Ignorant Boaters...........

[Deepinvet]

Hi all my wife and I have once again had a fab week on a hire boat, my wife has been on canal boats for about 40years (her parents lived on one ) and I have been on them for about 30.

One thing that we have noticed the standard of Boatmanship and skills are very low!! The majority are the people who own their own boats, some are good and some are just so truly ignorant ,arrogant and bad mannerd they deserve all the hassle they get!!!

I could give loads of examples and names of nb, but they know who they are................

So next time you give a condesending remark or are rude to someone on a hire boat, just remember, that person could of done more miles backwards on the cut than you've gone forward.....

I don't expect this post to go down well, but i don't realy care, it's my cut just as much as yours and if it wasn't for the hire companies the canals would not be what they are today.

Roll on 2021 when I can afford to retire to our boat and be a real grumpy old git.......I have a feeling i'll fit in very well........

[RLWP]

<snip>

Roll on 2021 when I can afford to retire to our boat and be a real grumpy old git.......I have a feeling i'll fit in very well........

 

Do you feel better for that?

 

Richard

[Grace and Favour]

And breathe . . . . .

[Guest wanted]

Why were you going backwards?

[Sir Nibble]

Hi all my wife and I have once again had a fab week on a hire boat, my wife has been on canal boats for about 40years (her parents lived on one ) and I have been on them for about 30.

One thing that we have noticed the standard of Boatmanship and skills are very low!! The majority are the people who own their own boats, some are good and some are just so truly ignorant ,arrogant and bad mannerd they deserve all the hassle they get!!!

I could give loads of examples and names of nb, but they know who they are................

So next time you give a condesending remark or are rude to someone on a hire boat, just remember, that person could of done more miles backwards on the cut than you've gone forward.....

I don't expect this post to go down well, but i don't realy care, it's my cut just as much as yours and if it wasn't for the hire companies the canals would not be what they are today.

Roll on 2021 when I can afford to retire to our boat and be a real grumpy old git.......I have a feeling i'll fit in very well........

Most members of this board would rather pull their own eyelids off than jump to conclusions about a fellow boater on the basis of a hire company livery. We have remarked upon the disgraceful attitude toward hirers displayed by some boat owners. All in all hirers are pretty popular here.

[Tim]

Why were you going backwards?

 

I'll second that! Surely forwards is the way to go?

[J R]

Most members of this board would rather pull their own eyelids off than jump to conclusions about a fellow boater on the basis of a hire company livery. We have remarked upon the disgraceful attitude toward hirers displayed by some boat owners. All in all hirers are pretty popular here.

 

A conversation that occured last Friday.

 

Around 8.30 ish pm a private boat was tanking it big time. I shouted, politly, 'slow down for moored boats'. Reply came 'its only a hire base'. My response 'slow down, moored boats'. Reply 'don't be so f**king rude'.

 

Nothing wrong with hire boats and generally those who hire them.

[BlueStringPudding]

So next time you give a condesending remark or are rude to someone on a hire boat, just remember, that person could of done more miles backwards on the cut than you've gone forward.....

 

 

I've met some very skilled boaters on hire boats. One passed me last weekend and managed to slow down when passing me, as well as negotiating the bridge hole and approaching boat. You can tell at first glance. (Their entire family aren't on the roof for a start!)

[Circe]

An idiot's an idiot, regardless of whether they're owners or hirers.

 

Our trip last weekend, we encountered a boat passing us at a ridiculous speed. Makes no difference whatsoever what his boat is - it's what HE is that's the issue. And nowt's going to change that

 

Thankfully (in our experience) most folk on the waterways are lovely - owners AND hirers!

[steve hayes]

We had a private boat race past us a couple of weeks ago whilst we were mooring. Request to slow down a bit resulted in verbal abuse followed by an offer to come and sort me out, all very pleasant. But the scariest part was he had two young kids ( about 9 or 10 I guess) sitting on the counter with their legs dangling in the water !!!!!!! Un bloody believable.

[Tim F]

A conversation that occured last Friday.

