Brooke For Broads

[jwb]

Hi all,

1st timer here who just want's to say hi and to tell you all that I'm mad about wooden boats, particularly Brooke boats!

On that note there is a meeting/Rally planed for late September on Barton Broad. Anyone interested please get in touch.

Look forward to postings.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello jwb,

Welcome to the forum.

Regards

Alan

[grendel]

[JanetAnne]

4 hours ago, jwb said:

Hi all,

1st timer here who just want's to say hi and to tell you all that I'm mad about wooden boats, particularly Brooke boats!

On that note there is a meeting/Rally planed for late September on Barton Broad. Anyone interested please get in touch.

Look forward to postings.

A wooden boat rally?  I could quite fancy going to one of those. Any chance of more details?

[Victoryv]

Not all they're cracked up to be, usually poorly organised and attended, just a load of old firewood !

[grendel]

now come come stop just winding jwb up, you are probable as nuts about wooden boats as he is.

[taleteller]

Hi jwb. Do you have any history of Brooke's on the Broads? A company called Camping Boats hired out three wooden day launches on Oulton Broad in the 1960's and 70's, two of which I believe were made by Brooke at Lowestoft. I wonder if you know anything of them?

[JanetAnne]

3 hours ago, grendel said:

now come come stop just winding jwb up, you are probable as nuts about wooden boats as he is.

 I wrote that reply sitting on Chloe Jane actually in Brooke Marine! 

[JennyMorgan]

Problem is that Brooke Marine is not what it was in relation to small boats! 

Re Brooke Boats as hire boats on Oulton Broad, I have corresponded with the offspring of owners but whether they know any history of those boats is  unlikely, at that time in history they were just hire boats, boats that were cheap and that nobody else wanted. Anyway, I can only ask but don't hold too much hope.

[TostockTimonier]

[C.Ricko]

Brooke marine sold boat kits so they were not all built at the yard. 

Phoenix Yard in Potter Heigham have recently taken a mould from a Brooke and put a keel on it, 

there is a Brooke launch  for sale on Facebook market place

 

[jwb]

On 09/06/2019 at 21:24, taleteller said:

Hi jwb. Do you have any history of Brooke's on the Broads? A company called Camping Boats hired out three wooden day launches on Oulton Broad in the 1960's and 70's, two of which I believe were made by Brooke at Lowestoft. I wonder if you know anything of them?

Well thanks all for all the replies and interest. To answer the question about hire boats on Oulton Broad I think this was where one of the first 16 foot launches ended up. There were 13 16 footers which were scalled down versions of the 20 foot. Originally they had 10hp Brooke Empire engines and reportedly could reach 18 knots.

Unfortunately there are only three of these left that we know of but they should all be at Barton in September!

Will you be bringing your 18 footer Clive?

[jwb]

On 09/06/2019 at 21:24, taleteller said:

Hi jwb. Do you have any history of Brooke's on the Broads? A company called Camping Boats hired out three wooden day launches on Oulton Broad in the 1960's and 70's, two of which I believe were made by Brooke at Lowestoft. I wonder if you know anything of them?

Hi Taleteller,

I don't suppose you know any of the names at all? The ones that they could be are Babs, Query 11, or possibly Mimosa?

[jwb]

On 09/06/2019 at 19:26, JanetAnne said:

A wooden boat rally?  I could quite fancy going to one of those. Any chance of more details?

Hi All, Will post full details as soon as the details have finalised. Glad to hear there's some interest.

Pics from a previous doo

 

[Springsong]

There used to be a boat yard in Hoveton where Fineway cruisers was called Ralph English. he had mainly day boats some of which were Brooke. He also had a cruiser Reverie unusual in that it had a reverse transom. http://www.broads.org.uk/wiki2018/index.php?title=Boat_Details&BoatId=1916&BoatHistory=2433 

[jwb]

2 minutes ago, bubble said:

There used to be a boat yard in Hoveton where Fineway cruisers was called Ralph English. he had mainly day boats some of which were Brooke. He also had a cruiser Reverie unusual in that it had a reverse transom. http://www.broads.org.uk/wiki2018/index.php?title=Boat_Details&BoatId=1916&BoatHistory=2433 

Hi Bubble

Nice boat. Always fancied a nice Broads cruiser but as yet haven't convinced the other skipper!

