Thanks for scratching my yacht!!!!????

[prv]

That is an outrageous proposition. Boats are people's property and they use their hard-earned cash to buy and maintain them. If an owner has to fork out £1000, say, for a repair, then how long does he have to work just to earn this cash? To damage someone's boat and not pay is a form of theft

I took Ripster and BoaterBaz's posts to mean that they're relaxed about minor damage to their own boats - not that they are cavalier about damaging other people's.

I can definitely see their point of view; part of me would like to be knocking around in a sound but slightly worn Westerly or similar, where a minor cosmetic scratch from a pile or pontoon is of no consequence. As it is, my co-owner paid for a new paint job a couple of years ago so I feel duty-bound to preserve it - and blue paint over white gelcoat means that scratches are very visible! It would make me a bit nervous in, say, a stone-walled Cornish harbour where it would be nice not to have to worry so much.

She does look very pretty now though

Pete

 

[AndrewB]

At one time it was assumed that a yacht would be taking a fair amount of dinks while in use. Before the universal use of engines it was inevitable. People rarely worried about minor scratches, either giving or receiving. In the 1980's a new breed of yacht owner appeared, first time buyers of large and expensive yachts, who brought with them assumptions about boats that they borrowed from car ownership.

 

[Sandy]

I don't really see this as a big deal - if you keep your boat in a marina it will get bumps and scratches. The boat isn't made out of eggshells and can take it, so not worth a fuss or repair in my view as there'll be another one along in a minute.

I have been annoyed with bumps not being reported but only when some expensive damage happened while I was away from the boat - a pulpit being ripped off in Plymouth and in Croatia a mast being twisted at the spreaders making it unusable . But scratches and minor dinks don't worry me.

Nor me, but I wonder why the OP is so confident it was not him.

Does anybody perform a 360⁰ hull check before leaving the boat?

 

[johnalison]

Gosh - hope nobody ever kicked your nice new football when you were a kid. It's a boat, they bash against each other.

No, they don't actually. They are machines under human control. Most of the better sort are equipped with fenders too. If I had ever owned a football I would have been delighted if anyone had kicked it into oblivion.

 

[prv]

At one time it was assumed that a yacht would be taking a fair amount of dinks while in use. Before the universal use of engines it was inevitable. People rarely worried about minor scratches, either giving or receiving. In the 1980's a new breed of yacht owner appeared, first time buyers of large and expensive yachts, who brought with them assumptions about boats that they borrowed from car ownership.

I guess another factor is that with wooden boats you'd be slapping another coat of enamel on the topsides every year or two anyway, so a minor scratch in the paint wasn't a permanent defect. Whereas with gelcoat, or expensive carefully-applied paint systems, a scratch is either forever or requires specific repair.

Pete

 

[theoldsalt]

The honest action when damage occurs is always to respect the wishes of the victim. If he/she isn't concerned then OK but respect their wishes if they expect the culprit to pay for repairs.

Many years ago I accidentally damaged another (unmanned) boat knowing if it was mine I would be anoyed. After informing the owner and offering to pay I heard nothing further so the owner although initially annoyed decided to take no further action having examined the damage for which I was grateful.

 

[basic]

Unfortunately this is what happens when people are over-boated. See this so often when watching people arrive in marinas and everyone has to help them dock a boat which is plainly to big for their level of competence.

 

[Birdseye]

I don't really see this as a big deal - if you keep your boat in a marina it will get bumps and scratches. The boat isn't made out of eggshells and can take it, so not worth a fuss or repair in my view as there'll be another one along in a minute.

I have been annoyed with bumps not being reported but only when some expensive damage happened while I was away from the boat - a pulpit being ripped off in Plymouth and in Croatia a mast being twisted at the spreaders making it unusable . But scratches and minor dinks don't worry me.

At last, someone being realistic! There is no point in being precious about a boat - look after it OK but boats arent easy to steer like cars and minor bumps happen. If every scratch meant a claim insurance rates would rocket.

 

[lisilou]

At last, someone being realistic! There is no point in being precious about a boat - look after it OK but boats arent easy to steer like cars and minor bumps happen. If every scratch meant a claim insurance rates would rocket.

Nothing precious about it. The damage done to ours would have cost us near on £1000 to repair. Had the marina not paid (they didn't have to) we'd have been hugely out of pocket. This is about common decency. Are you saying you wouldn't bother to leave your details if you'd hit someones boat?
L

 

[Seven Spades]

Would you expect Sainsbury's to pay to have your car repaired if someone else drove into it in their car park? I doubt it, that's why you take out your own insurance.

Well if they helpfully put up a sign saying "parking at owner's risk" then the answer is yes and the law would be on your side because it would fall under "Contra proferentem"

 

[Boat441]

Well, I fully accept boats will get banged and dinged; mooring after all is a spectator sport.

However; I expect people to be honest and take responsibility for their actions. If they get it wrong and damage my boat I fail to see why I should pay for their mistake. I work damn hard to pay for and maintain my boat; wether it's prestine or not is completely and utterly irrelevant. Somebody has hit my boat, damaged it and done a runner.

That in my book is morally irreprehensible.

 

[l'escargot]

Well if they helpfully put up a sign saying "parking at owner's risk" then the answer is yes and the law would be on your side because it would fall under "Contra proferentem"

I think you would be disappointed, no matter what signs Sainsbury's put up a court would not hold them responsible for a 3rd party over whom they exercised no control.

 

[pathfinderstu]

I think you would be disappointed, no matter what signs Sainsbury's put up a court would not hold them responsible for a 3rd party over whom they exercised no control.

I think Sainsburys have a lot of legal control as they own the car parks design and police them and provide them for profit reasons.

As for boat people should pay for the damage they do they are not like footballs designed to be booted around.....imo of course.

 

[capnsensible]

Why not have loads a fenders?

 

[johnalison]

Why not have loads a fenders?

Because anything short of armoured bubble wrap would leave gaps which the careless or stupid always seem to head for.

 

[capnsensible]

Because anything short of armoured bubble wrap would leave gaps which the careless or stupid always seem to head for.

My yachts have got 12 fenders each, where can I get armoured bubble wrap for the gaps?

 

[Daydream believer]

You lot have got me worried
The attitude to hitting other boats seems a bit cavalier. An accident is simply that, but shear stupidity is a different thing & there is certainly a lot of that about
Up to last year i had a neighbour in the next berth who for 8 years never used the boat so I never got hit. However, now the owner has passed away the berth is used for visitors & some of them clearly do not have a clue how to berth. I was away sailing last year so no problem - but this year ??


I also got a bit P..d off when I came back after 8 weeks away to find a boat had used my berth & cut 75% of the way through my dock lines ( spliced to the cleats) because they had not tried to protect them from a sharp edge. A bit like damaging someones boat but easier to solve

 

[johnalison]

Damaged dock lines is a common problem. I unshackle ours when we go away but coil them and put cable ties round for short absences. For the odd night I have to take my chance. At the least, they always seem to leave them dangling in the water.

 

[Seajet]

Damaged dock lines is a common problem. I unshackle ours when we go away but coil them and put cable ties round for short absences. For the odd night I have to take my chance. At the least, they always seem to leave them dangling in the water.

I have mixed feelings about that;

When I've had marina berths I left the lines coiled ready for a visitor to use, it might be a big help to them.

However, buggering off leaving your lines in the water is disgraceful, please don't tell me this is normal ?

I'd be tempted to find the name of the perpetrator boat and go and do the same to them, or leave a snotty message - whatever required - in their home port !