 

Around 8.30 ish pm a private boat was tanking it big time. I shouted, politly, 'slow down for moored boats'. Reply came 'its only a hire base'. My response 'slow down, moored boats'. Reply 'don't be so f**king rude'.

 

Nothing wrong with hire boats and generally those who hire them.

 

Many thanks for that comment, my faith in humanity has been restored.

[Idunhoe]

We had a private boat race past us a couple of weeks ago whilst we were mooring. Request to slow down a bit resulted in verbal abuse followed by an offer to come and sort me out, all very pleasant. But the scariest part was he had two young kids ( about 9 or 10 I guess) sitting on the counter with their legs dangling in the water !!!!!!! Un bloody believable.

Sadly it takes a serious 'accident' before some people will learn that a sandwich of heavy steel (or fibreglass) boat/soft fleshy parts/bank or another heavy steel (or fibreglass) boat is both messy and seriously painful.

[GUMPY]

We had a private boat race past us a couple of weeks ago whilst we were mooring. Request to slow down a bit resulted in verbal abuse followed by an offer to come and sort me out, all very pleasant. But the scariest part was he had two young kids ( about 9 or 10 I guess) sitting on the counter with their legs dangling in the water !!!!!!! Un bloody believable.

 

Had this happen to me, when the boat didn't slow I just let one end of my boat go its amazing how quickly the boat gets sucked out to meet the passing boat, soon slows them down. Doesn't work so well with the barge as its to heavy.

[muddywaters]

As someone else has said an idiot is an idiot what ever kind of boat they are on.

We have come across some ignorant boaters both on private and on hire boats tbh but the worst we have come across is people looking the other way and pretending they have not seen you nothing worst than that.

More numerous in our experience have been the people on boats who are prepared to help out or offer advice, some of which has been good and some not so good.

Love sharing wide locks with private boats tbh because up to now all have been friendly and we always feel we have made new friends at the end of the day.

Last year while on the Llangollen we left the Whitchurch Arm just behind a private boat that had just come through the lift bridge from Grindley Brook and we soon got into a routine to help each other out at the lift bridges.

the private boat got to the bridge first dropped their lock worker off to raise the bridge mean while while she was raising it I dropped my OT off who walked up to the bridge where the steerer on the private boat allowed my OH to use his boat as a bridge and let his lock worker back leaving them to carry on, on their way while we lowered the bridge after I had taken our boat through.

It certainly made things easier and speeded things up without having to rush.

And of course a good example of private and hirer getting along

[Janet S]

All in all hirers are pretty popular here

 

That's good to hear.

 

As of next week, we'll be bridging the gap. After ten years of hiring (which we'll still continue to do) and borrowing boats from friendly forum members, we are about to embark on a new venture, helping a local narrowboat hire company with their handover procedure...yes, we have got ourselves a Saturday job....!

 

They are extremely keen to ensure that their hirers don't come across the usual "hire boater" negativity, to the extent that none of their boats are liveried as hire boats. They are all fitted out as private boats, and it shows in the attention to detail. They obviously lose some potentially free advertising, but they think that's a small price to pay for the service they offer. I'm inclined to agree with them....I like the way they think...

 

We've had over ten years experience, both hiring and using borrowed boats...a muppet is a muppet, whether the boat is hired or privately owned...we've had far more problems with privately owned boats than we have with hirers, but we've certainly come across occasions when we've been dismissed as being "just a hire boat...."

 

Yes, there are some who will hire a boat for a weekend for the lads for a stag go then go out on the pop and get legless...equally so, there are people like us who will carefully plan for months and months in advance...

 

Janet

[bizzard]

Hi all my wife and I have once again had a fab week on a hire boat, my wife has been on canal boats for about 40years (her parents lived on one ) and I have been on them for about 30.

One thing that we have noticed the standard of Boatmanship and skills are very low!! The majority are the people who own their own boats, some are good and some are just so truly ignorant ,arrogant and bad mannerd they deserve all the hassle they get!!!

I could give loads of examples and names of nb, but they know who they are................

