Damage Waiver Was Paid!

[grendel]

it may of course be that the dutch words also originated from the norse influence, as the norsemen did a great deal of boatbuilding and exploring a lot earlier than most.

[ChrisB]

A LITTLE BEDTIME READING:-

Glossary-of-ship-and-boat-building-terms.pdf

 

[Vaughan]

I think you are quite right and there is indeed a lot of Norse influence in Norfolk and its boatbuilding.  Reedham was a Viking settlement so they say (in the days of the Great Estuary. ) and I believe Thorpe is also a Danish word.

They say that the wherry came from the design of Viking longships but I am not so sure about that.  I do believe though, that the traditional Norfolk reed barge, as preserved at How Hill, is older than the Norfolk keel and was based on the sort of vessels in which the Norsemen traded, rather than their longships, which were warships.  These were undoubtedly the sort of boats that were used for the digging of the peat pits.

The dutch came to Norfolk and the east coast when they were fleeing the religious persecution of the Huguenots - I think around the 13th century. They brought their boatbuilding skills with them as well as their weavers, who prospered greatly here.

Personally I believe the wherry has much more of a Dutch influence than the keel, as it was the Dutch who introduced the fore-and-aft rigged sail.

I suppose a lot of this has passed into myth over the centuries and I am only relating what I have always been told by boatyard people in Norfolk.  I find it a fascinating subject, all the same!

[MauriceMynah]

Some other Scandinavian words and terms that have become part of the English language regarding boating.

1. Shunkenvek   A boat in a very poor state of repair.

2. Shtill tollyboll   A boat still in a usable state.

3. Gooden schpot.  A mooring just outside a hostelry.

4. Damgooden schpot  A mooring just outside a good pub.

5. Vudderyell ishdat greenunshing.  Old Nyx

6. Ischa bitcleenur attamo.  New Nyx 

[Vaughan]

At least there is no Icelandic influence around here, that I know of.

All I remember them bringing us, was the Hanki Panki Wanki Banki.       

[ChrisB]

You should try eating their Hákarl, now that is truly unforgetable.

[NBYCo2124]

Aquafibre 42 Mk1

Did the Richardsons AF 42s Mk1's have a 6 cylinder diesel originally? If so does anybody know why, were they any good, and what make were they? I think they were fitted to the larger vessels in the fleet too, but I remember the AF 42s

At the time they made a very distinctive exhaust note.

 

 

[Vaughan]

7 hours ago, NBYCo2124 said:

Did the Richardsons AF 42s Mk1's have a 6 cylinder diesel originally?

No. I was working for Richardsons at the time they were built so I can be sure of that. There were some AF37s in the French fleet with a BMC 2.5 but the the 42s had the 1.5.

The six cylinder engines were fitted in the Bounty (Solar) 44 classes called Ultimate Gem and Fine Gem and were built by Richardsons at Stalham. 4 boats in all, as I remember. The idea was that a bigger engine would need to do less work and so would last longer. This didn't work in practice, as they weren't doing enough work, and they were soon re-engined. I think the engine was a Ford Sabre but can't quite remember, after 45 years!

I stood for 2 weeks on Ultimate Gem 1, on Blakes stand at the Earls Court boat show in 1975.

[MauriceMynah]

This is somethging I've wondered about for a couple of years now. I have been driving Volvo's that have 5 cylinder 2.5 litre diesel engines. I like them a lot. Smooth, reasonably powerful yet pretty economic (returning 35 to 40mpg).

I wondered what is involved in marinizing one and how it would perform on a boat!   Don't worry, I'm not thinking of doing this, I need the Haynes manual to tell me how to pump up the tyres on a car. 

[Vaughan]

Nanni did a 5 cylinder engine which was just like the 4220 with an extra "pot".  Very nice smooth powerful engines, but they have stopped producing them now, in favour of the 4 cylinder turbo.

[NeilB]

16 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

This is somethging I've wondered about for a couple of years now. I have been driving Volvo's that have 5 cylinder 2.5 litre diesel engines. I like them a lot. Smooth, reasonably powerful yet pretty economic (returning 35 to 40mpg).

