Duchess 9m Motor Boat

This was an interesting Motor Boat I surveyed today. This is the first time I have seen one of these up close.
The Duchess craft were a development between Boating scene of Basildon and L H Jones and son of St. Ives. The boat was designed based on the Seamaster 820 mouldings which were provided by Viking boats. The idea was to produce an easily handling low powered cruiser for river use. About 10 of these boats were built.

　

Surveyors comments: The semi displacement hull has a tall free board hull offering large internal volume. Jones & Sons have a good reputation and I was very impressed with the fit out.

Some Osmosis blistering is common on the older (1980) Seamaster or Vicking hulls. The level of blistering I normally see is considered relatively typical for a vessel of this age used in a freshwater environment and commensurate with other craft of this class that I have previously Surveyed. No remedial action is usually neccessary.....

Take a look at this link for full specs:  http://www.jonesboatyard.co.uk/documents/Duchess-9m.pdf

Broom 32

I had a visit to ‘Le Boat’ Boat Hire in Horning today on the Northern Broads. ‘Le boat’ often sell off a few hire boats at the end of the season and this one has just come on the market…an Aquafibre 32 (Broom). These stock boats are extremely good value. All items of equipment will work at the time of handover (unless marked otherwise and excluded from the boat’s specification). In most cases their preparation will include a polish, antifoul and engine service where necessary. You will be invited for a comprehensive handover to demonstrate and explain the boat’s equipment. After handover, only the engines and gearboxes are warranted against major faults for the next 3 months.

This ex hire boat came from Ireland, and has a steel plate fitted to the undeside of the keel. The River Shannon in Ireland has a gravel bottom along with small rocks in places. Part of the plate had corroded away so it was decided to remove it now the boats on the Broads.

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? Call Insight Marine Surveys Ltd. 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

Yare and Bure One Design

I had a trip to Martham Boat Building Corporation (Martham Boats) today on the Northern Broads. Martham Boats run by Ian and Patrick Curtis and their Farther. They are a well known traditional family run boatyard, they offer a wide choice of services which vary from the hire of traditional wooden cruisers to the fibreglass sailing yachts..... even stand up paddle boarding!  They also cater for the private boater with the moorings and storage to slipway, fuel and pump outs, engineering work both electrical and mechanical as well as boat repairs and manufacture. They have the perfect hoist for lifting out wooden boats.
They can also build you a boat, or make new sails and covers. They are the 'one stop' spot for the traditional wooden boat enthusiast. They welcome DIYS. I kept my own Yacht there for the winter one year. You get the perfect shed for working on your boat.. space, power… and also helpful advice if required. A nice friendly family atmosphere along with the other wooden boat owners all working away on thier individual boats. The wooden boat lovers paradise… check out the pics 

Another little 1920'2 Ernest Woods half decker being restored for an owner...

Today’s Survey... a Pre-purchase Inspection and Valuation on 'Orange Tip' (above). Built in the 20's a classic, rare, YBOD half decker (Yare and Bure One Design).... these boats are unique to Norfolk. This old girl has her name on the Gold Cup.. a regatta held in Wroxam for the last 100 years!!
Her builders plate reads Ernest Woods of Cantley Boat Number XX (20). Magic.. I know why I moved to Norfolk… im in my element…

New members wanted for the Broads Authority

Would you like to help make the decisions that affect the future of the Broads?

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is recruiting two new members to the Broads Authority which is a member of the National Park family.

The Secretary of State appoints ten members to the Authority to reflect the national importance of the Broads with responsibility for conservation, recreation, the maintenance of the navigation area, planning, access, land management and resources.

The appointments will commence from April 2013 and are initially for up to four years with the option of re-appointment for a total period of up to eight years.
In the coming two years the Authority plans to improve water quality, restore more of the fen areas to productive management, work with local businesses to foster sustainable tourism and maintain its enhanced level of maintenance activity.

The Authority is currently working with Dutch, Belgian and French partners on promoting innovative solutions to the dredging and disposal of sediment from the rivers and broads.
It is expected that new members would take an interest across all the Authority’s functions and an induction programme is provided.

New members are also being appointed to the Dartmoor, Exmoor, New Forest, North York Moors, Peak District and South Downs National Park Authorities and Chilterns and Cotswolds AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) Conservation Boards.

Applications are particularly encouraged from members of ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, women and young people.

Application forms and further details are available on-line at http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/national-parks. If you would like an application pack by post, please contact Chris Buxton at Natural England, Foundry House, 3 Millsands, Riverside Exchange, Sheffield, S3 8NH (Telephone 0300 060 2745 or e-mail sos.appointments@naturalengland.org.uk ).

Deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 16 November 2012. To discuss the Broads Authority role contact: John Organ on 01603 756073

Rare spider introduced to the Norfolk Broads

One of Britain’s rarest and most spectacular spiders has been introduced to the Norfolk Broads after an intensive captive breeding programme.

A thousand hand-reared fen raft baby spiders or spiderlings have been released on the RSPB’s Mid-Yare reserve in an effort to generate new populations of this vulnerable species in Norfolk, where they are now restricted to a single site.

The fen raft spider, (Dolomedes plantarius) is Britain’s biggest spider and can grow to the size of a woman’s palm with a body length of 23mm. It can literally walk on water to catch its prey but owing to deterioration and loss of wetland habitats, its population has suffered. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species and as Threatened in the UK Red Data Book.

The fen raft spider is only found on three wetland sites in the UK - Redgrave and Lopham Fen National Nature Reserve in Norfolk where it was first discovered in Britain in1956, the Pevensey Levels in Southern England and in South Wales.

The release of the baby spiders were watched by their foster parents, mainly staff from zoos, who have patiently reared them in individual test-tubes over the summer. The spiderlings have been bred from the wild population at Redgrave and Lopham Fen Reserve.

Ecologist Dr Helen Smith, who co-ordinates the Fen Raft Spider Species Recovery programme for Natural England, devised the test tube rearing techniques with the John Innes Centre in Norwich. She has reared 5,000 spiderlings in her own kitchen over the last three years.

“I think everyone who does captive rearing gets very attached to them,” she said. “The baby spiders each have their own test-tube to avoid them eating each other so you have to devote yourself to feeding them for three months. We achieve survival rates of around 90% over this period, when survival in the wild would be very low.

“The Mid Yare reserve is a very good habitat and the spiders will be able to spread easily from the release site. It’s very exciting to be able to establish a new population in the heart of the Broads.”

Tim Strudwick, RSPB Site Manager, said "We are delighted to be able to provide a new home for fen raft spiders. The RSPB staff and volunteers have worked hard for many years to get the grazing marsh habitat into good condition for all kinds of wildlife and seeing ‘lost’ species return is the best reward.”

Between 2010 and 2012 nearly 12,000 spiderlings will have been released to the wild to establish new populations in Norfolk and Suffolk. At Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s reserve at Castle Marshes near Lowestoft they have been breeding successfully this year, producing an estimated 50 nursery webs. The aim of the programme is to secure the future of this species in the UK by increasing the number of populations from three to 12 by 2020.

The Fen Raft Spider Translocation Programme is funded by Natural England England, the Broads Authority, the BBC Wildlife Fund and volunteers. Other partners are the Suffolk, Sussex and Norfolk Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, the University of Nottingham, Buglife and the British Arachnological Society.

For more information about the programme visit: www.dolomedes.org.uk