Newbie- Trip With Teenagers, Where?

[CherylL]

Hi all

This forum looks like a brilliant source of information so I’m hoping you can please help.

We’re thinking of hiring a boat for the first week of August. We have 3 teenagers 18, 15,13 and think they’ll love it. We also have a dog.

I’ve not rented the boat yet as I’m unsure of the best place to start. It seems North might be easier for novices but South quieter?

We have an inflatable kayak and plan to take some simple fishing gear (we’ll get all the permits). Some nice villages/ pubs would be good but happy to cater too so maybe a mixture.
 

Which parts would  you recommend? We have 7 days. Is it going to be hellish busy?!

 

Thank you very much!

[CambridgeCabby]

The southern Broads are more tidal and mooring spots less frequent but quieter , the north is certainly busier but mooring spots much closer together , depending on tide times your week there is no reason why you cannot visit both south and north many do 

[BroadAmbition]

First off - Welcome onboard.  There's a huge amount of knowledge within these hallowed pages

The teenagers and the dog will most definitely love it

North for Novices - Most definitely but don't discount the south

Boat Choice - Go onto youtube and look at some 'Captains Blogs (Robin) - Some good advice there

Is it going to be hellish busy?!

I would hope so and if not - Why not?  Considering what the country has just been through - would expect so what with foreign travel being somewhat restricted etc.  So best you get a boat booked quick smart

Being busy just adds to the fun

First Week of August? - You might see us onboard 'B.A' as we are onboard and out for a fortnight but going south for some of it

Enjoy,

Griff

[CherylL]

Thank you both! Are we best just to go with the flow or have a vague itinerary? My husband thought the sea/tides sounded scary when I mentioned it to him 

Yes I can see busy would be good for tourism it’s just we’re not fans of super busy!

Is there a boat company that people recommend? I like the look of the ones with a sliding roof/canopy. I was looking at Herbert Woods, is Potter Heigham a good starting point? 

Finally, is there a tipping point (not literally hopefully!) where boat length becomes too unwieldy. We’re trading off between space and manoeuvrability. I’ll check out your YouTube recommendation thanks, Griff.
 

Thank you!!!

[TheQ]

In a normal year the first week of August is very busy,  this year nobody knows yet. 

In Hoveton you have the Bure valley Railway  a narrow gauge railway to Aylsham,  and near to the Wroxham station Wroxham Miniature World's. 

My preference is for a boat that will go under Wroxham and Potter heigham bridges, it's definitely the case the bigger the boat the more room you need for manoeuvring and mooring. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Welcome ,my advice  phone around in a normal year as mentioned August very busy,they may be deals to be done.Richardsons are the biggest based in Stalham.Having a wide range of boats from the smallest to the largest very modern  boats ,Herbert woods  Potter heigham, are also large.As said the Northern  broads in the main are not very tidal, where is the south is more so.I never want to discourage people  from travelling  south,it is not so busy and many beautiful places. Many great pubs some many different ones.My favourites,the Whitehorse  Neatishead and the Lion at Thurne. Great food and much of the beer is brewed by them.You can also stop in some places and jump on a bus.So check on line but a phone call may get you a deal.

Ian

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello CherylL,

Welcome to the forum.

If you prefer to be in less busy environment then I suggest that you hire from the Southern Broads, Pacific at Loddon or Silverline at Brundall are both good hire companies.

Regards

Alan

[NeilB]

We booked a boat for the 1st Aug just over a week ago and there was not a lot of choice left then, after the announcement on Tuesday I suspect there won't be many boats left so don't leave it too long.

We are planning on heading south but the low tide is 16:02 on the Sunday, may spend a couple of hours at Yarmouth and then punch the last 30 mins or so of the tide across Breydon.  

[Cockatoo]

I think the Northern Broads are all about the places you stop at, Southern are all about the journey :)

[MauriceMynah]

By the sound of it, it's now a case of 'book what you can, where you can'! 

[YnysMon]

We didn't go south on our first trip, but with hindsight I think we were too cautious as it wasn't as scary going through Yarmouth as I thought it would be. The main thing is to make sure that you plan your to pass through Yarmouth at approximately an hour after low water (slack low water). The tides are stronger down south, so it's more important that you understand a few principles on handling the boat (like always moor into the tide). As well as watching Robin's 'Captains Blog' videos, I found the advice pages on this website very helpful, so much so that I printed them off and took them with me for our first trip:

https://www.mynorfolkbroadsboating.co.uk/

There's also a link from the homepage to a tide table.

