smoking on the boat or not ?

[BartW]

Both my wife and I don’t smoke,
But we have a lot of friends who smoke.
On the boat I allow them to smoke outside, and asc them politely to be precautious.

Two weeks ago we had a diving cruise On Blue Angel with my friends, 11pers on the boat.
5 of them are strong smokers.
In my briefing at departure, I allowed them to smoke “outside”
But after a few day’s I was annoyed to see them smoking not only on the cockpit but also on the bow sun bed and the FB,
And sometimes when sitting all together on the cockpit, the wind was blowing smoke in the saloon, or in my face which I hate,
I became very angry, when a cigarette was dropped on a carpet and left some burning traces,
Luckily it was a small removable mat (in front of the saloon door) that they will replace on their charge,
But what if this was on the teac floor, or even worse, on the beautifull wooden floor in the saloon ?

What’s the forums opinion on this, should I prohibit smoking on the boat completely, as I am aware that some of my friends will get very nervous then, we want them all to have a good time on board don’t we ?
Or should I allow smoking in certain conditions ?
what is the policy on your boat ?
what 's the policy on professionally maintained charter boats ?

 

[Victoria Sponge]

Tricky one this, isn't it? You don't want to upset your friends, but they seem to be upsetting you, and I'd be the same. I think you probably need to ban smoking altogether! Good luck.

 

[tcm]

Even amongst smokers, there's usually no smoking AT ALL allowed inside the boat. I'm a bit surprised that quite so many of your dive crew were also smokers, but whatever...

On a commericial charter boat, it would be normal to allow smoking outside, with care, and any damage to be re-charged.

There's plenty of boats where there's just "no smoking allowed at all" but usually the crew/guests would be forewarned.

 

[z1ppy]

Tough call that!

I dont smoke, nor does my partner or many of our friends so the answer is simple, no smoking on the boat. no problem you standing on the pontoon and smoking but nothing gets lit when on board.

Guess it gets more complicated when you have more people (as with your boat) and if they are paying guests..

I take the view its my boat and i pay to look after it, i dont want smoke or any damage. i dont want to be inconvinienced by smoke so take it or leave it!

 

[longjohnsilver]

I think I've only ever had one smoker aboard Eos and he ALWAYS smoked outside without being asked. But he still reeked of stale tobacco when he came inside and that for me was unpleasant. Probably the reason he's not been invited out again.

In your situation I'd designate a specific area for smoking and make it very clear that's the only smoking area to all your friends etc.

 

[oldgit]

Fortunately and a sign of the times

Virtually nobody I know smokes and the situation fortunately has never arisen.
The one chap I know who likes a cigar,is very very aware of the offence that smoking can cause and goes to great pains not to smoke when on board and the rest of us enjoy taking the piss out of him .

 

[jfm]

Tricky Bart
My policy, and a common one on many boats including charter boats, is that smoking is ok in outside spaces. In all the cases i can think of except one (see below), people are fine with this and are very careful and courteous, and usually smoke on the bow by the anchor or on the aft deck beside the gunwhale, and not on places with cushions etc including the bow cushions. And they are very careful not to drop ash etc on the boat, and they check to make sure they are downwind so the smoke only blows away from the boat. So i have never found it a problem. Your problem I suggest is not that you allow smoking outside, but that your friends "pushed the edges" of your (perfectly normal) policy and got too close to the inside spaces etc. They really should do what 99% of smoker guests do (in my experience) which is to be very courteous and keep well away from "the edge". In other words the problem was really your friends' behaviour and not your "smoking outside" policy

I have never smoked and don't plan to but i gotta admit I do like the smell of tobacco, so I'm secretly very happpy when the wind blows a bit of smoke in my direction!

My one exception, just as an anecdote and nothing to do with the matter really, is that I organised a party of people on a large superyacht at the Monaco Grand Prix one year. It was a happy coincidence whereby I knew the owners of F1, and I knew the owners of a large boat who wanted it in monaco for the GP and were happy to share it. So I set up a bash whereby the boat owners brought their boat and the F1 owners got the berth, and a nice 3-day party took place. Anyway, one of the guests in the wider F1 party, an American whom I felt responsible for in that he was on the F1 guest list that i had given to the yacht owners, lacked knowledge of smoking manners. While we were standing around having drinks on this boat, which was 2 yrs old and cost €80m give or take, and had its owners and loads of glitterati on board, he lit up a cigarette, smoked it, then dropped the fag end on the teak deck and put it out with a twist of his (bare, incidentally) foot. Everyone was pretty horrified, and the crew did a great job of making an approprite scene in cleaning it up (to embarrass him). Takes all kinds eh?

