Honest Opinions on Hire Boaters

[Athy]

it is our own boat and has been for the last12 years, but she's still painted in Alvechurch colours so looks like a hire boat from a distance.

 

Sue

Preserved ex-working boat, surely?

[Guest]

but she's still painted in Alvechurch colours so looks like a hire boat from a distance.

 

Sue

Curious - why doesn't it look like a hire boat when you get closer??

 

(Perhaps because you are all not wearing pirate costumes perhaps?)

[Athy]

Curious - why doesn't it look like a hire boat when you get closer??

 

(Perhaps because you are all not wearing pirate costumes perhaps?)

From memory, they have painted out the company's name.

[captain birdseye]

Preserved ex-working boat, surely?

Considering our boat is almost thirty years old, it is probably older than most of the big GU boats were when they were retired.

[Athy]

Considering our boat is almost thirty years old, it is probably older than most of the big GU boats were when they were retired.

Indeed. I didn't know that you had an ex-hire craft, but when I looked at your boat name it was a bit of a giveaway.

[Guest]

harleyj, on 12 Apr 2016 - 3:24 PM, said:

As we are about to cross the divide, 6 times hiring over 10 years and now having bought our own we will see if we are treated any differently. On our last hire, Venetian Hire Boats, which when I asked why they dont have their company name on their fleet, they said that the hirers dont get the grief from "owners". We then thought that we had noticed a different attitude towards us on that trip. Like in everything if you think you know it all something will eventually bight you on the a*#e.

 

On a brighter note 63 days to go until we fly out, cant wait to just lay eyes on Lazy Bee!!

 

Being totally honest I don't recall we actually were in the main.

 

The only real negative I recall as a hire boater was the lady moored at Skipton who apparently was programmed almost robotically to shout out 'slow down' at the 'purple perils' (Silsden Hire boats) as they passed her.

 

This was irrespective of the speed the boat was actually doing.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

It is interesting this concept of Hire Boaters, how many on this site can say that they have never been a 'Hire Boater'? At a guess possibly in single digits if any at all. I came here from hire boating so that is me out then, is there anyone here who hasn't hired? . They're not a different race really!

[Athy]

It is interesting this concept of Hire Boaters, how many on this site can say that they have never been a 'Hire Boater'? At a guess possibly in single digits if any at all. I came here from hire boating so that is me out then, is there anyone here who hasn't hired? . They're not a different race really!

A point which I mentioned earlier, yes. Not a different race, no, but often a developmental stage of the same race.

[X Alan W]

I started boating in 1953 commercially from 1954 to 1972 including hotel boating, left the cut then due to my wife's terminal illness. In the mid & late 1990's a friend started up a hire boat business & asked me if I would deliver from the builder to his base the six boats he had built at a time they were each completed This I did & found that I was looked down on & treated like an outcast by a goodly number of " Shiny" Privately owned boats, although my knowledge, experience & possibly skill, was in many leagues above theirs; One comment that I still remember was " picked it up Saturday "eh" we've been boating for nearly 2 years" Witnessing their antics I"d have said nearer 2 weeks. I never remember having to put up with this during my boating years,Another at Audlem wanted to go down before me as he was incredulous that a hire company would hire out a boat to a single hander & he didn't want to get held up by in his words a "learner. "But although his crew numbered a total of 4, after the longer pound near the top He neither caught up or was held up even though until town lock I closed bottom gates & drew him a top paddle as there was no uphill traffic On stopping on the embankment at Nantwich to get some shopping I had returned to the boat as he came by. He carefully turned his gaze away & never said Thank you for the paddle drawing help Just one & every ones different but I found a general looking down on hire boats/boaters at that time period with out any inquiry as to the competence of the hire boat crew.

[NickF]

I am a regular hirer and recall one incident when approaching a lock just behind a private boat with whom we had shared the last few locks. There was a hire boat already in the lock so we told them to go ahead and we would follow up singly. they refused saying they had shared a lock with that boat the day before and insisted on staying with us!

 

My point being there are good and bad hire boaters. I would like to think I am one of the former (but I am certainly not infallible!)

 

What upsets me is when I am judged by the boat I am on rather than my behaviour, But having said that 99% of boaters are great people so I don't stay upset for long! Life's too short!

[NickF]

 

 

 

I took a sign-written hire boat from Rugby down to Reading a few years ago. I was shocked at the difference in attitude displayed to me by a few other boaters compared to when I'm out on my own boat.

 

I too had the charge of 'you're only a hire boat' leveled at me by a bossy woman at a lock telling me what to do, when I told her it was my lock not hers.

I would agree with that, I have in the fairly distant past been a qualified skipper on a trip boat. The difference in attitude of other boaters to me when I am on a broad beam trip boat rather than a hire boat is quite surprising.

[PaulG]

Yes, I think you do. The OP opened an interesting new topic, gave his opinion and asked for contributions from other members, only to be met by a gratuitously crushing and aggressive reply whose sole aim appeared to be to kill the topic stone dead and to make to OP feel like a naughty child. I did not appreciate this.

There was no "aim" to my post, it just reflected my honest opinion, as requested by the OP.

Generally speaking, if someone asks for an honest opinion they do not expect longwinded obfuscated responses IMHO, so my answer was deliberately brief and to the point.

[Suzie_q]

I have only ever been shouted at and told off by boat owners. Even after 3 years there are some hirer's that have more experience than me.

 

Yes people make mistakes and get in a mess but who on here can say that's never happened to them.

