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Nbd Back To Len Funnells Ownership


JamesLV

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It reminds me of when Richo`s bought the Stalham fleet back, though the bunch that bought it from them in the 70s did`nt grow the business, more like clearly destroyed it, getting Richo`s a bad name, so they bought it back and invested very heavily on renovating most of the boats, some of which were beyond help.

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59 minutes ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

though the bunch that bought it from them in the 70s did`nt grow the business, more like clearly destroyed it,

Oh dear.

I know this is off the subject of the thread but I am afraid I can't take that one "lying down" as it is historically incorrect and verges on the defamatory.

I happen to have been the assistant yard manager for the "bunch that bought it" and so I was heavily involved in growing the business by building 100 new boats in one winter, thus increasing the fleet from two to three hundred, in one go. This also provided much needed business for many other yards who took part in that building, under contract. I suggest that the boats that needed renovating afterwards, had already been in the fleet before the "bunch that bought it" came along. As to the boats that we built, I hired one of them from Richo's a couple of years ago, 41 years later and still as good as the day I helped build it.

Back on the subject, I think this shows that we should not pronounce on the effects or ramifications of a business deal about which we can only conjecture, since we actually know nothing about it.

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From what I understand "the bunch that bought it" done a lot of good there, I think maybe you've got your idea of what happened backwards. 

Back to Len, not that I'm one for conspiracies but I'm sure there's some sort of scheme behind this. Time will tell. The guys on the yard seem happy enough with it though. 

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NBD , has been a well run yard under its present (well actually now past) ownership,  presenting a well maintained and modern fleet , with regular new builds entering the fleet . It was also an excellent yard under Funnell’s prior reign and I’m sure will continue to thrive .

I too had heard rumours about this change of ownership for a while now , doesn’t surprise me in the slightest considering he already owns a large part of Windboats old site .

Hopefully with new management NBD may start permitting private boats to moor in their basin , at a cost obviously, for those of us unable to get under the bridge.

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10 hours ago, Vaughan said:

Oh dear.

I know this is off the subject of the thread but I am afraid I can't take that one "lying down" as it is historically incorrect and verges on the defamatory.

I happen to have been the assistant yard manager for the "bunch that bought it" and so I was heavily involved in growing the business by building 100 new boats in one winter, thus increasing the fleet from two to three hundred, in one go. This also provided much needed business for many other yards who took part in that building, under contract. I suggest that the boats that needed renovating afterwards, had already been in the fleet before the "bunch that bought it" came along. As to the boats that we built, I hired one of them from Richo's a couple of years ago, 41 years later and still as good as the day I helped build it.

Back on the subject, I think this shows that we should not pronounce on the effects or ramifications of a business deal about which we can only conjecture, since we actually know nothing about it.

To be fair, the first Easter we bought the yard back we could only get about  50 boats in a fit state to operate them (Many of which were wooden) the fibreglass boats which were largely less than 10 years old were stored in the 3 basins which were called the 'graveyard' 

the yard had been concreted and some office buildings put up, 

 

with regard to the NBD deal, you have to take your hats off to Paul and Barbera I think in the time have operated they must be the most successful people in boating in the UK 

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3 hours ago, CambridgeCabby said:

NBD , has been a well run yard under its present (well actually now past) ownership,  presenting a well maintained and modern fleet , with regular new builds entering the fleet . It was also an excellent yard under Funnell’s prior reign and I’m sure will continue to thrive .

I too had heard rumours about this change of ownership for a while now , doesn’t surprise me in the slightest considering he already owns a large part of Windboats old site .

Hopefully with new management NBD may start permitting private boats to moor in their basin , at a cost obviously, for those of us unable to get under the bridge.

I too wish them all the very best for the future. Also agree as a private owner given the chance to moor there. Like Potter spaces are tight if your boat is to high to get under the bridge.In the past we have moored at Herbert Woods.

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I agree that comment about Paul and Barbara - and especially nice people too!!

Len's repurchase shows his belief in the Broads going forward too.

Having said that, I wouldn't hold your breath about mooring in their basin - my guess is has never been about not wanting to let private boats in, it is because it can get very busy and add into that cocktail, the traffic with the bigger trip boats, it can get pretty busy, especially as almost every day has become a changeover day.

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5 hours ago, Paul said:

Am I the only one here thinking Marina development, waterside living, high cost homes ......

Or maybe a trade off. I believe he's been trying to get permission to redevelop the old Windboats site with housing, but falling foul of BA planning. Owning both, maybe demolish the sheds by the trip boats, widen the dyke to accommodate end on moorings at that point for additional boats - include some DP16 moorings and get permission to build the housing on the Windboats site...

Barbara and Paul Greasley have run the yard well for 16 years and Len Funnell has a reputation for making a success of his businesses, so hopefully it will be a case of NBD continuing to build the business. Most large yards today seem to work with a mix of boating (hire/trip) and property - cottages/lodges etc, so its likely to continue to develop in this way.

