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Discussion Topic: Dare I ask.......
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HarryDaTiger |
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I am going on a Broads holiday, after a 23 year gap, in the summer. In those days it was a watery pub-crawl with varying numbers of fellow soaks/mates on variously Paulette (Kevincraft) and Broadland Grebe (Broadland Cruisers(now Top Gem (thanks Craig))) and Santa Fe (Harvey Eastwood (thanks again Mr S)), boy that makes me feel old. In the summer it will be somewhat more sedate (or so my liver is insisting).
It has taken me so long to get back cos my ex (who I married 22 years ago and managed to shake off 5 years ago) was more of a sun, sea, sand and sod-off we’re not going there kinda gal.
Wanting to get up to date and being a googleophile I discovered the Forum and Craig’s site and have lapped it up for the past 3 months without joining and posting. However, not finding out the most important and potentially ruinous info (I have read the thread on Bright Light’s condition) I have to ask….. or dare I…. ok here goes…. has anyone got any opinions, experience, abuse etc. on San Diego from Richardsons??
I went for that cruiser because I’m told (often) that size does matter.
GULP!!
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roya |
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Mudplug Juggler
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Hi Harry,
Deleted your double post.
Welcome to the site mate  .
Im sure you will get the answers you want,soon as we have all sobered up a bit.
roya
A Day without a smile is a wasted day
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HarryDaTiger |
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Thanks for the welcome, double-post oops, how did that happen?
Harry
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jamesbagnall |
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Hi mate and welcome to the site.
I love the fact that people are rediscovering the Broads after visiting this site! Surely this must be starting to get noticed by boat yards?
Anyway, last time I was up at Richardsons, there was a real 'feel good' buzz about the boats up there. Although I can't comment directly on the boat you are hiring, my opinion of this yard is very high.
They seem to have finished consolidating their various fleets (ie ex Thames, Hearts etc) boats and now have what looks to be a fleet of well presented and seemingly well cared for boats. Certainly when I was there, most of the hire fleet seemed to be in very good order, and the majority of the rubbish has either been de-fleeted, sold or indeed languishes in the grave yard round the back of the site!
The best person to ask is probably Dan H as his experience of Richardsons boats is vast......
Best wishes and once again welcome to the site.
Cheers,
James.
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roya |
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Mudplug Juggler
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Harry ,
sometimes it takes a few mins for posts to be put on,and if you press reply again it may or may not post twice.
Clear as mud mate.
roya
A Day without a smile is a wasted day
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Gordon |
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Hi Harry
You did the right thing to ask there are a lot of very friendly, very knowledgable people with a genuine passion for the broads on this forum.
Whilst I have no direct experience of San Diego I am certain you will not be dissapointed with Richardsons, personally I have the highest opinion of them all at that yard.
My family have hired from them for the past quarter century, and recently my wife and I have bought two of their de-fleeted boats.
We have always been treated in a very friendly and efficient way and both as owners and hirers. They always made us feel like valued customers regardless of whether you wanted to buy a boat or just a pumpout or a bottle of gas.
There has been the rare critisim of indifference in reception, but lets face it the pressure of trying to process more than a hundred customers in am afternoon must stress the coolest and most patient of people, and lets faces it the job gets on top of us all at times.
So Harry I am sure you can return with a worry free mind and enjoy a truely fantastic holiday
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steve |
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hi there ,
well this sounds like a job for Dan Horner , but have put a link on for san diego top righthand corner ,
cheers
steve and vicky
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HarryDaTiger |
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Thanks for the comments folks.
You are confirming everything that I have found out from reading various threads, which so far is all good about Richardsons.
Harry
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DanHorner |
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Hi Harry
Yup, indeed I do seem to have somehow got a reputation of supporting this fleet!
It does tend to be my first choice when hiring on the Broads.
The fleet is still quite large (but staffing seems good, and proportional so no probs there), but they seem very successful in running a very diverse choice of fleet and price bands at a consistent standard, with good attention on all the key areas such as equipment level, comfortable/decent condition fabric & floor coverings, good maintenance and reliability, bearing in mind the hire fee.
We hired a Highland Gem last year, a smaller version of the San Diego design and were all very happy. She is about twenty years old now, so assuming you aren't expecting it to be quite as luxurious or sparkly as a brand new boat from another operator (or Richardsons Platinum fleet) I'm sure you'll be very happy. What I'm trying to say is value for money, pound for pound I don't think you can beat them, and have watched standards rise higher and higher in the last ten years.
If San Diego is the same as Highlnd' then she will be very quiet, as the (recently new in Highland') engine is outside right at the back of the boat.
Although I have never been inside San Diego, she is similar, though not identical to Highland & Majestic Gem's whiich I have been inside. Internal photographs I took can be found on these boats page in the "hireboat info" section - find them through the button towards the bottom of the page, Tobago is also of similar age and standard and another member has added their pictures which may also interest you. You could also add your own after your holiday if you wanted to San Diego's page.
Have a great time, I'm sure you will
Dan
This message was edited by DanHorner on Dec-30-06 @ 2:50 PM
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DanHorner |
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Here's another of my pictures of her...
View Full Size Image
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Dec-29-2006 @ 5:52 PM
