The stupidest things we have done

[johnjo]

I heard a tale of something similar at White Bear on the L&L a few years ago, apparently they fished the battery out and it was fine, might be wortha rustle with a shaft?

Tried to find it but apparently our marina was once a gravel pit and where I eventually let go, well it was brand new!, it's about 12ft deep [ten feet further on, no-one seems to know how deep] OK, 22ft deep, should have said further along the boat. Taking an underwater viewing system with me next visit to try and locate and recover it. Tony Brooks on Canalboat.com stated that it should be OK, so worth a try.

 

"I think those block-section handrails are called cants - though you may have pronounced them rather differently at the time. "

Something similar was said.

[johnjo]

Not boat related but amusing stupidity none the less.

 

I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with the chain of bar/restaurants called Hooters. For those of you in the dark, the waitresses wear VERY skimpy crop tops and hot pants and feed you beer and chicken wings.

 

The Healthclub I was working at (back in the mid nineties) had a deal with our local Hooters where we got half price there and they got half price at the Healthclub. All was good, I stopped being late for work! ;-)

 

I had an induction appointment with three of the girls one day and so turned up early to spruce myself up. Met up with the girls and was doing a great job, lots of giggling and me showing off. (I was young!!!!!) Like shooting fish in a barrel i thought!

 

So about halfway through the induction we approached the treadmills.

"Right ladies, this is the treadmill" said I with a swagger.

As I stepped onto it, it became clear that someone had left it running.

 

My feet flipped out behind me, my head bounced off the console, I landed on the belt and flew off the back of the machine.

I lay on the floor at the foot of the machine bleeding from the face.

 

The girls just stood there pissing themselves laughing. I heard one of them whisper "What a tosser" as i was being patched up at the gym desk.

 

Oh joy!

 

TR

 

Absolutely brilliant, just read it in the workshop, we can't stop crying with laughter, getting some really funny looks from customers mind you. Chris has just had to ask a phone customer if he can call him back cos he can't talk.

Good job we're going home at nine.

Thanks for that, really brightened our day.

John

[Valonia]

A couple of years ago I attempted to step off the boat whilst mooring in near artic conditions and slipped. I really should have let go of the mooring line and put my arms out to break my fall... but no, that would have been too sensible. Instead I landed head first on a frozen wooden pontoon and broke my face.

 

 

I did get a nice ride in an ambulance though.

[Barry]

OUCH!!!

[Sir Nibble]

Must have made for an interestingly shaped splint.

[Valonia]

Must have made for an interestingly shaped splint.

 

I suppose I could have used the pontoon that my face attached itself to.

[Lesd]

they had attached hose to the galley tap and then into the water tank so the water was just going round in circles!!!

 

 

until the batteries went flat !!???

[R Dixon]

To keep this thread going:

 

OH has dropped her phone and car keys into the drink on two different occasions but both moments before her parents came to visit, got the keys back but couldn't find the phone!

 

Our bow thrusters stopped working, wasn't sure why. Had a call with the manufactures for an engineer to come out, fortunately we cancelled the call as we discovered the isolator switch had been knocked in a cupboard!!!

 

As for others, not yet but we havn't done a lot of cruising.

[alan_fincher]

OH has dropped her phone and car keys into the drink on two different occasions but both moments before her parents came to visit, got the keys back but couldn't find the phone!

Did you try ringing it to see if you could locate it by a muffled burbling noise ?

[mrsmelly]

As liveaboards, I was interested to know what is the single stupidest thing you have done, no seriously guys.

 

Mine is this:

 

The other day, the Much Beloved says - woops shore power has run out, go and feed another card in the meter. Hmmm thats odd, meter still OK?.......

 

Checks lights, checks all and sundry, seems no damage but no power.

 

then he notices the electric cable from the box to the boat - wow like bonfire night, sparks and all sorts of exciting things comeing out of it. Yes it was me - I had been emptying the coal fire try onto the little piece of gnome heaven we call garden and had been tipping the hot ash on the cable. Burned right through.

 

Tell me I am not the Baldrick of the boating world please, right now I am not high on the popularity stakes???

 

Hi

 

I have a friend who lives aboard at Aynho. I cant give his name as " Pat " may be offended......He is one of those boaters who moves but once a year for a quick trip so the rest of the year carrys water etc daily to his boat !!!......well a year or 3 ago we were all having a serious session one evening and crawled off to bed very late just after Pat had returned from his yearly trip. Now he gets off his boat for a pee every night at some time like lots do........Ahhh oh dear his boat was facing the opposite way to normal...he was pissed .he was also very wet ...............

