not maintain it. They live in a challenging environment and need to be kept on top of, maintenance wise.

[Londonlad1985]

I admire the way most hire fleets always look pristine at the start of the season, it must be a big effort and expense, although doesn't take long for a few 'battle scars' to appear in the new season.

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[Hockham Admiral]

I think that Neil has said it all in his post above, Andrew:

"I can only imagine that the hire yards have no option but to properly maintain their fleet. A boat which breaks down/ springs a leak for example , is going to cost them more than any pre planned maintenance would".

[SwanR]

There are certain hire fleets that always look better turned out than others but "never judge a book by its cover" springs to mind.

We were a little surprised by the issues we had on a boat hired in mid-May given that's not very far at all into a new season, and likely there wouldn't have been too many hirers yet. But who am I to say that these things weren't perfectly fine in April.

All one can do is urge hirers to report any issues to the yard no matter what the time of year for the benefit of those coming along after them. The state of their boats is surely a hire yard's reputation and therefore their advertisement for future business and enticing their customers to book with them again. They wouldn't ignore that I am sure.

[Davydine]

We hired a boat once from a yard on the southern broads and when we collected it we found that it was distinctly shabby, the engine compartment was definitely not pristine, in fact, the boat we had actually booked had broken down and was being repaired, so we were given an alternate.

Not surprisingly the yard is long gone. 

We hired a boat from Richardsons at the beginning of May this year and it was immaculate.

[TheQ]

You can plainly see, private boats abandoned / looking abandoned around the broads so No private boats don't get all the love they need.

I would guess,

 Most Hire boats get most of their attention during the winter when they are out of use.

If self maintained, Most Private boats, will get most of their attention in the summer , as we are not being paid to freeze our....

[ChrisB]

Since giving up the sea and moving inland I have noticed how much more "Cleaning Maintenance" inland boats need. I never got all this green on decks and canvas and cockpits filling with leaf mould.

On the other hand the sea takes it's toll on gear especially standing rigging as you fall off steep waves etc. And at sea "I will do that, or service the engine next year" simply is not good enough.

[Andrewcook]

I'm very Surprise of theses replies as I thought Private Boat Owners take a lot more care on looking after Boats like I know of a Couple living in Norfolk Sandra and Colin got a Tub as Griff called it to me it is not with a lot of T L C that's to say  New Engine  re done the inside making it nice and cosy for them during the Summer and Winter months out on the Broads. As for Hiring Grafts Yes I can see  Neil is spot on with his answer to my question  as it's their Bread and Butter along with Hiring Staff to keep their Hired Grafts in Pristine  condition for Customers returning to them Year after Year as I now know Richardson's have got their reputation back after many Years in the Wildness. The Connoisseur where the top of the range Cruisers that was based in Wroxham No longer there now. I have now gone with Herbert Woods this  year Hiring Evening  Light.  One other point has been raised People who return the Hired Crafts back to the Boat Yards Don't always mention any problems with their Hired Craft as I had the misfortune of having my Holiday ruined by sitting in Wroxham  Free Mooring for Four Hours having Half the Engine out and putting back New Head plus that Cured the problem that was not reported in the First place that's my gripe on those people for not reporting problem for others to have care free Holiday like I've done in the past Boating Holidays.

Andrew Cook  

[Polly]

We look after Brilliant in summer and lift her out for the winter. It would be nice to keep her in for longer, but she is a woody and we live 2hours+ away.

[WherryNice]

I think it all depends on what the private boat owner actually gets out of boating and perhaps their budget that dictates how well(or not) they maintain their boat, for me much of the enjoyment and satisfaction comes from improving and maintaining my boat, certainly I enjoy it as much as I do using it. For others I feel that the boat is just a vehicle to get them out on the water and into nature and so as long as it works the boat gets little other thought. The same can be said of cars and other vehicles tbh, I work in a garage and the difference in attitudes toward maintainance is huge but everyone wants/needs the car to always work.....

Its a complex topic when really thought about.

[Timbo]

Hire boats really do take some 'hammer' from their crews over the season. I own an ex- Royall's hire boat, Royal Tudor. Royal Tudor as you will know is a woody, similar to, but of better design and construction to a Broom (Ya boo sucks I've had the chance to see both, side by side, and have a Broom owner point out the differences .) During the current restoration, it has given me the chance to see close up the work that has been done to Royal Tudor by the original boat yard and past owners.

