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What safety precautions do you take living on a canal boat

Toby knight

By Toby knight
in New to Boating?

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MoominPapa Veteran II

MoominPapa

Posted
Posted

Seriously Laurie, I'd remove that post. The security services are not known for their sense of humour.

Really? Really? What are you expecting to happen to Laurie?

 

Maybe this is a prime example of way pervasive surveillance inhibits everyone, the good as much, or more so, than the bad.

 

MP.

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BlueStringPudding Veteran II

BlueStringPudding

Posted
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Best security is fishermen by day and a neighbouring boat by night. :) That and slippery, precarious access and a smorgasbord of axes, kitchen knives and saws inside the front door, and hot coals and a sodding great poker by the stove next to the back door. :lol: That and a reputation for being the Crazy Moorhen Lady all add to home security IMHO.;)

 

 

As Lady Muck says, mooring in the countryside is your best form of security. The only trouble I've ever witnessed round boats has been in or near towns. When cruising I'd moor well outside of town and enjoy the walk in.

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GoodGurl Experienced

GoodGurl

Posted
Posted

yet as a kid growing up, our front doors were left on the latch all day no worries

so is it london living? or just that times have changed, if and when I get a NB, it'll be fort knox for me

Our front and back doors were never locked as a kid either (in the house) Maybe that's because nobody had anything worth nicking back then.

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Starcoaster Veteran

Starcoaster

Posted
Posted

Prior to moving aboard, I lived in a basement flat in Peckham with bars on all of the windows and a double steel reinforced door. I feel safer on my boat, and freer too-I don't tend to lock the doors at night, and only in the day if I am going away from the boat. I am more concerned about fire, as my stove is in the middle of the boat-I make sure that my exit window is always clear.

Other than that, I pretty much just make sure I don't leave my laptop on the counter when I go out, as if I did, you could take out my hopper window and grab it. I don't have anything else worth taking, and I think that's pretty obvious from looking at my boat! I would like portholes rather than windows ideally, but I'd also want big side hatches and roof windows!

If I find myself in an area where something pings my radar to make me want to take more care, I unhitch and move on.

 

My biggest fear is, as Catrin mentioned, landing in the cut in the winter and not being able to get out. I went in in the middle of the night one January with a bag of coal, I managed to get out ok but the shock of the cold honestly felt like it stopped my heart for a moment.

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nebulae Proficient

nebulae

Posted
Posted

We took out the rear windows,as they were over our bed and it felt a bit vulnerable. Filled in the holes with 3mm steel(same as cabin sides)covered joint with 10mmx100mm bar,bolted through with many countersunk bolts,then seam welded. Result ,no distortion,boat looks better(I think),cant see where the windows were. Much quieter at night,feels safer and no leaks or condensation. Cost less than £50(Plus painting the outside,which needed doing anyway).No labour as we did it our selves .I imagine a boatyard could do the job in 3 days(Plus painting) Only downside is a bit darker in the sleeping cabin,but we have not found this a problem.

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Starcoaster Veteran

Starcoaster

Posted
Posted (edited)

Day doo doh, don't dey doh! smile.png

 

Scouser!

I had no chance of recovering my trackies, they sank immediately and my priority was getting a shower and getting warm. I went fishing with my hook pole the following morning but no joy. I suspected it was me who would end up with them on the prop, as it was at the stern that they ended up, but I came and went from that mooring multiple times and didn't end up finding them down the weedhatch.

Edited by Starcoaster
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Pennie Community Regular

Pennie

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Posted (edited)

A dog with a big bark who makes a lot of noise if some touches the boat. Safety and companionship. My Bella is the softest whimp I've met but has a gob on her when she thinks someone is going to get her

Edited by Pennie
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system 4-50 Veteran II

system 4-50Donate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

I don't know if it counts as a safety precaution but I keep an eye on the water around my mooring. When I saw a stray rope floating, I thought I'd better retrieve it rather than chance getting it around my or a passer-by's propellor. It took some time as we discovered it had a dinghy on the end of it!

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Emerald Fox Rising Star

Emerald Fox

Posted
Posted

Fishing line makes for good booby traps. Soldiers in Iraq know about this but your common-or-garden canal boat burglar probably doesn't.


Well that's your security taken care of.... MI5 will be providing 24 hour surveillance now! wink.png

 

Yeah - sticking up an ISIS flag will mean you have the FBI, CIA, M15, M16, the Metropolitan Police and the British Army all having your boat well under surveillance!!

Your very own Neighbourhood Watch!

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