New boats from Herbert Woods .

[Boaters]

New boats to attract the younger end of the market with plenty of gadgets.Mr P gets a trip in her and gives his approval !

Link to article

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/business/herbert_woods_cash_injection_helps_fire_up_two_new_broads_cruisers_1_3995004

[JennyMorgan]

Will it fit under that bridge? Not my taste but I have no doubt that she'll appeal to many.

[JennyMorgan]

Two issues here, one being in finding moorings in popular areas at busy times and the second being in the design. It costs no more to produce an aesthetically pleasing boat as it does to produce one of these monsters that looks as out of place on the Broads as does a horse drawn double decker bus. I shall now retire gracefully.

[LondonRascal]

Credit to Herbert Woods for adding their own look and feel to the ubiquitous Alpha 44 duel helm cruiser. 

 

It marks a departure from having such premium new builds fitted out with a lot of space in mind for maybe 2 or 3 couples to providing a mixture of single and double berth sleeping arrangements making this an idea boat for a group of friends who want their own cabins.

 

Personally I would have preferred to see them use the same 44ft hull but utilise the centre cockpit design thus providing the same space and internal specification  but the sliding roof enabling passage under the likes of Wroxham Bridge and Beccles old road bridge.

 

The main annoyance I have found recently is looking for something smart and well fitted that is not too long in the tooth that is ideal for a couple.  Don't get me wrong I don't have anything against people hiring the larger boats if there are only two of you on board but it is also nice frankly to have something small and easy to manoeuvre that is cosy too. 

 

If you leave aside forward steer boats, and concentrate on 'newer' boats then the Broom 30 boats such as Siesta/Mystic Horizon/Brinks Duet are nice but you loose a lot of space to the cockpit, which is primarily designed for helming not a living space.  Ferry Marina have some new two birth boats  http://www.ferry-marina.co.uk/unit-gallery.php?udid=535&unid=14&arrivaldate=16-03-2015&review=1&TB_iframe=true&height=350&width=754which although I am not sure retractable hard top is nice inside and a departure form the usual which is always good to see.

 

I've seen a lot of couples hiring  the 'baby' duel helm boats like Superior Light, Brinks Concerto etc being relatively small in length packing in a great deal of space.  It would be nice though to have a design that was adaptable - bit like cars - small, medium and larger but all keeping the same 'family look' . 

 

So you could have a signature look that carried itself through from the largest 45 footers to the smaller 30 foot boat designed for a couple all with an equal quality fit out but being able to cater for all segments of the market.

 

Alas it does seem that the mantra of the current designs is space, space, space which in turn equal length and I am not sure how sustainable this is with the larger boatyards bringing out new large builds such as Dazzling Light when we are losing precious lengths of moorings .

[650xs]

antifoul any one ..................

[riyadhcrew]

Very subbtle, very subttle, but I like it.

[Dan]

Good to see a new boat for up to ten, and yes some new smaller (32 - 38ft?) two berths are needed too in the industry, even if they don't look as satisfactory on a spreadsheet as the bigger 6 & 8 berths!

 

Has someone else fitted these out than those doing HW's other recent stuff though?  Domestic kitchen units and drawer fronts etc may be the norm, but it was good to previously see HW doing something slightly different with more detailed specific units in the boats laminate.  I know it'll take longer and cost more, but it gave them a nice differing finish to others and it's a shame this has changed I think.  The pictures I saw of insider her were on their Facebook Page on March 4th

https://www.facebook.com/herbertwoods

 

Dan

[LondonRascal]

Dan makes an interesting point about the internal fit out one negative I thought was the fact you get a decent sized fitted oven, then a typical 'compact' marine hob - but on a boat where your going to have up to 10 people that does not seem a galley suited to those needs. There is also no splash back for all that yummy fat that is going to need cleaning off the wood surrounding the hob.  If they wanted something a bit different to the drab stainless steel splash back, coloured glass would have worked and be a damn sight easier to clean grease off over time than wood grain.

 

 

I liked how luxurious Brinks Rhapsody felt inside because a lot of the units were of modern high gloss veneers.  Now some will look at such and think "it's only MDF underneath" and unlike quality ply it will surely in time suffer from the harsh environments that exist on a boat - cold, damp, humid and hot causing it to swell and generally not last.  I thought I agreed until I began looking into what is available in 'flat pack' forms for kitchens and bathrooms with various guarantees and the ability to be placed in humid and damp environments.

 

Example of Brinks Rhapsody's use of fitted cabinetry

 

It may well be therefore that the likes of Herbert Woods and Barnes Brinkcraft are opting for faster build times, cheaper costs (not having to actually design and make as much internal units) and then seeing how it does last - if it is acceptable for the next 10 years then I guess that would be a 'win' and if the worse happened like a door fell off, or a shelf swelled up one can just order a replacement (or a set of new doors for example) and hey presto fresh good as new look.

 

If I am super critical, while it may be necessary for an inspection hatch to be incorporated such as we see at the stern, the fact it has been fitted where it has really draws attention to it (and will make those with OCD go mad) because it is level but the line of the 'roof' of the boat is slightly curved so ones eyes are focused to this right away.  You therefore think the inspection cover has not been fitted straight when in fact it is.

 

 

 

You can now see full intenal photography of Dazling Light on Herbert Woods webiste here: http://www.herbertwoods.co.uk/boating-holidays/our-boats/dazzling-light.html

[650xs]

so mr rascal you don,t want a anti foul your boat then ......why not ????

[650xs]

all done in jest and no offence .......

 

happy boating ............

 

 

are you sure yuo don,t want to antifoul yer ole boooots

[JawsOrca]

John do you happen to have an offer on at the moment for antifouling?

[LondonRascal]

John, I can't take offence to things that are so subtle they fly over my head

 

Jonzo, I can' see reference to a 'kids cabin'  - this looks like a usual compact single cabin you find on many older 'high capacity' boats like Jewel of Light where what counts is number of berths and not how you might actually use them but with a finite amount of space something has to give and its usually the cabin sizes.