Wobbly Etiquette

[Guest]

So, today a boat neighbour popped out and said that when I/someone helping me'd put a foot on their boat (boats moored side by side, tied together - not by me, I needed to get to a cap on my gunwale between us and had had one foot on their gunwale whilst attending to it) a glass item had dropped off their work surface and broken.

 

I'm a small-medium sized adult and was being helped by an also medium sized adult, we weren't both there at the same time and weren't, I think, walking particularly heavily. Put it this way - on my boat none of the dozen(+) champagne flutes standing loose on a shelf had moved. (Yes, I live like that ?). I walk down my gunwales (and just mine as usually not faffing with hoses) every day to unlock boat and haven't broken anything yet.

 

I apologised and offered to pay for the item to be neighbourly/frankly was busy and needed to get going anyway so wanted to conclude the conversation nicely but quickly.

 

But curious about the etiquette... Should one keep both feet on own boat or is it usually acceptable to pop a foot on each? The other residents on the neighbour boat are friendly and I'm not sure if this one was _expecting_ me to offer to pay - but I wasn't sure what else to say? I did let them know when will need to be untying us... hopefully they can help and any wobbles will then be a joint enterprise!

[Kudzucraft]

I am not a canal boater yet, but I have been a boater since I was old enough to drive dads skiff with a 10hp outboard and this attitude just amazes me. It's a boat, it is going to move.. Yes, the canals are the slow lane and the wakes are kept to minimum but it is still a boat! It is going to move around. Stow you gear accordingly. 

 

Being in your shoes I think you did the best you could offering to pay and no sense in stirring the pot. But good grief!

Edited December 16, 2019 by Kudzucraft

[The Dreamer]

1 hour ago, TheMenagerieAfloat said:

a glass item had dropped off their work surface and broken.

Yep, this happens on canal boats!  If it wasn’t you and the gunwale, it might have been a passing boat.  Worse still a vlocky, we lost a martini glass due to the inept actions of one of the guys (yep we live that way too), lucky my wife didn’t lose me, in the same incident, though...

[Iain_S]

Was the oher boater present when the glass broke? If not, what makes him think it was movement due to someone standing on gunwale?

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Iain_S said:

Was the oher boater present when the glass broke? If not, what makes him think it was movement due to someone standing on gunwale?

Yep. Think they may have been using the glass thing. I was surprised at how *little* movement (am not remotely brave and so quite cautious, plus it was only one foot, the other was on my gunwale) but assume there will have been some and caused by me.

[David Mack]

If you walk down between two adjacent boats, putting your left foot on the one gunwale and your right foot on the other, you can set up a surprising amount of rocking of both boats, quite possibly enough to displace a glass. Personally I try to keep both feet on my own gunwale in this situation.

[Guest]

Fair enough. Was first time I was doing it as holding hose etc - when it is just me I do just use mine.

[Ex Brummie]

Rafted mooring will always present movement, often even when someone moves within one of the boats. Store your breakables sensibly. If you don't want to rock, then more in places others do not need to moor alongside. If rafted, I always call before crossing a boat, but not everyone does.

[MtB]

This sounds like a load of old borrocks.

 

There is 'something' that has pished them off about you, or the world in general, that made them claim this. Plenty of boaters are miserable old gits like this and best avoided. Some of them post on here.

 

They are probably lying, manipulative and making it up in my opinion. I'd call them out on it and ask to see the broken glass before handing over any cash. 

 

Just my reading of the situation. Don't worry about it. Some boaters really aren't worth the effort. I suspect this is one of them.

 

 

[MHS]

Why not suggest he drinks his Yellow Tail from a Darlington wine glass like this one? Delicate & elegant, they are very hard to knock over. I’ve not managed to yet. 

[MtB]

Frankly, that looks really EASY to knock over with such a tiny base.

 

 

[blackrose]

You must have set your neighbour's boat rocking quite severely to tip a glass off a work surface, and his worktops must be very slippery!

 

Who brested up to whom anyway? If it was him to you then I'd tell him he's got to expect movement when mooring against another boat. If he was there first and you brested up to him then perhaps he's trying to tell you something...

 

It's perfectly acceptable to use both gunwales when walking between brested boats. If people don't like it then one wonders what they're doing on the water. It sounds like nonsense to me but how much is a glass these days? Bung him 50p and remind him he's on a boat and they do move from time to time.