So next time you give a condesending remark or are rude to someone on a hire boat, just remember, that person could of done more miles backwards on the cut than you've gone forward.....

I don't expect this post to go down well, but i don't realy care, it's my cut just as much as yours and if it wasn't for the hire companies the canals would not be what they are today.

Roll on 2021 when I can afford to retire to our boat and be a real grumpy old git.......I have a feeling i'll fit in very well........

I couldn't agree with you more,on most of your points.

As i have also noticed for sometime now the decline in courtesy,and behavior. Most boats now with stupidly overpowerful engines, going far too fast, which if correctly propped can't go dead slow anymore anyway, without keep popping it into neutral,therefor don't, can't or won't slow down when passing moored boats or fisherman ect. Plus, well, the list is endless.

Also a very snooty and unfriendly air about some of the traditionalists,usually the new fake,clones going about ie coach bolt head fake rivets ect, and old engines thudding away,pretending to be old working boat folk,quite often with blah blah blah No 1 written on it. Now i don't mean all of course. before i'm pecked at again.I have good fiends on these kinds of boats,but my general observations prove it,posh boat won't move over on narrow waterways,and so try to force other folk out of the way into the weeds and foliage in case they scratch their paint,usually steered my the husband; complete with Breton cap with wife,partner or whoever standing in the front well, clutching windless and rope end,and ready to leap out to sort a lock out, whilst the old man bawls out orders,invariably wrong.And never ever let their partner have a go at the tiller.I moor near a lock,so witness all this, all the time. And also time and time again i hear fibreglass cruisers very very frequently referred to as, Tupper ware and plastic boats,by the steel N.B's and W,B's.owners,disgusting. I bet most of the folk i've just spoken about began boating with one of those, i did. bizzard.

[alan_fincher]

Yikes !

 

I do wonder why some of you lot choose to be on the canals !

[bizzard]

A conversation that occured last Friday.

 

Around 8.30 ish pm a private boat was tanking it big time. I shouted, politly, 'slow down for moored boats'. Reply came 'its only a hire base'. My response 'slow down, moored boats'. Reply 'don't be so f**king rude'.

 

Nothing wrong with hire boats and generally those who hire them.

I agree.On their holiday,always friendly and helpful.Sometimes they speed but,probably new to it, i'm sure its only because of that,they just don't know the rules.In general i prefer to boat along in company with them. bizzard

[MartinClark]

And also time and time again i hear fibreglass cruisers very very frequently referred to as, Tupper ware and plastic boats,by the steel N.B's and W,B's.owners,disgusting.

 

But - they are plastic boats! What does the P stand for in GRP?

[bizzard]

But - they are plastic boats! What does the P stand for in GRP?

Its the way they say it,in an overbearing pompous manner.

I've repaired Glass reinforced plastic boats,and can state that it is a very strong and resilient material,some of the hire boat hulls are an inch or so thick,as strong as 6mm steel,easily repairable and looked after will outlast steel boats by many many years. I used to teach sailing, and also raced GRP sailing dinghy's and the punishment that the material can stand is astonishing.I think there is an element of jealousy amongst the steel hulled boat owners, that refer to Glass reinforced polyester resin built boats as plastic or tupperware,nasty habit,very school playgroundish.

Indignantly bizzard.

[Mrs Tawny Owl]

Its the way they say it,in an overbearing pompous manner.

I've repaired Glass reinforced plastic boats,and can state that it is a very strong and resilient material,some of the hire boat hulls are an inch or so thick,as strong as 6mm steel,easily repairable and looked after will outlast steel boats by many many years. I used to teach sailing, and also raced GRP sailing dinghy's and the punishment that the material can stand is astonishing.I think there is an element of jealousy amongst the steel hulled boat owners, that refer to Glass reinforced polyester resin built boats as plastic or tupperware,nasty habit,very school playgroundish.

Indignantly bizzard.

