Blakes and Hoseasons are the main agencies for boatyards on the Norfolk Broads. They do not own the boats, they merely market them as an association. The price ranges you see in on our boat search pages are the hire charges applicable to that particular craft for the period of either one week or a 3 or 4 night short break. The lowest price generally reflects an out of season hire, whilst the upper price is what you can expect to pay for a holiday in August. The price is variable between these figures depending on when you holiday and if you choose dates which include any school holidays, when you will notice a spike in the charges levied.

There are other charges which are also applied to your booking. An average costing might look something like the following example:

Hire Periods

Boats are available for full week cruises which generally commence on a Saturday at 4pm. The boat needs to be handed back by 9am on the following Saturday. You can extend the hire to two or more weeks and obtain a discount of up to 50%, though generally 15% on these subsequent weeks. As the boatyards could not handle the turn around of all their boats on one day, they make a number available for midweek starts to ease the load. You benefit with a reduction on some boats at certain times of the year. Our database details the start days of any particular boat.

You can also hire a boat for short break. These are either over a weekend - Friday to Monday or Saturday to Tuesday, or during the week Monday to Friday or Tuesday to Saturday. In both cases you pick up the boat at 2.30pm and must hand it back by 9am. Midweek starts, which are 4 nights are the best value as they are charged at the same rate as for weekend hires, which are only for 3 nights.

Other Optional Charges

Cats and dogs are allowed on most boats, at a charge of around £30 per pet. You pay in advance with Hoseasons and on arrival at the boatyard with Blakes. A charge is usually made for parking your car at the boatyard. Expect a fee of around £10 per week or part week, payable on arrival. You will doubtless be offered "Propellor Insurance" when you take over your boat, which at around £5 is well worth the cost as it covers the charge to have a diver untangle rope etc from your propellor.

Moorings

You are allowed to moor free of charge at any Blakes or Hoseasons boatyard, and at any of the many public staithes which abound on the Norfolk Broads. Mooring fees are payable outside some hotels and public houses, more to protect them from boaters who want to take up space but not patronise the business. You will also need to pay a mooring fee at Yarmouth, Oulton Broad, Beccles and Norwich Yacht Stations (not just for yachts!) That aside it is still true to say that 80% of mooring spots are free of charge.

Home     Costs     Cruising Guide     Example Cruises     Boat Layouts     FAQs     Links     Terms of Use