Silverline Announcement

[ZimbiIV]

On 23/11/2022 at 20:13, ZimbiIV said:

If you have cancelled your booking check your payment details. I checked my credit card account today to find that not only had they not refunded my deposit but taken a further deposit.

I hope I get the £100 back. £50 deposit £50 extra deposit.

paul

Well I got both deposits back the next day.

On the first instance they phoned me I was given the clear chance to change the booking, take the original booking or a refund of any deposit paid.

I have no reason to back Hoseasons but how can they be expected to know what any boatyard/holiday company has planned for the future.

I understood the low deposit was an enticement and full deposit would be required on cancelling.

paul

[andyg]

5 hours ago, Wussername said:

You are  clearly misinformed. Clearly influenced by others who have  not accepted change. 

That's absolutely fine, I've no control over what overs think or do, I also don't own a multi million pound hire fleet. But what I do know and see is small yard after small yard ( regardless of standing and quality) being taken over by thoses with big pockets or big overdrafts. 

[ExSurveyor]

I can't think of any that have been involved in a hostile takeover,  When a small yard owner has had enough or wants to retire they have a choice to sell boats individually or sell the fleet as a package.  If the larger yards didn't buy them they could be lost to the hire fleets. 

 

[rightsaidfred]

9 hours ago, andyg said:

That's absolutely fine, I've no control over what overs think or do, I also don't own a multi million pound hire fleet. But what I do know and see is small yard after small yard ( regardless of standing and quality) being taken over by thoses with big pockets or big overdrafts. 

I don't think there have been any take overs in the accepted meaning of the word, I think it`s more a case that small yards sell of their boats when they no longer consider it viable to operate a hire yard or choose a change of direction, in most cases they still retain the premises and operate them as marinas and work yards as an alternative business, it's simply a case of whether the large fleets take the boats for themselves to replace older boats they are selling off or put them up for sale to the private market.

Fred

[Splasher]

Good evening from a regular reader but new user.

My wife and i were sad to learn of the closure of Silverline's boat hire service in Brundall. We have used Silverline many times over the last few years, albeit with a pandemic enforced break, and have always enjoyed the excellent service provided by the Dye family and their staff. 

We were at the point of arranging another holiday with Silverline for next spring when we found that the fleet had been transferred to Richardsons in Stalham. We have now booked our preferred cruiser with Richardsons but when i phoned today to ask about hiring a rowing dinghy they advised me that they had stopped hiring rowing boats out last year. This was a great disappointment since one of the highlights of our holiday was rowing around in such places as Hickling, Loddon, Geldeston, Oulton Broad and especially Ranworth, if we were unable to moor at the staithe.

We have contacted a few other boatyards to ask if rowing dinghies can be hired from them but those we have spoken to either don't have dinghies for hire or will only hire with an accompanying cruiser hire.

Can anyone help and advise if rowing boats can be hired on the northern broads?

Jim (Splasher)

 

[Smoggy]

Why not buy yourself an inflatable dinghy, dearer than hiring but you can use it for years and have a play on your local waters too any time you like.

[Broads01]

50 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

Why not buy yourself an inflatable dinghy, dearer than hiring but you can use it for years and have a play on your local waters too any time you like.

Good shout. I had one as a teenager and loved it. I remember mooring at Paddy's Lane and rowing out on to Barton Broad. I tried towing a dinghy once but when you moor it always seems to be in the way, especially stern mooring.

[Andrewcook]

As for Booking Deposits, I've noticed Herbert Woods don't do Fifty Quid but much more over Two Hundred Quid I believe up front and the rest whatever the Boat charges come to.

[oldgregg]

Funny you should mention that.

I have recently been looking to change my September booking with the boys as there are now 7 of us signed up so Contessa isn't an option.

Trawling through the various sites, a couple of Herbert Woods boats looked like an option as did a couple with Brinks though those seemed pretty pricey for what they were. I was looking at booking Folkestone Light as she seemed fairly spacious and good value. I don't really like bathtubs but the layout seemed to work well.

I'm not the biggest Herbert Woods either fan as I have seen the state of their boats out and about and also looked on board them in the yard, plus they always have a terrible reputation for breakdowns. But it was for a boys' weekend based entirely on the North so considerations are a bit different.

I went through the booking pages to look for hidden charges and noticed that the 'all male crew' deposit was £550. Wow, that's pretty steep I thought.... And then I noticed it needed to pay be paid 56 days before departure. So naturally I laughed a bit and booked with a different yard. Nice way of getting some investment income, poor way of attracting customers. Each to their own I guess.

So I've booked Diamond Gem, will get another holiday towards my loyalty discount and know that if there were a problem then Ricko's would sort it.

