How Much????

[NorfolkNog]

Good grief! I could have four holidays with Bridgecraft for that! 

Or it would keep me in beer for a year..............well nearly.........

Or Mrs Nog in doubles for a month 

But I suppose there are always those who want the best (or what they percieve as the best) and are prepared to pay accordingly. And there are folks around with money. Mind you finding moorings in August..........

[MauriceMynah]

20 minutes ago, NorfolkNog said:

Good grief! I could have four holidays with Bridgecraft for that! 

Or it would keep me in beer for a year..............well nearly.........

Or Mrs Nog in doubles for a month 

Or JF in lager for most of the afternoon!

[JennyMorgan]

23 minutes ago, NorfolkNog said:

Mind you finding moorings in August..........

Or gracious dining comparable with the expectations that go with a £3,000.00 a week boat? 

Don't think that a bowl of mushy peas and a greasy burger on Yarmouth Market will cut it, not quite!

[andyg]

Wow.. 3k for the broads, has there been a change at the top at richardson's? This is the 2nd time in a few weeks their pricing has been mentioned on the forum. They have always been known for great value,like I said on the previous post I've noticed quite a hike in prices at their Hemsby site. I've no doubt this will be a bumper year but I can see things returning to normal in 2022 as the vaccine rolls out across the world. I don't use a credit card my wife has one, we are hearing stories from family and friends of accountants being close credit limits being frozen etc etc so as we start to see the personal financial impact of the pandemic I doubt these prices are sustainable. 

[JennyMorgan]

I'm sure, Andy, that there will be something of a binge period before the grim reality kicks in. I would hate to be near or, worse still, up to my credit limits, especially at this time.

[andyg]

18 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

I'm sure, Andy, that there will be something of a binge period before the grim reality kicks in. I would hate to be near or, worse still, up to my credit limits, especially at this time.

I don't use one I learnt my lesson years ago. I would end up owning a garage full of junk lol...im a worrier when it come to debt, so il steer clear of them. 

[Davydine]

That's a lot of money, but supply and demand I guess.

For context, we have booked apartments in France through Brittany Ferries a few times now and have never spent more than £1000 for a week in August, including ferries. 
We have had a week on a 36ft yacht in Corfu for £2500 for a family of 4 in October half term, including flights and weeks Mediterranean cruise with P&O booked for 2022 for well under £3k for 4 of us.

Love the broads but couldn't justify over£3k

David

[CambridgeCabby]

If it rents at that price then yes some may say it is expensive but it won’t be overpriced , supply and demand is spot on 

[Davydine]

28 minutes ago, CambridgeCabby said:

If it rents at that price then yes some may say it is expensive but it won’t be overpriced , supply and demand is spot on 

It's like the tree houses at Center Parcs, crazy money for a shortbreak, but always full...

 

[JennyMorgan]

If you charge enough some people will kid themselves that it is worth it.

[BroadAmbition]

If you charge enough some people will kid themselves that it is worth it.

Spot on is that statement.

A chap I know used to be part owner of a specialist car dealership - MX5's.  They used to hike up after market spares / accessories / farkles and the like by huge amounts, way higher than their competition. Customers falsely believed they were getting a superior product as if it was that expensive, then it just had to be good

Griff

 

[NorfolkNog]

Didn't the old adverts for Stella Artois use the phrase "reassuringly expensive" 

Heaven knows why! 

[eddybear]

I think I'll use that phrase in my business advertising it might work I've tried everything else (reassuringly expensive) 

[Oddfellow]

19 hours ago, RS2021 said:

Has anyone on here hired one of Richardson's new boats like these?  To me they have always seemed to look good, but I'm not sure about their practicalities. I moored next to one once and saw that the occupants had to stand up to see out of the boat and enjoy the view. They look as if they are great on top when the weather is good, but have no view when its raining. Wondering if anyone has been on them and can confirm if this is right or not?

This issue of having to stand in a centre-cockpit cruiser to get a view is true of many such designs to be absolutely fair. Because the canopy rises and falls on a sloping track so that there a flat(ish) roofline to be able to navigate bridges. The saloon is raised inside too (to accommodate the engine and provide a further raised helm area so the captain can see over the forward roofline), but the rest of the saloon seating is lower and provides hardly any view over the rising sides. 

The early Alpha centre cockpits got around this with a raised helm and bench seat, with the galley off to starboard at a lower position, but most other designs suffer from this issue.  

[Cheesey69]

16 minutes ago, FreedomBoatingHols said:

This issue of having to stand in a centre-cockpit cruiser to get a view is true of many such designs to be absolutely fair. Because the canopy rises and falls on a sloping track so that there a flat(ish) roofline to be able to navigate bridges. The saloon is raised inside too (to accommodate the engine and provide a further raised helm area so the captain can see over the forward roofline), but the rest of the saloon seating is lower and provides hardly any view over the rising sides. 

