Haines 31 motor cruiser

I spent the morning in Brundall Surveying this Haines 31. The owners Norfolk Yacht Agency had just finished prepping the boat and she was to be sold with a Warranty.

Haines Marine are one of the most respected boatbuilding companies on the Norfolk Broads. A family run company based only 5 minutes from my home in Ingham, founded in 1980 by Bob and Mary Haines. They offer a bespoke service for new boats in every respect, trips to their factory to monitor the build, to choose the details of your boat and to follow its progress through the construction.

This older 1999 model was built on the Aquafibre hull. Many of these Aquafibre mouldings do the rounds one way or another and sometimes it's difficult to tell who's version is whos! Sheerline, Haines, Aquafibre plus I think Falcon with a Renaissance also used the hull moulding.

Surveyors comments: Brokerage boats are sold as seen and no warranty is given. However, if you buy one of many stock boats like this example for sale on the Broads, then they come with a warranty and on top of that stock boats are often serviced, antifouled, polished and checked before the handover.

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at: steventruss1@aol.com

Corvette 320 Trawler Yacht

I Surveyed this ‘Little Ship’ today at Brooms Boats in Brundall… not as a great lover of fibre glass boats I was very impressed with the build quality of this classic cruiser.

This was a Trawler Yacht with a difference, the Corvette 32 is British built, has a most unusual hull shape (round bilge sections flanked by shallow vee flats out to the chine) and is fast! The boat was designed by Compton McGill and built initially by Corvette Marine, who produced about 30 between 1974 and 1977, when they went into liquidation. In 1984 the moulds were bought by a new company Corvette Cruisers in Nottingham who redesigned the interior and built another 70, this one included.. a 1988 model. New construction of the original Corvette 320 has ceased as of 2010. As many owners of the Corvette 320 have shown interest in trading up to a new 340.

Main features of the exterior are the very wide side decks… I felt like I was walking around one of my old Frigates!

Most of the original boats are powered by twin 106hp Volvo diesels. Top speeds of about 18 knots. Corvette cruisers fitted conventional drive engines, most common were 210HP Cummins diesels, however this one had 300HP Volvos which could give top speeds of about 25 knots + .

Surveyors comment:

Ideal for a cruising family with children or a couple with frequent guests, its two-stateroom, two-head accommodation plan provides a level of comfort and privacy found only on much larger boats. And while its traditional, salty good looks may have you thinking "trawler," it will surprise you with its 25+ knot, seakindly performance.

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at: steventruss1@aol.com

Farrington 25 Broads Cruiser

Today I was at Landamores of Wroxham to Survey and Value this Broads Cruiser for Insurance purposes. The river cruisers of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads evolved during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to meet the requirements of this unique inland waterways system - light displacement, tall rigs, low freeboard, well proportioned cabin trunks with lifting roofs to give headroom when moored, and masts that lower to allow easy passage under bridges. The sheltered environment has allowed many of the early boats to survive giving the Broads possibly the greatest concentration of traditional boats in the UK.

To meet the rise of interest in these craft new yachts started to appear in the late 1970's and one of these was the first Wolstenholme design to reach the water, the 25ft GRP hulled timber composite river cruiser for Kingsley Farrington launched in 1980 (below). She was followed by the timber epoxy 'Cirrus', the GRP Farrington 30, the cold moulded 'Storm', timber epoxy 31footers for Native Yacht Company, 28ft Bure Classic for Colin Buttifant, the beautiful 'Moonshadow' of 2004, and the recently launched GRP timber composite 26 footer again for Colin Buttifant.

This hull was from Kingsley Farrington and fitted out by the owner who is a qualified Boat Builder

She has a high spec rig with alloy topsail spars

The coachroof being painted

The owner and builder

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at: steventruss1@aol.com

Moon Shadow 3 rivers 2 027.AVI

Broom Crown 1979 model

I had a trip out to Haven Marina in Lowestoft today to Survey this Classic Broads Built Boat. Successor to the successful Continental, the Broom Crown was based on the same hull, but had a restyled superstructure and a significant change to the layout.

Twin v-berths in the forward cabin remained, but the aft cabin enjoyed a centreline double, whilst the settee in the saloon continued to provide an extra double berth. All boats continued to feature interior and exterior helms and sliding doors on both sides of the saloon giving access to the side decks.

This 1979 model had the Perkins engines… later Crowns replaced the longstanding Perkins engines with 148hp Volva Penta TAMD40As or 158hp TAMD40Bs.

Surveyors comments: Unique boat built to last and handle everything you throw at it!

There are changes in the Boat Sales office at Haven Marina for 2012, Bernie Lake and his team at Lowestoft Boat Sales are taking on a joint venture with Norfolk Boat Sales who have recently been appointed dealers for Broom Boats and have also taken over the brokerage operation at the Brundall Boatyard. This move not only gives a larger range of new and used boat available for sale from the Lowestoft office, but is advantageous to customers who are selling their craft as their details will be displayed in 3 prime boating locations, Brundall, Wroxham and Lowestoft, as well as gaining wider exposure via the internet and advertising. The popular Sea Otter range of Aluminium Canal Boats, the traditionally styled Trusty Motor Boats and, of course, the fabulous Broom range, as well as a wide variety of used craft will now be available at all 3 offices, where we will offer a professional yet personal service, and be on hand to offer advice at the outset and guide you effortlessly through the entire sale or purchase process with our ultimate aim - complete peace of mind and customer satisfaction guaranteed.

They offer competitive brokerage rates and flexible storage packages tailored precisely to suit your needs, with an experienced, knowledgeable and friendly sales team on hand six days a week to show you or your prospective clients onboard. So, If you're thinking of purchasing your first boat, selling, upgrading or even down-sizing then why not drop in and view their our impressive display of new and pre-owned sail and power boats.

EMAIL:
lowestoft@norfolkboatsales.co.uk or visit their website at www.norfolkboatsales.co.uk for a no obligation chat to discuss your next move