[Turnoar]

Hi splasher, Herbert Woods and Martham Boats have dinghies for hire albeit with cruisers I suspect but equally when business  is splashing you in the face and a vacant vessel ... They may double as a sailing dinghy but you can leave the rig on the cruiser or river bank and the centre plate up! Whispering Reeds still have rowing dinghies I believe but you’d need to email or phone to check.

I agree exploring the shallows by oar is great fun, I never dared take anything other than a canoe into Swim Coots for fear of being holed by tree stumps, could have been a rumour way back when but rotten if true!

[Splasher]

Thanks Turnoar, i will check them out. I would have considered an inflatable but don't fancy the round 850 mile trip to and from Stalham with a dinghy.

 

[YnysMon]

Horning Pleasurecraft have dinghies, both rowing and sail, and they have a small, but very well-cared for hire fleet. They even hired one of their sailing dinghies out to us last summer… we have a share in a syndicate boat that is moored up in their Marina.

If you want to know how we got on with the dinghy, check out my ‘Carried away by a Moonlight Shadow’ thread in the holiday tales section. We hired the dinghy during our July week.

[Splasher]

Sadly Horning Pleasurecraft have advised that they only keep their rowing dinghies for their own hirers and other companies i have contacted have the same policy.

I would have thought that a company of Richardson's size would have retained some dinghies but apparently not so.

[YnysMon]

4 hours ago, Splasher said:

Sadly Horning Pleasurecraft have advised that they only keep their rowing dinghies for their own hirers and other companies i have contacted have the same policy.

I would have thought that a company of Richardson's size would have retained some dinghies but apparently not so.

That's a shame. I'm sure a dinghy is a good insurance, particularly in the summer months, if you want to go to somewhere like Ranworth and be sure you can get to the pub, even if there's no room left on the staithe. 

[DAVIDH]

Simpsons in Stalham do canoe hire - 01692 580288. Also Whispering Reeds in Hickling have Canoes and Kayaks -  01692 598314 - You would need to ask if you can hire over an extended period though.
 

[tim]

1 hour ago, YnysMon said:

That's a shame. I'm sure a dinghy is a good insurance, particularly in the summer months, if you want to go to somewhere like Ranworth and be sure you can get to the pub, even if there's no room left on the staithe. 

Absolutely Helen, we only eat out apart from breakfast, when on the Northern Broads if I cant get moored near a pub, my go to is Ranworth, mud weight or island and row to across to The Malsters

Madness, a yard as big as Richardson not having some dinghys for customers!

[BroadAmbition]

Madness, a yard as big as Richardson not having some dinghys for customers!

They have dozens and dozens of em, scattered all round the establishment

Griff

[grendel]

13 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

They have dozens and dozens of em, scattered all round the establishment

all the ones I have spotted have been subject to the depredations of the hire user, and not repaired after, perhaps this is another result of not having a dedicated boat building team on site, or maybe they are just too busy to keep repairing them.

[oldgregg]

I think they're more hassle than they're worth for yards in reality.

[ranworthbreeze]

11 minutes ago, oldgregg said:

I think they're more hassle than they're worth for yards in reality.

We got rid of our dinghy years ago on Ranworth Breeze it was more trouble than it was worth, we also got rid of the small outboard. I often bumped into it from its hanger on the back of the boat and the dinghy shood upright over the aft cabin escape hatch. My two lads used it once on the river, but it was hardly big enough for adults. 21 years later do we miss a dinghy, not at all.

[YnysMon]

Our boys (men) had great use of the sailing dinghy from HPC last July. I wouldn't want to have one permanently for Moonlight Shadow though.

[Gracie]

That's a shame about Richardson's not hiring them out anymore. I know they are a pain when mooring etc but have been a joy for my two sons, so much fun to be had and great for exploring where a cruiser can't navigate. We've also used them for rowing to a pub when moorings are full although clambering in and out of them can be challenging  and so not a good look 

 Welcome to the forum Splasher  x

[NeilB]

I have a love / hate relationship with my dinghy.  Pain in the bum when going stern on or somewhere restricted like Neatishead or Sutton, especially when single handed which is most of the time.  If I leave it on the mooring I'm then worrying if someone steals it.

Yet, worth its weight in gold to have a beer or two and collect a pizza from the Maltsters in summer.  Or pop into Hoveton for some shopping while moored on Wroxham Island, there's a couple of places you can hide a dinghy while mooring is restricted for private boats.  Also makes cleaning the hull a bit easier. 

It's currently packed away in its bag, (that was a struggle!), I was contemplating whether to sell it or get a mini rib with console instead!  My daughter loves taking trips in it and hopefully I'll start training her to use it safely over summer.

[rightsaidfred]

They are certainly a pain for others trying to moor when left swinging about across the space you are trying to get into.

Fred

[YnysMon]

2 hours ago, rightsaidfred said:

They are certainly a pain for others trying to moor when left swinging about across the space you are trying to get into.

Fred

Indeed! That’s just plain inconsiderate.