Jump to content

Is youtube ruining the canals?


doratheexplorer

Featured Posts

The original Waterworld series sparked much the same response with many new boats appearing, and with price inflation as people who had sold bricks and mortar were cash rich. 

By the third series, much of the content had become how to work round the rules of C.Cing. and this is where much of the You Tube content is now concentrated. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

So it makes perfect sense for their content to lean towards making the canals look perfectly lovely and focus only on the positives, minimising the negatives.

 

Yet at the same time, their click-bait titles contain words like "disaster".

 

I don't think people coming onto the canals because of YouTube cause enough (or any) problems to "ruin" the canals. Probably the sheer number of new people, in general (because of housing costs), are causing problems. But we're relatively new to the canals so have no past to compare them to.

 

Most of the YouTuber's channels are awful though. I have no interest in watching two people talk to the camera followed by some footage of scenery that I see every day.

  • Greenie 1
  • Happy 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's different in people getting the idea of boating from YouTube as opposed to those of us who got interested in narrowboats from TV programmes or magazines before the Internet came about?

 

I knew nothing about canals or narrowboats before I watched an episode of something called Watersays World or something on TV in the early naughties...

 

It's just how times have changed. 

  • Greenie 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is YouTube ruining the canals? 

 

Yes.....fanned on by the Sunday papers who seem to have a feature practically every week about a trendy, pretty young woman moving onto a narrowboat because they can't get onto the housing ladder. I notice the BBC are even jumping onto the bandwagon with a feature like this on TV last week. It's hard to know what's having the bigger effect, the Sunday papers or Youtube. 

Edited by booke23
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, booke23 said:

Is YouTube ruining the canals? 

 

Yes.....fanned on by the Sunday papers who seem to have a feature practically every week about a trendy, pretty young woman moving onto a narrowboat because they can't get onto the housing ladder. I notice the BBC are even jumping onto the bandwagon with a feature like this on TV last week. 

 

I notice the TV advert for Skipton building society follows a similar theme. Basicly it goes - parents need to save to get daughter onto the housing ladder........

 

And she buys a widebeam, and sails off into the sunset.

 

https://youtu.be/b75bUebYvwo

 

Edited by The Happy Nomad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

I notice the TV advert for Skipton building society follows a similar theme. Basicly it goes - parents need to save to get daughter onto the housing ladder........

 

And she buys a widebeam..

 

It's ridiculous that a financial institution and a public service broadcaster actually peddle the idea that buying a boat is akin to getting onto the property ladder.  🤦‍♂️ 

 

 

Edited by booke23
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No.

It would be far worse if no one knew about the canals, thus no one used them, and they all fell into disrepair and were abandoned. The adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity" is not invariably true, but it does have a lot going for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, booke23 said:

It's hard to know what's having the bigger effect, the Sunday papers or Youtube. 

 

 

I think it depends on the age of the new boater. My perception is there are as many 40+ -somethings coming onto the cut with their £250k new-build widebeams as 20-somethings buying an old heap of a boat instead of their first house (as I did in 1977).

 

I'd suggest the youngsters are not influenced one jot by the Sunday supplements but their parents are, whose support or opposition would influence the decisions of their offspring. 

 

The old fogeys however, are in my view, likely to be influenced by both the Sunday papers AND youtube.  

 

 

Edited by MtB
  • Greenie 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, booke23 said:

 

It's ridiculous that a financial institution and a public service broadcaster actually peddle the idea that buying a boat is akin to getting onto the property ladder.  🤦‍♂️ 

 

 

 

What is interesting is that you can bet your bottom dollar Skipton BS wouldn't give you a mortgage to buy that widebeam but they are more than happy for somebody to splurge their savings on such a bad investment as a boat which is usually a depreciating asset.

 

 

Edited by The Happy Nomad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get orf my canal!

 

I used to feel the same about Southwold - somewhere I discovered by chance 40 years ago, then before you know it's the subject of "secret" holiday location articles - same thing with nice obscure beaches - someone, instead of enjoying them, ruins them by blabbing for a living. It happens to everything from obscure cheese rolling to crabbing to small festivals - all ruined by exposure and a million people turning up, each dismayed about the crowds of "other people". :(

 

Honestly - if you choose your hobby, weekend entertainment or whatever based on a youtube vid, magazine article or whatever, you only have your own lack of imagination to blame.

 

Best to choose obscure things to do - I used to dinghy race on a small pit - £80/year club membership, £50/year to store your boat 2ft from the water, free racing twice per week, my boat cost me £250... yet they struggled to find members because some things don't get publicity.

