H Woods Quiet Light

[Guest]

Hi, not been around the forum for a while, Queen and Country called. Any road up...

Planning for later this year, and along the lines mentioned in my post in the Hi forum have mostly used Richo's for the last few visits.

Whenever gone to another yard there has generally been some niggle about the boat, and had to get my tool roll out during the week to fix something, and as Richo's have never let me down... well you stick with what you can trust.

Was all set to go back to Richo's again and then I had a trawl round Blakes site and spotted Quiet Light is available from Woods.

In the past always had mixed feelings about boats from that yard as the appearance has seemed a bit patchy. But they are survivors in difficult times. So...?

This is a newish? boat, and I've never hired from Woods before.

Any views? Pics? All comments very appreciated.

Edited to add, trawling round other sites I'm seeing a lot of negative feedback, so glad I have not booked it. Richo's looking very promising again.

[Dan]

Hi Old Bill

I think the Quiet Lights (there's 3 of them) were built between 1993 & 1995, so not old boats but not exactly new now either.

I personally find Herbert Woods a bit inconsistent.. some boats theyve got in good condition inside & out, a fair few others always look a bit grubby and poorly/irraticly updated as the years have past, or with poor standard or choice of furnishings etc. I guess they are OK, but add in they are far from cheap or what i consider good value and those are the reasons why I've never used them.

All the best

Dan

[Guest]

Hi Dan

but add in they are far from cheap

most boats on the broads aren't cheap to hire but if you want your moneys worth you have to shell out a little but unlike us you haven't stuck with one hire company for 18 years so you have had a wider range of boats than me

but then you have Richardson's broads on a budget boats in early or late season

we have always hire with Herbert Woods from

the following we have hired multiple times

Morning light

Adventuress

Astral Light

Adventuring light

fist time we have hired Jewel of light this year

bud it realy depend on what takes your fancy

Jonny

[Guest]

Thanks for comments folks.

Re price, I'm not bothered, in fact I'd actively rather pay a bit more and have something that I know will be turned out well, clean and reliable.

I can't stand those hirers of boats, and cars for that matter, who abuse the equipment in their care. I even wash hire cars, yep anal I know, but why not. Boats are returned cleaned inside and out and I cannot recall a single hireboat which has not had something fixed during the week. The exception being every boat from Stalham where I've never had to fix a single thing.

One year we hired on the Thames, it turned out that they'd been putting new alternators on it more or less every week and usually had a call out for a bat flattery during the week. I figured out the prats had wired it up wrongly. Coupled with a failure of the gearbox because they'd fitted the selector the wrong way round, and an unpumped holding tank was the worst ever hire. I could deal with the holding tank but lost a day while they fixed the drivetrain

Years of sailing up and down the East Coast / Channel and occasional forays into the Baltic means I know my way round marine engineering, the hiring on inland and Broads is just a quieter change of pace especially if there are members of the party with dodgy sea legs.

[NeilB]

Out of interest where did you hire from on the Thames? As I worked there I could think of a few names, think all of them have closed now.

[Guest]

Hi Neil,

Unfortunately I have deliberately deleted their name from my memory banks it was that bad. The agent was Hoseasons and they were downstream from Caversham lock. In fact might they have been called Caversham something or other? They closed down maybe a year or two after.

They were a disaster, every time the bilge pump fired was never sure whether it was bilge water or oil that was being pumped, we ended up calling the boat the Torrey Canyon. It was embarrassing.

rgds

OB

[Guest]

Like Dan says and I agree about Herbet Woods... we hired Regal light a boat new that year and was dissapointed with the care and attention of it...to the point we swore it wasnt the new one !! there sister company at Wroxham pay better care and attention to there boats and feel we get a better deal from them.. but when desperate we would hire fron HW but it would be a last resort !! Then nothing against Richardsons (sorry ricko) but we had a terrible experince years ago and have never returned yet there are lots of good reports on here...so basically I think most tend to stick to what they know !!

[C.Ricko]

No need to apologise, we turn round about 400 to 450 boats per week at this time of year, and so far to date this year we have had on average about 1 written complaint per week (not all justified) depending on how long ago you had your holiday I would say you were unlucky, I am more interested to hear about how we tried to sort out your 'terrible experience' out and glad it was not so bad it put you off the broads!

I suspect with this weather on the first week of the holidays our average could alter

[Guest]

They dont complain about the weather do they !!!?? It is what it is and you have to make the most of it !! We only ever complain about really bad things... Sewage spilling out into bedrooms... engine not working... toilets full on 1st day... them sort of things... hope the weather improves we are down on Friday for a week.. might come and say hello and fill up with water !!!! We complained about the flies in the boat (fishermen had previously had escapies i think ) and the sewage leaking into the room ! Yes you dealt with it by changing the boat !! Satisfactory conclusion !! but became acustomed to newer boats (posh ) Would like to try your newer ones.. but dogs not aloud on them !!

[C.Ricko]