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I have owned my own boat for a number of years and done many miles on the cut. Last week a friend of mine wanted to hire a day boat for his 50th birthday and he asked me to come along to help steer the boat. I have passed many day boats in my time and always say hello. Of course some of them are just learning how to control the boat. Like I say I have done many miles in my own boat, and I cannot believe the comments and dam right nastiness of some boat owners. There are one that appear to deliberately go out of the way to force me into the side. The ones that scowl at you on the amount of people who told me to slow down when I was on tick over, leads me to believe that some of the boating community are nothing but  unsociable. Some of these people need to look at themselves first. Like the one who made a comment, and his liecence on his boat had expired six months ago. Some strange people on the cut.

  • Greenie 2
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I also find it quite eye opening when moving other boats depending on the state they are in. If it's a bit shabby or old, noses get looked down by some unless I manage to get to talk to them. 

Moving a Hudson was strange, I think people were wondering where the butler was at locks.

I love meeting up with hire crews, generally lots of crew to help with locks and all enjoying themselves with no chips on shoulders. 

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We are hiring a boat on the Broads for a week very soon.

We are looking forward to seeing how private boat owners react too us when not on our own boat down there.

No Doubt we will get the same scornful reaction from some. Mind you we did on our own boat from a few so no change There!

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There's a lot of it about. No idea why as you would think that everybody on a boat is there because they want to be and for pretty much the same reasons. Life on the canals seems to bring out the worst of peoples prejudices and you can hear it in so many conversations about continuous cruisers, untidy boats, people who get into trouble at locks, and so on. Whatever the issue the first thing to do is to find someone to blame and its nearly always someone of a lower status, hirer, scruffy boat, day boat, someone who doesn't have the mop and water can arranged quite right. I think its a national characteristic, its the class system alive and well and intolerance of others.

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3 hours ago, Benno 1688 said:

I have owned my own boat for a number of years and done many miles on the cut. Last week a friend of mine wanted to hire a day boat for his 50th birthday and he asked me to come along to help steer the boat. I have passed many day boats in my time and always say hello. Of course some of them are just learning how to control the boat. Like I say I have done many miles in my own boat, and I cannot believe the comments and dam right nastiness of some boat owners. There are one that appear to deliberately go out of the way to force me into the side. The ones that scowl at you on the amount of people who told me to slow down when I was on tick over, leads me to believe that some of the boating community are nothing but  unsociable. Some of these people need to look at themselves first. Like the one who made a comment, and his liecence on his boat had expired six months ago. Some strange people on the cut.

Yes I'm afraid this seems prevalent. But then again, why would you expect people who happen to own a boat, to b any different from people who don't? "Judging a book by its cover", disliking anyone not in your clan etc, are highly prevalent in society in general, and boaters are just a microcosm of that.

Personally we find hirers are often more pleasant to share locks with, normally they are having a great time. Some private owners are so grumpy and miserable when on the cut that one has to wonder why they bother to go boating.

I tend to judge as I find, so the other day when a day boat came round a sharp corner on the wrong side with the steerer not looking where he was going meaning I had to take major evasive action and missed by inches, he got a piece of my mind. But if people re doing their best and are just incompetent, I think we should show a bit of understanding.

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If boating has taught me anything it's to never judge a book by its cover. Many times I have enjoyed conversations or kindnesses from people I would instinctively cross the street to avoid. And the reverse applies too. In general I find most boaters to be helpful and pleasant, more so than their house bound counterparts.

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I suppose life on the water is just a much smaller version of life in general.........It's such a shame that people can be so quick to judge, based on appearances, good old Hyacinth Bucket is very much alive and well all over this island of ours.........I must say, we are a little nervous having just purchased an elderly narrow beam motor cruiser and not onowing much about locks and the like, that we are likey to be sneered at by narrowboat owners or those with much fancier, newer and pricier craft.........but hey, we are going to be out there anyway!  Hopefully enjoying ourselves!   There are all sorts out there, the roads sometimes seem full of raging idiots too!  

