LE BOAT

[jeffbroadslover]

Just been away to read my E-mails And I have received one from Le Boat which tells me that I can hire either an Admiral or Emperor class of boat from Horning next year. It even quotes hire prices!

 

I am wondering if HW know there has been a mutiny and they have taken all the boats back when no-one was looking.

 

Also does Clive know that he could have squatters.

[goodall_m1]

I am wondering if HW know there has been a mutiny and they have taken all the boats back when no-one was looking.

 

I believe that Le Boat are owned by Tui, and whilst I have never dealt with them for inshore boating , I have hired from their rag and stick colleagues Sunsail.

 

The Sunsail website says that the Solent is NON-TIDAL.....

 

Personally I prefer to deal with companies whose personnel have at least some basic idea of what they are selling...

[Hylander]

Well there have been at least 5 Le Boats delivered to HW over the last 2 weeks.   One of them was on a huge truck with International markings on the side.  So I wonder where that one was off to.       I am sure that Emperor was one that went past on Friday morning to HW yard.

[ranworthbreeze]

When I was down in Norfolk last weekend I noticed several Le Boat boats at each side of the Potter Heigham Bridge.

 

Regards

Alan 

[Hylander]

The one up river of the Bridge has been there since October and HW dont seem to be in any kind of a rush to bring it through.   Noticed there was a wooden boat I think it was Silver Light it was similarly stranded South side of the bridge waiting to be craned out the other side.      Guess it is just a matter of waiting for the Pilot to be around when the tide is right.       Also noticed that several very naughty boats were moored on the 24hr moorings there for a couple of days or more and on several occasions we noticed that the BA went past them and appeared not to do anything about them,  by Thursday though, whether a different BA man on the boat, he moored up and proceeded to put notices on boats and also spoke to a couple who had been taking the P..  quite frankly of the 24 hr mooring policy.    They were similarly given the bums rush on Friday and this BA chap came back to make sure they had up sticks and gone.  

[Guest]

The one up river of the Bridge has been there since October and HW dont seem to be in any kind of a rush to bring it through.   Noticed there was a wooden boat I think it was Silver Light it was similarly stranded South side of the bridge waiting to be craned out the other side.      Guess it is just a matter of waiting for the Pilot to be around when the tide is right.       Also noticed that several very naughty boats were moored on the 24hr moorings there for a couple of days or more and on several occasions we noticed that the BA went past them and appeared not to do anything about them,  by Thursday though, whether a different BA man on the boat, he moored up and proceeded to put notices on boats and also spoke to a couple who had been taking the P..  quite frankly of the 24 hr mooring policy.    They were similarly given the bums rush on Friday and this BA chap came back to make sure they had up sticks and gone.

We noticed both of them boats there during the October half term holidays. .... surely cant be the same two boats can they ?

[jeffbroadslover]

Out of curiosity I 've had a look at the Le Boat website and I think it's about time someone in their "organisation" should tell them what has happened to their boats on the Broads.

 

I wonder if the staff at Horning are keeping it quiet so they are still getting paid! !

 

Imagine what a customer would be told when they have booked a holiday and paid a deposit , "Sorry the base at Horning is closed and we don't have any boats there now"

 

Ooops

[Hylander]

Sidestand ,  talking to one of the residents at Potter I gather the two boats that were moored at the 24 hr mooring (not the stranded boats) I gather play cat and mouse with the BA on the moorings rather than pay for a permanent mooring.   So they could well be the same two.

[Dan]

Out of curiosity I 've had a look at the Le Boat website and I think it's about time someone in their "organisation" should tell them what has happened to their boats on the Broads.

 

I wonder if the staff at Horning are keeping it quiet so they are still getting paid! !

 

Imagine what a customer would be told when they have booked a holiday and paid a deposit , "Sorry the base at Horning is closed and we don't have any boats there now"

 

Ooops

Hi Jeff

 

They have sold the boats to Herbert woods but are staying on as a booking agent for these craft, so anyone booking one will simply start at Potter Heigham and be 'handled' by Herbert Woods.

 

It is rather poor really, the website seems to be aimed at people who are new to boating and/or not really into boats.  This may be the core market they have decided to chase but they have lost their way over the last ten  years and alienated the regular bookers that should be another core customer base they are protecting at all cost.

 

It is a shame really.  I tend to holiday with them once a year most years (where they are the best option on a set waterway) and to be honest the holiday is always very good, but despite this the brand is not one I am fond of.

 

I think it stems from their un-agreeable website, management & decision making at head office (base is always enjoyable), slightly uncomfortable/wierd brand name, and hard to trust pricing.  Short of a major restructure I doubt any big change is imminent but it is a pity.

 

Dan

[llanigraham]

Do they use the same system of charging extortionate rates for fuel useage over here as they do in France?

[ranworthbreeze]

I have only checked out their boats in Scotland and it is the extra payments such as fuel that really put the squeeze on any holiday booked.

 

Regards

Alan

[Dan]

I have only checked out their boats in Scotland and it is the extra payments such as fuel that really put the squeeze on any holiday booked.

 

Regards

Alan

No, they do use a different fuel charge system in the UK I think.

 

In France they charge for engine hours used, using a table of charges that varies to the size of the boat hired.

 

In the UK, on the broads (when they were here) and on the Thames they charge a fuel deposit and then a rebate on return taking into account amount of fuel actually used, just like the Broads yards do.  When I hired from them on the Thames this year the charges seemed fine and in line with what you'd expect and not a rip off in my opinion, but certainly no bargain.

 

I doubt they do differently in Scotland but perhaps they do, but I suspect the extras Alan was disappointed by is just the usual fuel deposit add on which does push the initial outlay of the holiday up a fair chunk, but only in the same way as hiring a boat on the Broads.

 

Dan

[Oddfellow]

In Scotland, Le Boat does not run the yard. It's a private yard running some of their own boats and some LeBoat vessels. When I holidayed a few years ago, there was a deposit scheme in place.