What Would You Tell A New Hirer?

[vanessan]

Following on from Hylander's post, Beggars Belief, I think the majority of us were hirers at some point in our boating lives but how many can remember back to that first time on board? I can only remember being shown how to do a round turn and two half-hitches but I'm not sure the hire companies do that now judging by some of the cats' cradles I have seen draped over posts!! 

So, given that handover time seems to be somewhat limited for most boatyards, what do members think are the 6 most important things to show new hirers? 

[Poppy]

The 'bow thruster ' is NOT for steering as you go round bends.....

[Poppy]

Take some time with a cuppa to sit down and read the handbook at your first opportunity - certainly no later than the first day/evening.

[Vaughan]

I hope we will get some input from Wussername on this, but when I am giving a trial run to first timers, after we have "been through the boat" and started the engine, and are standing on the bank ready to cast off the lines, I tell them these things :-

The rudder is at the back, so the boat steers by the stern or, if you like, "by the back wheels". Always leave a boat's width of clearance, for the stern to swing.

When coming in to moor, come in against the wind or tide, whichever is the stronger. If in doubt come in against the tide. You can tell where the wind is coming from by watching the ripples on the water.

Come in to a mooring at a speed slow enough so that if you make a mistake, you will not do any damage. 

Never be in a hurry when handling a boat. All you have to do when mooring, is to get close enough to the bank so that someone can get off with a rope. After that, you can do it all with the mooring lines, and that includes mooring stern on.

Always step off a boat and don't try to jump off it. We have an old saying : "let the boat do the work".

In other words, I try to instil an atmosphere of peace, and calm!

[Summertime]

As a hirer and one that has been hiring on the broads for many years i would say the top tips the boatyard could give is:

 

• Boats don't drive like cars, they don't steer in reverse you need to line it up going forward and gently back it in.
• Take your time it's not a race to get to the next pub.
• Don't consider crossing Breydon if it is your first time ever on a boat. Get some experience of handling a boat first before attempting it.
• Talk to people, fellow hirers and privateers and don't be afraid to ask for help or give it to others when mooring up.
• Use the public conveniences on shore where possible and remember the ones on board will probably need pumping out at some point. (I say this as a couple i met this year in Horning where not told this by there boatyard and it was one of the questions they asked me) 
• Don't get caught having to dash for a mooring before it goes dark. Leave yourself plenty of time before the light fades to get moored up. Always have a back up plan if the moorings you wanted to stop at are full.
• Oh and Finally don't run your engine before 8am as it is likely to upset others, if you need to leave early because of travel times talk to the boat next to you to warn them and then when leaving in the morning switch the engine on as virtually the last thing you do before leaving promptly.

[TheQ]

Slow down, Relax, 

If you can't walk as fast as the bank is going past you're speeding.

Mooring up remember 0800 round a cleat, if it's a ring take the rope through the ring twice and then tie back on deck using 0800.

 Getting off a lee shore bank,  loop the bow rope (tightly)  to the mooring post behind the bows position and tie back on board,  undo the stern.

 Climb aboard hanging a fender between the boat and bank , drive slowly forward steering into the bank, when the stern is  at least 45 degrees  out into the river undo rope and retrieve, reverse off...

[Wussername]

There is a well known and established procedure on approaching the novice hirer and the importance of which information the trail run driver will deem to be most beneficial to the customer concerned, depends on the individual’s demeanour.

The first thing to say to the hirer is “Good afternoon sir are you ready for your trial run”

The reply will be “They have gone shopping in Stalham (They have not, they are in the pub)

“Oh right, give me a shout when you are ready” Half an hour later a messenger from the boat will herald that they are ready. As you approach the boat it will become apparent that the dog has escaped and the whole family of adults and children are having a domestic. You politely ask if it might be prudent for you to come back at a more appropriate time. You are told that it is her job to sort it. (Whoever “her” is)

The radio by this time is belting out some obscure ditty by a demented singer accompanied by a group of so called musicians who are still tuning up. If you are lucky and speak very softly somebody might turn it down.

Nobody will have any particular interest in what you are saying about the boat, lights, fuel, water although they will have a passing interest in the toilet. The four pints recently consumed heightening the interest. 

As for the controls and the steering wheel this area will be dominated by a pimply youth of approximately 13 year of age. He will ignore all approaches by his mother to vacate the seat so that the father can be told how it all operates. The thing to do is smile at the boy (make sure that the mother sees you). Lean forward and through clenched teeth whisper to the young lout an obscenity. Do not worry, he will have heard it all before in the playground. Keep smiling. He will scowl and reluctantly make way for his father.

Instruct the father according to standard procedure. He will reply, “Yes yes I know all about that” several times.