I wondered what is involved in marinizing one and how it would perform on a boat!   Don't worry, I'm not thinking of doing this, I need the Haynes manual to tell me how to pump up the tyres on a car. 

Don't need to marinize one, take your pick and buy it - https://www.volvopenta.com/marine/products/inboard-shaft/inboard-shaft-engine-range/d3/

The old version from 2004 to 2009 did have a few issues with inhaling the air filter and the variable turbo linkages seizing up.  Once fixed it was ok and the new version from 2009 onwards has been fine, we had lots of comments that we changed it because of all the issues with the old version.  Truth was it was replaced as Volvo Cars stopped making it !!

I wouldn't fit anything above around 50hp to a pure Broads cruiser, mainly because you don't need any more plus a lot of new engines from mid 50hp upwards will now have a turbo to meet emission regs. 

 

[Vaughan]

2 minutes ago, NeilB said:

I wouldn't fit anything above around 50hp to a pure Broads cruiser, mainly because you don't need any more plus a lot of new engines from mid 50hp upwards will now have a turbo to meet emission regs. 

Plus, you don't need a big engine on the Broads in an AF42.  You have a hard chine hull with a deep V giving plenty of "wetted surface" and a long waterline length.  They make a bit of a stern wave off the straight transom but slide nicely through the water.  A BMC 1.5 or the Nanni 4220 should be easily sufficient.

The problem with those 6 cyl engines in the Ultimate Gems was that they weren't working hard enough and the bores were glazing up.

[NBYCo2124]

Really interesting, thank you all for these insightful comments.

Regards Robert

[Vaughan]

We fitted the Nanni 5 cylinder engine into these big beauties.  The 15 metre Crown Grand Classique.

Hydraulic drive with hydraulic bow thruster and a couple of them had Peachment's hydraulic generators, for air conditioning.  Full size domestic fridge/freezer, 3 toilets and showers of which two were en suite - the works.  Also notice the full length single level handrails, for safety when working in locks.

Designed by Andy Wolstenholme, moulded by Aquafibre and built by Crown Cruisers.  I am prepared to stand up and say that these are probably the best inland waterways hire boats ever built.

[Vaughan]

Oh, and I forgot to mention an 800 litre grey water tank.  Pity the French don't have any pumpout stations on their waterways, so we can't use them!

By the way, my comment in no way demeans the fabulous building of yards such as NBYCo and so many others, down the years.  I am talking about the quality offered by a hire boat from the customer's point of view and I have never seen better overall value than these.

[Smoggy]

14 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

Pity the French don't have any pumpout stations on their waterways, so we can't use them!

Are they still on direct discharge then? Explains the overuse of garlic, gotta cover it up somehow.....

[NBYCo2124]

I am a fan of good design, as it always pays off in the end. Andy has designed some great boats that work really well for their intended use.

Of course implementing the design into reality is also key to the vessels success.

Do the hire operators still run these boats? They certainly tick the boxes I would want in a hire boat, and look good too, no "interesting windows" that some of the hire boats seem to have!!!!

How do they compare to the new boxy Le Boat offerings, which seem to be well designed inside and the superstructure, but the hulls resemble a barge? I can't image they are hydro-dynamically efficient? 

[Vaughan]

10 minutes ago, NBYCo2124 said:

How do they compare to the new boxy Le Boat offerings, which seem to be well designed inside and the superstructure, but the hulls resemble a barge? I can't image they are hydro-dynamically efficient? 

I don't think the TOS would permit my full opinion on those!  Suffice to say that the design of the big ones, built in France by Benneteau, were thrown out by myself and the rest of the board of CBL when they were first proposed in 1999.

But the big American tour operators know better, of course!  They were introduced by the new owners after I had left (luckily for me) but I gather they have been a bit of a disaster.  One of those in a Canal du Midi lock means that two other boats have to wait as there is no room and when they hit something they hit it hard!  This is not helped by the fact that they have no rudder and are driven by a diesel/electric azimuth pod.  Imagine trying to demonstrate that, on a trial run. And imagine what the pod looks like, once it has been run aground!