Once you start to strip back the layers of paint you can find some mind numbing and wallet stunning inconsistencies. For the yards and owners, it all comes down to cold hard cash. For a hire fleet, some seasons you may not have the ready cash to do the repairs you want, you may not have the time either. For the private owner, no matter how much you love your boat, sometimes you just cannot afford it. Sometimes you may not have the knowledge or skills to do the job yourself.

As an archaeologist and historian, one of the things that I have found fascinating about Royal Tudor is tracing the little quirks, repairs and alterations that the old girl has undergone over the years. For example, RT's aft well was altered at some point to get rid of the doors in her transom. Later she was put back to her original configuration. In the process, some muppet used a piece of untreated pine softwood which turned to liquid over the years.

RT was built before showers were first installed on hire boats. She was later adapted to include a shower in the heads, and you can see where the original wash basin was moved out of the heads and into one of her two forward cabins and set into the dressing table. When we bought her you could see where someone had tried to use water based filler below her water line to fill a gaping hole. There were countless small bottles of wood hardener all over her where someone either couldn't afford to or didn't want to go to the expense of replacing timbers.

The expense and Doug's kind offer to teach me is the reason I'm a DIY boater. Well, coupled with my curiosity and desire to work on boats. But not everyone has the finances, skills and physical ability, or desire, to maintain their boat. Just like their boats, old age can creep up on the owners quickly. I know of many owners who do not have the means or ability to manage the upkeep of their boat, yet selling the boat is just too much of an emotional wrench. Ask the chaps at Martham, they have many boats brought into their sheds for restoration and are just left there and abandoned as the boat owner loses interest or cannot afford the costs of restoration.

[Malanka]

Not all Brooms are equal Timbo...

Chromed Brass anyone .....

 

M

[ChrisB]

1 hour ago, Timbo said:

Hire boats really do take some 'hammer' from their crews over the season. I own an ex- Royall's hire boat, Royal Tudor. Royal Tudor as you will know is a woody, similar to, but of better design and construction to a Broom (Ya boo sucks I've had the chance to see both, side by side, and have a Broom owner point out the differences .) During the current restoration, it has given me the chance to see close up the work that has been done to Royal Tudor by the original boat yard and past owners.

Once you start to strip back the layers of paint you can find some mind numbing and wallet stunning inconsistencies. For the yards and owners, it all comes down to cold hard cash. For a hire fleet, some seasons you may not have the ready cash to do the repairs you want, you may not have the time either. For the private owner, no matter how much you love your boat, sometimes you just cannot afford it. Sometimes you may not have the knowledge or skills to do the job yourself.

As an archaeologist and historian, one of the things that I have found fascinating about Royal Tudor is tracing the little quirks, repairs and alterations that the old girl has undergone over the years. For example, RT's aft well was altered at some point to get rid of the doors in her transom. Later she was put back to her original configuration. In the process, some muppet used a piece of untreated pine softwood which turned to liquid over the years.

RT was built before showers were first installed on hire boats. She was later adapted to include a shower in the heads, and you can see where the original wash basin was moved out of the heads and into one of her two forward cabins and set into the dressing table. When we bought her you could see where someone had tried to use water based filler below her water line to fill a gaping hole. There were countless small bottles of wood hardener all over her where someone either couldn't afford to or didn't want to go to the expense of replacing timbers.

The expense and Doug's kind offer to teach me is the reason I'm a DIY boater. Well, coupled with my curiosity and desire to work on boats. But not everyone has the finances, skills and physical ability, or desire, to maintain their boat. Just like their boats, old age can creep up on the owners quickly. I know of many owners who do not have the means or ability to manage the upkeep of their boat, yet selling the boat is just too much of an emotional wrench. Ask the chaps at Martham, they have many boats brought into their sheds for restoration and are just left there and abandoned as the boat owner loses interest or cannot afford the costs of restoration.

You remind me of the Elephants Graveyard that was inland from San Diego. It was full of abandoned dreams of sailing away. There were a number of given up restorations but most were Ferro home construction. 

The trouble with the ferro craze of the 70s was the hull was all uncosted own labour. A couple would have a dream of escape and decide on a 30ft design. Unfortunately they then realised it was only a few dollars more to go up 50% and build a 45 footer. But then came the problem the fit out costs had not gone up 50% it was more like 300 to 400%, the dream was now a nightmare and the storage costs mounting so they walked away, as in the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. "A sadder and a wiser man he woke the morrow dawn"

[JennyMorgan]

There is a ferro hull in a bloke's driveway in Oulton Broad, it must have been there for at least twenty years with nothing happening to it.  At least the concrete will have cured.