Broom on the thames

[funinthesun]

Hi there,

Been looking at a a couple of brooms, the 37 and 39 of 1992ish vintage. Usage would be mainly on the thames with a couple of trips to the coast per year. I'm a little concerned. At the draught of this model though which is around 1.3 mtrs. Does anybody have any experience of these models and advice as to their suitability for thames cruising, don't want to spend too much time stuck on the bottom!

Thanks

 

[Whopper]

1992 39s appear on the net for about £120k. I really like them but if it’s mainly river cruising you plan on doing I would try for a 38cl/Ocean 38. Better slow speed stability/tracking, nicer cockpit and better helm. they also have better protected stern gear. Problem is, I think 38 owners are prepared to sit on them for a while so I’m not sure if they would be interested in a 20-30k lower offer on their asking. It’s worth a shot though!

There is a single engine one on the yacht market going for a slightly lower asking price. The single engine aspect might be putting people off but it could be a good bargaining point. Here in Ireland there are several 38cls with single circa 300hp Perkins as well as several newer 39kls with single 370hp volvo D6. I'm pretty sure they all get at least 15 or 16 knots so enough speed to do some exploring at sea. With rising fuel prices as well single engine boats are easier on the wallet.

 

[oldgit]

Just about the best boat possible for your stated circumstances.
Pop over the the Thames forum and ask this question again for comfirmation,several posters on there have Brooms of all flavours.
1 metre draft or so should be no problem at all on mid/lower Thames.

 

[blueglass]

Did the entire length of the Thames (to Oxford) in an Atlantic 38 - VERY similar. 1.3m draught and only occassional encounters with mud on shallow, "unofficial" banksde moorings. Brooms virtually made for the job and seen frequently on the river. Good choice.

 

[Chris_d]

Just about the best boat possible for your stated circumstances.
Pop over the the Thames forum and ask this question again for comfirmation,several posters on there have Brooms of all flavours.
1 metre draft or so should be no problem at all on mid/lower Thames.

Not the same 37 hull your thinking of, the 37/39 is deep vee offshore crusier, very deep draft.

 

[blueglass]

Not the same 37 hull your thinking of, the 37/39 is deep vee offshore crusier, very deep draft.

ah, OP said 1.3 metres. So what IS the draught of his considered purchase? Much more than stated 1.3 could cause problems on the upper reaches.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Not the same 37 hull your thinking of, the 37/39 is deep vee offshore crusier, very deep draft.

Not that deep. I had a 37 and from memory it had a draft of about 1.2m but, importantly, it also has a bit of a keel despite being a medium/deep V planing hull. That keel does give some protection to the props; it certainly stopped me damaging my props when I grounded the 37 in Chi Harbour once for which I was very grateful. Yes the 37/39 (which later became the 41 and 415) is designed for offshore cruising but Broom never forgot their inland waterways customers and the boat is just as docile pottering up a river. The keel gives it good directional stability and, like most Brooms, the low superstructure is not so easily blown about and will pass under many bridges that flybridge boats can't. My 37 also had a folding radar arch which IMHO is very desirable for inland waterway cruising.
I guess there are many 37/39s on the Thames. My only concern would be the Sabre engines fitted to some 37/39's. They're smoky on start up and mine leaked oil quite a bit but they never actually let me down. Any engines of that age must be thoroughly checked by a qualified engineer before purchase

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Just checked the sales details issued by Broom when I bought my 37 and yes, the draft is 4' 3" which is 1.3m, not 1.2m as I said. One further point about the 37/39. Being an aft cabin boat there was no room to fit a wet exhaust and the exhausts are actually in line cylinders with baffles, the result of which is that the engines are quite noisy

 

[ARA]

I have just taken the dog for a walk & by the look of it the Thames is deep enough for a Broom. The problem is that river is so high I think that you will have difficulty getting under the bridges !

Loads of large boats up to Oxford so don't panic. My boat had 1m draft and had it when the river levels were very low & had no problems.The Thames is shallow in parts so when mooring always go slow & bow in, when departing, bow out & then reverse. Simples

 

[oceanfroggie]

Those early 90s 37/39s are 1.3m draft which is about 1ft deeper than the 38Cl, 39KL, 395, 42, 425 models all of which have droppable radar arches, SD hulls, keel and excellent slow speed handling. The 90s 37/39 were nice boats but really designed for coastal use hence unusual V hull for Brooms of that size. You'd might be better looking at 38CL, 39KL. As whopper said, nicer cockpit layouts, and super quite due u/w exhausts.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

The 90s 37/39 were nice boats but really designed for coastal use hence unusual V hull for Brooms of that size.

I don't think the planing V hulls were at all unusual for Broom. All of their Offshore range ie 37/39/41/415/44/450/50/530 had that type of planing hull, albeit with a small keel as I said. I think the problem for Broom was that their Coastal range of SD hulls such as the 38/39/42 proved to be far better sea boats than they were supposed to be and stole sales from the Offshore range. On a more general note, its a great shame that Broom have fallen on hard times and here's hoping that they recover soon

 

[oldgit]

" On a more general note, its a great shame that Broom have fallen on hard times and here's hoping that they recover soon"

