Whispering Reeds Boats Ltd

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Whispering Reeds Boats Ltd Situated at the head of Hickling Broad we are ideally placed for you to enjoy a day on the water.

We are a small family owned and run boatyard on the Norfolk Broads. We have Holiday Cruisers, Houseboats, Sailing Boats, Motor Day Boats, Canoes and Rowing Boats.

Well after the rather windy weekend we didn’t have any trees down or any boats try to escape 👍🏻Today we looked at the li...
26/10/2026

Well after the rather windy weekend we didn’t have any trees down or any boats try to escape 👍🏻
Today we looked at the little engine that was dropped off last week. The history of it was it ran then just cut out.
Usual suspect - fuel left in it, carb filthy.
Took the tank off flushed it out many times! Look at the colour difference of what came out in the first pot along with the dirt that was hiding and then after many attempts it was coming out fuel coloured.
No idea what mess was all over the carb gaskets and the carb itself 🤷🏻‍♂️
But after a lot of cleaning, jets removed and cleaned, float bowl cleaned out, fuel pipes flushed through , she ran lovely.
First coat of the 2nd stage of the shrimper mast and the final coat of varnish on the hatch doors.

Today’s message is - don’t try and drive off with the wheel clamp still locked onto the wheel 🙈 Had the clamp dropped of...
23/10/2026

Today’s message is - don’t try and drive off with the wheel clamp still locked onto the wheel 🙈
Had the clamp dropped off , had a laugh and then got it back to fully functioning.
A lot of boat emptying today after last nights rain and in preparation for the stormy weather. Added some extra ropes to a few boats , double checked posts, mooring lines etc fingers crossed everything is ok over the weekend 🤞🏻
Had a lovely little mariner 2.5hp dropped off, customer had it running then it died, will get onto that one next, see what we find.
Have a good weekend

Spent a bit more time on the 46 year old 2 stroke Yamaha ,compression tested today and she’s good, fuel hose replaced du...
22/10/2026

Spent a bit more time on the 46 year old 2 stroke Yamaha ,compression tested today and she’s good, fuel hose replaced due to perishing. Carb had been cleaned by owner and fuel pump diaphragm is new and been tested, spark good on both plugs, new plugs, gaps checked , still doesn’t run quite how we’d like so a carb rebuild kit needed but trying to find one is another story!
First coat of stain on the Cornish shrimper mast, keeping with tradition, shrimpers use a 2 part stain/varnish system.
Nice double rainbow from yesterday, couldn’t not get a photo of it.
Also had to get a picture of the broads authorities toys on pontoons 😊

Today we lifted out the beautiful “isis” ready to go home for her winter storage. She is a spectacular looking boat, a p...
20/10/2026

Today we lifted out the beautiful “isis” ready to go home for her winter storage. She is a spectacular looking boat, a personal favourite for me.
This afternoon a little broom was delivered for us to a look at the outboard, a 1980s Yamaha 2 stroke 😅 that doesn’t seem to be running right, when it actually runs.
That got cut short when a small fishing boat appeared to be stuck on the beach near the sailing club, had to go and rescue them, turned out the wind was too strong for the size of the engine. It blew them into the shallows and snapped the shear pin on the propeller.
Helped them get it back to the staithe and the owners got it out and were relieved to be back on dry land (in their own words)

Keep forgetting to post in the evening! Lots of prep work done on the mast for the shrimper, looking good now. Little be...
20/10/2026

Keep forgetting to post in the evening!
Lots of prep work done on the mast for the shrimper, looking good now. Little before and after of the mast. Another coat on the doors starting to look shiny!

Wasn’t quite the day that was planned but it was a success.Assisted Norfolk wildlife trust with putting in some new moor...
15/10/2026

Wasn’t quite the day that was planned but it was a success.
Assisted Norfolk wildlife trust with putting in some new mooring posts on a part of the yard, we thought we knew where the water pipes went as the new posts went inline with the old posts to be safe - well that didn’t work 🙈 caught a previous repair with the post which undone the fitting 1/4 turn - enough to cause a leak which was only noticed once every thing was back filled 🙈 re dug a hole, tightened the fitting, job done.
Got the mast fully scraped and made a start sanding - big difference already!

Forgot to post yesterday 🙈 winter service done on one of our mooring customers shrimpers - oil and antifreeze done, fuel...
14/10/2026

Forgot to post yesterday 🙈
winter service done on one of our mooring customers shrimpers - oil and antifreeze done, fuel filters to be done in the spring.
Mast taken off ready to be stripped back and re varnished.
Boat taken out and covered up ready for the winter.
Also removed the rudder awaiting a new blank one to delivered and swap everything over, it’s seen better days!
Made a good start scraping what varnish was left on the mast. (Haven’t got a photo yet) Looking forward to seeing the colour come back to it!

Happy Monday 🥳 It was a rather windy one today meaning a fair bit of time making sure everyone’s boats are safely tied u...
12/10/2026

Happy Monday 🥳
It was a rather windy one today meaning a fair bit of time making sure everyone’s boats are safely tied up, covers not acting like sails. A little bit of a tidy up in the main workshop, bin filling day.
A little bit of varnish on the other side of the door hatches, seems like it’s taking forever but I can’t varnish both sides at the same time 🙈
Removed an outboard for one of our customers today ready to be put to bed for the winter.
Also a random one - bearing removal from a ride on lawnmower drive system.

Today we lifted this beautiful sailing boat - we had to spend a little bit more time than usual putting her down as it d...
08/10/2026

Today we lifted this beautiful sailing boat - we had to spend a little bit more time than usual putting her down as it didn’t seem to sit on the trailer very well despite the trailer only being used for this boat.
A bit more shed clearing/organising , planning next moves etc
Yesterday was a good day in the old workshops, a lot of steps covered, a lot of stuff moved.

It was a beautiful misty morning across the broad today , couldn’t get a photo to do it justice! Lifted out this half de...
06/10/2026

It was a beautiful misty morning across the broad today , couldn’t get a photo to do it justice!
Lifted out this half decker today, had a good wash inside and out, onto the trailer and off she goes for some winter work.
Had a Norfolk gypsy come to the yard for a little listen to the engine- shaft area for an unusual knocking but we think we figured it out 😊
Yesterday we said goodbye to lots of Stuart turner parts - they’ve gone to a good home to be used for parts and rebuilds rather than just into a scrap yard.

Address

Staithe Road, Hickling
Norwich
NR120YW

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441692598314

Website

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