The early Alpha centre cockpits got around this with a raised helm and bench seat, with the galley off to starboard at a lower position, but most other designs suffer from this issue.  

I've since learnt that in all forms of boating, compromise seems to be the word.

[RS2021]

4 minutes ago, Cheesey69 said:

I've since learnt that in all forms of boating, compromise seems to be the word.

I agree. There is a finite length and height of boat to fit a lot in. I suspect on this design you are expected to spend more time on top, so the compromise is the saloon. We usually boat off season, so beimg able to see out from inside is important. I guess everyone has different priorities. I still think the boat could have deeper windows to help with seeing out, but the boat would look a lot less attractive from outside. A compromise of aesthetics over function? 

[JennyMorgan]

1 hour ago, eddybear said:

I think I'll use that phrase in my business advertising it might work I've tried everything else (reassuringly expensive) 

It's called 'kidology'! 

Many years ago I used to sell jewelry in my souvenir shop. One line that I had was stainless steel rings from India, they looked very good too. Cost me literally pence, I thought that they would be a good line for teenagers. Needless to say that they didn't sell at my super low price so I hiked them up by what I thought was a mad mark-up and they started to sell by the box load!  Reassuringly good seller, Gerald Ratner was right! 

[NorfolkNog]

Like Babycham. It's just sparkling perry. When it first came out it didn't sell. They (think it was Showerings)  hiked the price up, gave it a fancy bottle and glass and the rest is history. 

[Broads01]

I looked aboard a Commodore when Richardsons were at the London Boat Show. I liked the design, particularly the rather luxurious outdoor deck but I agree the saloon felt on the small side. Worse though was the galley, which unlike the Broadsman centre cockpit variants, is forward of the saloon and ridiculously cramped given the size of the boat.

Regardless of the boat's pros and cons, I wouldn't pay that for a week even if I could afford it.

[annv]

Hi Howard Perrier water is another the French have cotton on to this as well along with there Champain. John

[andyg]

I like the dual steer design, this one whitout doubt offers one of the better upper seating areas available on the broads. That said I just don't like the look of her something just doesn't seem right to my eye. The broadsman is by far the best of richardsons new boats. But at 3k it just isn't vaule for money in my opinion. 

[Turnoar]

14 minutes ago, NorfolkNog said:

Like Babycham. It's just sparkling perry. When it first came out it didn't sell. They (think it was Showerings)  hiked the price up, gave it a fancy bottle and glass and the rest is history. 

With St.Patricks day looming it could be used as a substitute in black velvet perhaps....

Getting back on topic it’s not easy to book a boat you may fancy in August, especially if you want all mod cons and the modernest of craft. Not everybody does of course but there’s plenty of paying punters who won’t settle for anything less than the best. It’s going to be a very busy season by the looks of it and thankfully so.

[SwanR]

Much as some folk don’t like the design of boats such as Zircon Emblem and Fair Marquess, the galley being in the bow gives you a brilliant view from the inside helm and seating. 

[Mouldy]

34 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Much as some folk don’t like the design of boats such as Zircon Emblem and Fair Marquess, the galley being in the bow gives you a brilliant view from the inside helm and seating. 

Whilst the view from the inside may be good, sadly the external design is a little challenging.  With an airdraft of around 8’6”, clearly Potter and Wroxham bridges will be unnavigable, but even passing under Ludham must be becoming an issue when the river levels are high.  I’m not sure where Richo’s have as an alternate base for some of their cruisers, but I wouldn’t be best pleased to have to spend a week cruising the Ant above Ludham Bridge at such times.

One of the best boat designs remains (in my opinion), the last generation of Connoisseur cruisers (the C40 & C45).  They offered spacious cruising with a raised saloon, good visibility, independent access to all cabins, spacious heads and quiet cruising due to the aft mounted engine.  Their base at Wroxham ensured that the airdraft had to be low for passage under Wroxham Bridge, too.  The only slight downside was the aft access through the door positioned on the port side, but in better weather with the canopy open, it really wasn’t an issue.

[Broads01]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

 I’m not sure where Richo’s have as an alternate base for some of their cruisers

They don't now. Until last year they had limited space at the Horning Pleasure Craft site but that's now operating independently.

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

One of the best boat designs remains (in my opinion), the last generation of Connoisseur cruisers (the C40 & C45).

I tend to agree but I never liked the side door either. I've hired earlier designs and the side door is a disadvantage in my view.