 

[scottie]

Thread or smoke drift
I hate when you get a library book smelling of smoke !!!!
Back to thread it's your boat you make the rules

Sometimes it helps with the midges though

 

[JSYmartini]

I smoke and if I am permitted to smoke on someone else's boat then I'll take the utmost care, ie go stand on the bathing platform or hang over the side, make sure I'm down wind of everyone else etc.

If people are going to be blasé about it then accidents will happen, especially if alcohol is involved as well. In that kind of situation you have to just say no.

 

[prv]

My smoking friends only do so in the cockpit / on deck, and are careful not to drop any hot ash on board. Fortunately I don't mind at all the smell of smoke in the air - it's only stale smoke like on clothes the morning after a night in the pub used to be that I don't like, and you don't get that from a little bit blowing past outside.

Perhaps rather than allowing it generally "outside", you could designate a specific "smokers' corner" somewhere that will minimise the effects? Obviously you have every right to ban smoking completely on your boat, but I think it might be resented on a charter party especially if not notified in advance.

Pete

 

[spannerman]

Have a designated smoking area, on the swim platform at 30knts! all smoke and ash will be left behind, thats if they can get it to light up in the first place.
Luckily not one of my friends smokes and would never have smokers in the house or boat as the stink hangs around, and I only let my two newly refurbished apartments to non smokers, as I have seen the results of being let to smokers which resulted in having to replace two complete kitchens due to discolouring from 12 years of smokers living there before I bought them.
People may insist on their right to smoke, thats fine, just remember you have automatically also given me the right insist on not having to endure other peoples smoke.

 

[DTIM]

Anywhere outside should be OK but if friends abuse your hospitality and cannot be trusted not to drop ash then keep it to one place that is easier to maintain and less likely to cause lasting damage.

 

[DAKA]

" really sorry to have to ask but unfortunately I smelt diesel this morning and I think we could have a minor leak, its not a problem as the whole boat is spark arrested but best if no one lights up this weekend unless they are ashore or by the anchor"

 

[Nautorius]

Always a difficult one!

Me and the wife do not smoke and we have a simple rule. Smoking allowed when boat stationary in the cockpit only but always use ashtray. Most people get off and go on the pontoon or wait until tied up!

One couple abused this rule and have never been on the boat since.

Paul

 

[MapisM]

Me and the wife do not smoke and we have a simple rule. Smoking allowed when boat stationary in the cockpit only but always use ashtray.

We have a similar policy, but only when anchored, which means that in the cockpit you are downwind by definition.
When underway or docked, strictly no smoking.

Bart, are those 5 smokers divers?
Makes me wonder what do they fill their tanks with...

 

[BartW]

Bart, are those 5 smokers divers?
Makes me wonder what do they fill their tanks with...

only 6 of them were divers (including myself)
from which 2 are smokers,
the other guests were non diving partners,

one of the divers didn’t use his own tank for more then one year.
and he was wondering if the air in the full tank could be “too old”,
so I asked him if he has ever considered how old is the air that I pump in the tanks after each dive.

 

[kid's inheritance]

Agree it is a problem with the person not the policy but if you were being really considerate you could lay in a stock of these
http://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/
They ( I am assured) satisfy the craving, have no odour ,ash or heat. SWMBO uses them very occasionally and they have a faint vanilla vapour
Regards
rob

 

[rafiki_]

For me a "black and white" policy is easiest to understand. I would not allow anyone to smoke on board Rafiki. This has never arisen as a problem, and I intend for this to continue.

So, no smoking on board for me.

 

[jfm]

For me a "black and white" policy is easiest to understand. I would not allow anyone to smoke on board Rafiki. This has never arisen as a problem, and I intend for this to continue.

So, no smoking on board for me.

Your policy has to fit the wider circumstances though, I think. Reading between the lines of your policy I'd deduce that you don't mind if someone who dislikes the policy chooses not to come on the boat and that your guests are on the receiving end of a free ride, somewhat. I often find I actually want the person to come, and they're kinda doing me a favour by coming (prospective business folk, for example). In that case, you just can't have a no-smoking policy but it is still perfectly ok to say smoking is outside only

 

[lisilou]

We both smoke but would never smoke aboard someone elses boat even if they said it was ok. If we want to smoke then we go out onto the pontoon and make sure our smoke isnt blowing towards people. We don't, as a rule, smoke on our boat. The closest I've got to it is on the swim platform. I say, it's your pride and joy so say no to smoking aboard. It stinks anyway
L