As for the actual trial run, the down river bit, it will be very trying, but do try. His mindset will be that he has just travelled 200 miles at 70 to 80 mph risking life and limb, fighting for survival for five hours. What can possibly go wrong at 4 mph. Oh, forget about knots and stuff. A knot is a knot is a knot, any fool can tie one (and invariably do).   

As for mooring up, just jump ashore what could be easier than that. Stern on, well there will be a bump when you are there surely.

 

Thankfully the majority are very grateful.

 

Andrew

Edited October 20, 2017 by Wussername
addition

[vanessan]

And that, I reckon, sums it all up nicely! 

[Vaughan]

I knew we could rely on Old Wussername!

[Gracie]

I would tell them all of the above, fantastic advice from everyone but I would also add.....take your time, no need to rush anywhere, have respect for all other river users, private, hire, canoes, day boats (maybe not them lol) etc. Never assume just because you handled the trial run pretty well that you know everything, none of us do. Always read the skippers manual, all good information including emergency contacts should you need help, If you're not too sure of your first mooring attempts, don't be afraid to ask, a seasoned hirer or owner will only be too happy to help, the same applies to tying your ropes and anything you feel unsure about

Enjoy the wonderful riverside pubs for a nice meal and a drink or two. The fishing can be excellent but you must have a valid rod licence. Cruise as long or as little as you like as long as you are safely moored before dusk and then you can sit outside your boat with a glass of something nice and watch the sunset

Above all else have fun, have respect, look after the boat and you will have the time of your lives

Grace

[Polly]

If you shower under way you don't need to run the b****y engine to get hot water!

Please check if moored to a lower craft and you decide you will run the engine (please see above)  that the exhaust is nowhere near them....if it is, DON'T!

 

Sorry, rant over. 

 

Now, yes, I agree with all the advice above, and we will always help newbies as much as they ask for, they are supposed to be enjoying a holiday and it can mar their enjoyment if they are worried about boating.

one other point: Think ahead. When planning to moor. Get your ropes laid along the deck where crew will be standing, in their Lifejackets ready to step off.

Crew Have a system of hand signals to the helm if s/he can't hear over the engine, and if you are the helm, look out for what the crew is doing. They can help if you are reversing but only if you are aware of them.

[KaptinKev]

8 hours ago, Vaughan said:

I hope we will get some input from Wussername on this, but when I am giving a trial run to first timers, after we have "been through the boat" and started the engine, and are standing on the bank ready to cast off the lines, I tell them these things :-

The rudder is at the back, so the boat steers by the stern or, if you like, "by the back wheels". Always leave a boat's width of clearance, for the stern to swing.

When coming in to moor, come in against the wind or tide, whichever is the stronger. If in doubt come in against the tide. You can tell where the wind is coming from by watching the ripples on the water.

Come in to a mooring at a speed slow enough so that if you make a mistake, you will not do any damage. 

Never be in a hurry when handling a boat. All you have to do when mooring, is to get close enough to the bank so that someone can get off with a rope. After that, you can do it all with the mooring lines, and that includes mooring stern on.

Always step off a boat and don't try to jump off it. We have an old saying : "let the boat do the work".

In other words, I try to instil an atmosphere of peace, and calm!

I have a funny feeling that you think 99% of hire's on the broads are stupid.

[Polly]

It's a new hirer thread, there is no doubt that many hirers are really skilled and experienced.

[KaptinKev]

3 hours ago, Gracie said:

Have respect for all other river users, private, hire, canoes, day boats (maybe not them lol) etc. Never assume just because you handled the trial run pretty well that you know everything, none of us do. Don't read the skippers manual, because you are too intelligent to read basic things like that. If you're not too sure of your first mooring attempts, I will be afraid to ask as a seasoned hirer or owner as they will only be too happy to help and damage your ego, the same applies to tying your ropes and anything you feel unsure about

Enjoy the wonderful riverside pubs for a nice meal and a drink or two. The fishing can be excellent but you must have a valid rod licence, but some won't care just to save a few bob. Cruise as long or as little as you like as long as you are safely moored before dusk and then you can sit outside your boat with a glass of something nice and watch the sunset, along with running my engines past after dusk to keep me, my family warm, cook meals, have showers and p i double s the boat, or boats, next door. 

Above all else have fun, have respect, look after the boat and you will have the time of your lives

Grace

Adjusted for clarity!

 

[Vaughan]

Just now, KaptinKev said:

I have a funny feeling that you think 99% of hire's on the broads are stupid.

I am sorry my friend but you could not be more wrong, in my case.

I first gave a trial run, on an auxiliary yacht, when I was 12 years old. Since then I have always tried, and trained my staff accordingly, to introduce first time hirers to boating, so that they could relax and become familiar with it.