Edited by Slow and Steady
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say it hasn't helped but I blame weak CaRT and previous BW management for the current situation where there are far too many boats not using the canals for navigation but as a place to live without proper facilities and control. If I ever wanted to live on a boat then the first thing I would have done is found a proper residential mooring either by preferably  purchasing one or renting. I know people say they need cheap housing but the extent and growth of larger boats, totally unnecessary for the purposes of cruising has gone a long way to spoiling the character of the canals. We seem to be reaching a point where many moored boats are a detriment to the character of the canals for all users including walkers, fishermen, canoeists and leisure boaters and exerting their newly acquired 'rights'  over other users by obstructing the towpath and being abusive to other canal users. As one who have been involved with canal restoration for the last fifty years I am beginning to think that some of them were preferable in the derelict state.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Mike Adams said:

I would say it hasn't helped but I blame weak CaRT and previous BW management for the current situation where there are far too many boats not using the canals for navigation but as a place to live without proper facilities and control. If I ever wanted to live on a boat then the first thing I would have done is found a proper residential mooring either by preferably  purchasing one or renting. I know people say they need cheap housing but the extent and growth of larger boats, totally unnecessary for the purposes of cruising has gone a long way to spoiling the character of the canals. We seem to be reaching a point where many moored boats are a detriment to the character of the canals for all users including walkers, fishermen, canoeists and leisure boaters and exerting their newly acquired 'rights'  over other users by obstructing the towpath and being abusive to other canal users. As one who have been involved with canal restoration for the last fifty years I am beginning to think that some of them were preferable in the derelict state.

 

Using the canal infrastructure or not, they all pay towards its upkeep. And probably better that they do not all want to use the canal. 

 

 

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

 

By the third series, much of the content had become how to work round the rules of C.Cing. and this is where much of the You Tube content is now concentrated. 

I'm not sure about that, I do watch a few, Cruising the Cut was my favourite when I was thinking about buying a boat, he is in a marina maybe six months of the year, that makes a weekly vlog rather difficult, well impossible. Most of the Happy Slappy, rather forced vlogs get a thirty second view and no more.

There are a few who make an effort to present a variety of situations,  I think Foxes Afloat delve in to local history, which is pleasant, Narrowboat Experience were good, definitely positive. 

One watches to be entertained rather than dwell on the downside. Some are living on a wide beam, but that aspect hardly features in my experience. 

Those who come on here asking about living on the cut get pretty good advice, I don't see a problem. 

Edited by LadyG
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It certainly seem to me, judging by some of the questions I get, that Youtube and Faceache tend to endow a lot f suspect advice with a degree of authority. That is not to say there is not good advice to be had but how is a novice to judge what is good and what is bad advice. At least here if someone advising something suspect it will soon be countered, and often by more than one contributor.

 

It also seems to me that increasingly new poster seem to demand instant advice with no effort on their part or simply want their ideas, often derived form very suspect sources, confirming. When asked for more info too many in the first group seem reluctant to reply and then both groups seem to get huffy very quickly. I don't think it is Youtube etc, probably more the way commercial advertising has driven society, especially younger people to believe they can are entitled  to have everything they want right now. if they perceive they are not betting what they think they are entitled to they react badly.

 

Its seems to me it is ruining all of life, not just the canals.

  • Greenie 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Higgs said:

 

Using the canal infrastructure or not, they all pay towards its upkeep. And probably better that they do not all want to use the canal. 

 

 

 

I am no more convinced of that than I am of CaRT's licensing evasion figures I am afraid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Higgs said:

 

Using the canal infrastructure or not, they all pay towards its upkeep. And probably better that they do not all want to use the canal. 

 

 

I tend to agree, there are obviously local problems, but marinas must absorb quite a few 'weekenders' who rarely venture out, its the same with salty water marinas, both of these are usually far less intrusive than acres of parkhomes, and caravans all massed in giant car parks. They may have restaurants, provide employment, clean up derelict area, Al good. 

Edited by LadyG
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If they did more videos on how to tie up a boat properly, how to choose a boat a suitable size for the navigation you're going to be on, and why mooring in water points for days on end really isn't on then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

 

It's worth remembering its not just narrowboat videos though, its tiny homes, van life etc etc. Fact of the matter is the housing situation is an absolute shambles and there are countless people living in unsuitable overpriced low standard accommodation and they're keeping their sanity by looking for alternatives. Sat in squalor watching canal life videos must provide some escapism for them.

 

So it isn't YouTube 'ruining' the canals. Its the housing market making it busier. And on a busier network everyone has to take more responsibility to keep things flowing smoothly, which isn't a bad thing, just a change.

 

 

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.