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1 hour ago, JamesFrance said:

15 years ago when we lived on a 70ft Hudson tug any number of boaters would obviously look anywhere but towards us when passing.

Now we are buying a 25ft Beetle for visits to England, it will be interesting to see the reactions from other boaters.

Hasn't everyone owned a 70 foot Hudson at some time B)

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21 hours ago, Sunflower16 said:

I suppose life on the water is just a much smaller version of life in general.........It's such a shame that people can be so quick to judge, based on appearances, good old Hyacinth Bucket is very much alive and well all over this island of ours.........I must say, we are a little nervous having just purchased an elderly narrow beam motor cruiser and not onowing much about locks and the like, that we are likey to be sneered at by narrowboat owners or those with much fancier, newer and pricier craft.........but hey, we are going to be out there anyway!  Hopefully enjoying ourselves!   There are all sorts out there, the roads sometimes seem full of raging idiots too!  

You will without a doubt be looked down upon by a small minority of steel boat owners for owning a plastic boat. 

There are some incredibly narrow minded boat owners about. Thankfully much in the minority. 

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I lived on a boat for about 12 years until 2002. I haven't done much boating since, though I still owned a boat until 2 years ago, I am now planning retirement on a boat in a few years time, but posts like this bother me.

I don't recall more than two or three "awkward discussions" or examples of snobbery etc in all the time I was on a boat (cruisers on the the Thames and fishermen aside). Everyone on a boat was almost automatically a friend. Conversations at locks were always friendly (in fact my favourite part of boating) and no one seemed to care whether you had a just afloat old boat of the latest shiny.

I will be somewhat disappointed if the lifestyle that I have been looking forward to getting back to doesn't exist any more.

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On 27/08/2017 at 08:16, rusty69 said:

Being an owner of a steel and plastic boat, I look down on both, depending on which one i'm on at the time:)

 

I am blessed with both a shiny boat an a scruffy boat, so am in a similar position :)

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On 8/27/2017 at 08:16, rusty69 said:

Being an owner of a steel and plastic boat, I look down on both, depending on which one i'm on at the time:)

I used to own a steel boat with a plastic top.  I'm still in therapy.

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11 hours ago, AndyV said:

I lived on a boat for about 12 years until 2002. I haven't done much boating since, though I still owned a boat until 2 years ago, I am now planning retirement on a boat in a few years time, but posts like this bother me.

I don't recall more than two or three "awkward discussions" or examples of snobbery etc in all the time I was on a boat (cruisers on the the Thames and fishermen aside). Everyone on a boat was almost automatically a friend. Conversations at locks were always friendly (in fact my favourite part of boating) and no one seemed to care whether you had a just afloat old boat of the latest shiny.

I will be somewhat disappointed if the lifestyle that I have been looking forward to getting back to doesn't exist any more.

I suppose its a bit of a sign of the times in a way, many people are very possession concious and absolutely cannot drive a car more than a year old etc etc.  Today was our first time out on the cut since buying the boat and it being delivered by road to the marina, it was a bit more stressful than I was hoping but most people seemed pleasant enough.   I did battle the low speed single outboard drift terribly in the marina though, and it took ages and a lot of cussing and stress to get back into the narrow berth.  Fellow boaters on the same pontoon have been friendly, as was the livaboard chap in the smallish GRP cruiser next to us.  The wind at Barton was a nightmare and the slow tickover speed (I was trying desperately to avoid battering into pontoons and other boats! ) led to the dreaded low speed drift bemoaned by single outboard owners - now I need to find an outboard engineer or even a helpful boat workshop to fit a Ruddersafe for us, I do thInk it will help immensely!   

Rambling now...........must be the sun and the smell around the canal near the river section at Alrewas!   Plus some delightful individual dumped an entire PortaPotti, presumably with contents, to float about the canal there!  I am pleased we all survived our first time out, the outbaord behaved impeccably and the oversteer has a lot to do with my own inexperience.  There is definitely a bit of an attitude towards "plastic" boat owners though, plebs of the canal scene we be in the eyes of some!   

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