[ThePiglet]

My family hired a boat from Anglo Welsh when I was little. I went to throw my keys on to the top bunk, they promptly bounced off and flew through the slatted window into the cut

[sueb]

I cleaned the outside / offside windows with washing up liquid and water. I was wearing my slippers. If anyone wants a pair of slippers they are at Kingswood Junction.

Sue

[stuart23]

On a hire boat a long time ago, the first night I spent 5 minutes finger on the bilge pump emptying the bilge ...the next night, put my finger on the bilge pump switch and nothing happened!...the next... day phoned Anglo Welsh, the engineer came out...and told me it wasn't working because there was no water in the bilge.. cost me a couple of pints!

 

,,,and then the time I had to put a vent in the roof.....I measured from the second window on the inside of the boat....went outside...measured from the second window, drilled, went inside to fine the drill bit..it wasn't where it should have been..looked around and then found it....I'd forgotten about the bathroom window when I counted the windows outside!!

[canalchris]

Heres a couple, friend of mine recounted story of instructing his brother on general boat handling ,on his first trip out since buying his first nb, after cruising from trinity marina down to sutton stop and most of the way back, they met the boats pprevious owner coming the other way. they were not particularly pleased with the boats abysmal handling and seemingly total lack of guts, previous owner pointed out that things may be a little better if they pulled up the anchor, which new owner had let down when he first tied up in the marina!!!!.

 

Secondly, my missus was coming back from the shower block at trinity one very cold november morning at about 7am, when she decided to lash down an old rubber dinghy which was bouncing around on the boat roof in quite a sever wind.the only problem with this idea was in the near pitch black trying to walk 60' down a 30' pontoon. Now whenever anyone asks how deep the canal is she usually points to upper bust level and says "this deep"

[canalchris]

realising that all was not well in the battery depatment last year, lights going dim when water pump on ect, we approached harecastle tunnel to come south last year and i was quite looking forward to not being gassed by everyones exhaust fumes,(we were last boat in). i asked lilian to switch on some cabin lights to illuminate the sides of the tunnel, within 30 to40 yards i reallised that not only could i not see anything from cabin lights , but the tunnel light was'nt working either.. We had totally lost all our 12v supply, DONT PANIC MR MANWARING, i had to shout at the top of my voice to get lilian to come and steer while i went forward with a rapidly failing torch, i sat our honda genny on the seat in the cratch and very fortunately found the landline on the roof just back from the cratch cover, starting the genny and plugging we were instantly restored with lights , it transpired that the missus had taken me at my word and switched every light on in the boat . the batteries and charging system have now been overhauled. lucky escape or wot!!

[Bagpuss]

To revive an old topic.. Some on the forum already know about this.

 

For Christmas I got a large box of Lush goodies from the in-laws, only received them this weekend as they live far away. Currently, Lush pack their products in cardboard boxes with popcorn padding. Yesterday, prior to burning the box in the stove, I tipped the popcorn into the ash bucket. Sometime later I tipped hot ash on top...

 

I were in the doghouse.

[Odana]

To revive an old topic.. Some on the forum already know about this.

 

For Christmas I got a large box of Lush goodies from the in-laws, only received them this weekend as they live far away. Currently, Lush pack their products in cardboard boxes with popcorn padding. Yesterday, prior to burning the box in the stove, I tipped the popcorn into the ash bucket. Sometime later I tipped hot ash on top...

 

I were in the doghouse.

 

Oooh, sounds like a fun explosion! Waste of good popcorn though. And very lax of Lush not to fully pop it first.

 

I did the old classic last week of taking the sink drain pipe off, then emptying the resulting pot of water down the sink... This is not the first time.

Edited February 11, 2009 by Odana

[Lesd]

we came home from a night out in the grand junction arms last summer only to find neither of us had a boat key to get back in. After lots of cussing heated discussion about who's jo it was to carry the boat keys (mine apparantly) we found the only window left ajar was an 18'' port on the off side. Climbing down he gunnel we eventually managed to jiggle it free and drop it inside the boat without smashing. I then had to stand on the roof and lower Heidi over the side and in through the port.....all in pitch darkness after several old speckled hens....just amazed it didn't end with a splash !

[FadeToScarlet]

This is why I have a combination lock!

[ditchcrawler]

This is why I have a combination lock!

And you can work that after coming back from the pub

[Smelly]

And you can work that after coming back from the pub

 

It's oft easier than Les's method...

[Theo]

I've just remembered that I replaced my engine coolant with water in the summer, but didn't add any antifreeze to it...

 

All fingers and toes crossed that I get away with this one!

 

What's the worst that could happen???

 

Cheers,

Berty

 

Cracked cylinder block :-(

 

Nick