In my youthful ignorance,always though that the purchase of a Broom was merely a preamble for that last great journey to the great marina into the sky..
However wisdom breaks down all doors (eventually) and the concept of a spacious practical boat more than capable of holding its own out at sea and also able to reach far inland becomes more sensible as time goes on.
Unfortunately sensible apparently did not sell boats and Broom did lose the plot a bit by building wonderful boats but priced totally beyond the reach of most normal folks.
Any entrepenuer who had made a bit of cash was almost certainly not going to make a statement of his "arrival" by buying a Broom.
Just leaves behind a considerable number of boats some of which were built over 40 years ago still commanding suprisingly high prices,

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

In my youthful ignorance,always though that the purchase of a Broom was merely a preamble for that last great journey to the great marina into the sky..
However wisdom breaks down all doors (eventually) and the concept of a spacious practical boat more than capable of holding its own out at sea and also able to reach far inland becomes more sensible as time goes on.
Unfortunately sensible apparently did not sell boats and Broom did lose the plot a bit by building wonderful boats but priced totally beyond the reach of most normal folks.
Any entrepenuer who had made a bit of cash was almost certainly not going to make a statement of his "arrival" by buying a Broom.
Just leaves behind a considerable number of boats some of which were built over 40 years ago still commanding suprisingly high prices,

Mmm, praps SWMBO and I were old before our time because we always fancied a Broom pretty much from the first time we saw one but yes, Broom certainly priced themselves at the top end of the market. Actually I don't think that was the problem because plenty of builders have survived selling into the top end of the market, Aquastar, Dale, Hardy and Pearl to name a few. Broom just failed to move with the times on a number of fronts. They didn't anticipate the trend to more blingy interiors and big hull windows, they stuck with the aft cabin concept and didn't move beyond 50ft

 

[Wavey]

On a more general note, its a great shame that Broom have fallen on hard times and here's hoping that they recover soon

I think you'll find that more past tense than present

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I think you'll find that more past tense than present

Not sure what you mean by that. Yes Broom have new owners and there seem to be some updated designs but fundamentally they are the same boats. Honestly, I am a big fan of Brooms and if I was still boating in the UK, I would probably still have one now. And if they made a 60footer with stabilisers and long range fuel tanks, I might have one in the future as well

 

[David of Essex]

I'am a big fan of broom boats and would love to have owned one. A comment was made by a younger person that he liked the inside layout of Broom boats but thought that they looked a bit anti social.
David

 

[oceanfroggie]

. . . I think the problem for Broom was that their Coastal range of SD hulls such as the 38/39/42 proved to be far better sea boats than they were supposed to be and stole sales from the Offshore range . . .

That's a good observation. I don't know if I'm imagining things, but anicdotally it seems around the UK and Irish coasts Broom crews seem quite adventurous and to cruise afar. The boats seem to inspire longer range "cruising" or is that the time availability due to owner age profile? The layout certainly seems to suit the climate around the Britsh isles, and despite the high price yields more internal living space for LOA. Personally I don't like the 'blinging' up of the new bland interiors, but that's just me. Looks more like the inside of my office than cosy home. This is where US and Euro builders differ, the yanks preferring traditional interiors to euro minimalist plastic bland.

The older builds certainly instil confidence cruising a heavy swell offshore on the Atlantic coast in a 6. You feel confident nothing is going to break. Days later cruising lazily up a still estuary at 5kt can be sooooo relaxing.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

That's a good observation. I don't know if I'm imagining things, but anicdotally it seems around the UK and Irish coasts Broom crews seem quite adventurous and to cruise afar. The boats seem to inspire longer range "cruising" or is that the time availability due to owner age profile? The layout certainly seems to suit the climate around the Britsh isles, and despite the high price yields more internal living space for LOA. Personally I don't like the 'blinging' up of the new bland interiors, but that's just me. Looks more like the inside of my office than cosy home. This is where US and Euro builders differ, the yanks preferring traditional interiors to euro minimalist plastic bland.

The older builds certainly instil confidence cruising a heavy swell offshore on the Atlantic coast in a 6. You feel confident nothing is going to break. Days later cruising lazily up a still estuary at 5kt can be sooooo relaxing.

I remember the first magazine test (MBM I think) of the Broom 38CL. For a boat that was supposed to be designed for a mix of inland waterway and coastal (hence CL) cruising, they were full of praise for it's seakeeping on a blustery day off the E coast of England. IMHO, Brooms are good seaboats because they are heavily built and the quality of the build instills confidence in the owner. Yes the layouts are more suited to cruising in colder climates and that's a weakness because that limited Broom's potential market which IMHO became a problem after the recession hit the market. Yes I prefer the more classic interiors myself but you only have to look at what other manufacturers are doing to know that the majority of new boat buyers prefer a more modern interior

 

[Greg2]

Not sure what you mean by that. Yes Broom have new owners and there seem to be some updated designs but fundamentally they are the same boats. Honestly, I am a big fan of Brooms and if I was still boating in the UK, I would probably still have one now. And if they made a 60footer with stabilisers and long range fuel tanks, I might have one in the future as well

They aren't really the same company that they once were. They are under new ownership (i.e. no longer owned by the Broom family) and they don't appear to be building to the same standard IMHO....certainly they have altered their style to better adapt to the current market but the quality appears to be a long way from our 20 year old 41.......

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

They aren't really the same company that they once were. They are under new ownership (i.e. no longer owned by the Broom family) and they don't appear to be building to the same standard IMHO....certainly they have altered their style to better adapt to the current market but the quality appears to be a long way from our 20 year old 41.......

Yes obviously I knew that they'd changed hands but I didn't realise that the quality had dropped. Thats a shame and a retrograde step IMHO