Miserable Canal Boat Owners

[RichardH]

Have fun, thats why we do it Yes but in someone elses boat and many of the new hires are totally untrained in this and dont care who or what they hit.

 

To those who are competent I have no problem. Its the newcomers who should be made to pass a proper driving test with a reasonable amount of hours put in training. Why let them loose on us?

 

The holiday companies couldnt care cus there boats are insured. The hirer doesnt care cus its not their boat. Its us boat owners who have scrimped and saved to get where we are that have to suffer. Hang em bloody all I say. If you cant afford a boat you shouldnt be bloody boating.

 

All fur coat and no Knickers. I cant afford a Boing 747 but I dont expect British Airways to hire me one for a couple of weeks.

 

Outrageous !

 

The vast majority of us started off as hirers and through getting 'the bug' have moved on to buy our boats.

 

It is just not true to say that the hirers or holiday companies don't care - many of the hire companies are small family firms who would not claim on their polcies for dents or scrapes.

 

Hiring is not about not being to afford a boat, I even hired when I owned my own boat just to see another bit of canal. I have just sold my boat, I am looking for another but I will be hiring in August - so should I pop the noose round my neck now or later as you suggest?

 

One old sea dog once said to me - compare hirers and private boaters - at least as part of the conditions of the business licence, the hire company should give the hirer a reasonably practicable amount of training. If Joe Bloggs who has never been on a boat in his life wins the lottery, skips down to the local brokers and buys a boat, who is more at risk of having the accident ?

[howardang]

I find it difficult to beleive that this posting isn't a wind-up. I sincerely hope it's supposed to be a joke but if it is it's not in very good taste, to say the least.

 

I for one would like the OP to clarify his posting. If it is a joke it is a good example of how forum postings can backfire on you. If he is serious I would like to know what qualifications he holds to be so pedantic about hirers, especially after reading Carl's posting.

 

Howard Anguish

[Kiwidad]

If it was intended as a joke, I am afraid I did not get it!

[Machpoint005]

There are miserable grumpy git boat owners, there are idiots who hire boats (and some of them probably can't drive a car properly either).

There are cheerful, friendly, open boat owners, and there are hire boaters who are competent, or even expert. Takes all sorts.

 

In general, I find that canal users are more friendly and less reserved than Joe Public in the street. Perhaps that's because I'm oop north, but I also found it to be true on the GUC (admittedly, in April, not August).

 

Part of the pleasure, for me, is finding out which category folk fit into during the ten-second conversation when you pass a boat going the other way. If they want to carry on with a face like thump, that's their problem, not mine. If someone makes a mistake, then that's where anecdotes comes from, but there's no problem helping someone along the right track if it's done in the right spirit (the memsahib is the expert).

 

Ian

[fuzzyduck]

if i see someone who's obviously new, or a hirer who makes an obvious mistake. I normally say "would you like a hint about doing that, to make life easier?" However I don't do it with small mistakes, but normally where damage / injury could occur.

 

The number of grumps on the cut seems to be increasing at exponential rates a few years ago on our section of the water there was 1 or 2 known grumps, now every boater you meet has the potential to be a grump. Try as I might, I cannot work out why this is the case.

 

maybe it's me.....

Edited August 6, 2007 by fuzzyduck

[mayalld]

if i see someone who's obviously new, or a hirer who makes an obvious mistake. I normally say "would you like a hint about doing that, to make life easier?" However I don't do it with small mistakes, but normally where damage / injury could occur.

 

It's a difficult call to make, as there will always be some out there who are itching to take offence at somebody daring to tell them how to do it.

[fuzzyduck]

yeah, which is why I give them an "out", they are perfectly welcome to say "no thanks". or even "sod off", I'm a big boy.

[mayalld]

Part of the pleasure, for me, is finding out which category folk fit into during the ten-second conversation when you pass a boat going the other way. If they want to carry on with a face like thump, that's their problem, not mine. If someone makes a mistake, then that's where anecdotes comes from, but there's no problem helping someone along the right track if it's done in the right spirit (the memsahib is the expert).

 

There was a particular moment of schaudenfraud for me yesterday with somebody sour faced and aloof.

 

He started with a scowl, after we only just spotted him comming out of a tunnel in time (well, sunshine, if you had a tunnel light, or you had sounded your horn in reply to our horn as we approached the tunnel on a blind bend, we might have had just a bit of a chance, might we?).

 

Later on, on our return, we found him moored up to some handy mooring rings, sat in a chair, facing away from the cut, towards a brick wall, and staring intently at his crossword.

 

Such a pity that he ignored us. Had he been less aloof, I might have had the chance to tell him that if he moored there for the night he would be plagued by kids. As it was, I went on my way without troubling him.

[Webchem]

I think I am going to get a t-shirt made for myself and the family...

 

...we are experienced hire boaters. If you need to give us advice, please do not patronise us. At least one of us has been boating since 1979...

 

One of the posts on here - I won't embarrass him by saying who - is verging on the patronising.

 

As the penguins in Madagascar are fond of saying - smile and wave boys, smile and wave - even if they are miserable gits...

 

[StoneHenge]

I have met hirers who were idiots, I've met boat owners that were idiots. you are going to get them everywhere unfortunately. I've also met some fantastic boat owners and fantastic hirers alike who were willing to learn anything they could.

 

I myself don't have a vast experience on the waterways compared to some. As a live aboard, I am always learning, always will be, so I would never dare critisize someone on first glance as it were, more try and wonder why they may be 'off'. Bad day, loss of a loved one, family illness, dog died, anything could have happned eh?

 

What I have found is that I get noses turned up at us because we have brought an ex-hire boat, which although has no hire company details on anymore as it was completely repainted even before we got it, people say 'it's not a real boat, because it was a hire boat'.

