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Richardsons The Best


FairTmiddlin

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I've hired from Richardson's many times of the years and never been disappointed. Even with their older boats, everything "just works" and call outs have been needed very rarely, even late in the season. 

Richardsons have only ever fallen short once for me and that was in 2018 when I was one of a number of hirers who had their booking cancelled at short notice due to their policy u-turn on solo hiring. That decision still grates on me now, especially when I see the boat I hired solo on two occasions (Broadland Wave 2), a boat which I loved.

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Richardsons have listed the boats for sale which have come out of their fleet following the close of the 2021 season. Not just the larger cruisers either. Trinidad, Southern Gem, Mermaid, Jamaica, Blue Horizon, Blue Gem. None are currently showing prices. Can't work out what they're strategy is. Replace older boats with newer ones? Only a handful of 2 berth cruisers added to the fleet, even after two good hiring years.  Generally go upmarket? Plenty of the older fleet still available to hire. Perhaps these were boats earmarked for sale a year or so ago, but kept in the fleet while everything with a mattress was more or less guaranteed to hire out for the season. Downsizing now the overseas channels are starting to open up?  Wondering if this is an exercise in raising money to invest elsewhere in their business portfolio. Certainly, the other big yards, Barnes, NBD, Herbert Woods and Horning Ferry Marina will be pleased to have a larger percentage share of their home market for 2022. 

https://www.richardsonsboatsales.net/?fbclid=IwAR1A_6tqCi2ykramJfdQ6T6BI9NV6kRDoAg7jwZNrwmnp7Kw6aLyYERUKFc

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I'm 58 now and I'm pretty sure I was in my 3rd year of secondary school when superior gem was launched, remember them being built. Pink and white champagne are of a similar age. I'm sure Clive has said before that the blue gem type boats don't let so well. With acle now closed I wonder if Ludham bridge as played a part in offloading the challengers due to there height. There's not as many for sale as I thought there was going to be. The platinum fleet must be close to 60 boats now, so maybe not the disaster we had feared. 

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7 hours ago, DAVIDH said:

Can't work out what they're strategy is.

I see what you mean about the Blue Gems.  I think that must be because they are not letting well. Trinidad is a very early version of the design, built in about 1979, so not as young as she looks!  I think the rest are the sort of boats I would be selling, at the end of their useful life.  In some cases way beyond it!  We sold off our Challengers and Conquerors in France over 20 years ago.

I notice a lot of the bigger boats are of the type which were built to stuff as many bunks as possible inside, to make more money from the hiring.  I think people expect a lot more space in a big boat these days.

Personally I don't see anything suspicious in this list but it depends what they intend to replace them with.

I also wonder who is going to buy a Challenger, as a private boat! 

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1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

I also wonder who is going to buy a Challenger, as a private boat! 

I would imagine they'll probably end up as a live a board for those that can't quite stretch to a mortgage, But I'd hate to think what the mooring costs will be their big boats.

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7 minutes ago, andyg said:

Vaughan have you ever seen Robins vid of the challenger, very spacious inside. Would probably make a very comfy liveraboard. 

A similar boat was used as a live aboard until recently.  Magnifique (ex Sabena  Marine) had been cruising the rivers for several years and was a distinctive sight equipped with a huge radar bar, but went through brokerage earlier this year.  I believe it was due to health reasons that she was sold on by the owners and I don’t know whether she’s still on The Broads or has now been transported elsewhere.

https://www.watersidemarinesales.co.uk/boat/aquafibre-45-ideal-magnifique/

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25 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

A similar boat was used as a live aboard until recently.  Magnifique (ex Sabena  Marine) had been cruising the rivers for several years and was a distinctive sight equipped with a huge radar bar, but went through brokerage earlier this year.  I believe it was due to health reasons that she was sold on by the owners and I don’t know whether she’s still on The Broads or has now been transported elsewhere.

https://www.watersidemarinesales.co.uk/boat/aquafibre-45-ideal-magnifique/

She was still there at the beginning of September when we arrived at HW for our week afloat.  I walked over to it and was a bit dubious about the grey colour scheme!  The radar arch looked a bit out of place for my liking?

