Admit it - Who did it?

[Baitrunner]

As said we have all made mistakes but sometimes if you have done some homework or had some practice and don't panic you can in many instances recover and get on your way.

I can sympathise when a big hire boat tries to turn at Reedham with a strong tide, strong cross wind and no bow thruster. Get it wrong and it will end in tears.

But Going under a bridge that isn't high enough?

I guess you hear of the odd bus or truck doing this, but there really is no excuse other than human error or just not concentrating.

As mentioned I am sure some people just see it as a floating caravan and have no intention of wanting to learn a new skill!

[Hockham Admiral]

 

 

With regards to superior flags.. there is nothing more superior than those with a bloody blue ensign... grrrr     lol

Thanks, Alan.......... but I did spend 18 years in HMFC!

 

 

Griff might have something to say, too!   :naughty:

[Oddfellow]

edit.,,,,

 

Do you limit your instruction to one person (the skipper)? we have found that on the canals these days that instructions are usually given to two of the crew.

.......

 

 

Regards

Alan

 

All boats need to be crewed.

 

The handover starts at the back and is deliberately scary. The back of the boat is the first contact our holidaymakers have with it and is also the business end that will get your legs chopped off if you fall in and the skipper dosen't know what to do. Everybody on board is present for this which covers tieing up (0800, no knots), pulling on a ring or post and progressing to a pulley, safe recovery of a man-overboard, no trailing ropes, gas locker, deck gear, engine (if it is located here) and so on.

 

All customers are shown how to safely light the gas (as bottled gas is heavier than air and unburned gas sinks and collects in the bilges), how to operate the toilet, mains power (don't leave the inverter on), light swicthes, battery isolators, shower pumps, fridge (don't turn it up), battery conservation, cabiin heater and so on.

 

After about 25 minutes, we get to starting the engine and casting off. A quick idea of how that particular boat handles and turns and then it's over to a skipper (or two or more) for a run along the river with at least two turns in the river and at least two trial moorings (one side on and another stern on). As the Postwick Viaduct guage is in view of the boatyard, we use this to discuss bridge navigation. On many showouts, we get customers to reverse off the old sugarbeet staithe opposite us and stern on back at the yard. Tony Riseborough (BA licensing officer who audited us last year) was gobsmacked when I got a bunch of lads on our Bounty 44 to do this successfully.

 

So, a very long winded answer to a simple question. Basically, we train the crew.

[imtamping2]

ADVERTISEMENT.

 

The nbn burgees can be brought here and add an instant superior feel to any and all boat...   

 

Already got me one of them there Burgees..... just waiting on planning permission for my 30ft aft mounted flagpole   

[JawsOrca]

Thanks, Alan.......... but I did spend 18 years in HMFC!

 

IMG_6962.JPG

 

Griff might have something to say, too!   :naughty:

 

Got ya!   lol

 

(Rather sadly John I did think of changing yacht clubs to be able to fly a defaced blue but it's not worth the hassle.  I was also told I would be disowned by several friends as these clubs strangely are a bit snotty and have a bit of a bad reputation). Anyway I think it's nice to see lots of different flags about.. .

[BuffaloBill]

Iv'e said it before and I'll say it again......

Do away with the CDW and make them lodge a £1k damage

deposit with the yard which will only be returned on a 'no negligent

damage' return or the damage costs deducted from that deposit.

You would see a huge a difference in the way boats are helmed

if it was to hurt their pockets to that extent.

[Bound2Please]

Iv'e said it before and I'll say it again......

Do away with the CDW and make them lodge a £1k damage

deposit with the yard which will only be returned on a 'no negligent

damage' return or the damage costs deducted from that deposit.

You would see a huge a difference in the way boats are helmed

if it was to hurt their pockets to that extent.

 

 

But on the other side of that coin it could prevent an awful lot of decent people from enjoying a holiday on the broads............

[Hockham Admiral]

The thing about the Royal Air Force sailing Association, Alan, is that it's restricted to peeps who are prepared to offer "Adventurous Training" to Airmen. When we had our saltie sailie we did just that!

 

 

 

[LondonRascal]

I don’t think charging £1,000 deposits is the way to go – can you imagine how many people would full stop not bother to book or stop regulars returning knowing that they had to stump up an additional £1,000 on top of their hire charges.

 

One might counter this saying it would only apply to single sex groups - but I’m afraid these groups are a very tempting income stream to the boatyards and so on the one hand they may cause issues both in terms of damage to the boat and annoyance of other boaters on the Broads, but on the other hand I am sure one would not want to put them off too much for what they bring in terms of revenue each season.

 

These groups tend to come in the peak season so pay the most – they are spread across the Broads with different operators and further swell the coffers of the local pubs not to mention the other money that goes into the likes of small stores where a group of ten will descend wanting everything from eggs and bread and the all important beer to flags and water pistols – it is all money in the till.

 

I also suspect (especially to the larger yards) that they expect there to be some issues or damage and budget for this, hoping that there is nothing too serious that happens over the course of a season.

