pets welcome
pets welcome
life jackets supplied
life jackets supplied
Bedding provided
Bedding provided
Book now

Availability and Booking

Our breaks start on Friday | Saturday | Monday | Tuesday
Start date options shown in white.

ENCORE-PLUS

Brinks Encore Plus is one of our Elite Fleet Boats, Designed in-house and built for cruising the Broads National Park.

A classic design single-level cruiser with a modern interior.  Ideal for exploring the broads (passes under all bridges at suitable tides)

Brinks Encore Plus is light and airy. Its features include a split sliding canopy, a forward well, and double doors.

Tools like bow thrusters and electronic mud weights make manoeuvring Brinks Encore Plus a dream, even in tight mooring spots.

There is plenty of room for the whole crew to sit together – it is easy to enjoy the beautiful Broads scenery

The improved common rail diesel engine, hydraulics, and battery monitoring make this boat a joy. It’s quiet and efficient running.  See more here

Bow Thruster
Wi Fi Onboard
Shore Power
Fits Under Bridges
Microwave
Warm Air Heating
Superior Battery Management
Start Days: Friday | Saturday | Monday | Tuesday
Price From : £112 per night
Sleeps: 2+2 Guests
Fuel Deposit: £100
Damage Waiver: £30
Number of beds + number of fold-out beds.
Boat Plan

Brinks ENCORE-PLUS - Bridges

Will pass under all bridges at suitable tides.   

Potter Heigham Bridge – Yes (very low tide) (Pilot Required)
Wroxham Bridge – Yes (Pilot Required)
Ludham Bridge – Yes
Beccles Old Bridge – Yes

For details on how to safely navigate a bridge please watch this video.

Brinks ENCORE-PLUS - Dimensions

28ft.6inch (8.69m), 11ft 6in (3.50m), 6ft 10in (2.09m)

Features

  • New for 2020 season
  • WIFI – unlimited
  • Forward steering
  • Inverter provides 240v power
  • Bow thruster
  • Electric anchor winch
  • Split sliding canopy
  • 2 Doubles in cabin and saloon
  • 4 Ring gas built-in cooker with oven and grill
  • Bluetooth music system
  • Wireless phone charger
  • New more modern bathroom
  • 2 outside parking free of charge
  • Towels and complimentary toiletries.

Availability and Booking

Our breaks start on Friday | Saturday | Monday | Tuesday
Start date options shown in white.

Features

  • TV/DVD
  • CD/Radio
  • Hair Dryer
  • Warm Air Heating
  • Electric Fridge
  • Microwave
  • Cooking Facilities
  • Fully equipped Galley
  • Bed Linen
  • Blankets
  • Towels
  • Tinted Windows
  • Island Beds
  • Wireless Phone Charger
Features
  • TV/DVD
  • CD/Radio
  • Hair Dryer
  • Warm Air Heating
  • Electric Fridge
  • Microwave
  • Cooking Facilities
  • Fully equipped Galley
  • Bed Linen
  • Blankets
  • Towels
  • Tinted Windows
  • Island Beds
  • Wireless Phone Charger

Brinks ENCORE-PLUS - Bridges

Will pass under all bridges at suitable tides.   

Potter Heigham Bridge – Yes (very low tide) (Pilot Required)
Wroxham Bridge – Yes (Pilot Required)
Ludham Bridge – Yes
Beccles Old Bridge – Yes

For details on how to safely navigate a bridge please watch this video.

Brinks ENCORE-PLUS - Dimensions

28ft.6inch (8.69m), 11ft 6in (3.50m), 6ft 10in (2.09m)

Brinks ENCORE-PLUS - Deposit and Damage Waiver

Fuel Deposit: £100.00, Damage Waiver: £30.00

Features

  • New for 2020 season
  • WIFI – unlimited
  • Forward steering
  • Inverter provides 240v power
  • Bow thruster
  • Electric anchor winch
  • Split sliding canopy
  • 2 Doubles in cabin and saloon
  • 4 Ring gas built-in cooker with oven and grill
  • Bluetooth music system
  • Wireless phone charger
  • New more modern bathroom
  • 2 outside parking free of charge
  • Towels and complimentary toiletries.

