speeding twonks

[Alastair]

We had two real class acts this weekend. The first came shooting round the bend, and slowed when they saw us. No BW plate (but a licence sticker). As they came past, they tried to conceal the boat name with a towel - badly. So we took photos to send to BW.

 

The next lot were even better. Doing probl over 20 knots, they tried to do a full circle in the river. Whoops, it's quite shallow near the edge - their own wash dumped them on a mudbank. There they were stuck, drunk and whooping it up for a couple of hours. Tried to motor off (horrendous noises). One climbed overboard, and they finally pushed themselves off. Oh, dear, sounds like the gearbox is totally, totally stuffed. Good thing there's almost no current this time of year. Some kind-hearted cruisers gave them a tow later in the evening.

 

I have photos, will put them up soon. right after I've sent them in to BW.

[Breals]

I have to come out and admit that very occasionally, out of impatientness, I break the 2mph rule when overtaking a huge line of moored boats... obviously avoiding any wash which would cause them to bob about. So I am not without sin in this regard. But this stretch of the Avon is full of the speeding twonks you describe... they come hurtling round the corner and you see them sheepishly throttle down when they see you - their bow wave gets to you before they do. It can be very alarming, and the waves seem to put a strain on the engine as they force the prop down into deep water then up to the surface over and over.

 

I got grounded by one such boat, a tiny plastic cruiser, on the F&B, partly because of oversteering in panic and partly becase of the wave. Took 20 minutes in the pouring rain to free the boat from the sandbank, I was not happy.

 

Seems to me there's speeding and there's speeding... one sort whch is a bit naughty, slap on the wrist etc; and the other which is without any sort of consideration for other river users and totally unacceptable. And it has to be said, is a crime mostly committed by those plastic gin palaces. (At the risk of sounding like one of the grumpy old narrowboaters from the other thread!)

Edited June 26, 2006 by Breals

[Roger Gunkel]

There was an incident at moorings a couple of years ago not far from us in the Fens, where the live aboards had a lot of problems with serious speeders. A few of them got together and strung a thin cable across the river secured at one end and weighted to sit on the river bed. After the 3rd pass one Sunday morning by the same speeding boat, they lifted the the unsecured end just as he passed. His outboard and half the transom promptly disappeared into the river. He eventually drifted into the bank amongst much feigned sympathy. He never did find out what had happened to his ouboard, but there were no more problems with speeders on that stretch.

 

Roger

[RichardH]

I have never been hugely affected by speeding boaters until this year (or perhaps I'm just getting older and grumpier)

 

We now moor the boat outside the house and it is staggering the speed at which some boats go past. I don't mind a bit of forwards and backwards motion (that is physics after all) but despite adopting rope springs as suggested in last months WW by Mr Stott, we still have some serious bouncing off the wall.

 

And who are the biggest culprits - hire boaters I hear you cry. NO - private boaters. But....as one old sea dog said to me 'at least hire boaters have some training'

 

We cruised the eastern end of the Leeds/Liverpool this year and noted a marked difference for the worse in the speeds at which boats pass - so much so we were pulled off all three pins one morning by a narrowboater going at least 5-6mph past us.

[Alastair]

Photo as promised. BW patrol officer says this boat's owners have been warned twice - this time they'll be banned from the river and possibly all BW waterways.

 

Stranded boat

[Liam]

I dunno...

 

The nuckin fnobs.

[Pat]

I dunno...

 

The nuckin fnobs.

 

Yep. They look like proper gin palace cowboys to me.... I supose you get more of them on the rivers then we do on the canals.

[sterlingmossonaboat]

Yep. They look like proper gin palace cowboys to me.... I supose you get more of them on the rivers then we do on the canals.

 

Thats not a boat!!! Its a bath with an Engine

 

GRP's should not be allowed on the canals they're a hazard.

[NB Esk]

GRP's should not be allowed on the canals they're a hazard.

 

Oh 'eck................that's torn it.

[sterlingmossonaboat]

I have never been hugely affected by speeding boaters until this year (or perhaps I'm just getting older and grumpier)

 

We now moor the boat outside the house and it is staggering the speed at which some boats go past. I don't mind a bit of forwards and backwards motion (that is physics after all) but despite adopting rope springs as suggested in last months WW by Mr Stott, we still have some serious bouncing off the wall.

 

And who are the biggest culprits - hire boaters I hear you cry. NO - private boaters. But....as one old sea dog said to me 'at least hire boaters have some training'

 

We cruised the eastern end of the Leeds/Liverpool this year and noted a marked difference for the worse in the speeds at which boats pass - so much so we were pulled off all three pins one morning by a narrowboater going at least 5-6mph past us.

Wasn't a blue and cream boat was it???

 

Wasn't a blue and cream boat was it???

I have been named "Sterling moss of the boat world" because i like to get places quickly, But I always slow down to tick over when passing other boats and moored boats, I have had a bit of critisism for my boating skills as i am young and still learning.

 

I just think its a damn shame that some people cannot have the common courtesy to flaming well slow down!!

[carlt]

Thats not a boat!!! Its a bath with an Engine

 

GRP's should not be allowed on the canals they're a hazard.

Come on grp cruiserman over to you! I must curb my outrage as I'm a wooden boatman myself but I ask the following. Argument between steel narrowboat and grp cruiser. Who is the hazard to whom? Sea worthiness of streamlined, boat shaped plastic versus 60 foot steel tube blocked up at either end. When grp bounces off my wooden hull nobody gets hurt, when steel hits my wooden hull then something always breaks, and it ain't metal! steel boats are like volvos, loads safer for the occupants but everyone else had better get out of the way! One exception though, given the choice between going offshore in a 30 year old dawncraft dandy or a brand new 60 ft steel nb, gimmee plastic any day!

