Rude boaters

[Jim Jam]

Why is it, when home in the Stouport area, maneuvering or winding, people stop on boats and let you finish, but on the Oxford, they seem to all think they own the bloody canal and carry on making you wait till they are past as they cant waste 5 mins of their lives being polite?

 

Two things come to mind...

 

1, manors cost nothing

2, just cos you own or live on a boat means nothing, it certainly doesnt mean you have a clue what you are doing.... any idiot can own and helm or drive a boat (as is obvious) and I also think the people that hire boats and get two hours of my life going through how a boat works and what to do on the canals, ie rules of the road is more than most people who own boats have ever had, i think some make it up as they go along.

[alan_fincher]

I can only say we have not had the experience you describe.

 

I can't think of a canal where people have been more impatient or more "think they own the place" than another.

 

We had no such issues on the Oxford.

 

Indeed we received enormous amounts of help from a certain member of the forum who is based on that canal when Cath had a bit of a temporary health scare.

 

We do a lot of boating, and I can honestly say that we see behaviour we can complain about only fairly rarely, wherever we happen to have ended up.

 

Where some people could be doing things better, it may be because they are new to it all, (e.g. hire boaters just started after minimal instruction). Provided they are told in a friendly and constructive way, ,most people like that we find are happy to receive some gentle advice.

[PhilR]

Why is it, when home in the Stouport area, maneuvering or winding, people stop on boats and let you finish, but on the Oxford, they seem to all think they own the bloody canal and carry on making you wait till they are past as they cant waste 5 mins of their lives being polite?

 

Two things come to mind...

 

1, manors cost nothing

2, just cos you own or live on a boat means nothing, it certainly doesnt mean you have a clue what you are doing.... any idiot can own and helm or drive a boat (as is obvious) and I also think the people that hire boats and get two hours of my life going through how a boat works and what to do on the canals, ie rules of the road is more than most people who own boats have ever had, i think some make it up as they go along.

 

What you have experienced is, sadly, an indication of how things have changed on the canals............. and elsewhere in society.

 

There was a time, in the pioneering and campaigning history of the waterways, when many boaters took a full tool kit with them to cater for all the eventualities of neglected maintenance etc. In those days anyone would stop and offer help to other boaters without any thought of delays to their own schedule.

 

Times have changed. There is a completely different culture now. You could compare it now to the evening rush hour on any road in the UK.

 

BUT, fortunately, the majority of boaters still show consideration for others. You have probably encountered the 20% minority ............

Edited June 27, 2010 by PhilR

[Hefferlump]

I have found manors cost a fortune!!

[Byeckerslike]

I have found manors cost a fortune!!

 

But! Not manners?

 

Rob

[Sue1946]

I have found manors cost a fortune!!

 

But! Not manners?

 

Rob

 

OP seems a bit shy of English as she is spoke? ( Yep I undershtood u)

Boat life is gen ok.

I had a great time at Braunston today.

[Mick and Maggie]

Two things come to mind...

 

1, manors cost nothing. I guess that's supposed to be manners and it would depend on parental standards.

 

2a, just cos you own or live on a boat means nothing. Other than you contribute to the upkeep of the canal and river fabric and you therefore have a vested interest in their future.

 

2b, It certainly doesn't mean you have a clue what you are doing.... any idiot can own and helm or drive a boat (as is obvious). Is this statement an opinion gained from personal experience?

 

2c, I also think the people that hire boats and get two hours of my life going through how a boat works and what to do on the canals, ie rules of the road is more than most people who own boats have ever had. You advocate the rules of the road to be applied to canals? Like driving on the left? You must be making it up! All this vitriol directed at all boat owners, because you were a tad inconvenienced.

 

2d, I think some make it up as they go along. I know exactly where you're coming from!

 

Looks like another good day for some enjoyable and relaxing boating - you should try it sometime.

 

M&M

[Guest]

Why is it, when home in the Stouport area, maneuvering or winding, people stop on boats and let you finish, but on the Oxford, they seem to all think they own the bloody canal and carry on making you wait till they are past as they cant waste 5 mins of their lives being polite?

 

Two things come to mind...

 

1, manors cost nothing

2, just cos you own or live on a boat means nothing, it certainly doesnt mean you have a clue what you are doing.... any idiot can own and helm or drive a boat (as is obvious) and I also think the people that hire boats and get two hours of my life going through how a boat works and what to do on the canals, ie rules of the road is more than most people who own boats have ever had, i think some make it up as they go along.

 

The one and only really impatient and rude boater we've met happened to be at Napton as we were bringing out hire boat back into Napton Narrowboats on our last day on our last trip out.

 

He was simply too impatient to wait for the yard staff to carry what is quite a tricky manoeuvre to get the boat back in - apparently he regularly came past the yard at the same day/time - ie Saturday handover time begging the question if he was in such a hurry why pass a hire boat yard at their busiest time when if you hung back 15 mins or so (we)they'd all be home and out your way.