Last minute availability and offers!

Frequently Asked Questions

No, you don’t need to have any experience or special licences to hire a Broads Cruiser. On arrival, we will give you a full demonstration of how to use, drive and moor the boat. You will also receive videos of how to handle a boat before you arrive.

We provide a manual (electronically and in hard copy onboard) to help you enjoy your holiday.

Our experienced crew will be happy to answer your questions before you leave the yard.

We would recommend at least one member of your crew have good mobility for moving about the deck and mooring.

On arrival at the boatyard, find yourself a temporary parking space outside reception.

A member of our team will direct you to your boat, getting your car as near as possible to the boat so you can unpack

Once you are ready, make your way back to reception with your car keys and paperwork for check-in.

We’ll book you in for your trial run at that point. We customise your tuition to suit your needs.

If the boat is not quite ready, we’ll take your mobile telephone number and contact you as soon as you can go onboard.

Boats will usually be available between 2 and 4 pm. We need them back at 9 am on your day of departure.
 
Some will be available earlier, but we can’t guarantee which boats will be ready early.
 
Each boat is
Pumped out (sewage removed from toilet tanks)
Filled up with fuel and water
Serviced by both the engineers and boat builders
Cleaned inside and out
Inspected by our head cleaner
 
We’re never quite sure what we will find when the boats return, which is why we don’t give you an exact pick-up time.
Yes, please give us a ring to let us know, and we’ll let you know where your boat is so you can go onboard when you arrive. We usually move the boat to just outside reception, so it’s easy to find.
 
In the morning, we will go through the check-in and trial run with you.
 
For safety reasons, you must not take the boat out of the yard until you have had a trial run.

Yes, by 9 am please, ready for our staff to get on board and sort her out for the next customers.

Yes, every member of your party gets a life jacket to use whilst aboard.
We even have life jackets for your dogs There is a deposit on dog lifejackets of £10 which is refundable on return.
Yes, you do. You can pick up supplies from Roys Supermarket and Department Store on arrival. The shops are a 5 min walk from the yard. This blog provides a handy guide to pubs and shops accessible by boat whilst on holiday.
Please note that not all boats have fridges with ice boxes on board, and none have freezers.
Bed linen (sheets, pillows, duvets and covers) will be on board when you arrive
 
Please fill in the arrival form before you arrive so we know how many single and double duvets you need
 
Towels are only provided on the Elite Fleet boats.

All boats will have a hob and an oven or microwave. For full boat details, please check the website or give us a ring

All boats have a fridge on board. They are sometimes smaller than domestic-sized fridges. Please bear this in mind when shopping for supplies! Some fridges will not have ice boxes.

Every boat will have a toilet and shower on board. The toilets are different from your domestic ones, but they are flushable (not a portaloo).

The shower gets hot water from a freshwater tank on board. The freshwater tank is small and will need topping up regularly (we recommend every day).

Quite a lot of moorings have bathroom facilities, and you may want to take advantage of these too.

We recommend a pump out every 2 to 4 days. Boatyards will charge for this.
The sewage tank will be empty when you collect your boat The rate it fills up will depend entirely on how much it is used. You may find it helpful to use shore-based facilities where available.

You will leave the boatyard with a full water tank. We recommend you top up the tank on a daily basis to ensure you have enough for showers etc. The tap water is safe to drink if boiled.

You will leave the boatyard with a full tank of fuel (tank sizes vary). With normal cruising, this should last for well over a week’s holiday.
 
Fuel usage increases if you use heaters, generators or speed. It is also affected by driving against the tide and wind.
 
Most people returning to the yard receive a refund on their fuel deposit. In colder weeks, you will use more fuel to keep the boat warm.

Yes, all boats have onboard heating.

All our boats have 240v power, so you can charge your phone and use a hairdryer
But, the power is limited, Which means you may not be able to use a kettle and a hairdryer at the same time

Yes, all boats are fitted with at least one 12v (car charger) and 240v socket (home socket).  Elite Fleet boats have 240v sockets in each cabin.

A trip to Horning can take an hour and fifteen minutes or a day or two if you stop off and enjoy yourself on the way.

