Boat crime & vandalism

[Cris P]

I had my narrowboat untied by kids (I think - though it might have been the local bigot) one night on the River Avon, right by Kelston Lock (and weir). Fortunately the last rope proved a little more complicated to undo, and so we were not fully adrift. Luckily I stepped out to head bankside whilst we were only a metre or two away. We got chains the next day.

[tomandsophie]

Just to say...

.. thanks for all the replies.

 

[Jo and Paul]

One couple we knew had their ropes cut in the middle of the night in a very secluded area where they thought they were safe just prior to the Southern end of Harecastle tunnel.

 

I live very close to there. There is an official travellers camp just next to the southern end of the Harecastle tunnel, dont know if that had anything to do with it

[Jon]

Possibly, or it could just have been kids. No evidence to suggest which!

 

Keep informing the authorities. The more complaints, the more likely it is they will listen!

 

 

Jon

[charlee]

Reading these reports of vandalism and abuse reminded me of our first holiday on a narrowboat. It was 65' long and we were turning it (towards the end of the week) when we were the objects of verbal abuse and threats from the owners of what would happen if we bumped their boat. It would have been enough to put the wind up you. Anyway the elderly couple continued to sip their wine and shout at us. I was very pleased when having executed the perfect (103 point) turn we raised our glasses to them and cordialy wished them a good day! They did not put us of and now we are waiting for our shell to be finished, I just hope that I will never react in the way they did.

[MRBear]

sometimes there are more issues in marinas, especially if you expect the residents to follow the rules.

we're currently experiencing threats of drilling holes on our boat and having rocks put on it simple because we complained about the jetty security gates being propped open by the aforesaid residents. from what we've been told, instances like these are not uncommon when a leisure moorer challenges the authority of residential moorers, but we're hoping that its just our particular marina

Edited May 31, 2020 by MRBear

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, MRBear said:

sometimes there are more issues in marinas, especially if you expect the residents to follow the rules.

we're currently experiencing threats of drilling holes on our boat and having rocks put on it simple because we complained about the jetty security gates being propped open by the aforesaid residents. from what we've been told, instances like these are not uncommon when a leisure moorer challenges the authority of residential moorers, but we're hoping that its just our particular marina

 

A lot can change in 15 years.

[Mike Adams]

From my experience I don't think things are as bad as they were 40 or 50 years ago. I can remember being showered with house bricks from the top of a high wall along limehouse cut in the late 70's and there was nothing you could do about it at the time with no mobile phones and going around East London could be a bit of a challenge.

As has often been said just think ahead and you can usually work out the places not to stop or leave the boat unattended. Boats have always been an easy target and I think for leisure boaters casual vandalism by kids is at a fairly low level. They have far more interesting things to do on their devices these days. You are much more likely to encounter problems between different factions of canal users especially if you are going to live on the towpath.

[blackrose]

11 hours ago, MRBear said:

sometimes there are more issues in marinas, especially if you expect the residents to follow the rules.

we're currently experiencing threats of drilling holes on our boat and having rocks put on it 

 

They're just idle threats by idiots who have no intention of doing it. But it doesn't sound like a pleasant atmosphere.

[MRBear]

I hope you're right about their intentions, as we're new to narrowboating and as its took us so long to save up with a lot of scrimping and saving plus all the sacrifices we've had to make to buy our boat, this has concerned us a great deal. so we're very much hoping that this is just a glitch, but thanks so much for your support

[Alan de Enfield]

Sometimes all boaters, be they liveaboard or part-timers, deserve all they get.

 

There was a petrol-engine boat in 'our' marina, they had been asked several times not to refuel on their mooring but to go to the fuel berth as they were using cans and seem to have problems 'hitting the filler hole', the fuel berth had the necessary equipment to contain a spill or fight a fire.

 

A lovely hot Summers day and they started to refuel again on their pontoon mooring, with boats either side only a couple of feet away, as the marina water developed a rainbow and the air around them took on a decidedly aromatic odour they were asked to desist - they refused and carried on.

