We Need Some Serious Help !!

[Guest]

Sorry if I have missed some details Glenn but if your boat is 240v the lead is generally left onboard in my hiring experience, have a look around before setting off and if not just ask.

If you were to go down the route of taking your own cable, as NorfolkNog says a caravan/camping cable could be used and the posts are indeed rcd protected, however you can get a camping lead with built in rcd too.

Regardless, enjoy your time afloat.

Jay

[olliverdrake]

Cheers Jay

I am reasonably sure that this boat is not equipped with a shore power connection for hookup to the posts. Although I could be wrong. A call to the boatyard might be my best option. I do already have said lead so I will take with me anyway. I really just wanted advice/experiences from other forumites and clarification as to the safety of such a lead. I'm sure I have read a thread on this some months ago.

Fully intend enjoying !

Glenn 

Edited November 3, 2017 by olliverdrake

[Broads01]

I think it depends how much cruising you're planning to do, Glenn. In common with Howard I've never used electric hook up or even hired a boat equipped for it. I do however like to cruise 4-5 hours a day and I find that's fine for using warm air heating without much needing to run the engine further. 

[SwanR]

We've used electric hookup in October and March so as to have the heating on in the evenings and early morning with no worry about the batteries. The problem otherwise can be that some Skippers Manuals say only to run the heating for a maximum time of two hours for example, without running the engine. 

Plus if you fancy a day with only a short cruise, and can hook up to the electric somewhere like Ranworth, then you can have a nice cosy relaxing day without having to think about the power you're using to keep the heating on.

Not all boatyards will give you the power lead. We asked at Richardson's and they said they never give them out. So we always make sure that if hiring early or late season that it is a boat or a yard where we can take this. Ferry Marina, NBD and Barnes Brinkcraft have all done so.

Personally I would never use a lead from any other source than the yard. I would think that you could be letting yourself in for a very large bill if anything went wrong.

[vanessan]

I saw a boat from BBC moored at Potter fairly recently. It had a very long lead running from the shore power onto the boat through an open window. The lead looked very new and, rightly or wrongly, I assumed the hirer had supplied it himself. Best thing would be to check with the boatyard though.

[NorfolkNog]

Agree with Simon, doing around 4 hours cruising is a good plan. 

Also with Jean, re the heating - the system takes a big hit from the battery on start up but once running the current drain is minimal. We sometimes run the engine for a few minutes on start up but switch off on warm up. 

The battery systems on the Swancraft boats were so good however that we rarely needed to run the engine at all! 

[L8DAVE]

Thanks for all the positive vibes re getting the wife with me later this month ..... Hasn't worked, but what the hell , bit of "Solo" cruising for me then 

[olliverdrake]

Hi SwanR

We hired a Broadsman last year and when I arrived I asked for a shore power lead. We signed for the boat and went to Tesco in Stalham for supplies and were told that a lead would be left on the back of the boat for when we returned. When this did not happen I went to arrivals and again asked for one and they did supply one. Again this year we Hired Rapture end of September and I asked for one and were given one. We left this on board when we returned and had the good fortune to be able to return for a 4 night break on the same boat 3 weeks later. The lead was still in the wardrobe.

So they will supply one. I guess you just have to be persistent. There could be all sorts of reasons they don't want to supply the leads as I'm sure we can all work out. 

Glenn

[SwanR]

Thanks for the info Glenn. We did see a Richo's boat out recently that seemed to have electric hook-up and wondered whether they had brought their own lead or been supplied with one.

It's a shame if companies don't have consistency in their response to customer questions as we have ruled Richardson's out on a number of occasions based on the answer we were given.

[olliverdrake]

That's such a shame as I have hired with Richo's many times over the years. I did have a spell with Barnes and Royalls but have recently returned to Richo's and I have honestly been blown away by the way things have changed. I remember my parents hiring a houseboat probably late 70's early 80's somewhere near the boatyard. There used to be a clubhouse which I can only describe as a working mans club close to the river but I was too young to remember where it was or what it was called. Would love to know if it was part of Richo's and what happened to it and exactly where it was. I'm sure some of you remember ? 

