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Fuel Excess


Guest smokesmate

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Do you guy's think the boatyards will introduce a fuel excess charge this year with the price of diesel being what it is and (unfortunately) rising.

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hi members this topic caught my eye , i booked fair consort with NBD back end of last year the fuel surcharge then was £100 how will the hype in fuel costs affect that £100 surcharge ? kind regards ken and angela

Dont forget that the amount charged is a deposit against the amount of fuel used and if you go over it it has always been the case you must pay the extra.

I agree it will be interesting to see if an increase to deposit is applied anywhere if fuel costs have risen that much and/or operators cant get the extra cash out of people or feel a bit of insurance is needed, but I guess changing the deposit amount mid season would complicate administration so would be avoided unless vital.

Also I would imagine it more unpopular/damaging if someone asked you for extra cash in a higher deposit after you'd booked, and probably be more disastrous/unpopular than asking for the extra at the end of the holiday IF it has been used, and then just upping the deposit for the following year?

Dan

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the way i understood it was

A. you pay a fuel deposit when booking your holiday

B. if that fuel has been used you fill it back up from your own pocket

C. when returning the boat back they will fill you tank up whats left it the tank they pay you back at the end of your holiday

D. am i missing something here???

Jonny

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hi jonny, so if i use £100 of fuel i av nothin else to pay coz i paid the £100 fuel deposit, but if the boatyard tops up when i get back and they only need to put £50 in that means i get £50 back ?, but as someone mentioned in a previous topic,allegedly they hired a boat literally did no cruising due to having to have repairs etc found a lovely spot and stayed there most of the week ,took the boat back the boatyard said the had used about £80 of fuel, caused a big argument with the boatyard owners more or less man handling the hirer of the premises, i think a lot of hiresr are concerned about the " stick measurement for the fuel " it cud be a lucrative earner for sum boatyards ,but if there is no trust it wil obviously ruin your boat holiday , kind regards ken and angela

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I see what your saying,Its just that i'd hate to be hit with a bill for about £50.00-£100.00 on top of the £100.00 fuel deposit i've already paid after i've taken my holiday.

The way things are going i can see diesel hitting £2.00 a litre by september.

anyone know how far a boat like broads suncharm will go on a litre of fuel.

With the way the price of fuel is going i can't help feeling i'm gonna be in for a nasty suprise at the end of my holiday.

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no the way we have done it for years as follows

you pay depending on the size of boat a fuel deposit when booking... which if a week should last you depending on the size of the boat...

if you have booked for two weeks on our second week we refill the tank at the start of the second week when handing the boat back the will fill the tank back up then judge how much you have used then give you money back depending how much you have burn all depending on the size o the boat how many weeks you have booked...

im shure somebody will explain it better...

Jonny

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hi jonny, so if i use £100 of fuel i av nothin else to pay coz i paid the £100 fuel deposit, but if the boatyard tops up when i get back and they only need to put £50 in that means i get £50 back ?, but as someone mentioned in a previous topic,allegedly they hired a boat literally did no cruising due to having to have repairs etc found a lovely spot and stayed there most of the week ,took the boat back the boatyard said the had used about £80 of fuel, caused a big argument with the boatyard owners more or less man handling the hirer of the premises, i think a lot of hiresr are concerned about the " stick measurement for the fuel " it cud be a lucrative earner for sum boatyards ,but if there is no trust it wil obviously ruin your boat holiday , kind regards ken and angela

Ken, Hi

First point is correct. If you've only used £50 of fuel when they top you up then you get £50 back. :clap:clap

Secondly you don't say for how long they had the diesel heating on for, that can easily use up to 10L/day in a big boat if you have it on high and 24/7. :oops::oops::oops:

If you're that concerned about "stick measurement" then ask to see where the dipstick measures up to before you go out! You won't be very popular but you'll probably be happier! :naughty::naughty::naughty:

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I really do think it is now time the yards looked at flow gauges for the fleets, when diesel was cheap it mattered little, but now it would not only add confidence that folks are not being overcharged but also allow them to accurately choose an economical speed so ensuring the final bill is as little as possible. Let’s not forget that economical use of fuel is not only good for the tree huggers but for everybody’s (oil companies and the revenue excepted) wallet too.

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And getting slightly off topic I think hirers (or anyone else who worries about the cost of fuel) should print off a week's (or fortnight's) copy of the tide tables before they set off!

http://www.norfolk-broads.org/tides/bro ... 0#tidegrid

The difference in going with or against the tides (especially at Spring Tides) can increase fuel consumption significantly. Simply:

If you want to travel at 6mph over the ground then with a 2mph tide behind you you'll only need to set revs for 4mph :clap:clap

With a 2mph tide against you you'll need to set revs for 8mph :cry:cry:cry

That will more than likely double your fuel consumption!!!