They are in an environment which is strange to them and this can make them very anxious. If you can remove that anxiety by showing them that there is not actually, a great deal to worry about, then two things will result :

1/. They will relax and enjoy a lovely holiday on the Broads, because they have been made familiar with their boat and how it handles.

2/. Because of this they will be so captivated by the boating holiday that they will want to come back again, year after year, and this is the basis of the boat hiring industry - regular customers. Those who were not put off the first time, by a casual trial run, and so they want to come back again.

Were you, by chance, one of those?

[Wussername]

10 minutes ago, KaptinKev said:

I have a funny feeling that you think 99% of hire's on the broads are stupid.

Vaughan and I come from a similar background. We are both of a similar age. Both our families lived in the same village on the outskirts of the city of Norwich. Our families owned boat yards. Yet we were never really friends as such, in those days, we went to different private schools. We both went different ways. Until now.

I would like to make one thing absolutely clear, and I speak for my family and Vaughan and his family as well:

At no time in the past or in the future would we wish to be associated with your comments with regard to the valued hire's within the industry which we are associated.

In this respect I would consider it appropriate for you to withdraw your comment.

Andrew

[Polly]

A bit of brain reflection.

If you are anxious, your lower, reptilian brain kicks in, cutting out the cognitive functions. It's the survival brain; higher order thinking, logic, reason etc just go clean out of the window until the anxiety passes, so Vaughan is spot on the money with his teaching methods

[Wyndham]

I honestly believe no matter what you tell them that there is a percentage of humans that either won't listen, won't understand or don't think it applies to them. (or all 3)

You could have a convention of Vaughans and Wussernames to come up with the best handover practice, then implement it across all boatyards and, IMO, nothing will change, not while humans are involved.

[JennyMorgan]

29 minutes ago, Polly said:

A bit of brain reflection.

If you are anxious, your lower, reptilian brain kicks in, cutting out the cognitive functions. It's the survival brain; higher order thinking, logic, reason etc just go clean out of the window until the anxiety passes, so Vaughan is spot on the money with his teaching methods

Higher order, logic, reason . . . . . . . .  surely not all hirers are male!

[vanessan]

There are some great posts here and I too think Vaughan has the ideal induction method. My thought when I first introduced this topic was to perhaps have something that first time hirers could look at and have a little idea of what to expect. Wussername's post really made me smile as I can well imagine some of that happening. 

We all started somewhere and probably made a hash of it, some of us still do!

[KaptinKev]

56 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

 

Were you, by chance, one of those?

That I was, so I do hope you lot are tolerant to any L driver on the road and think, that was me at one time. 

[ScrumpyCheddar]

Reading these comments would put anyone of boating ha ha ha.....

I got given some good advice years ago...

Always expect....... The unexpected...

 

Happy Boating..... 

[Vaughan]

I "liked" Wussername's post, naturally, but I would not like KaptinKev to withdraw his, because that was his opinion, based on the impression that we gave him.

It is easy for Wussername and I to tell funny stories about trial runs that we have done, just as I imagine it must be for a driving instructor. I hope Wussername's last post shows you the other side of the coin. We actually care very much and have spent a long while trying to find the best way of doing it. The best trial run is not read from an auto-cue : it is a personal relationship between the instructor and his customer and it depends very much on the customer's "input" as well as the instructor's. In other words, if they won't listen, you can't tell them anything!

One thing I can tell you -  I still get Christmas cards from first time customers that I gave trial runs to and who went on to become regulars, and some of them are as far away as New Zealand and Canada.

The trial run counts for a lot!

 

[KaptinKev]

1 hour ago, Wussername said:

Vaughan and I come from a similar background. We are both in our 90's. Both our families lived in the same village on the outskirts of the city of Norwich. Our families owned boat yards. Yet we were never really friends as such as our underpants were different colours  in those days, as we went to different private schools with different sized shorts. We both went different ways. Until now.

I would like to make one thing absolutely clear, and I speak for my family and Vaughan and his family as well:

At no time in the past or in the future would we wish to be associated with your comments with regard to the valued hire's within the industry which we are associated.

In this respect I would consider it appropriate for you to withdraw your comment.

Andrew

I don't wish to offend anyone on this forum and being a hirer myself, I know what it is like to be a newbie.

But a bit of banter and fun is good for the forums, right?

[BroadAmbition]

I have a funny feeling that you think 99% of hire's on the broads are stupid.

I have a feeling / knowledge that 99% of all skippers on the Broads are stupid, especially the Rag-n-Stick flotilla.

Me? - Of course I am part of the minority 1% and I never get it wrong.

That is unless I'm onboard and in command you understand

Griff

Edited to add, I don't have to be 'In Command' to get it wrong