As I thought there's a wealth of info out there folks so keep it coaming (whoops boating slip, Oh no there's another one)

[quo vadis]

Is this one? 

[jwb]

17 minutes ago, quo vadis said:

Is this one? 

That's a lovely picture of our boat!!! 

 

[quo vadis]

Oh good I took a few at st Olaves last year very impressive 

[jwb]

1 minute ago, quo vadis said:

Oh good I took a few at st Olaves last year very impressive 

Well, Thank you kind Sir

"She's a little beauty" 

That's no way to talk about your wife Come to Barton Broad in September and she'll be afloat!

[taleteller]

19 hours ago, jwb said:

Hi Taleteller,

I don't suppose you know any of the names at all? The ones that they could be are Babs, Query 11, or possibly Mimosa?

as well as a range of wooden dinghies and later grp dinghies and covered day boats, (the "seamasters") there were four wooden launches at Camping Boats. The three I knew were Jock, the largest was an open clinker planked boat with an inboard diesel roughly amidships in a wooden enclosure, which you had to squeeze past to move from the front to rear of the boat, but made a marvellous picnic table. She had an open bow and seated 10 in total. I'm pretty sure she was not a Brooke. The other two looked remarkably similar to the two boats in your original photo. One was called Skipper and very similar to your Rupert, even down to the lines of the rubbing strake but sadly had been painted two tone blue. The other was Kim, which we thought of as larger as she had greater seating capacity but that was perhaps largely due to Skippers long covered bow and they may well have been very similar in size. A fourth was called Gypsy but I don't remember her much, certainly we never hired her. It was suggested on another forum that Kim was the owners private launch but we hired her many times. I wonder if the memory is mixed slightly and that Gypsy belonged to the owner. Certainly Kim was dads favourite as she allowed him more room for fishing, whilst I always preferred Skipper for her elegant lines. I am looking at the photos of Rupert with more than a tinge of emerald envy in my eyes. She's very handsome.

I have no real reason to believe that Skipper or Kim were Brooke's other than the fact that they were, I know sourced from Lowestoft, and the possibility of them having come to the yard as kits makes even more sense. Jock I believe was an ex RN open sea boat.

 

[jwb]

6 minutes ago, taleteller said:

as well as a range of wooden dinghies and later grp dinghies and covered day boats, (the "seamasters") there were four wooden launches at Camping Boats. The three I knew were Jock, the largest was an open clinker planked boat with an inboard diesel roughly amidships in a wooden enclosure, which you had to squeeze past to move from the front to rear of the boat, but made a marvellous picnic table. She had an open bow and seated 10 in total. I'm pretty sure she was not a Brooke. The other two looked remarkably similar to the two boats in your original photo. One was called Skipper and very similar to your Rupert, even down to the lines of the rubbing strake but sadly had been painted two tone blue. The other was Kim, which we thought of as larger as she had greater seating capacity but that was perhaps largely due to Skippers long covered bow and they may well have been very similar in size. A fourth was called Gypsy but I don't remember her much, certainly we never hired her. It was suggested on another forum that Kim was the owners private launch but we hired her many times. I wonder if the memory is mixed slightly and that Gypsy belonged to the owner. Certainly Kim was dads favourite as she allowed him more room for fishing, whilst I always preferred Skipper for her elegant lines. I am looking at the photos of Rupert with more than a tinge of emerald envy in my eyes. She's very handsome.

I have no real reason to believe that Skipper or Kim were Brooke's other than the fact that they were, I know sourced from Lowestoft, and the possibility of them having come to the yard as kits makes even more sense. Jock I believe was an ex RN open sea boat.

 

Thanks for the memories as they say! Really glad that you approve of Rupert. Let me know if you think of anything else? 

Incidentally does the name Alf Morris mean anything to you?

[taleteller]

Only in respect of Baron Morris, the former Labour politician and Life Peer. I studied much of his work, and once heard him lecture on social history, though I doubt it is the Alf Morris you refer to.

[jwb]

No probably not. Mine reputedly hired out boats on Oulton Broad but not sure when or whereabouts.

Maybe someone will know?

 

[Spray]

Alf Morris Rivercraft Ltd is listed as 5 The Yacht Station Oulton Broad, I remember it there many years ago as Stock & Morris.