Enjoy!

I wouldn't worry about it being too busy. When we used to hire we always avoided school holidays. However, when we bought into a syndicate boat last year we were allocated the August bank holiday week. We found that, even when we went north we managed to moor without difficulty. It's only a problem if you are desperate to moor near a pub.

Helen

[CherylL]

Thank you all very much! I will get calling places today. Any areas good for a bit of low key fishing? 
 

Is there a must bring list anywhere? Also those who do it with teenagers- any particular tips? The first question I had was - is there WiFi?! 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Some of the hire yards have wife and many pubs.Cloths in a soft bag,better on and off and to store.The broads even in summer can have four seasons, worth remembering. Many local shops have a good selection of food and often  you can get much of what  you want.

Can't  help you with fish,only fishing I do is with chips.

[oldgregg]

There will be WiFi on most boats but remember it will only work where there is mobile coverage. The Broads is essentially a National Park (please can any pedants not comment) so the mobile towers are mainly around the edge of the area as they're not allowed to be right in the middle. Coverage is fairly decent nowadays (much better than it used to be) but there are still places where phones don't work.

If you're looking for a decent boat, I'd go with Richardsons, Norfolk Broads Direct or Silverline. I'd give Herbert Woods a miss personally as there's too much pot luck with their fleet. With Richardson's, remember that their cheapest boat will not be as nice or spacious as their most expensive (although it will be spotlessly clean inside and usually the cheapest boat you can hire) so it depends what you're after.

 

[Cockatoo]

22 minutes ago, CherylL said:

Thank you all very much! I will get calling places today. Any areas good for a bit of low key fishing? 
 

Is there a must bring list anywhere? Also those who do it with teenagers- any particular tips? The first question I had was - is there WiFi?! 

Some boats have wifi but data coverage is pretty poor on the whole. Three is about the best I think

[MauriceMynah]

Without wishing to sound 'sexist' here, what gender are the teenagers? I assume as you have spoken of fishing, at least one of them is male. Wifi is a variable feast. I usually take a wifi unit (using the three network) and that normally sorts my needs. Many pubs offer wifi services too.

When you hire your boat, you might think about hiring a dinghy too, perhaps a sailing one!

Most of the broads offers reasonable fishing though I find the rivers have the better fish, usually in the evening or morning when there is less boat traffic.

Useful things to take. I would include would be a sharp knife, a potato peeler you are used to, and if you like to drink pints, take pint glasses as I've never known a boatyard supply them!

It is also worth remembering that boatyards do not normally supply decanters, so if you nlike a drop of port, you might like to take your own.

To Chelsea14ian, I love the typo.;

6 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

Some of the hire yards have wife and many pubs.

 

[tim]

2 hours ago, ranworthbreeze said:

Hello CherylL,

Welcome to the forum.

If you prefer to be in less busy environment then I suggest that you hire from the Southern Broads, Pacific at Loddon or Silverline at Brundall are both good hire companies.

Regards

Alan

Ok, I'm going to bang that drum again!

Pacific are wonderful people and just cant do enough for you, I  book with them every year

Just not certain what  a novice would make of that first journey down the Chet?

[grendel]

53 minutes ago, tim said:

Just not certain what  a novice would make of that first journey down the Chet?

certainly tight and windey, but I loved it when in Jayne last year, having a boat that could do a single point U turn at pyes mill to moor was a bonus, as everyone else was having to head to the end to turn in the basin.

[CherylL]

1 hour ago, MauriceMynah said:

Without wishing to sound 'sexist' here, what gender are the teenagers? I assume as you have spoken of fishing, at least one of them is male. Wifi is a variable feast. I usually take a wifi unit (using the three network) and that normally sorts my needs. Many pubs offer wifi services too.

When you hire your boat, you might think about hiring a dinghy too, perhaps a sailing one!

Most of the broads offers reasonable fishing though I find the rivers have the better fish, usually in the evening or morning when there is less boat traffic.

Useful things to take. I would include would be a sharp knife, a potato peeler you are used to, and if you like to drink pints, take pint glasses as I've never known a boatyard supply them!

It is also worth remembering that boatyards do not normally supply decanters, so if you nlike a drop of port, you might like to take your own.

