Boat Stuck | Vauxhall Bridge, Yarmouth

[GeoffandWendy]

Having read about this incident, who foots the bill for the damage caused to the boat in a situation such as this, the hirer or the boat owner?

[NonTecky]

I too always hire 'tall boats' and (saddo alert) I try and choose the week that I take based on the tide times (More so in the summer when we love to go to Oulton Broad for the Powerboats!) The Kids and I sit and look at tide tables and then work out which days work for crossing at 'relaxing' times and that give us enough time to get to our desired overnight stop..... We then look to choose the best day to start and finish our holiday to suit!  Blimey I sound bonkers just typing this!.... To us its all part of the fun!

[ranworthbreeze]

No doubt it will protect the hirer by the insurance waiver they will have paid. The hire company may have paid a premium to their insurance company.

With regards to private boats and insurance, I know with our insurance we are not covered for roof damage, the skipper assumes resposibility to pass under bridges. It is a judgement call.

Are you other owners covered for roof damage?

Regards

Alan

[Brundall1037]

No doubt it will protect the hirer by the insurance waiver they will have paid. The hire company may have paid a premium to their insurance company.

With regards to private boats and insurance, I know with our insurance we are not covered for roof damage, the skipper assumes resposibility to pass under bridges. It is a judgement call.

Are you other owners covered for roof damage?

Regards

Alan

 

We are covered for it with Nav and Gen

[GeoffandWendy]

No doubt it will protect the hirer by the insurance waiver they will have paid. The hire company may have paid a premium to their insurance company.

Regards

Alan

 

I thought that might be the case. I suppose negotiating certain bridges in tidal currents can be a bit daunting for first time boat hirer's. That is one reason we have decided to just stick to the Northern Broads for our first holiday, so next time we visit, we will have more confidence with boat handling. 

To quote Del Boy  -  " You know it makes sense Rodney!"  

[Paul]

 

Having read about this incident, who foots the bill for the damage caused to the boat in a situation such as this, the hirer or the boat owner?

 

Ultimately it is we (as in we the hirers, for those of us still incorporated into that great unwashed mass) who foot the bill. I doubt the boatyard will submit an insurance claim, you will be amazed what they can do with some timber batten, GRP paste and patching plaster.

[Paul]

 

Anyone know for sure?

 

For sure Peter she is at Thorpe having her little botty wiped, though whether she is back in the water or not yet I can't be certain. Why such work couldn't be done in January when the rivers are at their quietest escapes me.

[BroadScot]

Ultimately it is we (as in we the hirers, for those of us still incorporated into that great unwashed mass) who foot the bill. I doubt the boatyard will submit an insurance claim, you will be amazed what they can do with some timber batten, GRP paste and patching plaster.

Now, now Paul, I washed this morning!  Am still a hirer too.   Having watched in a yard the amazing work they can do in such a short time to damaged craft, and get that hire boat back out and ready for the next hirer, gets my well done award every time!    

 

 

Iain.

[diesel falcon]

I

You see low water at Yarmouth is said to be 05:22 (before sunrise) and slack water will be around 06:30 but I will be up at Stracey Arms.  Now sunrise is said to be 06:22 so by the time I get to Yarmouth, it is likely to be the case the tide will have begun to have turned and will be coming in.

 

HI,

the estimated LOW water air clearance on that day is 10ft  3 ins,  i think you may well be pushing your luck?, you only have 1 ft to play with , on paper seems tight, but in your favour it is the start of springs so might get a little more,a cautious approach needed!

[ExMemberBobdog]

For sure Peter she is at Thorpe having her little botty wiped, though whether she is back in the water or not yet I can't be certain. Why such work couldn't be done in January when the rivers are at their quietest escapes me.

 

I guess because ALL of the launches have to be taken out and sorted, and it's not practical to do them all at once, so they're done on a rolling program starting in November, and working through December, January, February and March.

[C.Ricko]

I did not realise SOB could get in the shed at Thorpe. I thought it was a tight fit for the launches?

[JennyMorgan]

If SOB was out of commission then perhaps a launch or RIB should have been available. Still, the good old RNLI were on hand, thankfully.

 

In the past The SOB has gone to Goodchilds who built her.

[diesel falcon]

Goodchilds maintain SOB  , she was moored on the outside two weeks ago, on the "working" pontoon, normally moors in the first berth in the mariner so they may well not need to lift her this year?? 

[Broads01]

What a cautionary tale this is. Whilst I'm very familiar with the hazards of Great Yarmouth when an incident like this happens it reminds me (as if I needed reminding) of what the risks are. Yes I know this was a high boat and it sounds like their timing for the bridge was thoughtless but it's a reminder nevertheless.

Robin - what boat are you on that needs 9 foot? Not trying to squeeze Far Horizon through I hope!

[BroadScot]

What a cautionary tale this is. Whilst I'm very familiar with the hazards of Great Yarmouth when an incident like this happens it reminds me (as if I needed reminding) of what the risks are. Yes I know this was a high boat and it sounds like their timing for the bridge was thoughtless but it's a reminder nevertheless.

Robin - what boat are you on that needs 9 foot? Not trying to squeeze Far Horizon through I hope!

Errr perhaps he has hired the new  P&O Brittania  , Simon.

