“A perfect boat for two people, especially an older couple celebrating their 80th birthdays this year. It is thoughtfully designed with many features that make it easy to operate -- bow thruster, electric mud weight winch and electric toilet flush. The only disappointment, and it is significant, is the wi-fi. It should be called wi-fail because at less than 5 mbps download speed (it was barely 3 mbps on each occasion that I measured it) it is completey inadequate for most tasks, especially the Roku TV, which itself is brilliant, but the buffering every few second makes it unwatchable in most applications, especially during this year's world cup.”
Thank you for the thoughtful review, John, and happy 80th birthday to you both. We're delighted Encore Plus helped make the occasion a special one, and it's good to hear you appreciated the features that make life onboard that little bit easier.
We also appreciate your feedback about the Wi-Fi. We'll pass your comments on to the team, as we know a reliable connection is becoming increasingly important for many of our guests.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“I’ve just returned from my first ever solo boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads aboard the Encore +3. The boat itself was lovely — clean, comfortable, well equipped, and a really nice place to spend a week. The handover staff were friendly and helpful too.
That said, I’ll be honest… the holiday itself didn’t quite go to plan for me personally. Being a first-time solo boater was far more mentally tiring than I expected. I probably underestimated how much concentration, planning, mooring anxiety, tides, weather, and general navigation would take out of you when you’re completely on your own.
Where many experienced boaters can do it solo with no issues, doing it completely alone with no real knowledge or experience of boating on the Broads is actually quite tricky at times. Especially when you’re learning everything as you go.
The Encore +3 itself was actually the perfect boat for a first-time solo boater in my opinion. It felt safe, comfortable, manageable, and gave me confidence throughout the trip. Any stress I experienced wasn’t because of the boat — it was simply the reality of learning something completely new on your own.
There were definitely some beautiful moments on the Broads, especially the wildlife and scenery, but at times I found it more stressful than relaxing. Finding moorings later in the day became a bit of a worry, and as a solo traveller you don’t really switch off because everything falls on you.
None of this is the fault of the boat or the company — the boat did exactly what it should and was a lovely base for the week. I think this was more about my expectations versus the reality of solo boating for the first time.
Would I do the Broads again? Yes… but probably with more experience, better planning, or possibly with somebody else onboard next time. It’s definitely an adventure, and I’ve learned a lot from the experience.”
Thanks for the review — and for sharing the photo as well, it looked like a good celebration onboard. Encore Plus is a great boat for two, although we suspect the dogs may have claimed more than their fair share of the space!
We’re really pleased you enjoyed the boat and found her easy to handle and economical to run.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Another excellent short break on Encore 5, the weather helped as we had wall to wall sunshine for the trip. This boat has all you need and is ideal for two people but can accomodate a further two on the pull out dinette. The Barnes Brinkcraft staff, as always, are friendly and helpful and the free hamper (including a bottle of Prosecco) gets the holiday off to a great start. We're already looking forward to booking for next year.”
“It was a fantastic holiday for three days. The days went magically well.
The boat was adequate for both of us. All the facilities were great, running and functioning.
There is nothing negative I can write about or think about.
Highly recommended. This check-in and check-out service was excellent. The staff was very cordial and cooperative.”
“What great boat for two, it’s the 2nd year in a row we’ve taken the ‘Encore Plus’ out and will again next year. Easy to drive, fully equipped, warm and easy to moor. We can’t think of anything that the boat is lacking and highly recommend.”
“This boat was easy to drive and was comfortable. Despite our holiday being in October we were never cold as the heating worked well and could be turned down and run on low all night (didn’t use much diesel).”
“Excellent boat lovely hamper excellent service and we return over and over again as it’s one of the best holidays we have had xx Can highly recommend”
Thank you Deborah
We really appreciate this - hope to see you again soon. BTW we are currently running a 5% discount on 2026
Yours
The Barnes Brinkcraft Team
