Are hire boats given any instruction

[Annie cariad]

Moored at Stoke Bruene between two ABC boats traveling together both just started Thier engines 8pm when spoken to told to mind me own .... Hmmm ,guess coss there's 8 of them and just me it's alright for them to be aggressive 

 

Pissed off at Stoke B!!!!!

 

[magnetman]

Nice evening for a cruise through the tunnel?

[Mike Tee]

There’s arseholes everywhere - all you can do is ring the hire company in the morning with the boat names and complain. They will be very apologetic and probably won’t do anything else. Maybe a complaint to C&RT but will probably get the same response. But all worth a try, if you do nothing it’s guaranteed that nothing will be done!

3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Nice evening for a cruise through the tunnel?

Yes, leave loudly about 2 hours after their lights go out!

[magnetman]

I suppose the boat might be pointing the wrong way and near the lock making it awkward to turn. 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

Lump hammer on the roof after their cursing often concentrates their minds.

[Guest]

Running engines 'out of hours' is hardly an activity exclusively indulged in by hire boaters.

[Captain Pegg]

Probably from ABC's Gayton base. I don't think they get much - or any - instruction at all based on my encounters with them. Very different from UCC and Wyvern that you also find plenty of hire boats from on that stretch. 

[Bobbybass]

Sprinkle bread crumbs all over their roof....and allow the dawn chorus birds to do the rest...

 

 

[magnetman]

My theory is that the introduction of "time limits" on something which anyone with common sense knows is basically inconsiderate was a green light for people being more inconsiderate. 

 

Sorry Sir I didn't realise what time it was. 8pm is too late anyway ! 

 

Some people like to be relaxed at 8pm rather than listening to another persons droning diesel engine without knowing when the blighters are going to switch it off. 

 

No time limits needed just don't be an arsehole. 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

Just now, Bobbybass said:

Sprinkle bread crumbs all over their roof....and allow the dawn chorus birds to do the rest...

 

 

Met a guy who claimed he did that every morning on his way to work on a nearby boat that was a pain in the butt

[Bobbybass]

Just now, ditchcrawler said:

Met a guy who claimed he did that every morning on his way to work on a nearby boat that was a pain in the butt

 

It works.....trust me 👿👿👿😃😃

[Tracy D'arth]

9 minutes ago, Bobbybass said:

Sprinkle bread crumbs all over their roof....and allow the dawn chorus birds to do the rest...

 

 

We used to do that on caravan roofs when we were kids.  Near the coast the seagulls do a grand job in the morning landing on aluminium sheet!

[Paul C]

I've encountered this very situation. I paid a visit to the boat, politely knocked, then chat a polite and friendly chat about it, mentioning that there is a rule about the hours you can run an engine while moored. 99% of the time it results in an apology and the engine switched off. The times is hasn't worked have always been private boaters who think they are entitled.

[magnetman]

Voodoo dolls. 

[MtB]

1 minute ago, magnetman said:

Voodoo dolls. 

 

Ah yes, reminds me of my wife calling to me down the stairs. "Can you feel any pain anywhere?"  

 

"No" I called back.

 

Then she called "How about now?"

[magnetman]

Tom Lehrer again..

 

One of my favourites. 

 

"take your cigarette from its holder, burn your initials in my shoulder, fracture my spine and say that you're mine as we dance to the masochism tango". Class act this geyser. 

 

https://youtu.be/TytGOeiW0aE

 

[ditchcrawler]

33 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

We used to do that on caravan roofs when we were kids.  Near the coast the seagulls do a grand job in the morning landing on aluminium sheet!

When I lived in a caravan on the side of a spud field in 1976 the pheasants would land on the roof every morning, no need for bread

[Guest]

Drives our dog mad when birds trot up and down the caravan roof, especially when one pauses and gaups through the skylight..

[dixi188]

I got shouted at late one evening on the South Oxford when slowly passing some boats by the light of the moon. I was told I wasn't allowed to run my engine after 8pm.

My engine is very quiet on tick over, I'm sometimes asked if I'm electric.

I've also had glares if I'm on the move at 6am.

Some people aren't happy unless they are moaning.

[Arthur Marshall]

Start yours at 6am.

[matty40s]

1 hour ago, Annie cariad said:

Moored at Stoke Bruene between two ABC boats traveling together both just started Thier engines 8pm when spoken to told to mind me own .... Hmmm ,guess coss there's 8 of them and just me it's alright for them to be aggressive 

 

Pissed off at Stoke B!!!!!

 

ABC usually have the engine panel on the back deck. Give em 10 minutes and then turn it off and chuck the keys in the hedge.

[Arthur Marshall]

To be honest, it's this sort of thing, which is now prevalent when everyone has so many electric gadgets, that is making boating a not particularly rewarding pastime. Although as said above, it's more often private boats than hirers.

Be interesting to learn when they turn them off - the bloke at Stone who started his at 10pm (because he wanted a shower) and who got very aggressive when politely spoken to, left it running till about 3am, presumably just to be annoying. The bloke at the mooring on the Macc actually turned his off at 11pm last week, which was nice. I no longer slow down when going past his boat.

[magnetman]

3 minutes ago, matty40s said:

ABC usually have the engine panel on the back deck. Give em 10 minutes and then turn it off and chuck the keys in the hedge.

What if there is no hedge?

[matty40s]

3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

What if there is no hedge?

There is a hedge at Stoke B, if somewhere else, in the cut.

Oh, and yes, I have done this on more than one occasion, one private and one hire vessel.

Edited April 15, 2023 by matty40s

[magnetman]

There is a way to really piss off people moored nearby and it is nothing to do with running the engine.

 

You do have to be a bit annoyed and want to deliberately irritate them and it will impact other people moored nearby as well. 

 

Hammer a metal part of the hull irregularly. The sound transmits through water. Its like the dripping tap torture. You can really get into people's heads if you do it for long enough. 

 

Don't try this at home and if someone comes round and breaks your legs don't come running to me to complain.

 

It could be automated.