I also remember when Rank took over and things went down hill but the current team, I think, have got things almost spot on. You can see the investment in the place and the boats. Long may it continue and long may the broads hold so many beautiful memories for us all.

I wouldn't discount Richo's when hiring. Such a wide range to chose from and the backup of a large team to help should the need arise. My advice is to ask at arrivals and then ask again. They will come good if you are persistent. I think that most hirers who do not follow a forum such as this would not be aware that a boat can be plugged into shore power and will run the engine as per the instruction/skippers manual thus burning fuel without the need. If the business was mine I would do the same. Fuel will generate profit and the amount of hires a year would be worth a lot in lost profit if every boat was able to hook up to a BA post.

Glenn

[L8DAVE]

OlliverDrake ...... I do believe the clubhouse you refer to , was across the main road , opposite Richardsons . It was on a chalet park ( Broadland, I think ) which also had an outdoor pool . As a Richardson's customer , you could use these facilities , but as to wether or not it was owned by Richo's , I could only hazard a guess at yes 

[thingamybob]

Yes my friend, you do need some serious help. When you look at what you have on the Broads, basically you have some parts of the river with loads of expensive property on the waterfront around Horning and Wroxham and a bit on the Ant just South West of Barton Broad.

Personally anything South of Acle is long and boring, just hours of looking at grazing land punctuated by the odd cow on the flood defences.

Great? Yawnmouth is nothing to write home about and I think the local authority have a cheek to ask for mooring fees to stay there to spend your money in the scruffy dump.

The pubs are not much better and very expensive, using the excuse that "they have to make the money to see them over the winter" I wish I could have put my feet up over the winter and lived off what I earned over the summer.

The only saving graces are Hickling Broad, Barton Broad and the River Bure above Wrecksham. What the shiny brocures do not tell you that unless you are moored up at places such as Horning, Stalham, Ranworth, or Ludham Bridge before 5.00 pm in the high season you had better have some booze and food on the boat, you will not get moored.

Basically I only go there for a bit of fishing and the eels are a damned nuisance, it is only a place to float my (own) boat and no more. There are much better places in this country to float my boat and I go there much more than I go on the broads. I was told a short time ago to "get a life" by a most uninformed member of this "friendly forum". Oh yes, I have a life but the vast majority of it is somewhere else, if I was permanently on the broads then I would be so bored that the boat would be up for sale very quickly.

Go and try the Warwickshire Avon, The River Severn, The River Thames,The River Wey, The Shropshire Union Canal, The Llagollen Canal, The Leeds and Liverpool Canal, The Caldon Canal and the Caledonian Canal. Then you will need serious help!

[Londonlad1985]

21 minutes ago, thingamybob said:

 I have a life but the vast majority of it is somewhere else, if I was permanently on the broads then I would be so bored that the boat would be up for sale very quickly.

I think the same could be said of many holiday destinations to be fair. Which i suppose is why many people choose to visit a few weeks a year rather than live there. I must admit the thought of a winter break afloat is appealing though! 

[Vaughan]

29 minutes ago, thingamybob said:

I was told a short time ago to "get a life" by a most uninformed member of this "friendly forum". Oh yes, I have a life but the vast majority of it is somewhere else, if I was permanently on the broads then I would be so bored that the boat would be up for sale very quickly.

 

Speaking as someone who supported you, at the time, I suggest it is unfair to make a post like that on a thread posted by a new member, knowing nothing of your grievance, who has asked a reasonable question?

[thingamybob]

[SwanR]

I couldn't tell if that post was tongue in cheek or serious?!

By the way ... the gritters are apparently out and about in Suffolk and Norfolk in the early hours of tomorrow morning so winter's on the way!!