 

I am of the opinion that is a bit of harmless banter. I know at least one poster on here who refers to his grp cruiser as a yoghurt pot. We all know what he means, and he's not insulting anyone. I don't get upset when cruiser owners refer to a narrow boat as a sewer tube, it's just a bit of slightly cheeky slang amongst those that all enjoy boating on the inland waterways.

So please don't get upset seeing insults where I'm sure in most cases none are meant. And if an insult in intended then the person making the comment is not worth worrying about.

 

(And no I'm not jealous, I like my 70ft boat)

 

Sue

[bizzard]

Its the way they say it,in an overbearing pompous manner.

I've repaired Glass reinforced plastic boats,and can state that it is a very strong and resilient material,some of the hire boat hulls are an inch or so thick,as strong as 6mm steel,easily repairable and looked after will outlast steel boats by many many years. I used to teach sailing, and also raced GRP sailing dinghy's and the punishment that the material can stand is astonishing.I think there is an element of jealousy amongst the steel hulled boat owners, that refer to Glass reinforced polyester resin built boats as plastic or tupperware,nasty habit,very school playgroundish.

Indignantly bizzard.

Its me again.

And whats more, possibly the majority of small GRP cruisers are owned by young families whom perhaps can't afford a steel n.b not that they'd probably want one anyway.The only unfortunate point is,that they're often way over powered for the waterways so tend to speed,but that's the owners fault not the boat. bizzard.

[bizzard]

I am of the opinion that is a bit of harmless banter. I know at least one poster on here who refers to his grp cruiser as a yoghurt pot. We all know what he means, and he's not insulting anyone. I don't get upset when cruiser owners refer to a narrow boat as a sewer tube, it's just a bit of slightly cheeky slang amongst those that all enjoy boating on the inland waterways.

So please don't get upset seeing insults where I'm sure in most cases none are meant. And if an insult in intended then the person making the comment is not worth worrying about.

 

(And no I'm not jealous, I like my 70ft boat)

 

Sue

Hi Sue.I've never heard those two expressions before,The Yogurt pot chap must have an self destruct sense of humour.

Most of the remarks made, i don't thing are harmless banter,as very often one hears B----- plastic boat or even F----- tupperware boat shouted loudly,but these folk always ensure they're not within earshot of said plastic boat,as they're usually younger and stronger. Never heard the sewer tube one.Sometimes referred to as Corridors with things in the way or railway coaches,around here. Kind regards bizzard.

[Alan Saunders]

Its me again.

And whats more, possibly the majority of small GRP cruisers are owned by young families whom perhaps can't afford a steel n.b not that they'd probably want one anyway.The only unfortunate point is,that they're often way over powered for the waterways so tend to speed,but that's the owners fault not the boat. bizzard.

Most of the GRP boats displace less water than the average narrow boat so they can pass moored boats at a higher speed without causing problems. So often I see other boaters waving their arms and shouting "slow down" at a boat that is producing hardly a ripple, let alone a wave.

 

Unfortunately, much discussed here previously, many do not understand that slow past moored boats means slowing down well before you reach the moored boats. If my tea does not slop out of the mug nor my wine bottle fall I am happy!

 

Alan

[Alan Saunders]

Hi Sue.I've never heard those two expressions before,The Yogurt pot chap must have an self destruct sense of humour.

Most of the remarks made, i don't thing are harmless banter,as very often one hears B----- plastic boat or even F----- tupperware boat shouted loudly,but these folk always ensure they're not within earshot of said plastic boat,as they're usually younger and stronger. Never heard the sewer tube one.Sometimes referred to as Corridors with things in the way or railway coaches,around here. Kind regards bizzard.

I agree with Sue - it is harmless banter. Self-deprecating is part of the British style. The B&F plastic comments come from the ignorant few. I have given up explaining that I have a narrowboat, people only refer to it as a barge or long-boat to wind me up. My favourite was a woman who said she worked in aluminium tube = airline crew.

 

By the way what are the derogatory friendly terms for wooden or concrete boats?

 

According to "Sorry I haven't a Clue" (BBC R4 programme) a testicle is a boat builders first attempt at a coracle.

 

Alan