Yes, I know, you don't often get 2mph currents on the Northern Broads but you certainly can around Gt Yarmouth,across Breydon and up the Yare!

We're not usually in a hurry and I try to use the tides with us and tend to set 1400rpm and accept what I get in boat-speed! :naughty::naughty::naughty:

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I must admit I would be very worried about a dipstick if assessing fuel costs.

Didn't think that was the case though, when I hired in the past they filled the tank to the brim prior to leaving the base then filled it back to the brim when you bought it back, there should be no room for mistakes if this is the normal practice.

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Example fuel 2010 £1.00 a litre,deposit £100 = 100 litres of fuel.

Example fuel 2011 £2.00 a litre,deposit £100 = 50 litres of fuel.

Can your average 5 berth boat do a weeks cruising 6 or 7 hours a day on 50 litres of fuel.

I can't help there are going to be a few suprised people this year who are going to have to pay more than there £100 fuel deposit when they get back from cruising this year.

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As John has already said it depends very much on how you use the boat.

If you want to plan your journey out properly, run with the tides, keep your speed down then yes you probably can do a weeks cruising on 50 litres, run against the tides and flat out you could be looking more like 150 litres for the same mileage.

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So with me being a newbie to cruising the broads knowing nothing about tides just wanting to get on a boat with my family for 7 days in september,tootle up and down the rivers stopping at pubs places of interest etc etc,making all the mistakes newbies make do you think i shall more than likely have to pay for more fuel than my fuel deposit covers when i get back to the boatyard.

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So with me being a newbie to cruising the broads knowing nothing about tides just wanting to get on a boat with my family for 7 days in september,tootle up and down the rivers stopping at pubs places of interest etc etc,making all the mistakes newbies make do you think i shall more than likely have to pay for more fuel than my fuel deposit covers when i get back to the boatyard.

When you let us know where you're hiring from it will be easier to give you advice. A yard in Wroxham may suggest that you head for Norwich and then Oulton Broad before coming back (Yes, in one week!). You will certainly use a heck of a lot of diesel if you do that! :naughty::naughty:

Using just the Northern Broads for a week you will have far less bother with tides and still have lots of interesting places to visit. That would be my advice given your circumstances in September! :wave:wave:wave

Matt's advice is also good; there's a heck of a lot of difference in prices charged.

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I'm hiring from richardsons at stalham,i definately want to visit Great Yarmouth after that i'll just wing it as they say.

It would be great if you could recommend any nice places to visit on the northern broads.

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David, Hi

Good idea! Any thoughts on how much one might cost?

Depends on the sophistication levels John, if it were my boat being built now new and entrusted to somebody on hire I would be looking at a level of remote monitoring over speed and engine parameters too which could be around 3 - 5K, a small proportion of build cost amortised over it's service life for being able to care for the boat even when it's out of the yard. A basic MPG, I say MPG as it's more useful than GPH though a bit more expensive could be done for around £800 to £1000. Pertrol ones would be much cheaper of course but in this instance than is academic.

A lot is said about hirer education and information, a gauge right in front of you telling you that this is costing you money serves to inform and educate quite well and continually, shame they can’t read out in cost per mile. :naughty:

Well they can actually but that’s another story.

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I'm hiring from richardsons at stalham,i definately want to visit Great Yarmouth after that i'll just wing it as they say.

It would be great if you could recommend any nice places to visit on the northern broads.

cheersbar

Do you have the dates and how old are the children? (Then we can offer suggestions).

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The last week in september,3 adults no children.

OK, I've just looked at the tides for the the week Sat 24th and Gt Yarmouth slack water time (when the tide changes direction) is 3pm on Sat and 4pm on Sunday. It will take you about 4.5 hours or so to reach Gt Yarmouth and as you will be on Neap (less strong) tides it will be the easiest time to arrive there.

If you can't leave Stalham in time then the Acle Bridge pub is a great place to overnight with good food and a choice of beers! It's also FREE to NBN members.. just tell them when you arrive! (Will be worth a phone call to book a table on Sat night). ice slice

If you let me know how that sounds and how long you want in Gt Yarmouth I'll suggest further! cheers

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thanks john,i thought of maybe overnighting at yarmouth.i also like your advice about the bridge pub at acle.

how long does it take to get from stalham to acle because the boat pick up time is 4pm and being the end of sept i expect it to start getting dark about 6.30pm which only gives us a couple of hours to find somewhere on the first night.

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