Day Boaters !!! Don't you just love them ?

[LEO]

Hi,

 

Shame the boat has no front fender, or is that a rubber strip running down the bow?.

 

Leo.

[Guest]

It's similar to what you see on a lot of hire boats up here -

 

Grace from Canal boat escapes.

 

 

Some of Silsden's boats are the same.

[Phil Ambrose]

It is easy to get it wrong, done it myself, in fact almost lost my boat and wife once when I tried to moor up supposedly into the flow but I had checked the Tide Tables for the wrong week and in fact was trying to moor with the flow going the opposite way. Stepped off from the forward drive position with the bow rope while my wife made ready at the stern with the aft rope. The 6knot tide took the boat round and as I hung on for grim death my wife ran through the boat to the wheel and put power on to bring her back. My said she did'nt really fancy a day out in Gt Yarmouth as that is where she would have ended up.

Still we can laugh about it now.

 

Phil

[Midnight Rider]

I'm not sure if they're actually turning the boat (intentionally), or if they just lost control somewhat and ended up wedged across the cut...

Bloody hell, they really were in the shit if they were not turning. Perhaps Titus can tell us.

[Ray T]

It's similar to what you see on a lot of hire boats up here -

 

Grace from Canal boat escapes.

 

 

Some of Silsden's boats are the same.

 

Ex Black Prince. Anglo Welsh use them as well.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Ray T

[Guest]

Bloody hell, they really were in the shit if they were not turning. Perhaps Titus can tell us.

 

But as they say 'shit happens' - we once got into a very similar situation not that far from there on our second canal hire boat holiday.

[Graham Davis]

This photo shows exactly the point I have made before.Who the hell is giving instruction to these hirers,NOBODY!!,my boat is moored a few hundred yards away,I have been hit on numerous occasions.None of the boats stop and check damage they just think it is fun and not to forget alot of these hirers are drunk.

 

Perhaps, if you had read #7 earlier there is a perfectly reasonable excuse why this has happened, not uniquely it seems:

 

It most certainly isn't exclusive to day boaters. I got stuck there in exactly the same circumstances, even the same way round. I was in a hire boat though, one of Pennine Cruiser's boats. I don't know how windy it was that day it happened to those people but when it happened to me it was a fairly windy day. I was in a small boat as well, 27 footer, and the wind, which I believe gets funneled at that point, just took my back end. Rudder hit the concrete edge and whipped the tiller hard over very nearly taking me with it and that was it I was stuck fast.

 

Pete

[Titus]

Even though you may have no experience of handling a boat, I would have thought that common sense may come into play.

 

The last place that I would think of turning a boat in a tight situation is where other boats could be damaged.

 

Last year I needed to turn round on the S&W to get the dog to the vets. It would have been possible to wind in the entrance to Stafford Boat Club, but it was a windy day & boats were moored just inside. Didn't take the chance & winded further on, adding about an hour to the trip.

/

They weren't trying to turn the boat they'd just lost control and didn't know what to do, (their words not mine) they'd only just set off from under the bridge in the picture !!

Dave

[wannabe]

/

They weren't trying to turn the boat they'd just lost control and didn't know what to do, (their words not mine) they'd only just set off from under the bridge in the picture !!

Dave

Always refreshing to see someone ready to accept we all have to start somewhere

Personally. If I never made a mistake I wouldn't learn very much

Cheers Dave. I've, luckily, met a lot of people like you on my canal trips.

You're in the majority I'm glad to say

[bowten]

Yeah. I noticed how she was having to hold on to the tiller and the guy was pewking over the side

Just wonder who gives instructions to the non hirers that get things wrong?

Can't wait till I own my own boat

Over night my chances of getting things wrong will disappear.

Eh!

[John Holden]

Even though you may have no experience of handling a boat, I would have thought that common sense may come into play.

 

The last place that I would think of turning a boat in a tight situation is where other boats could be damaged.

 

Last year I needed to turn round on the S&W to get the dog to the vets. It would have been possible to wind in the entrance to Stafford Boat Club, but it was a windy day & boats were moored just inside. Didn't take the chance & winded further on, adding about an hour to the trip.

 

Shouldn't it be "wound" or are you in the habit of winded up your clock

[bramley]

this picture just makes me lol..... Im amazed the boat has ended up in such a place as is, it really couldnt be any tighter..

[wannabe]

Eh!

My apologies for my sarcasm. (lowest form of wit I know)

I shoud have realised that only drunk hire boaters hit other craft

I do, honestly, realise just how annoying it must be being hit by other craft but please don't blame all that is wrong on hire boaters

[Midnight Rider]

Shouldn't it be "wound" or are you in the habit of winded up your clock

You have never winded a baby then?

[bowten]

/

They weren't trying to turn the boat they'd just lost control and didn't know what to do, (their words not mine) they'd only just set off from under the bridge in the picture !!

Dave

There are quite alot of these day boaters that lose control and some that don't give a monkey's fart about other peoples property.If I went down their road with a JCB that I could not control I think there would be uproar.

 

My apologies for my sarcasm. (lowest form of wit I know)

I shoud have realised that only drunk hire boaters hit other craft

I do, honestly, realise just how annoying it must be being hit by other craft but please don't blame all that is wrong on hire boaters

Don't be a total prat I didn't say they were all drunk but quite a few are.I have lived and worked here for over 12 years,I know the score and bear the scars.