 

 

Iain.

[JawsOrca]

@Robin if it is P&O Britannia I think you will make it "through" potter heigham bridge..  Apparently the pilot boats get it dead centre and then give it full throttle (it displaces the water and lowers the waterline), so if you can try that I'm sure it will work..  I'll be second through after the dust settles 

[loribear]

That looked a really bad accidental wedge, it's a good job they had a toilet on board, i bet they needed it lol, i too always hire high roofed boats, am hiring princess2 this year, but am always very cautious when i get to bridges, ESPECIALLY at yarmouth, i ALWAYS make sure the tides right down before i even attempt to go through it. Lori

[Matt]

Did they two it out bow front or from the side?

I imagine if towed out sideways the boat might tilt to lessen the damage?

Still not sure why they did not put some water in the bilges?

If they had left it until low tide what would have happened?

[MBA Marine]

Did they two it out bow front or from the side?

I imagine if towed out sideways the boat might tilt to lessen the damage?

Still not sure why they did not put some water in the bilges?

If they had left it until low tide what would have happened?

in my opinion if roped and left it would have peed people off who wanted to pass through and thats about all, the extra pressure on the roof as the water rose I doubt would have been enough to cause structure damage unless (which it was not) she was resting with front screen toughing the bridge.

 

But agree quicker thinking to pile some weight in the boat to beat the tide would have had it out much faster, flood the bilge, fill the toilet tank with river water and bundle bodies on should have done it.

 

I would be livid if it was mine and it was dragged out with horse power before brain power. 

[BuffaloBill]

For those of you that think "Fill the bilges" have you checked

the spec of 'Prelude'?

Firstly, she has a bow thruster and that may well be ruined

due to the salt water ingress if the bilge is flooded. It ruined

my friends' one when the bilge pump packed up and he didn't

know. Also, what else could be below the waterline if that did

happen and ruin too. Barnes would know and have costed

that into their thoughts before removing the boat.

Besides, filling the bilge would only lower the boat by about 1"

so very little would be gained compared to the cost of just

dragging it out anyway.

Getting a load of 'bodies' on to it would be a risky thing to do

too. Think Health&Safety here and I believe either the rangers,

lifeboat crew or the police would have forbade it due to it's

location and strong tidal current if anything went wrong.

Just my thoughts 

[MBA Marine]

For those of you that think "Fill the bilges" have you checked

the spec of 'Prelude'?

Firstly, she has a bow thruster and that may well be ruined

due to the salt water ingress if the bilge is flooded. It ruined

my friends' one when the bilge pump packed up and he didn't

know. Also, what else could be below the waterline if that did

happen and ruin too. Barnes would know and have costed

that into their thoughts before removing the boat.

Besides, filling the bilge would only lower the boat by about 1"

so very little would be gained compared to the cost of just

dragging it out anyway.

Getting a load of 'bodies' on to it would be a risky thing to do

too. Think Health&Safety here and I believe either the rangers,

lifeboat crew or the police would have forbade it due to it's

location and strong tidal current if anything went wrong.

Just my thoughts 

Its a bit of an age old battle that one, there should be nothing in the bilges, under the floor maybe but the bilge should be clear, as for the bowthruster its only at risk if the motor was mounted horizontal and not vertical as most are, bowthruster are mounted in the bow and usually a good few inches higher than the lowest point of the boat.

 

I fear you are correct about the health and safety brigade and this it where the country has gone mad it would have been good fun for all involved but instead someone has to do risk assessment and in the event that somebody should break a nail and sue we had better cause a few thousand pounds of damage to the craft.    

 

1/8 of an inch could be the difference between stuck or not.

 

If H&S was i big factor then leaving it be until the tide dropped was the safest option with no danger to human life.

[donnygeoff]

Just reading this again, and BuffaloBill, said...

 

Filling the bilges would only lower it by 1"...

 

To be honest I only know that a bilge pump is used to take water out of the bilges, to stop the boat sinking I guess.

 

Is the "bilge" the bottom of the boat, and does it run from front to back, like a gap between bottom of hull and floor of boat....

 

If the "bilge" is the hole/gap between floor and bottom, then if you filled it with 1" of water the boat would go down 1"

 

If you could fill the "bilge " with say 2 foot of water, (probably not possible) then surely the boat would go down by 2 foot.....

 

A boat floats by displacing the same volume/weight of water that the boat weighs, so if you put water in it to add weight, surely it should go down in the water by the same margin as the depth of water in it, if the "bilge" is all of the bottom of the boat....

 

 

PS.... it was not me, I wasn't anywhere near Yarmouth on that day....

 

[littlesprite]

If the air draft  is 8ft 6in as stated earlier, the average bridge clearance 6ft 9in at high water, this would raise the water level on the boats hull by almost 2ft, would this be enough to breach any fittings such as overflows or sink outlets.

[650xs]

ohh dear there was a time when we would do this our selfs ono expert in rubber dinghies just knowledge from the mans in the know engineer on call and a fees yard ole boys 

 

and of coarse a few fat blokes from local pub simple job dunn and fewsdrinks after ,all dunn .....

 

 

por ole ocean 37 shame .......jon 

[650xs]

as forest gump would say ..........................it happens 

 

 

life is like a box orf ole chocolates .....................