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melody - which one to choose?

andyhesford

By andyhesford
in Hire Boat Discussion

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BroadScot

BroadScot

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Gracie said:

The pre 90s Boats in the Richardsons fleet are some of the best boats on offer for hire in my humble opinion, My fear is, if these lovely old Boats get sold off or put to pasture so to speak, Broads boating holidays will become unaffordable for the average family. Not everyone wants a luxury apartment afloat, don't misunderstand me, these new Boats are stunning of that there is no doubt but personally I prefer the basics, we don't even watch tv when we are afloat so a microwave and things working at the press of a button don't bother me, got that at home so why would I want it on holiday lol

Grace

Grace,

Having hired one of the new boats this year,(Broadway2) to me there is less storage space than on the older boats for clothes etc.

I passed on my short trip this month the old P&H Sunmist which is at Maycraft, and think back to how the lads at Porter and Haylett went OTT on storage on that Hampton 25!

The new boats are great, with all the gizmos etc, but the old boats in many ways have a lot more character and storage IMHO.

Iain.

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LondonRascal

LondonRascal

Posted
Posted

Iain, I think in days gone you also had the luxury of time and cheaper labour - these days a lot of the boats are built to a set specification and cost and once a couple have been completed one has a clear idea how much each costs to build and the time it takes so variations between classes which exist in many of the classic fleets where one would be made and fitted out in one style and another slightly differently occur less.

If you can cut down on the joinery needed you cut down on cost and build time.  A small three drawer unit might be great or under seating drawers to put things in all helps out but would naturally cost more to produce and does that money get recouped down the line in an additional hire charge - not likely.

I think what would be nice to see is more modular fittings that not only can be changed easily over time to keep interiors fresh and modern, but are 'off the shelf' so as long as there is the space to install they are cheap and easy to put in, take out and change - the galley units and cabin drawers on Brinks Rhapsody were 'IKEA' type so no training required to install lol.

 

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BroadScot

BroadScot

Posted
Posted

Robin,

I perhaps should have said when cruising for 11 or 14 days, there just is not enough room in certain cabins. For example, Broadway2 twin cabin is most certainly not fitted IMO for two adults, Kids yes.

Boats like motor cars, the perfect build has not been designed yet, certainly NOT with IKEA! built in lol

Prefabrication is rife today in many facets of building, I suspect boatbuilding is no different.

Through my 50 plus years in the building trade I have worked on jobs where the finest designers have been involved. However, Paper and Pen aye and computer too, does not fit the items..WE the tradesmen have to perform these minor miracles at times. 

I still think a design can always be improved on a Boat Model. Money permitting of course.

 

cheersIain

 

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  • 4 years later...
RIvercat

RIvercat

Posted
Posted

Hi all , apologies for opening up an old thread . Would anyone be able to tell me the model of boat that melody is ?. We go on her in October ( we actually have 2 melody’s booked out as the in laws are on number 2 ) . This is for my sons school work . Many thanks


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RIvercat

RIvercat

Posted
Posted
Yeah they're mostly late seventies to early eighties.

It's a fantastic design when you look at it, space well used and nicely proportioned between accommodation, living space and that protected cockpit.

Yes agreed . We specifically wanted that sedan style with the rear outside space for fishing etc. Surprised there’s not many that style for hire on the broads - the only other one we found was fair executive . But we got two melody’s for the price of one FE !.

 

Not forgetting San Remo !

 

 

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Broads01

Broads01

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, RIvercat said:

Yes agreed . We specifically wanted that sedan style with the rear outside space for fishing etc. Surprised there’s not many that style for hire on the broads - the only other one we found was fair executive . But we got two melody’s for the price of one FE !.

 

Not forgetting San Remo !

 

 

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

I agree sedans are less common than other designs. Brooms have a few at the top end of the market and Barnes Brinkcraft have cheaper ones like Duet, Belmore and Omega. 

I can see the benefits of Melody and San Remo but I've always been put off by how small the sunroof is. The helm position is too enclosed for my preference. 

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andyg

andyg

Posted
Posted
On 29/10/2015 at 08:31, C.Ricko said:

someone had asked if we would sell one as they preferred it to a princess, the enquiry has not been followed up so is in the fleet for next year, (this could be changed though)

We will take any of the pre 90s boats out of the fleet for the right offer. (or any boat come to that!)

Im a sedan style boat fan, sadly Princess isn't one of them lol. Are the melodies really that old Clive. We had number 4 not long after re fit. And it was cracking, You guys really do a good job on refits not blowing smoke up anyone's backside here. As mentioned a couple of weeks ago I still hope the new one will appear at some point in the future. BTW Clive were they all Part of the ex Thames fleet. 

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trambo

trambo

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, Broads01 said:

 

I can see the benefits of Melody and San Remo but I've always been put off by how small the sunroof is. The helm position is too enclosed for my preference. 

Agree Simon. Would not be my choice for a Summer holiday but for early and late breaks they could be ideal. Hired Brinks Omega twice in the 90s in low season and found her fine in all aspects.

Historically they seem to be least successful of the Broads designs. The earliest examples were I think the post-war  3 berth (some later converted to 4 berth) "Sea Heron" class from A. G. Ward. A really handsome design especially in the as built all varnish finish.

Fred

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oldgregg

oldgregg

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, trambo said:

Agree Simon. Would not be my choice for a Summer holiday but for early and late breaks they could be ideal. Hired Brinks Omega twice in the 90s in low season and found her fine in all aspects.

Yeah I'm with you on that. You don't get the centre cockpit draughts in the edged of the season, but in the summer there's nothing like cruising along with the roof off.

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C.Ricko

C.Ricko

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, andyg said:

Im a sedan style boat fan, sadly Princess isn't one of them lol. Are the melodies really that old Clive. We had number 4 not long after re fit. And it was cracking, You guys really do a good job on refits not blowing smoke up anyone's backside here. As mentioned a couple of weeks ago I still hope the new one will appear at some point in the future. BTW Clive were they all Part of the ex Thames fleet. 

Hi Andy, 

I am pretty sure they were but I can't recall the name, they were bought back to Stalham and refitted. 

 

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andyg

andyg

Posted
Posted
On 13/08/2020 at 08:33, trambo said:

If memory on track the Melody class are ex Maidline although one of the class may be ex Benson. The San Remo class were a mix of ex Johnson Yacht Station and Ferry Boats. 

Fred

Ferry and Johnson two very good old broads yards in my opinion. Always liked Johnson boats very smart, I didn't visit the broads for some years back then and was surprised Johnson had close when I returned. Very modern and popular fleet. Shame

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