Mr Norman

Not wishing to be argumentative, I would suggest the "heritage" of the Atlanta 24 is more Norman based than Viking. This is a Norman 24.

Just to round this thread off. Left Stanilands at 9.15am and arrived at Broad Cut, moored up and turned engine off at 9.45pm. We were very close to "abandoning ship" at Stanley Ferry but thankfully persevered. Thanks for all information and suggestions.

All useful stuff. Thanks very much.

Thanks very much Martin. How accurate do you think Canal Plan is? I've heard quite a few question it.

Could anyone please hazard a guess at how long it might take to cruise from Thorne to Calder Grove near Wakefield? Are many locks on the Aire & Calder still operated by BW Staff? Am hoping to shift a Hampton Safari from Stanilands to my new mooring by the Navigation pub at Broad Cut. Thanks in advance.

Simple question then! Why has the OP not come back to this?

Sadly the original poster has not returned since the day they started the topic. I wonder why?? Wish I'd seen this earlier and I would have suggested a visit to our forum where I would be certain of a much more encouraging welcome.

Apologies for misleading! I should have said "no wide beam" at the moment. Having said that, I'm sure I read somwhere that 7' was the limit on pontoon/finger moorings! These being the type that small cruisers are usually accomodated on. Do we have anyone on here at Fallwood? I'm going to try and do a motor round as many as I can this week. Direct contact often seems to produce better results. Thanks all for taking the time. I would still like to hear from anyone who knows about the mooring situation at Shepley Bridge.

Currently my boat is bobbing about in Norfolk on The Broads. I've just about had enough of the lousy A17 as I live in Wakefield. The boat is a Hampton Safari, 25' 6" x 9' 6". So I'm looking for a mooring with most marina type services such as electric, parking, water etc. Most of the BW marinas appear to have a 7' maximum beam limit which rules those out. Shame, because I could have fancied Lemonroyd. I always liked Shepley Bridge but have not been there for quite a while. Does anyone know if they are still operational? Is Brian still there? Alternatively is anyone aware of any other possible vacancies as word of mouth seems more productive than web searches. Cheers for reading so far!

I'd just like to counter the opinion that seems to hold on here about Richardsons boats and the yard itself. Whilst what has been said about scruffy boats and problems with dings and recompense might have been true in years gone by, things have changed significantly. For the recent few years the yard has been back in control of the Richardson family after being run down by some big financial conglomerate. Now, although they still have many older boats, they have been through a program of refitting and repainting resulting in good basic craft at a very competitive price. Richardsons are also the producing more new boats of new designs than any other yard on the Broads. Whilst there are still occasional problems with "booze cruises", Richardson now work closely with the BA and the Police and there have been instances of holidays beeing ended early due to problems with the crews being taken off the boats. Reputations tend to stick for a while like a bad smell but I reckon Richardsons have made great efforts and progress in improving their image and fleet! Trevor

I suspect you might be thinking of the Norman 32 Crafty! Same front bit but much more rear space including a sit bath would you believe! Have a peek at this page! http://www.normanboats.co.uk/norman_range.htm

That's a Norman 25. Likely to be at least 30/40 years old. If you get chance to look right up inside the bows at the bare GRP you should find some hand written figures that give the model, mold number and year of building. Although at the "economy" end of boating when Ernie Wheeldon built them they do have a reputation for longevity and robustness in terms of the grp build and don't seem to suffer badly from osmosis. Chap I know had one but found the rear cabin so small as to be virtually useless apart from storage. Took an angle grinder to it and turned it into a magnificent rear cockpit boat!

No problems at all with Craftinsure, they are backed by Navigators & General as well! Trevor

Another fan of the Pure stable of Dab radios here! Now this one might be considered a bit geeky but I love the styling. The Evoke-1S Marshall. You can even get a Marshall cab as a satellite speaker! Trevor

Has anyone tried the Navigation at Calder Grove recently? I know its been shut for a while but I'm told its opened again. I sincerely hope its changed hands! Trevor

There are often some boats for sale at Stanley Ferry. Edit because I didn't read original post carefully enuff!

Nick 1965 .... I too would suggest Matham Boats may be able to suit your purpose and pocket. Not only that, but you would have the pure pleasure of helming a traditional timber Broads cruiser that hardly makes a ripple in the water. Thy may not have all the bells and whistles of the shiney tupperware but they do have all you need for a cracking good holiday. linky Trevor

Yes, I have been in contact with Jason. Its a great shame he is so far away! Trevor

Thanks for the tip but there are quite a few places on the Broads or near by who claim to be able to do this sort of work! I have to be careful how this is said but suffice to say that when I want work like this done I do wish I was back on the canals! Trevor

I hadn't thought of Richardson's Brendan! Trouble is "Glenmore" is stuck at Brundall and a tow that distance would be a tad problematical! Trevor

Although my boat is on the Norfolk Broads rather than the canals I am hoping for some advice. "Glenmore" is a Bourne 35 Broads cruiser built by Moores of Wroxham in 1965. She has a GRP hull and timber superstructure. Powered by a BMC 1.5 and is shaft driven. I don't know if the "reputation" of Norfolk Broads Marine Traders has permeated this far but enough said about that! It appears likely that "Glenmore" will need a new prop shaft. An engineering company has made an attempt to straighten the existing one at no small cost I might add! But, once again, on taking up drive, there is an unholy clattering and vibration from the rear that seems to come from the rear cutlass bearing. Local "sages" are suggesting that the attempted straighten has not worked and the consequent uneven running has worn down these bearings again. Although "Glenmore" has done very limited running since this repair back in July/August 2011, the company that did the work are washing their hands of any responsibility because of the time that has elapsed. Long discussions and concerns fall on very deaf ears! Anyway, we lifted "Glenmore" yesterday for a look and another engineer suspects either bent or misaligned prop shaft. Both outside cutlass bearings need replacing for sure so the shaft has to be pulled and will be checked for straightness. Some "sages" are suggesting that straightening a bent prop shaft is never 100% successful and that its best to "bite the bullet" or "grasp this very expensive nettle" and go for a new one. Has anyone any opinions on this? My next question is about a new shaft. It is somewhere in the region of five feet long with a taper at one end at least. The guesstimate of the engineer as to cost of a new one sets ones heart a fluttering seriously! £450!! And that is without any associated labour. Has anyone any experience of buying a prop shaft? Where from? How much? Who's best to supply? Any advice at all will be very gratefully received! Trevor

I was surprised to see "Wheldale" there. The Aire & Calder Tom Pudding tug. Seemingly did the sea passage down the Humber and the North Sea. BBC said 300 miles. Not at all bad for a boat like that! The Telegraph website had a video feed showing the BBC footage live less the talking heads which was better. Trevor

Not wishing to hijack a thread but it is related. I'm one of those boaters who is a sucker for something for least money is good! I wonder if anyone would offer an opinion as to the practical value of the panel shown in the link? I realise its not going to be hard wearing or stand up to rough treatment but it does look as if it might serve a purpose! Sun Power Thanks in advance Trevor