L.H. Jones
It is known that L H Jones, of St Ives on the Great Ouse, fitted out a number of sets of Safari mouldings as cruisers. Unlike many of the Broads boat builders they have never operated a hire fleet and all their boats went to private buyers. It can be assumed that it was one of their customers that commissioned a boat designed, primarily, for lengthy day trips, commonly referred to as a picnic boat. Being familiar with Safari mouldings, it is not surprising that Jones picked them for this new commission.
In contrast to a "Cruiser", which is intended to accommodate overnight trips, a "Picnic Boat" will be designed to maximise space to accommodate seated passengers for day trips. Accordingly, they have no fixed berths although, usually, they have some seating that can be converted to beds for occasional overnight use. They differ from "Day Boats" by having a galley and toilet on board.
©2022 Paul & Anita Wren
This is an early L.H. Jones picnic boat built with MkI moulds. The central cabin area is seen to be clear of internal fittings. Also worthy of note are the Pulpit and Pushpit. Almost every Jones boat, Cruiser or Picnic boat, is fitted with one if not both of these fittings. A few owners of ex-hire boats are also known to have fitted the same type or something similar.
While, in a Safari, a cruiser normally has the toilet positioned centrally in the boat, so that it separates the sleeping quarters from the day space, a picnic boat has the galley and toilet placed aft. This keeps all the remaining space together and available for those on board to socialise. This general design clearly met a need as a number of picnic boats are known to have been built by L.H. Jones as well as the more conventional cruisers.
Because they will all have been built to an individual customer's order, rather than for a hire fleet, it can be expected that they vary in many of the details of their fit-out. The plans below are those of two picnic boats for we we also have a comprehensive collection of photographs of each.
Snapdragon Tour
Snapdragon is an early Picnic boats by L.H. Jones, one specifically designed for day day cruises.
Snapdragon is built on the MkI shell.
Leda Tour
Leda is a later more flexible boat. There is a shower on board and her day space can be divided to create a cabin for sleeping.
Leda is built on the MkII shell and has had a recent re-fit.
Photos that show other fit-out arrangements for this variant of the Hampton Safari, and the stories behind them, would be welcome. Please use the Forum to supply any information you have.