 

I find that totally infuritating as my boat is built to the same spec as most, does all the same things, yet it was simply hired for a couple of seasons then sold. No other difference. We even got the comment 'ours is made of proper steel'. Well, sure as eggs mine is too, and it's a damn well matained one at that.

 

Hope you enjoy your next holiday and the more you do it, the better you will get.

[fuzzyduck]

people say 'it's not a real boat, because it was a hire boat'.

 

maybe you could get them to tell you what a real boat is, and do you laugh in their faces?

[carlt]

maybe you could get them to tell you what a real boat is, and do you laugh in their faces?

It's all down to inherited memory.

 

People who buy an ex-hire boat get with it all that lack of experience and novicicity (noviceness?).

 

I, on the other hand, owning 130 combined years of workboat, have automatically acquired all the knowledge and experience of the working boatmen who have graced my back decks with their genius.

 

I stress the tongue in cheekedness of my post but I know a few Cap'n Birdseyes who would earnestly agree with me.

Edited August 6, 2007 by carlt

[Webchem]

It's all down to inherited memory.

 

People who buy an ex-hire boat get with it all that lack of experience and novicicity (noviceness?).

 

I, on the other hand, owning 130 combined years of workboat, have automatically acquired all the knowledge and experience of the working boatmen who have graced my back decks with their genius.

 

I stress the tongue in cheekedness of my post but I know a few Cap'n Birdseyes who would earnestly agree with me.

 

raotflmao

 

Thanks carlt - that bigger than a lol, or a pmsl!

[mayalld]

It's all down to inherited memory.

 

People who buy an ex-hire boat get with it all that lack of experience and novicicity (noviceness?).

 

I, on the other hand, owning 130 combined years of workboat, have automatically acquired all the knowledge and experience of the working boatmen who have graced my back decks with their genius.

 

I stress the tongue in cheekedness of my post but I know a few Cap'n Birdseyes who would earnestly agree with me.

 

I thought it only worked if you donned the official "pretend working boat" uniform.

[carlt]

I thought it only worked if you donned the official "pretend working boat" uniform.

Wear the clothes and you are instantly perfused with the combined experience of everybody ever involved with canals going back to the Roman engineer who dug the Fossdyke.

[Maverick]

Well, Well,

 

From that vitriolic reply I would suggest that you must have been the grumpy f**t who I shamed into 'showing ' me the correct tickover speed only for you to hit another boat!

 

Not me. my farts are quite scented and rather pleasant

 

Who decides if people are competent enough? You?

 

BW should as theyre the law makers. All boaters should be made to pass a test and hold a licence before being allowed onto the water unsupervised. It happens with cars, motor bikes, aeroplanes etc so why not boats?

 

It is fairly obvious from your statement that you have never needed any assitance, obviously get everything right first time,

and are the only one who should be on the canal!

 

No that would be lonely. A very kind couple assisted me only at the weekend but then again I didnt crash into their boat first.

 

Do you walk on water as well?

 

Working on that one. Have got the hang of speeding up every time I pass a moored holiday boat though.

[fuzzyduck]

I think we need to formalise the canals pecking order so everyone knows their place. who should I salute, and who can I look down on, all this confusion is doing nobody any good.

 

And where do beards come in?

 

says he with tongue firmly in cheek

[mayalld]

I think we need to formalise the canals pecking order so everyone knows their place. who should I salute, and who can I look down on, all this confusion is doing nobody any good.

 

And where do beards come in?

 

says he with tongue firmly in cheek

 

We don't need a complex pecking order.

 

It's easy. Everybody salutes me, and I'll look down on you all.

 

There, simple wasn't it?

[carlt]

I think we need to formalise the canals pecking order so everyone knows their place. who should I salute, and who can I look down on, all this confusion is doing nobody any good.

 

And where do beards come in?

 

says he with tongue firmly in cheek

 

GRP, the burberry baseball cap of the cut

[Maverick]

I think we need to formalise the canals pecking order so everyone knows their place. who should I salute, and who can I look down on, all this confusion is doing nobody any good.

 

And where do beards come in?

 

says he with tongue firmly in cheek

 

Dead easy Fuzzy. Boat owners are top of the list (and I include GRP cruiser men, not sure about the wooden boat brigade though. - wind him up & watch him go)

 

Holiday hirers at the bottom.

 

Jury's still out on beards. Had one when I was young and might try it again to go with the grumpy look and scowl.

[fuzzyduck]

Ok that's a given. but can I raise myself up the pecking order by dressing like a roman seafarer, or growing a beard?

[bottle]

We don't need a complex pecking order.

 

It's easy. Everybody salutes me, and I'll look down on you all.

 

There, simple wasn't it?

 

To those of you that thought this was a joke it..................................................

[carlt]

Dead easy Fuzzy. Boat owners are top of the list (and I include GRP cruiser men, not sure about the wooden boat brigade though. - wind him up & watch him go)

 

Holiday hirers at the bottom.

 

Jury's still out on beards. Had one when I was young and might try it again to go with the grumpy look and scowl.

When you're not such a novice you may well realise that attacking one group of fellow boaters loses you friends in all the other groups.

 

Your comments about hirers are based on ignorance and lack of experience... yours, not theirs.

[Maverick]

When you're not such a novice you may well realise that attacking one group of fellow boaters loses you friends in all the other groups.

 

Your comments about hirers are based on ignorance and lack of experience... yours, not theirs.

 

Thank you Carl. As always you get the final word. See: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9923

Edited August 6, 2007 by Maverick

[tomsk]

Thank you Carl. As always you get the final word.

 

 

Do you have a beard?