 

Day boaters with pirate hats on is a totally different matter.

[Athy]

Paul opinions may be honest whatever their length.

My opinion is that you used unnecessarily harsh language to make your brief point.

If you can hit a target so hard without even aiming, my favourite football team would like to sign you up. They are in need of such skill at the moment.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Athy

[captain birdseye]

Indeed. I didn't know that you had an ex-hire craft, but when I looked at your boat name it was a bit of a giveaway.

Current boat is not an ex hire boat it just has a birds name.

[PaulG]

Opinions may be honest whatever their length.

My opinion is that you used unnecessarily harsh language to make your brief point.

The OP's question concerned a form of predudice - "an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual's membership of a social group.".

 

In this case the social group being hire boaters.

 

I dislike prejudice in any shape or form. You may consider my reply harsh, and of course you are entitled to your opinion. But it does represent my honest opinion on this subject.

[Athy]

The OP's question concerned a form of predudice - "an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual's membership of a social group.".

 

In this case the social group being hire boaters.

 

I dislike prejudice in any shape or form. You may consider my reply harsh, and of course you are entitled to your opinion. But it does represent my honest opinion on this subject.

I appreciate your honest reply. But don't you feel that the terminology which you used in your initial post might have discouraged other people from expressing their opinions?

I do.

Do you feel that the OP's innocent opening post (in which, lest we forget, he praised hire boaters) merited such a fierce reaction?

I don't.

[the barnacle]

i have not yet set a date when i am hiring this year but will give you all plenty of notice but i might try to hire a boat which doesnt look like a hire boat - should i also buy a captains hat? -

[Graham Davis]

Only ever been a hire boater or a share boater.

As the share boat looked like a "normal" boat I can say that there did seem to be a difference in attitude.

The worst; being told by someone on the GU that hire boaters were not allowed to share locks with private boats!! We still did though and they didn't speak to us once!

The best; being invited to join in an impromptu banter with Keeping Up, Maffi and Bones on the Oxford.

 

And if you really want "attitude" try taking a Canaltime boat out as we did once when the share boat broke down!!

[Athy]

 

 

And if you really want "attitude" try taking a Canaltime boat out as we did once when the share boat broke down!!

Ah, now you're talking. I believe that Canaltime was a shareboat operation, and that many of their boaters came from overseas and were sent a video to watch, which was the only training they received before launching out. It was a bit like being sent a video of how a to drive a car, having never driven one before, and then being sent off down the A5 at rush hour. No wonder that some of their boaters struggled.

The one I remember most vividly was heading for us at a diagonally sideways/ backwards angle round a bend...all concerned survived.

[patty-ann]

I have never hired a boat.

First narrowboat I went on was "Patty Ann" and that was when the engine had been fitted

Taught to handle her by the guy who fitted her out.

I have had no problems with hire boaters as they were probably more experienced than me.

Few iffy/sarcastic comments by boat owners in my early handling days but not many considering the real pigs ear I made of driving from time to time.

 

I have seen a few real silly hirers..notably the ones who let umpteen kids climb all over roofs whilst travelling along..suppose the little darlings get bored.

The two boats full of stag nighters were lovely..offered to help me moor in windy weather....I declined as it was after their night out and they seemed tad unwell.

[frahkn]

Hire boaters seem to have a bit of a negative reputation around the canal network for being silly and moving too fast or slow but what are all your opinions. We started off as hire boaters and found everyone very nice so wonder if it is just a long standing myth. Now that we own a boat our opinion on hire boaters is no different, we love seeing them. They are always kind and polite, they love helping with locks which was a godsend at Hatton last month. Do you have any hire boater horror stories?

 

I hired my first boat in 1974 and hired one for two or three weeks most years till 2001 when I purchased a share with ownerships. When I retired 3 years ago, I bought my current boat, so I have been boating for a while.

 

On a good day I am bloody brilliant while on my bad days I am woeful, so for me at least, it's not so much how the boat is financed as how I feel on the day.

 

I imagine this is a more common state of affairs than many would like to admit.

 

Frank.

[Athy]

 

.

 

On a good day I am bloody brilliant while on my bad days I am woeful

That's very honest. Some boaters would perhaps modify it to "On a good day I am bloody brilliant while on my bad days the wind/ rain/ current/ tiller response/ other crew/ other traffic/ Guardian Faerie of the Canals is woeful". The truth for many of us perhaps lies somewhere in between.

[cuthound]

 

On a good day I am bloody brilliant while on my bad days I am woeful.

 

Frank.

Brilliant, have a greenie.

 

Similar background to me. First introduced to canals by a camping boat holiday in 1973. Hired until 1991. Shared ownership until 2013, own boat since 2014 when I retired.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

Ah, now you're talking. I believe that Canaltime was a shareboat operation, and that many of their boaters came from overseas and were sent a video to watch, which was the only training they received before launching out. It was a bit like being sent a video of how a to drive a car, having never driven one before, and then being sent off down the A5 at rush hour. No wonder that some of their boaters struggled.

The one I remember most vividly was heading for us at a diagonally sideways/ backwards angle round a bend...all concerned survived.

Canaltime were actually a Time Share operation (at least the Sawley marina where we had ours was) which operated through RCI so a lot of the users has simply exchanged their holiday somewhere else for a boating holiday so had virtually no experience at all. I had some good holidays out of them to begin with but then the brothers owning the company had a bit of disagreement on how to run it and it went badly downhill.