Hire Yards Of Yesteryear

[Graham47]

I have hired boats on the Norfolk Broads from 1966 to 2020. 

Started with Richardsons. 

Followed by -

Herbert Woods

Ferry Boatyard

A D Trueman

Harvey Eastwood

Earnest Collins. 4 weeks per year

Aston Boats Loddon. 4 weeks per year

Aston Boats Beccles. 4 Weeks per year

Fineway Cruisers

Alpha Craft. 4 Weeks per year.

Ferry Marina.

         

 

[Aboattime]

Sandersons at Reedham

[TrevorAndDeirdre]

Turners in Horning also Southgates.

[Happy]

1 hour ago, TrevorAndDeirdre said:

Turners in Horning also Southgates.

Me and two mates hired a houseboat there - many years ago.  Thought we were the 'bees knees! 

[Aboattime]

Pearsons in Reedham,wasnt there a yard in Somerleyton,cant think of the name,didnt they have blue hulls?

[pastboating]

Two not mentioned as far as I can see that we have hired from are Neatishead Boatyard and Stalham Yacht Services.

[Boatingman]

Ripplecraft were based at Somerleyton also Crown Cruisers

St Olaves had

Johnson's Yacht Station

Beaver FleetBe 

Priory Craft

castle Craft

At Burgh Castle their was Breydon Marine and Birth Castle Yacht Station

 

 

[Graham47]

I seem to remember when I started coming on the broads in the late 60s, there was a small boatyard in Reedham, just down from Sandersons towards the bridge. I think it was called Reedcraft. It only had a couple of boats and no boat shed on the riverside, just a gap between a couple of the cottages where the office was.

[Aboattime]

Great Yarmouth, Azzura ?

[Graham47]

Arrow Boats, Beccles. A small yard between the Waveney House Hotel and Beccles Lido.

[Boatingman]

Cobholm Boatyard Cobholm Great Yarmouth

Clifford Allen Coltishall

Belaugh Boats Belaugh

[NorfolkNog]

There were just so many yards back in the day, Some of our early hires which I don't think have been mentioned yet:

Lady Lorna from LL Cruisers at Wroxham (Hoveton) a Hampton, first year in hire if memory serves

Falcon from Easticks at Acle - again virtually brand new boat and probably the most unfriendly yard I've ever hired from

Aston Concorde from Loddon - think it's the yard now owned by you know who

And a classic woody - Eskdale from Dale Line at Horning. 

[NorfolkNog]

This is as recent as 1995 yet probably only a fraction of these remain 

[Broads01]

Great photos, Howard. What year did you have Aston Concorde? It looks very new. Your 1995 list is revealing and just shows how much has changed.

[Turnoar]

What is the cruiser behind the Aston? A Santa something from Harvey Eastwood?

[Broads01]

4 hours ago, Aboattime said:

Great Yarmouth, Azzura ?

Yes, the ill-fated Line Azzuro. They took over Kingfisher Cruisers at Thorpe (at the site which was previously Maidencraft, later Freedom) and for some reason relocated to the old Marina Keys site at Great Yarmouth. They gained a terrible reputation for poorly maintained boats and didn't last long.

[WherryNice]

2 hours ago, Turnoar said:

What is the cruiser behind the Aston? A Santa something from Harvey Eastwood?

http://www.broads.org.uk/wiki2018/index.php?title=Boat_Details&BoatHistory=9499&BoatId=5862

I think it's this one:)

[Tobster]

On 08/07/2023 at 14:07, Boatingman said:

Oulton Broad

A D Truman

Fowlers

Little Shipa

Hoseasons

Newsons

Knights Creek

Hampton

O Heft

Leo Robinson

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just to add to Oulton Broad,

Darbys

Kevin Craft

Broadsway  

Harlequin - letting from the Commodore pub. 

 

[Tobster]

12 hours ago, Boatingman said:

Ripplecraft were based at Somerleyton also Crown Cruisers

St Olaves had

Johnson's Yacht Station

Beaver FleetBe 

Priory Craft

castle Craft

At Burgh Castle their was Breydon Marine and Birth Castle Yacht Station

 

 

Albatross - South River Marine site today.

 

[deebee29]

Willow Craft Brundall. - Cherry Willow (think we were first hirer)

Compass Craft Horning. -  Compass Viscount (again we were first or second hirer) we last saw this in 2019 owned by Richardsons but renamed.

[Boatingman]

Jack Powles Wroxham

Norfolk Broads Yacht Co Wroxham

Loynes Wroxham

Sabena Marine Wroxham

Landamores Wroxham

 

[NorfolkNog]

8 hours ago, Broads01 said:

Great photos, Howard. What year did you have Aston Concorde? It looks very new. Your 1995 list is revealing and just shows how much has changed.

Hi Simon

Memory failing with old age but I think around mid 1990's. They still had the two yards then at Loddon and Beccles. We were caught the wrong side of Beccles old Bridge by a torrential rainstorm overnight. We had to wait all day for low tide and eventualy the guys from the Beccles yard reversed the boat through the Bridge and still scraped it slightly. We hired the boat from Loddon and only just got it back in time!

[RegalSafari]

9 hours ago, Broads01 said:

Yes, the ill-fated Line Azzuro. They took over Kingfisher Cruisers at Thorpe (at the site which was previously Maidencraft, later Freedom) and for some reason relocated to the old Marina Keys site at Great Yarmouth. They gained a terrible reputation for poorly maintained boats and didn't last long.

Maidencraft was next door to kingfisher cruisers slight more upstream. They were separate operators and different sites but worked closely. I think their site is now a bungalow or something like that. 

I would assume kingfisher helped them with maintenance and stuff. 

[Mouldy]

10 hours ago, Broads01 said:

Yes, the ill-fated Line Azzuro. They took over Kingfisher Cruisers at Thorpe (at the site which was previously Maidencraft, later Freedom) and for some reason relocated to the old Marina Keys site at Great Yarmouth. They gained a terrible reputation for poorly maintained boats and didn't last long.

Remember them.  Difficult to imagine a worse place to open a hire yard, particularly for a first time hirer, having to deal with a fast ebbing current passing through Yarmouth!

[Davydine]

I don't think anyone has mentioned High Craft at Thorpe, who used to have boats named after hills in the Peak District I think?