Chris

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Challenger may look spacious in a wide angle video lens, but not if you have to live on board for a week with 9 others.

The best GRP boats to convert as a houseboat are the Bounty 37 and 44.  They were built with solid sheets of plywood laid on the floors and then the bulkheads were laid on top.  This means you can easily remove a bulkhead (or even all of them!) without affecting the structure of the boat.

I think converting a Challenger into something comfortable would be more like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

 

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44 minutes ago, oldgregg said:

Trinidad is 1992, according to the database.

Hmmm . . .  I wonder.  I had two of those in our fleet at Port Cassafieres in 1982.  Maybe 1992 was the date the boats came back to Norfolk when the Beaver Fleet (owned by Richardsons) was sold in France?

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As for Richardson's getting the Midrange  Swan Boats Built on their behalf they are less draughty from the Older Boats they have got at this time would they be still be getting theses type of Boats for the future? Clive was the main architect on these Boats is No longer at the Stalham Yard any more now got a Base  at Horning Pleasure Craft as he has got Cleanway very nice Boat may I add . 

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I think Richardson’s selling off some of their larger and older boats is simply down to moving with the times , they have a large fleet of the R45 hull based boats in their stable now and for years the likes of Challenger have seemed to only attract the large single sex groups .

To me the only surprise is the selling of Mermaid as I believe Hamptons hire out extremely well despite their age .

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26 minutes ago, CambridgeCabby said:

 

To me the only surprise is the selling of Mermaid as I believe Hamptons hire out extremely well despite their age .

…and it looks like they are keeping Capri. Not many Safaris left in the hire fleet now.

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2 hours ago, Vaughan said:

Hmmm . . .  I wonder.  I had two of those in our fleet at Port Cassafieres in 1982.  Maybe 1992 was the date the boats came back to Norfolk when the Beaver Fleet (owned by Richardsons) was sold in France?

Early 90s is about right…

There were two older ones from about 83 that were at Bushnells called Gay Goddess (times change!) and these came back to Norfolk and we’re at at horning pleasurecraft and were renamed Trinidad but one burnt out in a night time fire (I have some pics somewhere) leaving just one which then went to horizon craft got many years as distant horizon 1.

When some boats were brought back from France around 2009 ish when bookings surged in the recession and Richardsons’s bought some from le boat they also bought some ex emerald star craft which became the siestas and two Trinidad’s. I quite like that Clive used to reuse names as a nod to the past whilst still looking forward 

The AF32 doesn’t let that well these days, but as they are not that old and a nice fitout for the price bracket I would have thought in these boom times they would live on as I think the booking sheets would be quite healthy at the minute, even probably taking a price lift, but they must not like them for some reason as cavalier lives on with a more basic fitout 

Dan 

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I've never been onboard any of the challenger type boats I don't like them tbh. But looking through the internal photos of all of them I'd say they've all seen extensive updates over the years. Like many of Richardson's older boats the internal fixtures and fittings are all in good order. Virtually every bounty type bathtub I've ever hired from them has had new showers,galley, moden cookers fridges and soft furnishings. So if the engine and boat structure is in good order I'd say there probably a good purchase. Bearing in mind they've had a hard working life. I did notice the top end of the price range quoted has been increased by 20k. 

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I'm not so sure that 2022 will see a continuation of the last two "boom" years myself. Many bookings were rolled over from 2020 to 2021 for some reason (escapes me at the moment :default_rolleyes:). The same thing will not have happened for 2022, so I cannot see how booking figures to-date can be anything but less than last year, despite what you might read anecdotally. Add to that, many people will have tried a boating holiday in the absence of a trip abroad and found it less than attractive due to the mixed weather we had last summer, and the almost universal rush to find a mooring from Spring Bank through to October Half Term.