 

Aside from that 99.9% of folk seem OK to us....

[mrsmelly]

I can only say we have not had the experience you describe.

 

I can't think of a canal where people have been more impatient or more "think they own the place" than another.

 

We had no such issues on the Oxford.

 

Indeed we received enormous amounts of help from a certain member of the forum who is based on that canal when Cath had a bit of a temporary health scare.

 

We do a lot of boating, and I can honestly say that we see behaviour we can complain about only fairly rarely, wherever we happen to have ended up.

 

Where some people could be doing things better, it may be because they are new to it all, (e.g. hire boaters just started after minimal instruction). Provided they are told in a friendly and constructive way, ,most people like that we find are happy to receive some gentle advice.

 

Agreed.

[Daio]

It was precisely the good time we had in May last year on a hire boat from Napton on both North and South Oxford that reminded us what we were missing and lead to the purchase of our second and present boat. Busy-ish (at least on the South) but all the fun and good manners we remembered.

 

I can see, though, that a moderately disproportionate fraction of annoying experiences can make one think that things have changed perhaps more than they have in reality or are more likely in one part of the country than another. This is down to chance, I think and whenever I have tended to take a negative view in this regard, I've always given things a second chance and invariably have found my prejudice to be unfair.

 

The cut is much busier than it used to be which brings about two things. Firstly, there is less space per boat which leads to greater stress and impatience and secondly, one will come across tossers more often, even though the proportion is unchanged. As a boater, you are part of the first thing and must accept some shared responsibility. We are all in this together (sorry). Just try hard, and sometimes it is hard, not to add to the proportion of the second thing.

[deletedaccount]

Me and my liveaboard chums regularly shout abuse and attempt to block the passage of hireboats whilst throwing the paperbag wrapped poo bombs we've preprepared.

 

O yes. That's us all right.

[AlanH]

I can only say we have not had the experience you describe.

 

I can't think of a canal where people have been more impatient or more "think they own the place" than another.

 

We had no such issues on the Oxford.

 

Indeed we received enormous amounts of help from a certain member of the forum who is based on that canal when Cath had a bit of a temporary health scare.

 

We do a lot of boating, and I can honestly say that we see behaviour we can complain about only fairly rarely, wherever we happen to have ended up.

 

Where some people could be doing things better, it may be because they are new to it all, (e.g. hire boaters just started after minimal instruction). Provided they are told in a friendly and constructive way, ,most people like that we find are happy to receive some gentle advice.

Had one of my few bad experiences over the weekend.

 

We were travelling back from Bugsworth basin in convoy with some friends because they were virtually single handing due to her medical condition making it impossible for her to steer or to open the bridges.

 

On approaching the swing bridge at Furness Vale I noticed that it was open and a boat was coming through. I gave a blast on the horn just to let them know that I was there. They came through the bridge and let me through but then closed the bridge despite me telling them that there was a boat behind me which, by now, they could see clearly - it was only 200 yards away. The bloke told his wife to close the bridge and said to me "I haven't got all day".

 

My retort was that if he was in such a hurry he had chosen the wrong pastime.

[Naughty Cal]

Had one of my few bad experiences over the weekend.

 

We were travelling back from Bugsworth basin in convoy with some friends because they were virtually single handing due to her medical condition making it impossible for her to steer or to open the bridges.

 

On approaching the swing bridge at Furness Vale I noticed that it was open and a boat was coming through. I gave a blast on the horn just to let them know that I was there. They came through the bridge and let me through but then closed the bridge despite me telling them that there was a boat behind me which, by now, they could see clearly - it was only 200 yards away. The bloke told his wife to close the bridge and said to me "I haven't got all day".

 

My retort was that if he was in such a hurry he had chosen the wrong pastime.

 

Whilst it was annoying that he shut the bridge on your friends, we have also been in the situation where upon opening a bridge and getting our boat through, we ended up moored beside the bridge for 35 minutes whilst boat after boat after boat appeared from the opposite direction. Normally this wouldnt have been a problem but we had a strict schedule to adhere too (Selby to Keadby in 24 hours!!)

[carlt]

2 You advocate the rules of the road to be applied to canals? Like driving on the left? You must be making it up! All this vitriol directed at all boat owners, because you were a tad inconvenienced.

"Rules of the Road" is a generally accepted term for the rules to follow, when boating.

 

Possibly your response highlighted the OP's point about boatowners being less knwledgeable or trained, than hirers.

[kitman]

1, manors cost nothing. I guess that's supposed to be manners and it would depend on parental standards.

Oh well Heff, it's as they say: 'If you have to explain the joke, it just aint funny'

 

Mick and Maggie, he means Manors as in a 'Manor House'.

 

Personally I thought it was funny so HIGH FIVE!