Please look at our itinerary page for advice on distances and itineraries.

Yes. There is a rise and fall throughout the broads. It’s small at the boatyard (usually less than 20 cm).

The tide and currents get stronger the closer you get to Great Yarmouth and the southern rivers.

Please take care at Great Yarmouth and ask the staff at the Yacht Station for advice. Tel 01493 842794.

There are no locks on the navigable bits of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, and you can turn a boat around almost everywhere, making finding your way around the broads both easy and hassle-free vs some canal trips.

You can, provided you visit during the fishing season and have a “trout, coarse fish and eel licence”, which can be purchased online here or from your nearest post office.   The closed season is between March 15th and June 15th.

You can check if a boat will pass under a bridge by checking our website, app or skippers handbook.

If your boat goes under Wroxham or Potter Heigham bridge, you will need a pilot to drive the boat for you. At Wroxham, give us a ring, and we will send one of our team to help (at no charge).  At Potter Heigham, you’ll find the pilot just by the bridge.  (small charge)

Watch this video here to learn how to navigate bridges safely

If we have (or are predicted ) high tides, it may prevent boats from passing under a bridge

Please look at our itinerary to see suggested 7-day routes to help you plan your holiday. 
 
A holiday aboard a boat on the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads can be as planned or relaxed as you wish.
We would recommend building some time in to chill out and slow down. That way, you have time to catch the best of the Broads National Park when you least expect it

Children over the age of 14 are allowed to drive whilst under the constant supervision of an adult.

We welcome up to 2 pets on all our boats. Some boats are easier than others for larger dogs to get on and off, and we have listed these as pet friendly. We even have dog lifejackets available in reception if required.

You are welcome to sensibly and safely moor, providing there are no signs asking you not to

Each village has a parish staith where mooring is often free, and the Broads Authority provides many more facilities.

There are lots more moorings available in other spots, and these may be chargeable, especially if they provide services.

You can also moor in any Hoseasons boatyard free of charge, provided they have space.

 

 

We provide a basic map, and you can buy a really detailed map from reception.  Our app is also useful for navigating

Yes, for a refundable deposit of £5.
 
Why might you need a mallet on a boat? They are useful for knocking in rhond anchors.
 
What’s a rhond anchor? They are large angled pegs with a hoop at one end. You knock it into the bank you want to moor on, and you can then attach the mooring ropes to the rhond anchor.
 
It works really well unless it’s pretty windy or the land is too wet to hold the peg! Just like pegging a tent.

We only ask for a security deposit for single-sex parties, and all under 25 mixed parties.

If we charge you a security deposit, we will ask you to check for any bumps and scrapes before you take your holiday. In the same way, you do when taking a hire car

Barnes Brinkcraft provides pots, pans, dishes, plates, crockery, cutlery, mugs, and glasses.  Plus knives, bottle openers and spoons for prepping serving and stirring. Small chopping boards, tea towels and pan scrubs are also included.   We even add a fruit bowl.  We don’t supply champagne flutes (they fall over on boats if you get a bit of boat wash)

"Second time we have hired a holiday cottage , We have been hiring boats from this yard since 1975 and have never had a problem. Even had one of their boats for our honeymoon in 1977! Lovely accomodation, very clean and spacious. Staff were lovely and helpful. We had a great week and despite the cold weather the house was warm and very comfortable . We would recommend a visit to Horsey Gap to see the seals if visiting in the winter. Will definitely be back."
- Jennie
"Second time I've stayed here in January. Both times has been with groups of 8 to 9 people, once with a large dog. It is a great venue, the staff are friendly, the residences are spotless, the welcome gift has been greatly appreciated and the fact there is a day boat as well has left us with fantastic memories."
- Charlie Tonkiss (TonkaToys)
"Third time using Barnes Brinkcraft ,as usual they bent over backwards to overcome a personal Problem that we encountered with the boat (Serenade 6). The boat was very comfortable,like all holidays things are never 100% perfect ,would we return definitely. Thanks you Barnes Brinkcraft."
- Andrew Moloney
"Very helpful we moored up here and if the give them a call ahead they'll defo fit you in"
- Darren Thorpe

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