Traveller

Just found this for what it is worth: https://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/return-to-boating-update.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0-yzLk6NsloW8hDEMHKLq_-BmhGfXuHvOYHH4pLK1RW26uMLMv9uhuhAQ

Have never used it but know some who have and remain quite happy with it. Dimitrol has always been my preferred product. Where I have used that in the boat's bilges is standing up pretty well it would seem.

Yes but at the end of the day they have not delivered and therefore the deposit monies should still be available for return. Even if less an admin charge given the circumstances. That is why I believe deposit monies should be ring fenced.

This is all apparently just a timing thing then and leaves a bad taste. But some companies are not refunding when they instigated the cancellation. Tell that to the airlines.

But Waxoyl is designed for cavities too. Have not used it personally but would recommend Dimitrol.

The point is a company paying it back when they cancel or cannot deliver the product for reasons not of the customer’s making.

Personally, I would prefer to pay a "proper" rate but of course that might force the hirers out of business because there is a high probability a lot of punters would not be prepared to pay. But, if that is how it is the risks should be clearly marked on the contract. I wonder how many would buy a holiday if the terms were basically - your deposit has been paid into the business and is non-refundable.

No what I am saying they should not be using cash taken as a deposit for a future holiday to finance current operations/past debts. Thus said cash should be there should a refund event arise - like the holiday is cancelled due to no fault of the purchaser.

It does exist in some heavily regulated businesses but clearly not the holiday industry. So clearly the holiday industry, like some others, needs sorting out or at least in needs a regulator with teeth. It is ok saying deposits will be paid back (subject to certain exceptions) but if there is no mechanism to ensure that deposit is there the entire thing is a charade.

Building a fleet of boats on the back of customer deposits has the potential to equate to selling holidays on boats that do not exist. In any event is not a deposit paid to hire a specific boat as per brochure! Yet another reason deposits can be lost then - holiday booked, not enough deposits taken and boats not built. I very much doubt if that is the way most firms work and some of those fleets have been around for years anyway. I can believe that some get into difficulty and cannot service their bank loans and therefore use the deposits.

I live in hope but fear you have found the nails head. I would be happy if I could just visit my boat to check it over but I am not filled with optimism. I could do that trip in a day but many can't.

Fair point but is this the case the re a narrowboat holiday for instance? I wonder what the books of these companies really look like, they must effectively be bust - trading on the income earned from something that has not yet happened and might not happen (through no fault of the purchaser) is hardly sound business practice. But I agree - we have all wanted something for as close to nothing as possible and have not seen the risks attached to that. Maybe audit practices need looking at too.

I suspect the cash has been used but it does rather raise the question (to me anyway) of why they might be using deposits to help with the daily cash flow. My view is that a deposit is a show of faith by the purchaser and should be ring-fenced until the holiday takes place. I accept it might be used to cover "admin costs" should the purchaser cancel but outside of that it should be protected and refundable.

That was my experience too - I believe I used the cavity wax.

I always understood that Waxoyl does both - protects steel and kills existing rust. The Hammerite website seems to confirm this https://www.hammerite.co.uk/product/waxoyl/ I have used DInatrol and found that it works well.

Could be. I doubt that CRT have ever really been in a position to police boat visits but this certainly leaves the door open to those making visits that comply with the lockdown rules. And that is the crux of it - any journey must comply with the Govt lockdown. Absolutely nothing has changed and marinas that are closed are still closed.

I do think there is stuff going on behind the scenes and my guess is that we will see restrictions part lifted by the end of May. But the above CRT advice is poor and seems to be saying no more than, well if you want to come down we won't stop you accessing your boat (because we cannot police it anyway) but its your shout and if you get nicked on the way that's tough. In other words nothing has changed. Wonder if the EA are saying anything similar? Will be good to get back on board though but I won't do it on the back of this advice, not as it stands anyway ?

But this just muddies the water. And are the Police/HMG onside with it? Most of us need to drive a distance to get to our boat - hour and a half for me. What happens if you get stopped by the men in blue and sent back? I am certain they will not give a damn what crt say! Crt may have jurisdiction on the canals but nowhere else so I do question their authority when it comes to travel on the roads.. Then of course many marinas have blocked leisure boaters anyway so there is no access even if you get there. I am certain there are good reasons why many of us would like to visit our boats but this is a strange way to deal with it. On the one hand you have RYA saying you cannot but they will try and get access and crt saying you can, well maybe! That said, the crt advice is just passing the buck by saying it's your judgement call. At the end of the day the rules of the road have not changed and crt are not the ultimate arbiter.

I suspect the vast majority do not feel that way though so we are where we are. Personally I am happy to live with the headlights, understand the counter argument but feel we must support the rules as laid down by HMG.

I know what you mean Detling. Our marina is the same re staff, although sufficient are around to monitor the boats daily. Thankfully, for a change, I can remember turning the gas off but I have had £1500 of work done that I have paid for but not seen ? Re the health and safety thing - I would have thought that was the marinas responsibility given that you cannot access the place and they are carrying out patrols? But I am no lawyer. If I were I'd be rich ?

I do not think we ever claimed that the anxiety is not justified, it is just that helping to save lives comes first. The fact however is that all people cannot be trusted and it only takes a small number to pass the virus around. To that extent the anxiety is inflicted by those who do not care or think they know better (or both). If we could all be trusted to follow the rules the lockdown might well have been less draconian. I, like everybody else, hope the restrictions ease, but only when it is safe to do so. I want to go play boats too.

Indeed we are.

As I said it is done daily at my marina. They will also do more intrusive checks if asked. I also know it is being done at other Marinas on the system.

Our marina is doing daily checks and will do more on an "as asked" basis. I have always left a key with them as that seems a sensible thing to do anyway. But we are talking about lives here and the isolation rules are there for a very good reason. You know as well as I do that many will go to their boats not just for an hour, they will interpret the exception to achieve their own ends. They will next be running the boat up and down the waterways claiming they are just checking the engine is ok. The fact is a significant number of visits will not be short visits, people are not going to undertake long journeys just to spend an hour at the boat and there are many just looking for ways to break out - they are all over FB. As has been said before - laws like these will always be made with an eye on controlling the irresponsible amongst us. Personally I work hard at not being irresponsible. As for residential boaters, are they not governed by the same rules as the rest of us?

You can safely bet that some are as there will always be those who break the rules; as an aside, there is a second home in this village that is now permanently occupied! The numbers in Southwold have greatly reduced I am told. The banners that the Southwold locals put up have now gone so some sort of normality appears to have returned.