 

Adjacent moorers were rightly very upset, with one moorer getting his axe and threatening to cut their lines and push them away from the mooring, 'management' arrived but it made no difference.

The offending boater then called 999 and said he was being threatened by an axe wielding madman - Police arrived, the situation quietened down, no charges were pressed and the boat left (for good) a few minutes after the Police left the scene.

[MRBear]

we pride ourselves on being more than considerate to all other boaters and we believe that the rules of the marina are very important to maintain a healthy environment for all to have a peaceful time on their boats. refuelling on berth is not allowed on most marinas so the boater with his petrol can was breaking the rules and endangering all other marina users. he deserved to be evicted from the marina, we believe that rule breakers, whether residential or leisure should be warned once then evicted to allow decent people to live in peace

[Dr Bob]

1 hour ago, MRBear said:

we pride ourselves on being more than considerate to all other boaters and we believe that the rules of the marina are very important to maintain a healthy environment for all to have a peaceful time on their boats. refuelling on berth is not allowed on most marinas so the boater with his petrol can was breaking the rules and endangering all other marina users. he deserved to be evicted from the marina, we believe that rule breakers, whether residential or leisure should be warned once then evicted to allow decent people to live in peace

That's too black and white. OK for Alan's example but some marinas have lots of rules. No hanging washing. Dogs on leads. What happens if the dog escapes? Twice? Who determines when rules are broken? 

Yes, 'resident associations' need to follow the rules and good marinas get it right. Some marinas are better than others.

[MRBear]

I'm not sure that a dog escaping would contravene any rules, unless the incident was very very frequent, in which case the marina might rightly expect that the dogs owner made alterations and adjustments to minimise the dogs ability to escape.

 

when you pay your mooring fees to the marina, by default, you are agreeing to abide by their rules, it is entirely up to the marina to police the rules and enforce them if and when necessary, it is certainly not up to any other marina users to become vigilantes and enforce their interpretation.

Personal interpretation of rules often leads to conflict, especially when those wishing to have rules applied to 1 section of the community with their own section being exempt.

 

Surely, if you are moored in a marina and you do not like the rules your best option is to leave that marina and find a more suitable mooring that fits with your own ideals and standards.

 

"Rules are established to protect the weaker class in the society since they are at a disadvantage if such regulations are broken. When rules are properly set and followed, they provide a stable environment and human co-existence in a community, resulting in peace and order"

 

 

 

[mrsmelly]

7 minutes ago, MRBear said:

I'm not sure that a dog escaping would contravene any rules, unless the incident was very very frequent, in which case the marina might rightly expect that the dogs owner made alterations and adjustments to minimise the dogs ability to escape.

 

when you pay your mooring fees to the marina, by default, you are agreeing to abide by their rules, it is entirely up to the marina to police the rules and enforce them if and when necessary, it is certainly not up to any other marina users to become vigilantes and enforce their interpretation.

Personal interpretation of rules often leads to conflict, especially when those wishing to have rules applied to 1 section of the community with their own section being exempt.

 

Surely, if you are moored in a marina and you do not like the rules your best option is to leave that marina and find a more suitable mooring that fits with your own ideals and standards.

 

"Rules are established to protect the weaker class in the society since they are at a disadvantage if such regulations are broken. When rules are properly set and followed, they provide a stable environment and human co-existence in a community, resulting in peace and order"

 

 

 

I think you need to move. Marinas differ greatly in all manner of things. the beauty of the boat is it moves very easily ?

[MRBear]

agreed

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, MRBear said:

I hope you're right about their intentions, as we're new to narrowboating and as its took us so long to save up with a lot of scrimping and saving plus all the sacrifices we've had to make to buy our boat, this has concerned us a great deal. so we're very much hoping that this is just a glitch, but thanks so much for your support

I would be looking to move marinas. I wouldn't want to stop in a place like that regardless of whether anything was likely to happen or not. I have a boat to enjoy it, not get agro

[MRBear]

We are moving to a new marina as soon as all the restrictions are lifted. totally agree with you

[tehmarks]

I lived aboard for two and a bit years until 2018, and moved back aboard again January this year. In that first period I continuousy cruised and moored everywhere from in the middle of absolute nowhere to in the middle of urban hellholes (Southall, for example). I've also regularly left my boat unattended for days or weeks (up to two thereof, obviously), including in the middle of Watford. I also once even, in a moment of sheer stupidity, left my work backpack with my laptop inside it on the roof when I locked the door and left for work - again in the middle of Watford. Twelve hours later and it was still there, unmoved! The only trouble I've ever had is having a sledgehammer nicked from my well deck.