[fuzzyduck]

May I?

[Supermalc]

May I?

 

Yes .......

[fuzzyduck]

GRP's should not be allowed on the canals they're a hazard.

 

OK I'll bite, although my mum said I shouldn't feed the trolls.

 

How the heck are GRP boats a hazard? explain yourself man.

 

The hazard value (either for or against a given boat) is almost all in the competance or otherwise of the skipper, and as Carl says "the context".

 

The most dangerous occurance i've seen this year was curtesy of the skipper of a narrowboat, who rammed "Keeping Up" doing full throttle in reverse.

 

I have had a bit of critisism for my boating skills as i am young and still learning.

 

Just your boating skills?

Edited June 29, 2006 by fuzzyduck

[GRPCruiserman]

Thats not a boat!!! Its a bath with an Engine

 

GRP's should not be allowed on the canals they're a hazard.

 

You are obviously one of those late-come-along-to-the-canal with lots of money boaters who has never had to survive on minimum wage after it's been reduced each year like me. Some of us still like to enjoy the canals.

 

You probably have a large steel VERY shiney narrow boat whose paint cost more than any boat I've ever been able to afford.

 

You probably keep it on a marina that costs more per month than my mooring costs for the year.

 

You probably don't realise that if it was not for the GRP revolution of the 1960s, then no one would have been able to afford to cruise the cnals and save them from destruction for you to cruise.

 

If it wasn't for GRP cruisers, I would not be able to afford any boat, I could never afford a steel one. If all boats were GRP, then the hazardous steel boats wuld not be an issue. In any case, it's not the steel boats, onl the steerers who don't know how to drive them.

 

I have travelled widely in my boat which incidentally only does 3.5mph flat out, causes next to no wash, and I use all the year round due to its solid fuel stove, I have shared many locks with steel boats without issue.

 

You are obviously one of the 'Keep canals for the rich' brigade who has never owned a GRP boat.

 

I have many friends who have steel boats and who started on GRP, and they are much more knowledgable about how to behave around them, with the common misconceptions that many steel bred owners being non-existant.

 

We have as much right to the canals as you do, we pay our licence, insurance, etc as you do, and cause much less wash. Petrol is much less harmful to the canal, as any spilt evaporates very quickly instead of polluting the canal for miles, and we take up much less mooring space.

 

It is attitudes such as yours which promotes anti-GRP attitudes and causes fear in new boaters re sharing with GRP.

 

The same attitude seems to eminate from certain make of car owners, often four wheel drives, Peugeots, and BMWs who get the majority of drivers of thos ecars a bad name, as you are trying to get a bad name for narrow boat owners.

 

PLEASE live and let live.......

[Liam]

Totally agree with Cruiserman..

[carlt]

OK I'll bite, although my mum said I shouldn't feed the trolls.

 

How the heck are GRP boats a hazard? explain yourself man.

 

The hazard value (either for or against a given boat) is almost all in the competance or otherwise of the skipper, and as Carl says "the context".

 

The most dangerous occurance i've seen this year was curtesy of the skipper of a narrowboat, who rammed "Keeping Up" doing full throttle in reverse.

Just your boating skills?

The better half is off on a course, son and dog are asleep, I've just opened my second bottle of beer (badger first gold, not had it before, very nice) knuckles cracked, I'm primed and ready to go!

 

So mr smoab you don't like plastic. Have you tried it? Do you have a little sneer on the lip as you go past somebody's pride and joy? In 23 years of boating I've tried the lot from a 26' mahogany bermudan sloop, through steel and plastic of a variety of shapes and sizes ending up with a pair of wooden workboats. They all float, they all provide pleasure for many people and, in the grand scheme of things, they are all very safe. The main hazards attached to inland boating seem to be lpg leaks, carbon monoxide build up and falling head first into the mud after one too many. All these hazards are available on any boat, any shape, size or material. Fast boats are steered by inconsiderate, arrogant b's who have no place in an environment dictated by a 4 or 6 mph speed limit but they are rarely dangerous. And they don't have any preference on boat material.

[Guest st170dw]

Thats not a boat!!! Its a bath with an Engine

 

GRP's should not be allowed on the canals they're a hazard.

 

I spent many a happy time borrowing my mother in law's Norman 23.

 

We decided that a small boat wasn't for us so we hired steel narrowboats for many years until we could afford one ourselves. It took me 25 years to afford my boat and I don't regret the wait.

 

GRP boats can be a comparitively inexpensive introduction to the joys of boating on the canals and long may it remain so. The future of the canals is in serious danger if the only people using them are either hireboats or those of us fortunate to afford narrowboats. I have met friendly and interesting people on both. I have also met the reverse!

 

GRP boats are as much a part of the current system as the working boats of yore and are no more a hazard than a 15 ton plus narrowboat in the wrong hands.

[Breals]

GRP boats can be a comparitively inexpensive introduction to the joys of boating on the canals

 

The speeding boats on the Avon look far from inexpensive, they are truly massive and with big engines to boot. But it is true, it's not the boat its the boater. I certainly don't look down my nose at GRP cruisers, in fact I get the distinct feeling that these boys and girls in their luxury plastic are looking down on me in my ramshackle steel box! I feel like an old gimmer out for a sunday drive in his Nissan Micra holding up some flash harry in a Porsche.

[Supermalc]

 

GRP's should not be allowed on the canals they're a hazard.

 

Actually I agree (sort of). Narrowboats should stop where they belong, on the narrow canals; and cruisers etc. should use the rest.

 

 

After all, that is what they were made for.

 

If you want a 'proper' boat, I believe Bill Gates yacht cost £155million, or something like that