“We hired a Brinklet for the whole day. There were 4 of us and had an amazing day on the river, seeing the countryside from another aspect. We took food and drink with us and enjoyed everything about the day.
It was easy to hire and we were given ful instruction on the use before we left. We all a turn at driving so the rest of could see the views. The most pleasant way to spend the day and even after 2 weeks we are still falling about that day.
We will vertebrae doing again when we return to the area.”
Sounds like a full day was just the ticket, Hazel. It’s lovely that everyone had a turn at the helm, with plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the views too.
Even better that you’re still talking about the day two weeks later! We’ll look forward to seeing you again when you’re next in the area.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
Glad you had a lovely time, Lydia. An electric boat sounds like a good choice for next time — they’re wonderfully quiet and make for a very peaceful cruise. We'd love to hear back from you once you've compared them both.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“The day started with a small setback as our selected day boat hire had an engine fault which could not be corrected. However, the team quickly sorted an alternative boat and we were refunded the price difference.
The boat we used for the day was the same as we'd hired previously so we were comfortable with everything and were told we could return later in the evening to ensure we had the benefit of a full days boat hire.
We all had an enjoyable day on the Broads and we will definitely be booking again next year.”
Paul, sorry to hear about the problem. We’re glad the team could quickly sort an alternative boat and make sure you still had a full day to enjoy on the Broads. It’s great to hear the change of plan didn’t spoil the day, and even better that you’ll be back again next year.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“We had a brilliant day on the Broads. The Brinklet turned out to be the perfect boat to explore in, basic, easy to handle but also spacious and comfortable. Good hand over from team at Barnes, safety equipment explained and free parking.
Give it a try, you wont be dissappointed.”
Sounds like Brinklet did the job nicely, Michael — simple, comfortable and easy to get to grips with. We’re glad the handover got you confidently underway and that you had such a brilliant day exploring the Broads.
Thanks for the recommendation.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“It was my birthday celebration for all my family . We had made a picnic to have on the boat which was nice and it wasn’t too hot which was a positive in this case. However , the boat inside was clean but tired. On the outside it was awful, bird poo everywhere. Infact it was so bad on the window we could hardly see out. When it started to rain my son had to try and clean it off as it started spreading, I was disappointed. We then needed to put the canopy up due to rain and many many spiders came out falling on the people at the back of the boat. Horrendous. So for the full day rental we had little instruction given and when given, the young man apoke so fast we couldn’t understand him. The boat itself was so noisy we could hardly speak to each other and it had no speedometer so we had no idea how fast we were going. Trying to moor was so difficult we couldn’t even though we had experience in boating. All in all I won’t be hiring from you again!”
Dear Linda,
Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent day boat hire. I am sorry that a family birthday celebration did not live up to your expectations.
The inside of the boat should, of course, be clean, but the exterior and windows should also have been checked before you left. Bird mess can appear remarkably quickly beside the river, but the amount you describe, particularly across the window, should have been noticed and cleaned. I will raise this with our day boat team.
We have had an exceptionally long spell of hot, dry weather, which creates a considerable amount of dust around the boatyard. Cobwebs and spiders are also an unavoidable part of keeping boats beside the river, and they can gather beneath a canopy even when a boat has been cleaned. However, I appreciate that having a number of spiders appear when the canopy was raised would have been unpleasant and disrupted your enjoyment of the day.
I am also concerned that you found the handover difficult to understand. Our team should explain the boat’s controls and safe operation clearly and at a pace that allows customers to ask questions. I will remind the team not to rush this part of the hire, regardless of how busy the day boat yard may be.
Day boats do not generally have speedometers, and their speed can also vary according to the river conditions, wind and tide. Customers are shown how to judge their speed and must follow the posted river speed limits. Boats also require frequent, small steering adjustments, particularly at low speed and when mooring, although I appreciate this can make manoeuvring feel more difficult than expected.
The engine will naturally be more noticeable on a day boat than in a car or larger enclosed craft, but passengers should still be able to enjoy their time together. We will therefore ask the team to check whether the noise from the boat you hired was within the level we would normally expect.
I am sorry that the condition of the outside of the boat and the standard of the handover fell short. Thank you for bringing these points to my attention, as they give us the opportunity to address them with the team.
Yours sincerely,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
