“A great boat overall. We were a party of 8 adults & a baby and found the only negative is the cupboard space for clothes in the cabins. In my opinion it would be great for 2 families of 4 (4 adults & 4 children) but a little cramped for 8 or 10 adults. The boat is easy to handle and mostly quiet when cruising. The generator is no loader than a diesel engine. The boat is well equipped and I would definately hire again”
Thank you for the thoughtful review, Keith. We're pleased that you found Prelude comfortable, well equipped and easy to handle.
We appreciate you sharing your experience with a party of eight adults and a baby, and we’re glad the overall experience was positive.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“What a fantastic boat, this is the 4th time we have been on the broads and this is by far the best one we have had. The upper deck table and the full size shower is a game changer. It’s very efficient and we used much less fuel than in previous years. Highly recommended”
Hi Andrew, we're delighted Prelude topped the list after four Broads holidays. The upper deck table does make a great spot for watching the world go by, and a proper-sized shower is always appreciated after a day on the water.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
Hi Glenn, thanks for the great review — we're really pleased you all had such a good weekend aboard. Seven people, a boat and a few days on the Broads is a pretty good recipe for a memorable trip.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“The boat was spotlessly clean when we picked it up. The layout is great for a large family or group. The outside seating area upstairs is a brilliant addition to the boat and makes great for whoever is at the controls (which can be lonely otherwise). Furthermore, the interior of the boat is very well equipped and everything was easy to operate and locate.”
Thank you for the lovely review, Lee. We're really pleased Prelude suited your group so well. The upper deck seating is one of our favourite features too, as it means the skipper doesn't have to miss out on all the conversation.
We hope to welcome you back aboard again soon.
All the best,
The Team at Barnes Brinkcraft
“Lovely boat, had everything required for a pleasant holiday. The only things that let the trip down were the lack of information provided by the young lad who showed us the boat, he seemed in a hurry to get home, and didn’t even explain the knots required so we had to make do with the examples in the manual. Not ideal.
The second issue we had was that the hybrid battery wouldn’t charge over 55% for two days and the generator didn’t kick in when battery got below 50%, so we had to run the generator constantly over those two days travelling down to Norwich and back.
The engineer could remotely view the boat data and he altered some settings which meant the battery started charging fully again, but this wasn’t a good situation to be in, crossing Breydon Water on 50% battery life
Overall a great holiday and will definitely go with Brinks again.”
Thanks so much for your lovely comments – and those retrievers look like they thoroughly approved of the holiday too 🐾
I’m really sorry the handover felt a bit rushed. That’s not the standard we aim for, and we’ll be having a quiet word to make sure everyone gets a proper, unhurried introduction (knots included!).
On the battery issue, thank you for flagging it so clearly. I’m glad our engineer could get things sorted remotely, but I completely understand it wasn’t ideal at the time. Just to reassure you (and anyone reading), even at 50% battery, crossing Breydon Water is perfectly safe – and all our hybrids have a diesel auxiliary system that will automatically support things if needed.
Delighted to hear you still had a great holiday overall, and we’d love to welcome you back on board again soon.
“Fab holiday again! Prelude 2 lived up to prelude 4 which we went on earlier this year. Already booked again for next year!
Barnes brinkcraft is highly recommended!”
“A wonderful relaxing holiday on a fantastic craft!
We wanted for nothing. Thankyou Barnes Brinkcraft, to a tee you were all wonderful.
Thank you again”
“Our holiday on Prelude was so much fun. We hired Prelude from the 19th September until the 26th and can't wait to come back next year. It was so easy to drive and the bow and stern thrusters really made mooring a breeze. The staff at Barnes Brinkcraft were super helpful. Bring on 2026!!!!”