To Chelsea14ian, I love the typo.;

 

Hi, they’re all boys!

we have an inflatable 3 man kayak. Without wanting to sound stupid, how the heck do you manage a sailing dingy as well as a 40 foot cruiser?! 

[CherylL]

1 hour ago, oldgregg said:

There will be WiFi on most boats but remember it will only work where there is mobile coverage. The Broads is essentially a National Park (please can any pedants not comment) so the mobile towers are mainly around the edge of the area as they're not allowed to be right in the middle. Coverage is fairly decent nowadays (much better than it used to be) but there are still places where phones don't work.

If you're looking for a decent boat, I'd go with Richardsons, Norfolk Broads Direct or Silverline. I'd give Herbert Woods a miss personally as there's too much pot luck with their fleet. With Richardson's, remember that their cheapest boat will not be as nice or spacious as their most expensive (although it will be spotlessly clean inside and usually the cheapest boat you can hire) so it depends what you're after.

 

Thank you! No WiFi is a bonus as far as I’m concerned! Back to nature.

[oldgregg]

1 hour ago, tim said:

Pacific are wonderful people and just cant do enough for you, I  book with them every year

But are their boats really that great? I couldn't honestly say that I think they are - And I have been inside most of them.

[CherylL]

1 hour ago, tim said:

Ok, I'm going to bang that drum again!

Pacific are wonderful people and just cant do enough for you, I  book with them every year

Just not certain what  a novice would make of that first journey down the Chet?

Eeek! Not sure I like the sound of that! 

[NorfolkNog]

Usual story really, you get what you pay for. Older boat, cheaper but maybe a bit tired and or basic. Maybe best to go for the best you can afford. Having said that it's not cheap in August.

Pacific are very good and lovely people. Their fleet is a little older and therefore not as up to date as some and the price reflects this. Plus an hour up and down the Chet beginning and end. Good as they are maybe not the best for a first timer. The likes of Richardsons and Faircraft Loynes might be the best bet. (IMHO of course) 

[CambridgeCabby]

12 minutes ago, CherylL said:

Eeek! Not sure I like the sound of that! 

Don’t worry , yes it’s narrow and twists but it is beautiful and a marvellous journey to Loddon basin , which ever boat you hire I’m sure you will love it .

when deciding on your boat it is always a good thing to look at boats that are two berths bigger than your needs (budget permitting) that way you should be able to have a boat where you don’t need to make up a temporary berth every night .
One bit of advise , if you decide you want to visit Gt Yarmouth with the family I would recommend mooring (if on the north) at Acle and catching a bus or cab into Yarmouth as opposed to Yarmouth Yacht Station .

you don’t need a planned itinerary , just go where you feel like when you get up in the morning , there is a free paper called the Broadcaster you can pick up from your boatyard that has a useful map that lists facilities .

Yes bigger boats can be harder to moor / manoeuvre, just make sure you always take things slowly and remember the stern swings out when turning , if budget permits the newer large Richardson boats are very very good they also have the benefit of stern and bow thruster plus a reversing camera  .

 

 

[CherylL]

8 minutes ago, CambridgeCabby said:

Don’t worry , yes it’s narrow and twists but it is beautiful and a marvellous journey to Loddon basin , which ever boat you hire I’m sure you will love it .

when deciding on your boat it is always a good thing to look at boats that are two berths bigger than your needs (budget permitting) that way you should be able to have a boat where you don’t need to make up a temporary berth every night .
One bit of advise , if you decide you want to visit Gt Yarmouth with the family I would recommend mooring (if on the north) at Acle and catching a bus or cab into Yarmouth as opposed to Yarmouth Yacht Station .

you don’t need a planned itinerary , just go where you feel like when you get up in the morning , there is a free paper called the Broadcaster you can pick up from your boatyard that has a useful map that lists facilities .

Yes bigger boats can be harder to moor / manoeuvre, just make sure you always take things slowly and remember the stern swings out when turning , if budget permits the newer large Richardson boats are very very good they also have the benefit of stern and bow thruster plus a reversing camera  .

 

 

That’s great, thank you! Torn between the lovely wooden Matham vintage ones and the bells and whistles reversing camera. I’m not sure we want a 7 berther?! We managed 2 weeks in the Outer Hebrides in a 6 berth motor home, mind you the kids were a lot smaller then. They’re all man sizes these days 😁