[wannabe]

There are quite alot of these day boaters that lose control and some that don't give a monkey's fart about other peoples property.If I went down their road with a JCB that I could not control I think there would be uproar.

Some DO give a monkeys fart. Most in fact

[Zayna]

Aww, I feel a bit sorry for them. I have no patience with gangs of numpties, and not just on boats, but I'm glad you helped them and I hope they had a nice time. Everyone has to start somewhere, they might never set foot on a boat again, or they might end up getting the bug and retiring on one. Boats are big buggers, it looks dead easy, but we all know it isn't.

[wannabe]

Aww, I feel a bit sorry for them. I have no patience with gangs of numpties, and not just on boats, but I'm glad you helped them and I hope they had a nice time. Everyone has to start somewhere, they might never set foot on a boat again, or they might end up getting the bug and retiring on one. Boats are big buggers, it looks dead easy, but we all know it isn't.

Well put. Still looking for my first one

Still looking for the cash too lol

 

There are quite alot of these day boaters that lose control and some that don't give a monkey's fart about other peoples property.If I went down their road with a JCB that I could not control I think there would be uproar.

 

 

Don't be a total prat I didn't say they were all drunk but quite a few are.I have lived and worked here for over 12 years,I know the score and bear the scars.

Wow. never hired a boat or made a mistake before

And the ability to tell who is or isn't intoxicated at a distance

I bow to your superior knowledge

Your ever so humble non boat owning prat

Edited August 15, 2012 by wannabe

[Thewatchmaker]

Ex Black Prince. Anglo Welsh use them as well.

The one that smashed into the side of my boat whilst moored at Ellesmere at the weekend didn't ! !

[bowten]

Well put. Still looking for my first one

Still looking for the cash too lol

When you get a boat of your very own,come and moor it in sunny Skipton for a weekend and have your paintwork ruined,rudder knocked off it's skeg and yer windows broken by the hirers pushing their hire boats off your pride and joy.I would like to see some sort of tuition before they sent out on their trips of horror.STOP BEING A PRAT.

[Janet S]

It's similar to what you see on a lot of hire boats up here -

 

Grace from Canal boat escapes.

 

 

Some of Silsden's boats are the same.

 

It is indeed a rubber strip, and very well it works too! I can personally vouch for that after having taken Grace out for a long weekend recently. Much tidier than a tatty button and works every time...

 

As for hire boaters? Well don't get me started! We provide between two and four hours of intensive training and lock working for our hire boats, but it really wouldn't be practical to provide that level of tuition for a day boat where time is of the essence.

 

I have absolutely no doubt that all the companies hiring day boats around the Skipton area do their very best to provide basic training, but given that it's a day hire, there's only so much time you can take...

 

Yes, they are going to make mistakes...the one in the initial post was only yards from the hire base and in a notoriously windy spot...give them a break!

 

I well remember our first trip getting to grips with steering a narrowboat. It's very easy to look at new hirers and laugh, but can you not remember your learning curve?

 

Janet

[bowten]

Well put. Still looking for my first one

Still looking for the cash too lol

 

 

Wow. never hired a boat or made a mistake before

And the ability to tell who is or isn't intoxicated at a distance

I bow to your superior knowledge

Your ever so humble non boat owning prat

The canal is in Skipton,it is not the Suez canal.I can therefore tell if they are intoxica....drunk or not,they usually have a can in their hand and swerving towards my boat.

Edited August 15, 2012 by bowten

[Paul C]

As for hire boaters? Well don't get me started! We provide between two and four hours of intensive training and lock working for our hire boats, but it really wouldn't be practical to provide that level of tuition for a day boat where time is of the essence.

 

The problem is, your hire firm is in the minority here. Our experience is that they don't provide nearly so much time, no more than the absolute minimum necessary. My experience is that they will accompany a new (never driven a boat) hirer for about 1/2 hour - 1 hour at the most, but they rely on the handover day being not too busy (ie not that many boats going out that day) and about 50% of hirers being experienced already.

 

Can I ask, how many hire boats in your fleet, and do you stagger then handover days or have just the one day to do it? If so, what's the max number of boats which will go out at the same time?

[bowten]

It is indeed a rubber strip, and very well it works too! I can personally vouch for that after having taken Grace out for a long weekend recently. Much tidier than a tatty button and works every time...

 

As for hire boaters? Well don't get me started! We provide between two and four hours of intensive training and lock working for our hire boats, but it really wouldn't be practical to provide that level of tuition for a day boat where time is of the essence.

 

I have absolutely no doubt that all the companies hiring day boats around the Skipton area do their very best to provide basic training, but given that it's a day hire, there's only so much time you can take...

 

Yes, they are going to make mistakes...the one in the initial post was only yards from the hire base and in a notoriously windy spot...give them a break!

 

I well remember our first trip getting to grips with steering a narrowboat. It's very easy to look at new hirers and laugh, but can you not remember your learning curve?

 

Janet

It was not a windy day.I have asked on many occasions for the day boaters tuition to include bringing them out for 10 minutes in order that they get passed the moored boats in the vicinity.I don't think it's asking too much for the instructor to walk a couple of hundred yards back to base.By the time they are coming back from their day out their skills have increased ten fold and they look a lot happier and so am I.

[John Holden]

You have never winded a baby then?

 

Frequently, but it always stayed the same way up