My friends in the overseas travel segment, tell me they are experiencing a mini-boom following the relaxation of steps needed to travel. As I said before, a day two lateral flow test (at home), is much less of a disincentive to travel, than having to carry out a test abroad, where you run the risk of not being able to return home if proved positive. Similarly, those bookings the UK would normally expect to get from overseas visitors coming to the Broads are also impacted, because they have to take the lateral flow test on day two of their trip, and if positive, need to isolate for 10 days. I'm thinking that's a barrier to coming here, however rare this scenario might be. So less bookings from overseas. The price of a Broads holiday in comparison to a trip to the sun currently, is unattractive. Yes, it's expensive because of the investment in new boats, but casual visitors don't see that, they just see the headline price. This  summer, they had very little choice but to pay it. Next summer will be different. 

My feeling is that the usual "regulars" are booking early as normal, perhaps supplemented by those who holidayed on the Broads this year and liked it. That is offset by the lack of rollover bookings, people from abroad, and the biggest group, those who want to be sure of a sun holiday next summer, so a boating holiday is a secondary choice. If I were in that group, I would hang fire and not book anything until after Christmas, when conditions would be much clearer, which in itself points to less advance bookings being made. Maybe all of this is the reason why Richardsons have decided to downsize the fleet. 

I hope I'm wrong about all this, because it will impact on my commissions haha. But looking at it reasonably, it does not bring you to the conclusion that all boats will be booked out from May to October, as they have been this year. More likely, it will settle down to pre-Covid booking levels, which as an example had 87 boats not booked for a week over the October half term in 2018,  167 in 2019, 0 for 2020 and 0 for 2021. 

 

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16 minutes ago, DAVIDH said:

I'm not so sure that 2022 will see a continuation of the last two "boom" years myself.

Forgot to add, energy price hikes, retail prices increasing, state benefits dropping, 1.6% National Insurance tax applied from next April. Early bookings booming? 

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51 minutes ago, rightsaidfred said:

An awful lot of speculation, maybe as a successful business they are realigning their business model as the company has done many times in the past.

We all know Clive's passion for all things re boats and the broads, perhaps the others see things slightly differently.

Fred

Think your right, Clive said he wasn't interested in the holiday park and there's some huge investment going on over there. A smaller more profitable operation is what I think your see at Stalham. Better quality of boat, hiring at much higher tariffs giving better yields. Simples....let's face it no ones making much money out of some of them older boats, regardless of whether they have paid for themselves. Staff still need paying and Richardson's in its current form are very successful. 33 new build in ten years is pretty good going  but at what cost ?? Maybe things were getting to expensive and it's cheaper to buy in good quality boats. Weather you like the recent additions or not they are top quality boats and have only added more quality to the fleet. 

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1 hour ago, rightsaidfred said:

An awful lot of speculation, maybe as a successful business they are realigning their business model as the company has done many times in the past.

It is speculation, but that's half the fun not knowing the facts. The equivalent of chatting over a beer in the pub. Actually, I was referring to boating holidays on the Broads as a whole, not just Richardsons.

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4 minutes ago, DAVIDH said:

It is speculation, but that's half the fun not knowing the facts. The equivalent of chatting over a beer in the pub. Actually, I was referring to boating holidays on the Broads as a whole, not just Richardsons.

My comment was not in reference to yours or hiring in general and I do agree with your observations regarding future hires.

Fred

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We struggled to book a boat for October just gone, especially as the choice for a 2 berth is pretty limited at the best of times - plus the staycation surge and all that...

Personally, I love the Broads and I'm willing to go any time of the year but I'm struggling to justify it to the boss (missus) at 2022 prices. In her eyes, "we've done the Broads now" and paying almost a grand for a week of what will probably be very questionable British weather isn't worth it...

Deep down, I probably agree! 

I fail to see how most of these boats will remain affordable to the masses going forward, when you factor in mooring fees, pump outs, water, etc etc

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