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Not So Naughty-Cal in Norfolk


Naughty Cal

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So on Saturday we will be heading to the Norfolk Broads for a week long holiday afloat, only this time it won't be with our beloved Naughty-Cal. It will be strange not being there with our own boat that we know so well, the last few times we have been have all been with Cal. In another way though it will be nice to not have to constantly worry about being hit by other boats, it will be nice to just moor up and walk away.

We are hiring an Alphacraft 35 from Richardsons called Viscount.

This 35ft x 12ft cruiser offers two ensuite bedrooms, the master cabin in the bow having a double berth and a single berth and the second cabin having a double berth, a long galley running own the side of the boat, a raised helm position and a seperate saloon area running along the width of the boat at the rear.

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She is an older boat from the early 90's but we are interested to see how the yard have gone about refitting her and modernising the interior as this is something that we know we will be up against when we buy a similar boat. 

The idea of this holiday is to make sure that this model of boat is going to be suitable for our future needs, so we are hoping to have a bit of every weather thrown into the mix, although the long term weather forecast seems to have other ideas :rolleyes:

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Here's hoping you have a good time, plus find the information you are looking for with regrds to the future.

Grebe was moored at Richardson's from 2009 until we sold her last summer.  From seeing and knowing the staff there we knpw they do a good job with boat refits.  They used to do some galley/lounge refits in the wetshed where we moored so we used to see the work.  Complete re-fits were done in the big dry-shed but e couldn't see in there.

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Have a great trip , I look forward to reading about it,

where do you plan to go on the broads or are you going to make it up as you go along...... you won't know what to do with all that space after Naughty Cal!

I am off for a week on this but I think that's rather outside the brief of this forum!

Hebridean_Princess.jpg.e2a4e389ba6825d7ab0f8cafb52537e2.jpg

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If you are looking at testing that design as a future liveaboard, I would be a bit cautious. The large single sliding roof is pretty impossible to get draught free. They are fine in summer, but I have hired one in February and its not a design I would use for winter living/cruising. The single level boats with split sliding roofs seem a lot better in this respect, if a sliding roof is one of your must haves.

I'm not sure a sliding roof is a great idea for a liveboard anyway. Where are you going to put all your tat?

 

 

  • Greenie 1
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30 minutes ago, billS said:

If you are looking at testing that design as a future liveaboard, I would be a bit cautious. The large single sliding roof is pretty impossible to get draught free. They are fine in summer, but I have hired one in February and its not a design I would use for winter living/cruising. The single level boats with split sliding roofs seem a lot better in this respect, if a sliding roof is one of your must haves.

I'm not sure a sliding roof is a great idea for a liveboard anyway. Where are you going to put all your tat?

 

 

Having hired the single level split sliding roof early and late season we can say that they are not draft proof in the slightest either.  We did find a temporary fix though for the duration of our holiday which we could easily modify and make use of in the winter months with this roof design. 

We don't own much in the way of tat!

This holiday is all about us figuring out if this space is big enough for our needs. We are well aware of downfalls of the design having hired for many years in similar boats.

25 minutes ago, bizzard said:

It has two toilets though, his 'n' hers. :)

Exactly.

And my bathroom has a bath also :)

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1 hour ago, NickF said:

Have a great trip , I look forward to reading about it,

where do you plan to go on the broads or are you going to make it up as you go along...... you won't know what to do with all that space after Naughty Cal!

I am off for a week on this but I think that's rather outside the brief of this forum!

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I'd be interested to hear what you think of it. Some friends of ours recently went on a VERY expensive trip on the HP but concluded that it had gone down hill a bit since their last trip, and it wasn't really worth the money. Hopefully your trip will be better!

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20 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Having hired the single level split sliding roof early and late season we can say that they are not draft proof in the slightest either.  We did find a temporary fix though for the duration of our holiday which we could easily modify and make use of in the winter months with this roof design. 

We don't own much in the way of tat!

This holiday is all about us figuring out if this space is big enough for our needs. We are well aware of downfalls of the design having hired for many years in similar boats.

Exactly.

And my bathroom has a bath also :)

What is the insulation like in these boats?

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34 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

I'd be interested to hear what you think of it. Some friends of ours recently went on a VERY expensive trip on the HP but concluded that it had gone down hill a bit since their last trip, and it wasn't really worth the money. Hopefully your trip will be better!

I'll let you know by PM when I get back.

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3 hours ago, NickF said:

Have a great trip , I look forward to reading about it,

where do you plan to go on the broads or are you going to make it up as you go along...... you won't know what to do with all that space after Naughty Cal!

I am off for a week on this but I think that's rather outside the brief of this forum!

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We are wanting to head to a few places we have not been since taking Naughty-Cal. We have a rough plan but no doubt it will get tweaked as we travel around. We want to head to St Olaves, Norwich and Great Yarmouth so this will be the first part of the break before heading back into the upper reaches of the Northern Broads.

We plan to put some hours in cruising as we want to get a fairly good idea of the fuel economy and speed (we are taking out handheld GPS) with and against a decent tide.

