Fair Marquess - Under Starters Orders For 2019

[ChrisB]

Moneypenny is a Haines Elegance is it not? With an initial price tag quoted of £315K  the hire rate reflects that. Furthermore NYA will not own these boats, her papers will be in the hands of Lombard North Central or a similar company that is still in the marine mortgage market. Boat finance is not low risk and interest rates will reflect the many failures in the market over the last ten years. You have three companies in the supply chain before the hirer goes onboard, Haines, NYA, and the Bank, The hirers have to provide a profit to all three and pay off the capital sum to the bank.

[MauriceMynah]

Oh come off it Jean :-)   People have said they think it's an ugly boat, (in my opinion it is) and people have said it's a very expensive boat to hire. (In my opinion it is that too).

You don't think it ugly, fair enough, no problem, but you do seem to be in the minority. You are not wrong, your opinion is as valid as ours, it's just different

28 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Perhaps you don't consider those of us prepared to pay for a bit of luxury on our holiday as proper boaters.

Wrong! we do. we just don't necessarily agree with your choice of craft.

28 minutes ago, SwanR said:

But we're equally entitled to come on the Broads, bring our money to the local economy and have a wonderfully relaxing time.

Agreed You most certainly are,

28 minutes ago, SwanR said:

There's plenty of boats out there that I would never hire for various reasons,

Me too.

28 minutes ago, SwanR said:

but I don't go around telling other people that they shouldn't choose them.

Nor do we.

28 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Broads is that there is something for everyone, all ages and classes and styles of boats, basic, luxury and all points in between.

Again, agreed.

28 minutes ago, SwanR said:

And yes, I would even have one holiday instead of two if that was the way to save up enough to hire something that I aspire to one day sailing down the river. 

Nobody would have a problem with that either.

 

Now I will again admit that I find that boat laughably ugly,  The fact that you like it and appear to be one of few who do is no matter of contention, it is the choice we all have and really doesn't need to be defended here on this forum. Nobody thinks less of you for your opinion (even if you are wrong... (whoops sorry, couldn't resist :-)   … )  ) 

[ChrisB]

I will probably be hung for this, but I am pleased to see a "Top End" offering on The Broads. 

However I do think that too many 40ft+ cruisers could pose a problem on the Northern River System.

[Timbo]

If anyone can hear a distant thumping sound...it's Uncle Albert! 


 

[marshman]

Just out of interest Chris, these boats are only about 36' long I think, far shorter than Clives finest!

[High6]

Just needs a pair of funnels.

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[ChrisB]

13 minutes ago, marshman said:

Just out of interest Chris, these boats are only about 36' long I think, far shorter than Clives finest!

I was refering to Moneypenny, not the boat here which actually I think for a hire boat is a good design for all types of weather. It would do well in Ireland where it can go from monsoon to not a cloud in the sky twelve times a day and bridges have more clearance.

[Vaughan]

Leaving aside what I think of it myself,   the boat hire business relies heavily on regular customers. So you choose your first holiday boat from a brochure. You then look at all the other boats going by on the river and think "Cor, that one looks much nicer than mine - that's the one I'm going to book for next year! Remains to be seen if this design will provoke that reaction in the regulars.

This is obviously the much vaunted (at the time) Len Funnell low wash hull with a new lid on top. I think he introduced that one about 30 years ago? Still, nothing wrong with making good use of an old mould tool. One photo-shopped image and a basic floor plan is not a lot to go on, but I wonder where the engine is? No room for it under the low aft well, so there will presumably be a higher level in the saloon with the engine under. That will not leave a lot of headroom under that low front cabin top. Judging by the level of the floor on the sundeck, there won't be much headroom in the aft cabin or the shower either. This seems a pity, in such a high sided boat. It doesn't look as though the side decks are going to be very wide either, as I notice that the bed-head in the aft cabin is shown as under the deck.

I assume there will be a folding windscreen for the upper steering and there are side screens and a seat back  which stick up a long way. The problem with all this folding down stuff is that when the hirers are driving down below in bad weather, they will forget all about it after an hour or so and go straight under St Olaves bridge with it all still up!

People who hire at the luxury end of the market these days, will expect each cabin to have its own shower and toilet compartment ensuite*. So I can't see this letting as a 4 berth, at that price, if one couple have still got to camp out in the saloon, just like the 1960s. Time will tell, of course, but I think they are taking a bit of a punt, on this one.

 

* This word does not exist in French. They don't know what it means!

[ChrisB]

Chambre Attenante? Chambre avec salle du bain?  But I agree, luxury for two only, you don't want to be making up beds for that money.

[MauriceMynah]

La bog du cabin sur la bunk avec pump

[Captain]

Hi

This is a Ferry design based around the 2009 Golden Emblem 36ft 6 mould however with the newer Zircon Emblem window design brought in by Haines in 2016. To be honest I don't think it looks that bad, no worse than then the average bathtub and if you take a look the inside of Silent/Whisper Emblem you will see the likely fit out. Height wise I believe they are around 8st 2 so no worse than than your high bridge layouts and will go under Ludham unlike some of the other boats mentioned. My understanding is the engine is under the rear berth with hydraulics to lift the berth up and the headroom is good pretty much everywhere which is is why it looks a bit like a Transit and exactly why it will book well (in part). How do I know this, well Silent/Whisper and Zircon Emblem are the some of if not the most popular boats in the Ferry fleet. Would I consider hiring it yes I would if I was with my Mum who is looking for comfort as she gets older, I was on Janet earlier in the year therefore I am happy to cruise on any age/type of boat which suits me at the time.