Edited December 17, 2019 by blackrose

[blackrose]

49 minutes ago, MHS said:

Why not suggest he drinks his Yellow Tail from a Darlington wine glass like this one? Delicate & elegant, they are very hard to knock over. I’ve not managed to yet. 

 

It doesn't look very stable. Is it like a weeble or something?

[Boater Sam]

4 hours ago, David Mack said:

If you walk down between two adjacent boats, putting your left foot on the one gunwale and your right foot on the other, you can set up a surprising amount of rocking of both boats, quite possibly enough to displace a glass. Personally I try to keep both feet on my own gunwale in this situation.

Agreed, it is surprising how the action of one boat affects the other when taking alternate steps on alternate gunwales, it seems to build up quite alarmingly. Practice it in your bath with the rubber ducks.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

Who brested up to whom anyway? If it was him to you then I'd tell him he's got to expect movement when mooring against another boat. If he was there first and you brested up to him then perhaps he's trying to tell you something...

Mechanic of my boat's previous owners before I bought it? (New boat to me). Is home mooring for both boats and all are tied together.

 

Not much space between the two boats at present (only just enough for those tube shaped fenders). Facilities on pontoon so have to carry hoses etc between boats to wherever out/inlets are. Was faffing as carrying in narrow gap (not much tumblehome on either so approx 2*gunwale space for self and hoses) so was a few min but not overly jumpy. Ho hum.

 

I need to hop onto boats each side both to untie me and also re-tie them to each other. I can feel it when a boat 5 or so along unties but it hasn't bothered me yet.

 

Feel vaguely tempted to give some of that non-slip draw lining stuff for xmas but may not be taken in spirit intended. ?

 

[Boater Sam]

10 minutes ago, TheMenagerieAfloat said:

 

 

Feel vaguely tempted to give some of that non-slip drawer lining stuff for xmas but may not be taken in spirit intended. ?

 

Could't get the meaning so I corrected for you, hope you don't mind. You mean the honeycomb rubbery stuff? Blu-tac under the glass works well.

[Guest]

If that is how you care to spend your not-quite 3a.m.s I'm cool with it. :-)

 

If you'd care to branch out into proof reading my professional correspondence then I'd pay in beer (and NDAs). 8-)

 

Yep, rubbery stuff (honey comb or spotted).

[roland elsdon]

Its a modern phenomena. Narrowboats were not designed to be walked round.

on to counter with a quick’ stepping over’ is sufficient.

boat doesnt roll with 28 tonnes of nutty slag in the hold.

I suspect whine glasses are a new thing, our boat was fully equiped for all beverages with 2 tin mugs.

[MHS]

6 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

It doesn't look very stable. Is it like a weeble or something?

Like a narrowboat they have a flat bottom!

Unlike most wine glasses they have no stem, so have a low centre of gravity. 

[doratheexplorer]

I'd pay for the breakage but tell them that some rocking is to be expected so I won't be paying for any future breakages.

 

If I was on the receiving end, my reaction would be based on how much rocking there was.  If minor, I'd say nothing and remind myself to store things more carefully in future.  One time I was moored and another boat crashed into me so hard, it knocked my draining rack onto the floor and smashed quite a few glasses.  I went outside to remonstrate with the other boater and they were just driving off. Not even an apology.  Not wanting to chase him down the towpath in my pjs, I let it go.

[ditchcrawler]

9 hours ago, blackrose said:

You must have set your neighbour's boat rocking quite severely to tip a glass off a work surface, and his worktops must be very slippery!

 

Who brested up to whom anyway? If it was him to you then I'd tell him he's got to expect movement when mooring against another boat. If he was there first and you brested up to him then perhaps he's trying to tell you something...

 

It's perfectly acceptable to use both gunwales when walking between brested boats. If people don't like it then one wonders what they're doing on the water. It sounds like nonsense to me but how much is a glass these days? Bung him 50p and remind him he's on a boat and they do move from time to time.

Well said

[doratheexplorer]

When I first got my boat, I had a boat warming party.  At one point there were nearly 20 of us, all a bit drunk, squashed onto the boat, going from side to side to see how much we could make the boat rock.  No glasses got broken.

[Bee]

7 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

When I first got my boat, I had a boat warming party.  At one point there were nearly 20 of us, all a bit drunk, squashed onto the boat, going from side to side to see how much we could make the boat rock.  No glasses got broken.

Oooh be careful! saw a little steel narrowboat turn over on the Thames like that at Bourne End. As for a bloody glass falling off all I can say is Oh For F**** Sake!