 

I can’t see it being changed or stopped – the people generally involved in large single sex groups are being pretty tame by many standards of what goes on in most cities on a Saturday night – they don’t seem to be getting into fights with other people for a start, and I am sure too that they feel very much like this might be the last time they can be loud and childish in their ways or perhaps in some cases re-visit their anarchic past where anything was possible.

 

At the end of the day like everything else pretty much it comes down to money – you can take deposits and do what you can to mitigate things, but for every pub that sells a great deal of drinks to these groups and every boatyard that hires a boat to them to every shop that they visit which goes without incident is money in the bank, and if for example 1 in 10  such hires end up in the Police being called, hirers turfed off boats and boats in the shop for new windows, well that is just how the cookie crumbles and it is all just another day to be gotten through.

[BuffaloBill]

 

 

 if for example 1 in 10  such hires end up in the Police being called, hirers turfed off boats and boats in the shop for new windows, well that is just how the cookie crumbles and it is all just another day to be gotten through

If you owned your own boat and it was damaged by these

groups, would you still feel the same? I doubt it!

The loss of the use of your boat whiles't it's being repaired

and the other issues associated with it are damned

annoying, and that's putting it mildly. It's happened twice

to us and it's not nice!!

On the issue of the £1k, I remember having to leave my

bank details and fill in a form for the extra amount(Not £1k,

but I forget the amount) and it wouldn't be drawn providing

the boat came back without 'careless damage' either to

our hired boat or any other damage caused by us.

So no, you wouldn't have to find an extra £1k on booking

but you knew you would have to look after the boat and

make sure that you didn't cause damage in any other way

whilst in control of it, or you would be charged for it.

As it stands, you don't get the CDW back whether you look

after it or not. If you spread that CDW between several

people on one boat, it's peanuts to them.

If this comes across as angry, sorry but it's not, I'm just stating

how I view it, having been a victim.

[riyadhcrew]

BB,

 

Can you tell us what happened please, so we can get an idea of what to look out for and maybe avoid something bad happening.

[Bound2Please]

But the very very small minority, are just that 99.9% of all hires are done by perfectly sensible persons. All stag and hen party's I have come across have been perfectly acceptable even if a tad loud at times.

 

Never judge a book by the cover of one or two that have been unacceptable, live and let live. You BB was unfortunate I feel to encounter not one but two bad eggs have been most unfortunate.

 

Charlie

[BuffaloBill]

All that I will say is that the first time we were hit by a 38 footer who was going a pretty fair lick and hit us just off the bow.

Everything fell off the worktops and even the towels ended up on the floor! We were sat down having our lunch at the time and that too ended up on the floor....

Our boat was lifted about a foot up in the air and thrown against the quay.

They actually punched a hole in the bow and lifted the superstructure off the hull, that's how hard we were hit.

The other incident was caused by someone trying to turn just in front of us above Ludham Bridge and hit us at full throttle in reverse causing damage just behind what we had just had repaired 2 weeks earlier! And then they had the nerve to say that they hadn't hit us despite part of their boat was lying on our ours!

It nearly put us off owning for good but we were talked round by friends, but it took us over a year to feel any form of relaxation when out, and even now we can't relax as much as we did before those incidents.

We may have been a tad unlucky Charlie but I know for sure that we have not been the only ones.

The non-returnable damage waiver means that no matter what happens, or how good they are, they only lose that amount so there's no incentive to be extra careful.

[riyadhcrew]

BB,

 

Thanks for that. I don't think there is much anybody can do if they are sitting eating lunch and not watching the river. It must have given you a hellofa fright. I will be more carefull now going under Ludham bridge and watch out for boats turning.

[BroadScot]

Eric,

 

There are times when I feel, IF it was possible, that traffic lights were fitted at Ludham Bridge, I have seen many minor bumps there over the decades. It IS a very busy river on certain days and times of day. I tend to moor further up away from the bridge if at all possible. The ladies enjoy the wee walk to the shop there!   

 

 

Iain

[riyadhcrew]

Iain, that would be a great idea, but can you imagine a load of newbies trying to hold station in the middle of the river. I think it might make it even worse.

[Bound2Please]

BB sorry to hear your very unfortunate incidents and so close together as well. But yes two isnt good for you or any one else come to that. But two or even a few incidents out of the 100'000's of hires on the broads, as disruptive as they are, but still a very rare occurrence.

 

I did witness an accident in the 70's a beautiful wooden hire craft had a hole punched in its side by a private yacht hitting it it midships while moored and its bow sprite think thats whats called narrowly missing the young lady on board while cooking. Rare yes but like I said things can happen on the roads far worse do we start saying all drivers to pay £1k deposit?

 

Iain

 

Brilliant idea that and it could be done, but who would police it?

 

Charlie

[BroadScot]

Iain, that would be a great idea, but can you imagine a load of newbies trying to hold station in the middle of the river. I think it might make it even worse.