 

Neil

[Cockatoo]

5 minutes ago, Captain said:

Hi

This is a Ferry design.......

As in it looks like a cross-channel Ferry?

[Poppy]

The windage will make handling interesting.....

[marshman]

Hi Vaughan - I think Captain has said it all and cleared up some of the points you raised. If you go on the Ferry website, all the boats do have a little video on each boat so you can see what it is like.

To me the appeal would undoubtedly be to see over the reeds - even I get bored with seeing only the reeds at times and there is no doubt that lounging on an upper deck would have some appeal.

Now Vaughan when you have a moment, perhaps you can clear something up for me! Earlier Chris B mentioned that all new boats would be financed through a marine mortgage - I was surprised by this as I thought most were funded by selling of "old stock", or in the case of Len Funnell, probably out of the cash in the tea fund!! To me it seems an additional problem to be added to the existing problems if you do it through a mortgage but hey, I know nothing!

So what do they do ???

[kadensa]

47 minutes ago, marshman said:

 

To me the appeal would undoubtedly be to see over the reeds - even I get bored with seeing only the reeds at times and there is no doubt that lounging on an upper deck would have some appeal.

 

What's wrong with this?

[grendel]

Jayne, I nearly had her for the meet in may, but she wasnt ready so I got upgraded (she went back in the water at 4pm on the day I was supposed to pick her up, and was still taking up when I returned Janet., for me that is a proper boat.

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, marshman said:

Now Vaughan when you have a moment, perhaps you can clear something up for me! Earlier Chris B mentioned that all new boats would be financed through a marine mortgage - I was surprised by this as I thought most were funded by selling of "old stock", or in the case of Len Funnell, probably out of the cash in the tea fund!! To me it seems an additional problem to be added to the existing problems if you do it through a mortgage but hey, I know nothing!

I didn't know they still did that nowadays but in the 60s and 70s a marine mortgage was quite common, since the interest rate tended to be cheaper than the bank and you could take it out for fairly long periods. It takes at least 10 or 12 years to get your capital back, on a hire boat.

One of the conditions of a marine mortgage was that the boat had to be British  registered with Lloyds Register of Yachts. Take B.A. for instance, or Star Premier, or Royal Tudor. Do they have a registered number, and the registered tonnage, carved into the main deck beam, or maybe the main beam in the bilges? If so, they were built on a marine mortgage.

[YnysMon]

I had a look around one of these new style boats when we handed back Royale Emblem after our holiday in May last year, I think it may have been Silent Emblem but can’t swear to it. . Very, very (and even more very) impressed with the interior. If my main priority wasn’t getting through bridges I would love to hire one. The interior decor and space was on par with a reasonably luxurious hotel. I’m sure that lots of people nowadays, especially first time hirers, choose boats on the basis of what they offer on the inside, not how they look from like the outside.

The bottom line is that too many boats have really uncomfortable accommodation.  Our first hire was on Turquoise Emblem, which is a comfortable boat for a couple, but I didn't like sleeping in a bed that was recessed at one side of the rear cabin.The reason we have stuck with Fair Regent the last couple of trips is because of the comfortable island bed.  Too many boats have really narrow side on beds. Apart from having too high an air-draft, the newer boats tend to be beyond our price range, but it seems there are plenty of punters around who can afford this sort of thing. 

They may seem ugly to lots of us, but are obviously attracting customers. 

 

[ChrisB]

Marshman, I did not say all new boats would be funded by a marine mortgage. I was taking about two boats in particular. NYA is different from run of the mill hire companies. NYA have millions of pounds worth of boats on their books that are in their name and earning not a penny until sold. How else do you finance part exchange involving £100K+ boats. A hire companies bank may well finance a new build because they see an income stream perhaps without the need to secure the loan against the boat. The two boats that I was refering to are also £300K+ boats so also a bit not run of the mill. I was merely trying to demonstrate that £3000 per week was not unreasonable given the facts, each company has it's finance arrangements.

[ChrisB]

Perhaps my wording Marine Mortgage Market has been taken too literally. Companies in Marine Finance behind big brokers and distributors can also take a simplified legal charge on the vessel. As long as it is not subject to a marine mortgage, if that were the case then their legal charge would be a second charge and not carry protection until the mortgage was settled.

[marshman]

Cleared that up then!!!!

[grendel]

all this world of big finance shoots way above my head, simpler to say the boat has to pay its way and be done with it, I do understand that the initial build costs may take several years of hiring to pay off.

[Poppy]

12 hours ago, kadensa said:

What's wrong with this?

No lifejacket for a start...

[FairTmiddlin]

9 hours ago, YnysMon said:

 first time hirers, choose boats on the basis of what they offer on the inside, not how they look from like the outside.

The one good thing about hiring one of these is, you don't have to look at the outside whilst on it.

Whilst on Indy yesterday we saw on of its type moored at Cantley.

Robin and I said, it looked like someone designed a high top transit van, then decided to pot a pointy front on it.

[Timbo]

Vaughan...you do know I'm going to be hunting for RT's tonnage stamp now don't you?