[Jim Jam]

Well, was handover day today and it was fun

 

Reversed a 69' boat just south of bridge 206 today and checked nothing was coming and proceeded to wind the boat so they could set off on their holiday going north. Halfway through, when the boat was 90 degrees in the winding hole, I saw a boat about 10' from me with them shouting at me, asking me what the hell I was doing and generally being rude and thinking they owned the canal. They claimed they didnt know as I hadnt told them - err what the hell is a boat doing if its sideways in a winding hole? might be turning round?

Trying to be polite as I can some times be, I asked if they minded reversing a few feet for me to carry on, but got abuse again. to show that some people on boats can be polite, I let them past and carried on when they were clear (ok, so full throttle prop fountains came to mind )

Having shown them all they needed to know, including lift bridge operation, we carried onto the first lock. Upon mooring there, I saw 'Mr and Mrs I own the canals' and decided to wait until they were out of the lock as they were obviously looking for an argument, as mentioned by my fellow workers.

A couple of the people on my boat went up to look at the lock etc, where they heard loud comments like 'what he did was illegal' and others similar and they thought it so good and amusing, they took a picture of their boat to let their friends know about the joys of narrow boating.

 

On the bright side, the people on holiday this week are having a great time and thought it was hillarious and I have booked them a table at a nice country pub tomorrow for them and even, got a tip off them!, on the down side, they saw the downside of what some arrogant ignorant w******s can be like

Edited June 28, 2010 by Jim Jam

[purplehaze]

You just have to keep smiling!! Faced with angry boaters we tend to both ignore and smile at the same time, like the time a moored boat owner shouted at us, very loudly, that we were going too fast. We were actually on tick over if we had gone any slower we would have stopped, we were on a hire boat, a private boat in front was going much faster and didn't get shouted at.

 

Another time we met a newby hirer boater who had been reduced to tears by a boat owner for not going into a lock properly (apparently they nudged his precious craft), and he shouted and swore at her and her husband and told them they shouldn't be allowed on the canals, we all have to learn don't we?

 

Julie

[Jim Jam]

I err cant post what the boss said

 

I have been told off for going to fast when in tickover in Kinver and my reply was the same, any slower and we wont move:)

 

Couple of the guys took a boat from one base to the other the other week and cos it was a hire boat, no one would share a lock with them, they are scum and love it now

Myself and the wife and son took a boat out for the night to Thrupp, had a guy ask her if I knew there was a cill at the bottom of the lock, her reply was 'I hope so, he has been playing on boats since he was a kid and works for the company!' When we got to thrupp, I found a space about two foot longer than the boat and have a nice little audience wondering if a hirer boater could possibly get into the space! yes I did and I was quite happy for the posh peeps at Thrupp to watch me do it

 

I always smile, love boats and everything about them, not my fault some people are up their own bums

[ditchcrawler]

Well, was handover day today and it was fun

 

Reversed a 69' boat just south of bridge 206 today and checked nothing was coming and proceeded to wind the boat so they could set off on their holiday going north.

Are that will be the yard that moors their boats right in the bridge hole, not very considerate to other boaters who want to use the canal.

[Jim Jam]

Are that will be the yard that moors their boats right in the bridge hole, not very considerate to other boaters who want to use the canal.

 

 

Talk to the boss, not me about that, millions above my pay scale all I can say is if there are boats there and its busy, the gap to get boats through is never narrower than the bridge or a lock, I have never seen a boat not get through cos of his boats and its miles better than some places I have been through

[robmilton]

Are that will be the yard that moors their boats right in the bridge hole, not very considerate to other boaters who want to use the canal.

 

As they say " in every bunch of roses you will get a few pricks"

[DaveP]

Are that will be the yard that moors their boats right in the bridge hole, not very considerate to other boaters who want to use the canal.

 

Indeed - that would be a 9' clearance past the carpenters/fitters imediately to the North of bridge 206; we did block the canal for 10 mins the other day whilst maneuvering various boats around to clear a path to the wharf for one of our dayboats to offload a wheelchair. If you were the southbound boat we held up at that time, then I do sincerely apologise for the delay caused.

[blodger]

As they say " in every bunch of roses you will get a few pricks"

 

When I saw "Rude Boaters" I thought it was a counter thread to the 'towpath flashing'; Anyway I thought pricks would get into it somewhere and they have

[ditchcrawler]

Talk to the boss, not me about that, millions above my pay scale all I can say is if there are boats there and its busy, the gap to get boats through is never narrower than the bridge or a lock, I have never seen a boat not get through cos of his boats and its miles better than some places I have been through

I agree its not narrower than a lock, but I normally stop in them and they are straight, but it is much narrower than the bridge and its also on a bend. I can't think of a worse one, Warwick would be if my boat was broad beamed, and Black Price can get a bite tight down at Stoke, Leighton Buzzard tries hard but even they can't compete.