Question about Boat Hire Companies

[nipper]

I happen to be leaving Wrenbury Monday week heading for Llangollen on a Challenger hire boat. Hired, for at last I have sold my shares in my syndicate boat, and I needed a fix!.

 

The first lock northbound from Wrenbury is Marbury lock, there was a boat along side and a gaggle of people at the lock.

I was surprised to see the lock gates open and me being waved in.

 

It transpired that the boat in question was a hire boat out of Wembury, on their first trip out and had never done a lock before. As the lock was empty they just opened the gates and waved us in.

I thanked them for letting us enter the lock and commenced to showing the crew what to do at locks etc. The gathering grew, as two more boats arrived, also local hire boats. One crew of four had come all the way from Arizona to go on our quaint canals.

My crew were busy showing all the safe proper, on my view, manner to ascend and descend locks. taking our boat in and out, up and down. We tied up and saw them all safely up their first lock.

 

Now my point is that this lock is not that far from the hire base and as most of the hirers arrive at that around the same time. Why not send a boat yard lad along the cut on a push bike to see their boats through?

It wouldn't cost a lot and the hire base would be happy in the knowledge that there hirers had at least some tuition in locking.

 

The added bonus for us that week was that inevitably we met the hire boats concerned at various places along the canal, to be greeted with waves and smiles and other happy banter.

Now that is what canal boating should be all about!

[Tiller Slave]

Look out for the Boat Handover Scheme logo for companies that have their training procedures for hirers independently vetted and quality assured.

[hmallett]

We hired a boat from Black Prince (Chirk) in May this year. We were talked through everything on the boat, shown (with the aid of diagrams) how a lock worked, and advised of ettiquette too (sg, slow past other boats). We were very happy with the handover.

On the other hand another boat we encountered a couple of times, also from Black Prince, left a paddle partially up at the Grindley Brook staircase (resulting in our boat catching on the cill), left the paddles entirely up on another lock at Grindley Brook, and then moored up in the short pound between locks, right in the middle of the mooring posts.

On the other hand we did get to see them wedged in the entrance to the marina at the end of the week!

[Dyad]

We hired from Ashby last March, a guy showed us everything from how to re-light the boiler to winding the boat and there is a sticker on the back edge of the slidey hatch saying "slow to tickover when passing moored boats". No locks on the Ashby, I still have that joy to come.

[pagan witch]

In the past I have hired from Viking, English County Cruisers (Alas no more), Anglo Welsh (Several times), Valley Cruisers, Canal Cruising Co at Stone and probably a few more who slip my mind.

 

As I gained experience over the years - and declared this on the boking forms I became more ware of what I'd like to see in a 'handover' and to be fair always got it from all of them. Even after hiring from Anglo Welsh for the 3rd time in as many years they 'moved swiftly on through' the boat handling bits but did a very thorough job of the safety aspects - gas, fuel and electrical isolations, fire extinguishers, weed hatch safety and I was more than happy to listen.

 

I do know for a fact that some boatyards do nothing at all.

 

I do agree with earlier comments too - it is surely the responsibility of the hirer to insist on some kind of tuition and do their homework on what order you do paddles and gates in. There are numerous web sites on the subject, including my own - and there are many that do a bettor job of it too as mine is a 'hobby site'.

 

As seasoned boaters now we still take weeks to plan any cruise more than a few days - to us it is part of the fun and enjoyment - along with writing it up afterwards.

 

Sadly I feel that it will take a few more serious injuries or fatalaties before some kind of legally enforced induction happens. In these days where it is so easy to make a decent handbook and a DVD of these things any boatyard not doing so is going to be looking at a legal case in the near future.

 

And before they moan about costs - as a driving instructor & fleet driver trainer I spent last weekend making a DVD on vehicle safety checks that I now give to my pupils. It took about 1 hour to 'film' on a camera that cast £199 from the high street, a decent microphone for about £40, £30 of software from Fleabay and about 2 hours of editing.

 

Even if I add my time at £40 hour the whole effort cost me less than £500. reproduction costs consist of a blank DVD and a few minutes per copy. Surely the major hire company agents could do similar and make it available ?

[Dyad]

Even if I add my time at £40 hour the whole effort cost me less than £500. reproduction costs consist of a blank DVD and a few minutes per copy. Surely the major hire company agents could do similar and make it available ?

 

If the hire companies add a couple of quid per hire they could include the dvd as a complimentary item for their customers to take home. With their company name on it, it will be free advertising, friends and family may see it and drum up extra business.