Changes

With the season picking up and Easter nearly upon us we are readily making a few changes around the yard and to our fleet.

Our Fun Time cruiser has just had a new engine put in by our engineer Stuart. She is now up and running and has been out for a 3 night break. The customers had a great time out on the broads and have booked again with us further into the year.

We have also been making changes to the interior of our Super Time cruiser with new carpeting and curtains.

Mike is incharge of the carpeting and varnishing.

And I (Lucy) have been remaking all the curtains.

The gift shop is also now open for business for the 2012 season. Stop by and treat yourself to some souveneirs or a gift for a loved one back home.

If you fancy a hot or cold drink or maybe an ice cream on those hot, sunny days then the onsite gift shop has everything you need.



Don't forget to keep watching our blog to keep updated with the goings o around the yard and local area!

Magical Time is back in the water and now has it's top painted.

We are very excited to be purchasing the timber for the interior of Magical Time so that she can start to take shape inside as well as out.

All our team are working hard to prepare everything for her.

Keep watching our blog so you can see more updates in the coming months of us re-building this cruiser!!

Magical Time

This is our Magical Time after being lifted out to have it's hull painted.

She is going to be our new, recycled cruiser which will be added to our fleet in 2012.

As you can see we have added on our red stripe to match in with the rest of our cruisers.

There is still alot of work to be done as eveything has been removed from it and we are completely refitting it as a new boat without the carbon footprint of a new grp lay up.


It will be a truly green boat.

Easter Holidays 2011

The Easter break is upon us once again ensuring that we are very busy here at DRL Marine. Nearly all of our cruisers are out on the river with customers enjoying the sunny weather.

Womack Staithe is heaving once again on the public moorings after a quiet Winter the season is really under way. There are plenty of people milling around, some boat hirers and some who have come by car to enjoy the peaceful scenery of Womack Staithe.

Our own moorings are filling up and the yard staff are out there assisting customers with pumpouts and water replenishment.

We are busy here in the office too taking bookings and ensuring that customers choose the most suitable craft for their holiday.

We have a new addition to our fleet this year called Restful Time. She arrived with us a month ago and was taken straight to our wet shed to be painted White to match our colour scheme. Before she was painted she was a distinctive Green and some of you may recognise her as previously San Mirabel from Richardsons.

Keep a look out for her on the river as she is now on her second hire of the year after much hard work from the team here to get her ready in time.

Our dayboats are also out on the water already this year. They have been freshly painted and anti-fouled ready for their busy season ahead. Bookings for this coming Easter weekend are already being taken and we are having plenty of enquiries coming through.

Our new Picnic Boat for 2011 has been completely stripped back to the bare

superstructure as you can see from the photographs. She is currently being completely refitted with a brand new interior of beech and cream. When she is ready for hire she will also be available for overnight short stays on the Broads.

So if you fancy a night or two away why not give us a ring and we can get you booked in. Or alternativly you can book her for just a half day or a full days hire.

In this picture on the left you can see how much work we have to do to get her finished. Keep watching this blog to see the full process from start to finish.

August Bank Holiday at Womack

State of the Staithe on this August Bank Holiday: It's been a glorious summer fortnight - plenty of sunshine, with just enough cloud cover here and there to cool things down in between. A busy period, as always in August - boats coming and going, and the moorings on the staithe filled up every night, with more anchored - or rather, mudweighted! - out in the main body of water.

This morning is once again sunny, but with a cool breeze to take the bite out of the heat and keep the flags fluttering. The air is crystal clear. As I took this photo just minutes ago I could hear the church bells ringing merrily from Ludham village. Two children are rowing across the water, a sailboat is mooring up, and a riverboat (cruiser) is heading in.

At this moment, after such a busy two weeks, all the DRL Marine cruisers and launches are out there on the water, except for two which will be going out shortly. The dayboats are ready and waiting for their booked holidaymakers to arrive. There is peace.

Of course, it's only 11.am on Sunday. :-)

Setting the Scene

The Norfolk Broads is an area of natural beauty, peace and tranquillity, where as skipper of your own pleasure craft you can experience a carefree easy-going time of relaxation, or an exciting adventure exploring these protected waterways that teem with wildlife – in, on, and out of the water.

Offering the best value-for-money short and long stay holidays on the Norfolk Broads, we intend to continue striving to please you – our valued customers – with the personal approach for which our staff and company are renowned. With our open, friendly customer relations and high quality of boats in a wide range of sizes and designs, we know you'll want to make your holiday reservation early to be sure to secure the boat (and dates) of your choice.

DRL Marine is a well established family business headed up by Darren and Ruth Lewis. Having grown from humble beginnings as a husband and wife business, by 2006 we had expanded to include two generations of both families, and a move to our new home at Womack Staithe, Ludham.

With family members overseeing all aspects of the business, from the Gift and Coffee Shop to Launch Hire, Service and Engineering, DRL Marine provides an excellent option for tourists and private boat owners alike, and is building an enviable reputation.

So stop by for all your private boat needs, day boat launches or holiday cruiser hire, boat sales and brokerage – or just to sit by the river with an ice cream or a hot drink. Whether you're a first time boater or a seasoned broads visitor, we look forward to welcoming you to our family-run boatyard at Womack Staithe.