Day boat hire

[Captain Fizz]

Is there anyone with experience of day boat hire who can tell me whether there is any responsibility to supply life jackets.

[ditchcrawler]

I think you would be on a very dodgy wicket if you didn't offer them and there was an incident.Duty of care?

[Guest]

I think you would be on a very dodgy wicket if you didn't offer them and there was an incident.Duty of care?

We have never been offered them as hire boaters, not sure why day boat hire operators would be different.

 

The only exception was when we had kids on board and the hire co's provided them for free. Can't recall if they were 'offered' though or we asked for them.

[keble]

Along similar lines, we were chatting to a hire boat crew on the Severn. Their company provided jackets ONLY for children.

I was surprised to say the least!

[ditchcrawler]

We have never been offered them as hire boaters, not sure why day boat hire operators would be different.

 

The only exception was when we had kids on board and the hire co's provided them for free. Can't recall if they were 'offered' though or we asked for them.

I have always been offered them when taking the grand kids on the Broads

[Pykebird]

When I did day boat handovers, we ALWAYS showed people where the life jackets were. There were a collection of different sizes, including children's ones. I also had to count them back in as sometimes they "accidently" got packed up with the lunchboxes!!

In fact I have offered them on several different hire boats.

[mango]

We have never been offered them as hire boaters, not sure why day boat hire operators would be different.

 

The only exception was when we had kids on board and the hire co's provided them for free. Can't recall if they were 'offered' though or we asked for them.

Any reputable company should offer them for adults and insist on providing them for kids. This seems to be the standard nowadays, though it is not so many years since they were rarely mentioned. The standard seems to be to provide buoyancy aids, which are not ideal but less hassle for the companies.

[ditchcrawler]

Here is where I last hired from http://www.waveneyrivercentre.co.uk/day-cruiser-hire and as you see buoyance aids are provided

[Wanderer Vagabond]

When I have hired in the past the companies have given the option of buoyancy aids for adults with life-jackets for the kids but I never came across one offering life-jackets for adults. I suppose that the rationale is that if you have the auto-inflating life-jackets all it takes is for some muppet to drop it in the canal and it will go off requiring a recharge whereas if they aren't automatic the wearer has to be told to pull the cord if they fall into the canal, instruction they often forget in the heat of the incident. I'm not sure if they make life-jackets for adults of the same material as the buoyancy aids (foam insert) since, with all of the buoyancy on the front they would be a bit cumbersome but I'm happy to be corrected!

[NickF]

I have always been given them by hire companies when I have asked. Oxfordshire Canal Boats for the tidal Thames and Canalboat cruises of Riley Green when we went on the Aire and the Calder.

[Ricco1]

The standard is: "children, non-swimmers and lone boaters should wear a life jacket whilst on deck" and: "other boaters should be supplied with a life jacket or buoyancy aid, should they request one".

[b0atman]

Strange bfore health and safety when I was a hire boater they always seemed to be available

[ditchcrawler]

The standard is: "children, non-swimmers and lone boaters should wear a life jacket whilst on deck" and: "other boaters should be supplied with a life jacket or buoyancy aid, should they request one".

What standard is that?