 

[JennyMorgan]

24 minutes ago, NBYCo2124 said:

no "interesting windows" that some of the hire boats seem to have!!!!

Got to say that I am not a great fan of black, tear drop windows and boats produced in well rounded 'jelly moulds'. 

[NBYCo2124]

I have just been watching their promotional video, and the interior layout reminds me of the Beaver Fleet boat, which I can't remember the name of. Must have been the late 70's and some found their way to the French Canals, I think.

An azimuth drive in hirers hands, as you say Interesting. Wouldn't be my choice for a hire boat. The old design rule: KISS - Keep it simple stupid!!!! seems to have been forgotten.

[Vaughan]

4 minutes ago, NBYCo2124 said:

The old design rule: KISS - Keep it simple stupid!!!! seems to have been forgotten.

We always used to say that whatever you fit on a hire boat, has to be "hirer proof"!

[webntweb]

4 hours ago, Vaughan said:

We fitted the Nanni 5 cylinder engine into these big beauties.  The 15 metre Crown Grand Classique.

Here is a Nanni 5 cylinder as fitted to a 49ft Connoisseur Magnifique. Presume it's the same engine as those Vaughan fitted to the Grand Classiques.

 

A couple of pics of the Magnifique which was a similar size and layout as the Grand Classique.

We had two holidays on a Magnifique on the Canal du Midi and the Canal du Rhône a Sète. A total of 21 days and didn't use the inner helm once - seems a waste of all those lovely dials.

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, webntweb said:

Presume it's the same engine as those Vaughan fitted to the Grand Classiques.

Yes, but without that Vetus weed filter!

Not hirer proof. (see above)

[Vaughan]

 I don't think I have posted these before but they show a Grand Classique in the early stages of fitting out.

Members who store their boats in the sheds at Somerleyton today, will be able to realise just how big these boats are!

 

 

Here you can see how the contra-moulded parts, such as toilet and shower compartments and the full width fascia under the windscreen were fitted first and the rest of the boat was built round them.  This meant each boat was genuinely handbuilt and the distance between main bulkheads could differ by 3 inches or more.  So Jeckells had to measure each boat for the saloon seating, and they were not interchangeable between boats!

The contra-mould that you see in the foreground will be the toilet and shower compartment for the front cabin. Notice the fascia for the windscreen, which has to be fitted first or it might not fit later!

 

This one is a 42ft Royal Classique in a later stage of the building. Notice the wooden framework for the headlining, which was then measured individually by Jeckells.

This boat was a luxury 6 berth with 3 ensuite double cabins, all air conditioned.

 

This shows part of the machine shop, where a lot of the furniture was pre-built before the moulds were delivered to the yard.  There were three building bays, each with its own machine shop and its own separate team of builders.  They were mostly self employed and were payed a price per boat.  So the faster they built them, the more they earned.

When you have a fleet of 400 boats, you have to build at least 20 new ones every year, if you don't want each one to have to last more than 20 years.  At the peak (when these photos were taken 20 years ago) we were building about 35 each year.

They had separate suppliers for wood, upholstery and headlining, windows, handrails and tanks.  Apart from that almost everything came from Coopers and Peachments.  All Brian Gardner had to do was ring up Kevin Peachment and tell him they were building another Classique, or a Crusader.  About a couple of days later Peachment's van would turn up on the yard, with the full "spec" on board!

When the boats were launched the engines were fitted and John Spruce finished off the wiring looms and the plumbing.  They were run up for several days on the quay and then driven by river to Brundall where they were loaded onto trucks by Broom's gantry.  So by the time they got to France they were literally "keys in hand".  All we had to do was unwrap all the bedding, crockery and other loose equipment, fill the tanks and put them out on hire.

On a couple of occasions, this was done on the same day that the truck arrived!

[Shemaha]

Vaughan, I know it's been mentioned before, but you should really write your memoirs 👍 I would be one of the first in the queue for it😊