Bruce 2 : Hireboat 0

[Vaughan]

Perhaps it also has a lot to do with the quality of instruction given when taking over the boat.  Putting people at ease and familiarising them can make or break a holiday, for first time customers.

[MauriceMynah]

37 minutes ago, vanessan said:

I don’t recall anyone at all saying that novice hirers should ‘not be allowed’ to have a Broads holiday on a large boat. Does anyone actually think that?

How very true. 

I very much get the feeling that the vast majority of this thread is casting doubt on the wisdom of a first timer hiring one of the biggest boats on hire. Am I wrong?

[NorfolkNog]

23 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

Perhaps it also has a lot to do with the quality of instruction given when taking over the boat.  Putting people at ease and familiarising them can make or break a holiday, for first time customers.

That is spot on the nail. I once gave some assistance and advice (after checking it would be welome - I'm no armchair admiral) to a party trying to moor in Upton Dyke. They were very grateful for my very basic advice but all said they didnt tell us that at the (very large) boatyard. Some basic mooring instruction should be essential for novices. 

[Lastdraft]

In this case apparently the wind was the problem as it usually is when manoeuvring a boat, and as we know blustery wind can catch out the most experienced of helmsmen. as a boat owner I recently made a 400 mile round trip to my boat to decide the conditions were too windy to take the boat out, confirmed when I saw a 40 ft hire boat out of control coming sideways down the river !

The problem is, I could return the following week or whenever I choose, the hirer has a week or so , an annual event, so rightly but mistakenly will take the boat out in any conditions. 

It should be an unwritten law that boaters help anyone in distress on the rivers, hirers or otherwise.

[vanessan]

23 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

I very much get the feeling that the vast majority of this thread is casting doubt on the wisdom of a first timer hiring one of the biggest boats on hire. Am I wrong?

That may (or may not be) the case but it’s a far cry from anybody saying it ‘shouldn’t be allowed’. The quotes from Vaughan and NN above are spot on. (Incidentally I don’t think it matters how many are on board, there is only one helmsman at any one time. More hands available for mooring duties though.)

[vanessan]

Just now, Lastdraft said:

should be an unwritten law that boaters help anyone in distress on the rivers, hirers or otherwise.

It already is surely? I can’t imagine someone ignoring a boat in trouble if there was something they could do to help. 

[Lastdraft]

The problem is, they don't usually know they are in trouble and few would ask for help in my experience.

[grendel]

then one has to recognise that the person waving to you requires assistance, i was in a queue of 3 boats when an inflatable waved, the other two boats waved back and carried on, i went to investigate to find they had a dead engine and needed assistance, i took the non swimmers aboard and towed them back to the waveney river centre, even though i was on a hire boat and the two in front had been private. the people on board were most grateful

[webntweb]

I can remember that when my father telephoned Blakes (no easy task from a public telephone box before Subscriber Trunk Dialling) in early 1958 to ask about availability, he was told by the representative that as a first time hirer he couldn't have any boat over 35 ft in length.

[Poppy]

I can remember that when my father telephoned Blakes (no easy task from a public telephone box before Subscriber Trunk Dialling) in early 1958 to ask about availability, he was told by the representative that as a first time hirer he couldn't have any boat over 35 ft in length.

Nowadays, if you've got the money....

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[Lastdraft]

43 minutes ago, grendel said:

then one has to recognise that the person waving to you requires assistance, i was in a queue of 3 boats when an inflatable waved, the other two boats waved back and carried on, i went to investigate to find they had a dead engine and needed assistance, i took the non swimmers aboard and towed them back to the waveney river centre, even though i was on a hire boat and the two in front had been private. the people on board were most grateful

Waving on the river is somewhat the norm ? 

[vanessan]

11 minutes ago, Lastdraft said:

Waving on the river is somewhat the norm ? 

Maybe it’s time for standardising waves? A single wave is the norm, double handed and jumping up and down means ‘HELP’. 

[RealWindmill]

5 minutes ago, vanessan said:

Maybe it’s time for standardising waves? A single wave is the norm, double handed and jumping up and down means ‘HELP’. 

What's the wave for  SLOW YOU DOWN.

That one would be really useful.

[SwanR]

1 hour ago, vanessan said:

I can’t imagine someone ignoring a boat in trouble if there was something they could do to help. 

You might be surprised. There was a photo of a boat on one of the FB groups a few days ago. Someone bothered to take the photo and upload onto social media to say that boat looks in trouble. Mud weight down and sideways across the river in the wind. Not one person who replied, including the OP, said they had tried to find out if they needed help or even called it in to the boatyard or other appropriate authority. 

