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Passes Under All Bridges At Suitable Tides?

mbalding1050

By mbalding1050
in Hire Boat Discussion

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BroadAmbition

BroadAmbition

Posted
Posted

HW are missing a trick there. They could offer a "dayboat discount" to hire craft, and a double discount to their own hirers.

I don't think H.W's are missing any tricks.  Thing is when the season is going full swing, just about everytime I have stopped at PH, All, and I do mean all H.W's dayboats are already out on hire.  Therefore no incentive for H.W's to discount - why would they?

I need 6ft5" or more to take 'B.A' through 'That' bridge and can do so a fair few times a year, I just need to be 'Lucky' :-

That is have enough airdraft available,  me be onboard 'B.A',  both of us be at PH preferably at the same time,   have time in hand,  have the confidence of getting back with regards to forthcoming tidal height,  have a crew that wants to venture t'other side,  have the confidence to 'Go for it',  be reasonably sober.

Other than that - No problem at all!

Griff

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expilot
expilot

Ah, so that was the missing bit of my training.  

Broads01
Broads01

I hired Bittern from Whispering Reeds for 4 hours in 2016, absolutely brilliant. 

NorfolkNog
NorfolkNog

Try this Simon. Incredible stuff :-)  

CambridgeCabby

CambridgeCabby

Posted
Posted
50 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

HW are missing a trick there. They could offer a "dayboat discount" to hire craft, and a double discount to their own hirers.

I don't think H.W's are missing any tricks.  Thing is when the season is going full swing, just about everytime I have stopped at PH, All, and I do mean all H.W's dayboats are already out on hire.  Therefore no incentive for H.W's to discount - why would they?

I need 6ft5" or more to take 'B.A' through 'That' bridge and can do so a fair few times a year, I just need to be 'Lucky' :-

That is have enough airdraft available,  me be onboard 'B.A',  both of us be at PH preferably at the same time,   have time in hand,  have the confidence of getting back with regards to forthcoming tidal height,  have a crew that wants to venture t'other side,  have the confidence to 'Go for it',  be reasonably sober.

Other than that - No problem at all!

Griff

Still waiting for the PH backwards vid Griff 

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BroadAmbition

BroadAmbition

Posted
Posted

Still waiting for the PH backwards vid Griff 

Me and you both, only I ain't kinda waiting at all :default_icon_eek:

I'd bet on 'We'll both be waiting a while'.  Mind you if I ever see 6ft 11" - ish, no wind, slack water, not too many craft milling around and all my 'Lucky' parameters in place . . . . . . . .  . . . . :default_norty:

Griff

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VetChugger

VetChugger

Posted
Posted
On 05/03/2019 at 22:29, BroadAmbition said:

HW are missing a trick there

Where I think HW are missing a trick is that they could moor a couple of day boats above the bridge for hire on that side. I'm thinking those picnic boat type. A bit like Whispering Reeds boat which seems to book well.

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Paul

Paul

Posted
Posted
19 hours ago, VetChugger said:

Where I think HW are missing a trick is that they could moor a couple of day boats above the bridge for hire on that side. I'm thinking those picnic boat type. A bit like Whispering Reeds boat which seems to book well.

But they don't own any moorings above the bridge .....

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SPEEDTRIPLE

SPEEDTRIPLE

Posted
Posted
On 05/03/2019 at 12:10, MauriceMynah said:

HW are missing a trick there. They could offer a "dayboat discount" to hire craft, and a double discount to their own hirers.

Hi John,

I`m sure they used to some years back, but as Griff points out, maybe they did realise they were not maximising their income by offering a discount. Imagine if somebody made a last minute booking on one of their cruisers and negotiated a decent discount, then when they return the boat one day, and then get another discount to take one of their dayboats through the bridge?. On one booking it may mean a couple of hundred, which over their annual income is a drop in the Thurne, but on say 200 bookings in a season, which being quite a large fleet, would equate to many thousands of pounds lost revinue over that season.  The shareholders or accountants would have a heart attack.

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grounded

grounded

Posted
Posted

My wife and I honeymooned on the Broads in 1972 and then spent many a happy holiday cruising until our emigration to New Zealand in 2002. We returned to spend our 45th wedding anniversary in 2017 and had Classic Gem for 3 weeks. An older boat and a bit of a handful for two, with many good features, but would not pass under Potter Higham Bridge (I am pretty sure our pilot left a skin of paint under Wroxham bridge!). Anyway we enjoyed it so much we are coming back this year. We have hired a smaller boat, Swan Rapture, which the blurb says will pass under all Broads bridges. However, it does have a 7' air draft, the same as Classic Gem, which would not. We would love to visit Hickling again, but having read this thread, I have my doubts we will get there. Can any of you knowledgeable folk offer information (and hopefully reassurance)?

Many thanks 

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Wyndham

Wyndham

Posted
Posted

Echo what Griff said. Pilot has taken us under Wroxhan in a boat that said 7ft with 6' 11 showing on the gauge.

Potter...don't even think about it.

This weekend just past was about as low as it gets, around 7'3 at Wroxham, still no go at Potter though.

Lovely boat is Swan Rapture, hope you have a great time.

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Broads01

Broads01

Posted
Posted

You'll really enjoy Swan Rapture but echo what's already been said, not just for that boat but just about anything bigger than a sailing boat. Two years ago I hired a day cruiser from Whispering Reeds at Hickling, doing so the day before we picked up our hire boat. It was a fabulous experience. 

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grendel

grendel

Posted
Posted

last year was a good year for Potter Heigham, a long dry summer led to unusually low levels, and even then I think the best recorded was 6 foot 8 inches, we were lucky as we had to get Royal Tudor under to get her back to the right side of the bridge from the work that had been done at Martham boatyard, we went through with 6 foot 7" showing on the bridge and had a full half inch to spare.

7 foot, - well depending upon the shape of the boat, and the accuracy that the quoted headroom is in actuality, the yard may have quoted a few inches higher than needed, the bridge board gauges may well be slightly out too, the best bet is to contact the bridge pilots and ask, they know all of the boats and whether they can get through and exactly what height they need, in reality at potter heigham it is the width of the boat that determines whether it will pass easily, Martham boats are all narrower so can more regularly pass through the bridge (I was taken through on Janet 3 at 5 foot 11 inches on the gauge boards) but was told she needed 6 foot 3 inches at other bridges (I was told if the gauges showed 6 foot 3 I could take her through any other bridge. Marthams is one of the few yards that dont require the pilot to take you through Wroxham.

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Malanka

Malanka

Posted
Posted

Width at the shoulders of the bridge is what is measured to the quoted height. I don’t know what width Potter is at 6ft 8, but we have done Wroxham   a few times with 6ft 8 on the gauge. It’s a wider bridge but not straight which effectively narrows it a bit. We are 7 ft across at the shoulders much narrower than modern boats at the same height. 

Yes we dismount the silly masty thing. 

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Captain

Captain

Posted
Posted

I have hired three similar Alpha 35s Jade Emblem, Swan Romance and Braemore all needed about 6ft 10 at Potter according to the pilot and I failed to get under therefore I am afraid you will be very lucky to get through. Wroxham shouldn't be problem unless the tides are very high however. Similar but shorter Swan Reflection is a couple of inches lower and Brinks Encore, Broom Bolero, Silver Coral all need about 6ft 6 if you want to hire similar style of boats in the future with slightly better chances.

Neil

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