The Martham Boatbuilding & Development Catalogue dropped through my letterbox yesterday morning. I always enjoy it – I love the photos of the old-style Broads sailing and motor cruisers they hire, and I also like their keen hire prices! On this occasion, however, I was particularly pleased to see the Martham catalogue, as it performed the small miracle of taking my mind off the pain of an earlier tooth extraction. I was very grateful.
An interesting feature of the Martham yard is that it has a large indoor area that the company makes available for DIY boatbuilding and restoration. They’re happy to offer customers their advice when it’s sought, and they’ve got a sail-loft to boot – very useful if you happen to live in the area:
http://www.marthamboats.com
Another favourite is the Hunter’s Yard catalogue:
http://www.huntersyard.co.uk
Both companies produce catalogues that have better images than the ones they put on their websites. Still, even in the absence of a 1024-pixel wide shot you’ll quickly get the idea: most of these boats have been around for decades, and they have all the old-fashioned style one could ask for. Over time, I’ll put up some of my own photos. In the meantime, take a peek at these images I’ve found around the web:
Nice aerial shots of the Broads:
http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/education/photo-gallery/aerial.html
Some excellent shots of wherries:
http://www.the-norfolk-broads.co.uk/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=28&Topic=6720