Point taken, Eric   Oh such fun Alex and Lorna would be able to watch. 

 

 

Iain

[BroadScot]

 

 

Brilliant idea that and it could be done, but who would police it?

Jason!   Give him something to do after retiring!

 

 

Iain.

[Baitrunner]

Anyone hired a car in Sicily? We did last year and had to put £2k down as a security deposit - OK it was funny money as it never actually cleared on our credit card, but it was there for the taking.

Despite taking out the CDW this didn't cover us for stone chips, tyre/wheel damage or bumps scratches to doors or bumpers - basically the CDW covered you if you had a bad smash.

 

Needless to say the car was wrapped in bubble wrap for the week as it was more likely someone else would damage it than us when it was parked.

 

I have hired cars before and this was the worst we had experienced cost wise. We did think twice about the holiday, but it was a place we had always wanted to go to so bit the bullet and got the money back.

 

So what is the problem with doing this on the Broads? If your careful you don't lose out?

 

Charlie,

    Most users on the roads have insurance as do boats on the Broads - with the hire companies though I doubt they claim as it would hike the premiums up no end - so they probably lose out when things happen. And we do all have to pay an excess even if it isn't our fault (unless we get to claim from the other person).

Whilst I agree far worse things happen on the roads and probably with a lot more severity and cost overall, but put it back into the hire perspective - car hire companies don't let you off when you bring back a car with no roof, you might get away with a scuff if your lucky!!!

[riyadhcrew]

I hire regularly from Enterprise Car Rental in the UK and for a non-refundable CDW of around 900 pounds, you pay nothing for damage. However, if you don't pay the CDW, they have a guage about the diameter of a tennis ball and if you get a scratch that is smaller than that, it is OK. Anything larger and you pay.

[Bound2Please]

Baitrunner Posted Today, 03:06 PM

Whilst I agree far worse things happen on the roads and probably with a lot more severity and cost overall, but put it back into the hire perspective - car hire companies don't let you off when you bring back a car with no roof, you might get away with a scuff if your lucky!!!

 

We do have insurance on our boat, what I was saying for some one to have two mishaps in a few weeks is very unlucky. For the 100'000's of hires 99.9% have no mishaps., private boats also can cause mayhem as I stated.

 

Charlie

[dnks34]

Theres accidents and recklessness, unfortunately what BB has encountered is the latter. Accidents happen but recklessness on the other hand makes my blood boil, hitting another boat at full throttle, theres just no bloody need for it. If this ever happened to us not only would the culprit be paying for the damage to the boat to be repaired to as new standard I would also be taking up a personal civil case against the skipper.

You can never totally relax being a boat owner on the broads, and I would argue incidents like BB's occur fair more frequently than has been suggested.

Its just lucky there were no serious injuries BB (i hope) but one day someone will end up dead as a result of total idoicy.

[Bound2Please]

Last comment on this in 1974 October 28th to be be precise on the date. Boat Bough Queen think thats how it was spelt, any way second day into out honeymoon. The boat started to take on rather a lot of water. We were approaching Somerleighton so I about turned to return to the boat yard at St Olaves, but on reaching where the new cut met the waveney a load bang and all steerage was lost on all but a hard starboard lock, but to crown that I couldn't throttle back or knock it out of gear.

 

Now the point im making is that the only may to bet to a bank was stop engine, the restart in gear and kill and so on until I could get ashore. I knew what I was doing as was a qualified DTI fishing charter boat skipper. On getting to the bank three very helpful men from the beaver fleet that had the mariner at that time rushed out to us, me having jumped onto what looked like lush green grass, but was in fact grass growing out of 3-4ft of water.

 

Well they got us back into their mariner on the slip by one laying in bilge operating rudder and other operating gear and throttle to the instruction of the third in the cockpit. They gave us hot showers and drinks etc and got hold of the boat yard for us. We used there boats New Generation even after they moved onto the river until they stopped trading.

 

The cause of the mayhem we caused was a rudder cable (stranded wire) that had corroded through and on breaking lassoed the gear and throttle cable jamming them solid.

 

So there are two sides to every story.

 

Will say no more on it now.

 

Charlie

[BuffaloBill]

Charlie, I have to disagree with you. We moor with Barnes

and are directly across the river from them.

The amount of times that they have to repair their boats

quickly before the next hirers take over would surprise you.

And I'm not just talking about the outside of the boat either!

This last weekend a boat of drunk lads tried to take a boat

under Potter bridge after the pilots had gone home and

the screens were wrecked(and maybe more damage) and

then backed out and went hurtling down river again laughing. 

They were caught by-the-way, and then the bridge had to

be inspected before being used again.(According to my source)

There were also incidents at St Bennets and the Rangers

were called to two boats causing havoc on Malthouse Broad. 

Now these are the ones that I got to know about, I'm sure

there were more.

Anyway, Iv'e said my piece and I'll leave it now.

By-the-way dnks, we suffered no injury except for my blood pressure!