looking back

byron

byron

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16 May 2001
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Looking back at people that I welcomed overnight or for a day or two on my moorings, I see that on many occasions we have had NBs here. On one notable occasion a hire NB that we actually called in as they looked to be in a pickle. They proved to be a laugh a minute and the Landlords of a pub in Bournemouth. Another time it was a working NB but working vessels of any description are welcome here at any time. In brief go back 15-20 years and our records show no discrimination at all.

So what happened? Why did we become so anti NBs? Having said that why am I less anti than I was a year or two ago. I suppose I am just fickle.
 
While my time on the river is but a tiny fraction of yours, in the last few years I have really had no problems with NBs at all. A couple of times I have needed to raft up they have been fine with it and very helpful. They do take up a lot of moorings/laybys due to their length but I can't say that has really been a big issue for me.

Indeed, the only boats I have been really nervous about or have a problem with are hire boats acting dangerously either deliberately or because they have no idea what they are doing.

That said, I don't want to own one but that is by the by.
 
NBs

I don't think there is any problem with narrow boats per se - except the amount of mooring space they take, but then my boat is quite a length anyway (43ft), so I shouldn't complain too loudly !
I think its more the 'water gypsy' types who moor up in the public moorings and don't move on for weeks on end.- gives the rest a bad name.
 
I have no issue with NB's. Usually greeted with nothing but courtesy when the kids have to run across their sterns on the school run. My only issue is with the NB hire company flexi-Club who release their boats to the punters regardless of conditions and as a result we see the NB's hooning down river broadside, on max revs with tillers hard over and not making any effect! :rolleyes:
 
Im not a great fan of narrowboats or narrowboatists (sweeping generlisation i know).

They are slow, they take up large amounts of mooring space, their owners seem to insist on leaving 15ft gaps between them and the next moored boat, they insist on running their engines/gennies early in the morning then again late at night, they have smelly smokey chimneys that are always upwind of you where ever you moor and they point blank refuse to let you overtake them, which, on a narrow ditch becomes a problem when your tickover speed is faster than them flat out!!

<rant over>
 
CX54WEK said:
They are slow, they take up large amounts of mooring space, their owners seem to insist on leaving 15ft gaps between them and the next moored boat, they insist on running their engines/gennies early in the morning then again late at night, they have smelly smokey chimneys that are always upwind of you where ever you moor and they point blank refuse to let you overtake them, which, on a narrow ditch becomes a problem when your tickover speed is faster than them flat out!!
Click to expand...

I meet a fair share of cruiser owners on the Thames that do all those things - although you may need to substitute BBQ's for chimneys !
 
Doesn't the smell of woodsmoke transport you to the english countryside ? it does me ....

It's not like they have a giant furnace on the go , it's usually just a 6 inch diameter chimney attached to a little pot bellied stove.

NB's get a lot of bad press , but 99% of them that i meet ( and i probably meet a lot more of them than anyone else on this forum ) are really nice , genuine people. Sure we get a few grumbles occasionally when we approach them for mooring fees , or the cost of a visitors licence , but no more than any other boating demographic.

I appreciate the problems with mooring up though , which is why we try and dole out the 'Welcome to Moor Alongside' stickers ...
 
The smell of chimney smoke doesnt transport me back to the english countryside. No. Its dirty, smelly and not exactly what i want my boat stinking of during the evening.

NB's get a lot of bad press where we are based, generally for good reason. If the ones you meet are 99% genuine, nice people. We must have got the remainder of the Narrowboatist population here on the ditch!!
 
NB liveaboards

NB liveaboards forced me out of my last marina - they insisted on burning wood foraged from the countryside, despite being offered smokeless at cost by the marina.
I became fed up with coming down to a boat covered in sticky soot.
They also brazenly flaunted the marina rules about cycling/dogs/noise etc.
It was like being on a lower order estate ! (effin 'n' blindin in the clubhouse etc).
Most of the nb folk I meet when cruising are fine. But one particular 60ft deliberately hogged centre channel and swung from port to stbd to prevent me passing on the stretch downstream of Marlow lock (not the lock cut itself).
I guess there a good and bad in all walks of life - I'll try to keep an open mind !!:(
 
Portland Billy said:
NB liveaboards forced me out of my last marina - they insisted on burning wood foraged from the countryside, despite being offered smokeless at cost by the marina.
I became fed up with coming down to a boat covered in sticky soot.
They also brazenly flaunted the marina rules about cycling/dogs/noise etc.
It was like being on a lower order estate ! (effin 'n' blindin in the clubhouse etc).
Most of the nb folk I meet when cruising are fine. But one particular 60ft deliberately hogged centre channel and swung from port to stbd to prevent me passing on the stretch downstream of Marlow lock (not the lock cut itself).
I guess there a good and bad in all walks of life - I'll try to keep an open mind !!:(
Click to expand...

So which marina would that be?
 
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