I want to see some pictures from your trip please?

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5 hours ago, NickF said:

Have a great trip , I look forward to reading about it,

where do you plan to go on the broads or are you going to make it up as you go along...... you won't know what to do with all that space after Naughty Cal!

I am off for a week on this but I think that's rather outside the brief of this forum!

Hebridean_Princess.jpg.e2a4e389ba6825d7ab0f8cafb52537e2.jpg

Funnily enough Hebridean Princess does have a Norfolk connection in that, after purchase from Cal-Mac, it underwent a total transformation from a workhorse West Coast ferry to a very well equipped and comfortable mini-cruise ship and all the work was done at Priors in Great Yarmouth in 1989, being renamed HP by the Duchess of York. She was originally built in 1964 so she is getting a bit long in the tooth, but in 2006 she was deemed suitable to act as a substitute for the Royal Yacht Britannia when the Queen chartered the ship for her summer holiday  and used her for an extended cruise around the Western Isles.  I spent a lot of time on board her in the late 1980's and early 1990's as Ops manager and Senior Master.

Howard

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Excellent Rach, I could live on that, and i would make sure T would aswell lol. 

As soon as Faffer is finished i will be down there i hope for a week ;)

 

You and Liam have a great time and looking forward to the read upon your adventures ;)

 

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18 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

We are wanting to head to a few places we have not been since taking Naughty-Cal. We have a rough plan but no doubt it will get tweaked as we travel around. We want to head to St Olaves, Norwich and Great Yarmouth so this will be the first part of the break before heading back into the upper reaches of the Northern Broads.

We plan to put some hours in cruising as we want to get a fairly good idea of the fuel economy and speed (we are taking out handheld GPS) with and against a decent tide.

I want to see some pictures from your trip please?

I spent a night moored at The Bell Inn in St Olaves in May, I found it very noisy with the traffic going over the bridge all night but I guess you will be better sound insulated than we were.

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I also remember quite a big tidal drop there, well over a metre which is a lot for someone more used to canals and rivers, but I guess that's small for you. It was certainly a bit tricky when you find the bank higher than the top of the tent in the morning"

 

sorry I can't seem to get rid of the upside down photo at the bottom of this post

 

 

 

St Olaves Comp.jpg

Edited by NickF
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I have hired the Alpha 35 a few times from different yards. The worst one was from Alphacraft themselves. They have the engine under the mid cabin double bed and it does not make for a pleasant sleeping environment! Some yards did fit these out with the engine under the stern deck which is a much more comfortable option for whoever uses that cabin.

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I look forward to reading about the trip as well - we are contemplating an autumn hol with the grand kids and maybe even basing our boating on the Broads when we are even more decrepit :-(  I can't say that the lack of locks appeals - I'll need something other than boating from pub to pub. 

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2 hours ago, Mr Norman said:

I have hired the Alpha 35 a few times from different yards. The worst one was from Alphacraft themselves. They have the engine under the mid cabin double bed and it does not make for a pleasant sleeping environment! Some yards did fit these out with the engine under the stern deck which is a much more comfortable option for whoever uses that cabin.

The engine on this one is under the helm.

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3 hours ago, starman said:

I look forward to reading about the trip as well - we are contemplating an autumn hol with the grand kids and maybe even basing our boating on the Broads when we are even more decrepit :-(  I can't say that the lack of locks appeals - I'll need something other than boating from pub to pub. 

You will be lucky to be able to moor anywhere near a pub in season. In fact mooring anywhere in season is a huge problem. I really would recommend careful thought before moving to the Broads. The cruising range is limited and this is further reduced due to the restrictions  of Potter Heigham and Wroxham bridges. We relocated from canals to the Broads and it was a huge mistake. We are now on the Great Ouse but will probably go canal-side again next season. It is of course a personal choice but do think it through. That said, an autumn break will be great.

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7 hours ago, Traveller said:

You will be lucky to be able to moor anywhere near a pub in season. In fact mooring anywhere in season is a huge problem. I really would recommend careful thought before moving to the Broads. The cruising range is limited and this is further reduced due to the restrictions  of Potter Heigham and Wroxham bridges. We relocated from canals to the Broads and it was a huge mistake. We are now on the Great Ouse but will probably go canal-side again next season. It is of course a personal choice but do think it through. That said, an autumn break will be great.

We went smack bang in the middle of season in July with Naughty-Cal and another boat the same last summer and got moored everywhere we wanted most of the time right outside pubs. I will find a link to the post for you shortly.

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You were lucky then, very. I have lived on the Broads for some years and it has always burn horrendous in season. It gets worse as the BA seem to keep losing moorings for one reason or another. It is better south than north I admit but still not great. Anyway my words can be heeded or not I am just saying think about it carefully. Pubs are having a rough time as well, the Ferry Inn at Horning having closed again I hear. The River Ant is also plagued by the sheer number of  boats that run up and down the River Ant - especially on Richardson turnaround days (which might now be nearly every day).

But its a personal choice so I'll shut-up now :-)

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