[Cheesey69]

Tricky one. I’ve seen anglers boats in all sorts of positions, pushed in the reeds, double weight moored at funny angles on the rivers and one swinging on a mud weight in the upper Ant near the split to Sutton. 

[vanessan]

1 hour ago, RealWindmill said:

What's the wave for  SLOW YOU DOWN.

That one would be really useful.

I think you need a paddle for that. Next time you see a ranger, make some wash and you’ll see!

[Turnoar]

1 hour ago, RealWindmill said:

What's the wave for  SLOW YOU DOWN.

That one would be really useful.

Whilst staring at the helm directly in the eye with either emotionless face, or slightly open eyed and gaping mouth, hold your arm forwards level, palm of hand flat facing downwards, relax the fingers down together about 45 degrees then return up to the horizontal, repeat in slow succession and if desired effect then stop, rotate hand through 90 degrees, clench fingers in and put thumb up. Don’t let your whole hand flop down from the wrist though, that can be mistaken for come nearer.

 

 

 

 

 

[Poppy]

What's the wave for  SLOW YOU DOWN.
That one would be really useful.

That'll be where you form your hand as if you are holding a broom handle or similar and move it up and down vigerously

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[Paul]

am i the only one concerned with the title of this thread. I never realised that boating on the broads was a competition to see how many hire boats you can damage. 

Do you get a reward for a hat trick, footballers get the match ball, what could we give a boater?

Is there a league table? 

Do you put a little sticker on the cockpit wall when you "bag one" like the flying aces of WWII?

I thought the navigation bylaws require all skippers to do all possible to avoid contact. Silly me!

 

[RealWindmill]

53 minutes ago, Turnoar said:

Whilst staring at the helm directly in the eye with either emotionless face, or slightly open eyed and gaping mouth, hold your arm forwards level, palm of hand flat facing downwards, relax the fingers down together about 45 degrees then return up to the horizontal, repeat in slow succession and if desired effect then stop, rotate hand through 90 degrees, clench fingers in and put thumb up. Don’t let your whole hand flop down from the wrist though, that can be mistaken for come nearer.

 

Thanks Turnoar.  So what is the follow up signal if it doesn't produce the right effect ?

[RealWindmill]

54 minutes ago, Poppy said:

That'll be where you form your hand as if you are holding a broom handle or similar and move it up and down vigerously

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app
 

Naughty, Poppy. 

( have you, by chance , seen me on the riverside moored up then ?  )

[JennyMorgan]

2 hours ago, Poppy said:

That'll be where you form your hand as if you are holding a broom handle or similar and move it up and down vigerously

I've long thought that that was an internationally recognised, often seen, emergency request to borrow a bilge pump, generally from grumpy looking motor boaters to happy, carefree sailing boaters.

[Turnoar]

2 hours ago, RealWindmill said:

Thanks Turnoar.  So what is the follow up signal if it doesn't produce the right effect ?

Relax facial muscles and let bottom jaw drop, place hands on top of head, one either side, maintain eye contact and rotate torso as vessel passes, slowly close eyes when vessel is at nearest point...

[RealWindmill]

6 minutes ago, Turnoar said:

Relax facial muscles and let bottom jaw drop, place hands on top of head, one either side, maintain eye contact and rotate torso as vessel passes, slowly close eyes when vessel is at nearest point...

Blimey ! 

Couldn't i just do a moonie. - would be a lot simpler.

[MaceSwinger]

am i the only one concerned with the title of this thread. I never realised that boating on the broads was a competition to see how many hire boats you can damage. 

Do you get a reward for a hat trick, footballers get the match ball, what could we give a boater?

Is there a league table? 

Do you put a little sticker on the cockpit wall when you "bag one" like the flying aces of WWII?

I thought the navigation bylaws require all skippers to do all possible to avoid contact. Silly me!

 

I'm more concerned with the immediate assumption (from what I hope is a minority) that anyone on a hire boat is clueless. One chap I chatted with a couple of weeks ago, who owned his own boat, had spent considerably less time at the helm than even I had. I'm fairly sure a great deal of owners bought a boat after hiring at least once. I've no interest in starting a private vs hire argument, but I saw plenty of absolutely dreadful bost handling when I was away and it certainly wasn't confined purely to hire boats.

 

Everyone has their first time somewhere. Elitism and snobbery has no place on the river.

 

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app