 

I really wouldn't worry about it. People will be morons regardless - I think you're almost equally unlikely to be on the receiving end of crime whether you're on a boat, on foot in town or in a house. Just don't make it easy for people and you'll deter all but the determined.

[ditchcrawler]

This is what happened to someone else who complaned how a marina was being run https://www.narrowboatworld.com/12308-boater-evicted-by-droitwich-marina-for-upholding-cororavirus-rules

[blackrose]

13 hours ago, MRBear said:

I'm not sure that a dog escaping would contravene any rules, unless the incident was very very frequent, in which case the marina might rightly expect that the dogs owner made alterations and adjustments to minimise the dogs ability to escape.

 

 

Where I'm moored the rules are that dogs should be on leads within the area. However, all the dog owners on boats seem to have agreed amongst themselves that rule doesn't apply to them and the non-dog owners will just have to deal with it. To be fair most of the time they clear up the dog shit, but sometimes they're just not looking and it gets left around. The marina operator doesn't seem interested in enforcing the rules so the rules have effectively been unofficially changed by the people they were supposed to apply to .

Edited June 1, 2020 by blackrose

[MRBear]

your situation seems similar in the approach of some residents, ie , the rules are not applicable to them. ultimately, you have to blame the marina operators who are very happy to take your mooring fees without doing what they should. what they fail to realise is that high standards attract those with high standards and vice versa. in our marina we are seeing a distinct downward slide of standards and people such as us are leaving . In fairness to the the marina staff, it must be difficult to deal with large numbers of aggressive, entitled slobs but, if they don't  remove the shite they will only have the shite left.  we are moving to a marina that supposedly has and maintains high standards with a very hands on manager who has no qualms about chucking rule breakers off the marina. we live in hope

[Alan de Enfield]

8 hours ago, MRBear said:

we are moving to a marina that supposedly has and maintains high standards with a very hands on manager who has no qualms about chucking rule breakers off the marina. we live in hope

It would happen to be fairly close to Coalville (11 miles) & to have the work 'lock' in its name would it ?

[frahkn]

8 hours ago, MRBear said:

your situation seems similar in the approach of some residents, ie , the rules are not applicable to them. ultimately, you have to blame the marina operators who are very happy to take your mooring fees without doing what they should. what they fail to realise is that high standards attract those with high standards and vice versa. in our marina we are seeing a distinct downward slide of standards and people such as us are leaving . In fairness to the the marina staff, it must be difficult to deal with large numbers of aggressive, entitled slobs but, if they don't  remove the shite they will only have the shite left.  we are moving to a marina that supposedly has and maintains high standards with a very hands on manager who has no qualms about chucking rule breakers off the marina. we live in hope

Reading the actual words of your posts, I find little that is unreasonable. Yet somehow the collective 'tone' leaves me a bit uncomfortable. 

 

Perhaps it's just an artefact of the medium.

[Dr Bob]

45 minutes ago, frahkn said:

Reading the actual words of your posts, I find little that is unreasonable. Yet somehow the collective 'tone' leaves me a bit uncomfortable. 

 

Perhaps it's just an artefact of the medium.

I think Mrbear is a little too black and white. Rules are not always that clear. Take this dogs one. Yes, if a guy takes his dog out without a lead lol the time, but what about the escapee as I referred to in a recent post. The rules in our marina say " dog......must be on leads at all times" so an escape will be breaking the rules. Twice and you're out according to Mrbear. The rules arep not always clear.

No hanging washing. No TVs aerials. What's a tv aerial? It's not always black and white.

I agree with the sentiment of Mrbear but the implementation is not easy.