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8 hours ago, marshman said:

I agree that comment about Paul and Barbara - and especially nice people too!!

Len's repurchase shows his belief in the Broads going forward too.

Having said that, I wouldn't hold your breath about mooring in their basin - my guess is has never been about not wanting to let private boats in, it is because it can get very busy and add into that cocktail, the traffic with the bigger trip boats, it can get pretty busy, especially as almost every day has become a changeover day.

I`m sure people on this forum have already said that NBD DON`T allow private boats to moor full stop, never mind the changeover day issue, has anybody had any experience?.

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I`d be more than happy to see some restriction on developements around the Broads, so hopefully the BA will tighten up on things. It won`t be long before we`ll be cruising through nothing but riverside cottages at Wroxham and the like, with no moorings anywhere, It`s bad enough now.

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One question, what happens to WRC?

The last time we were there (and it will be the last time) overnight fees £20 the award winning toilet block needed urgent refurbishment, the shop hardly had anything in and the pub was very expensive basic food.

Ten years ago it was a fight to get moored, last time we were there only 5 boats in.

That was early September.

We used to book 2 nights at a time even had a couple of weeks when the kids were camping. 

paul 

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4 minutes ago, ZimbiIV said:

One question, what happens to WRC?

The last time we were there (and it will be the last time) overnight fees £20 the award winning toilet block needed urgent refurbishment, the shop hardly had anything in and the pub was very expensive basic food.

Ten years ago it was a fight to get moored, last time we were there only 5 boats in.

That was early September.

We used to book 2 nights at a time even had a couple of weeks when the kids were camping. 

paul 

That`s what we found when we went there in June, so we came straight back out again.

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As a day-boating local I suppose my perspectives vary from those of you sleeping aboard a motor cruiser for days on end. Mind you, I do agree with ZimbilV on a number of issues. Firstly, twenty quid a night to moor up, blow that for a game of soldiers! I like both James and Len well enough but what they offer is geared to making pots of money. I always hesitate in saying hello to James just in case he charges me for returning my greeting!  Some folk are prepared to pay £20.00, I'm not but since I move on, either to go home or move along to a 'wild' mooring for the night I suppose the dosh is not an issue. However my family and I do use the pub and restaurant and we find the menu more than adequate, good quality and fairly priced and the same can be said of the booze. Perhaps not the cosiest of Broads pubs but we like it well enough. Not at the top of our list of favorite watering holes but nevertheless we look forward to our visits. In a nutshell we like the Waveney Inn and happily take our friends there.

As for the toilet block, agreed, it's tired and this last summer we both thought that much of the site was shabby, in need of some tlc. However it was clear that improvements were under way.

The shop, until this summer we normally bought something, not this past year. Not what it used to be, mores the pity.  

Be interesting to see how James copes with both the WRC and NBD. 

 

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14 hours ago, Broads01 said:

I believe WRC is free to moor for hire boats on the campsite side of the basin. £20 for privateers does seem over the top however. 

Yeah, that's correct. Hire boats are currently free over on the campsite end (where the fleet is moored).

The £20 is if you're on the new pontoon over on Eddie's side of the basin, and is including shore power and use of the shower block which I think is one of the best features of WRC.

If you compare it to Oulton Broad Yacht Station, they're £13 with electric but the showers are £2 (I don't know if that's per head?).

It's not cheap, but they have done a HUGE amount of work to the moorings this year so that cost has to be recovered somehow... I'd also say that WRC is one of the nicest places to moor on the south. My first night south is generally either there or OBYS, depending on who is with me - Oulton Broad has more nightlife, whereas WRC is more relaxing.

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I remember the days of huge expansion at Richardson, we hired modern gem 3 a brand new horizon 35. We were delayed taking over the boat as they were still putting the finishing touches to the boat. We had a great holiday. We returned 18 months later to what we thought was a different yard. A lot of the new fiberglass boats were in a very sorry state. Our boat was an amber gem, my father refused to take it out as the rubber running strake was hanging in the water clearly broken. The boat itself wasn't very clean inside or out. I remember my father being very disappointed as he'd always been a Richardson customer. We never returned to Stalham again. So I'd have to agree with ST take on it having witnessed the fleets demise. Good to see things have changed and I'm sure there are yards out there who'd love some of the new Richardson builds. I've no doubt Len will push NBD forward we may even see more of his floating sheds appear in the fleet. As for the development, really don't see a problem, why not ?? 

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The answer to that is probably connected to what sort of season they had this year from the WRC.

The good news is that it is still around at the moment, and the bad is probably , like many up on the Northern Broads, I think the summer of 2019 proved to be pretty indifferent for most yards. 

One good thing to come out of the takeover is that NBD has a good record of turning out new builds - although in the past Waveney has done several, Ferry certainly had the edge but now Len has more space at Wroxham to continue to invest in new boats - historically he has always invested in new boats and my guess he will still do so. Whilst I know that many continue to bemoan the cost of these new additions to hire, there is no question that they continue to let well and  he probably recognises this!

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