The hire boats are out

Captain Coochie

Captain Coochie

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Been on the river today trying to keep things up to standard . A bit of varnishing of the rubbing strakes etc but it all went to pot when a hire boat came blasting down the weir stream and the wash covered my new varnish .
As he spun around to fook my varnish again he aimed at a swan taking off in flight . Ahhh well at least he was having fun :)
 
Cuchilo said:
Been on the river today trying to keep things up to standard . A bit of varnishing of the rubbing strakes etc but it all went to pot when a hire boat came blasting down the weir stream and the wash covered my new varnish .
As he spun around to fook my varnish again he aimed at a swan taking off in flight . Ahhh well at least he was having fun :)
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No excuse.

Lack of training by the hire companies
Ignorance of the hirer of the world around him (probably has the same attitude to life in general)
 
hire boats

Hello,I fully understand your feeling of annoyance on this subject,we moved our boat from Harleyford down to Windsor on friday coming out of Bray lock behind a large hire boat,they did not have a clue how to control it,I realise it was a bit windy, I know we get this every year,but I realy think there should be more tuition before they let them loose on us or am I being too fussy ?cheers,Dave
 
Name of hire boat, name of hire boat company, location date and time, report to Reading - simples.

Only if people start doing this will word get back to the hire companies that they need to do more to educate hirers and that it is causing problems for other river users - apart from possibly being a danger to the hirers themselves.
 
We get a lot of the 'Ditton' hire boats turn up at the lock in the summer ...... we never open the lock for them ( as we have an agreement with the hire boat operators that hire boats aren't allowed on the tideway ) ....

Eventually they moor up and come and ask why we won't let them in , that they are going to the pub in Richmond or whatever , we explain and 8 times out of 10 we are told 'Oh , they said it would be ok !' at which point we suggest that we can give the hire boat company a ring and just make sure ( we have the company on speed dial ;) ) ...

'No , you don't need to do that' .... :D .... and off they go ....
 
There's only ONE hire company that makes a huge effort end they are on the Oxford Canal.

They send their hirers down in convoy for a couple of locks with a staff member who just won't let them take the boat if they're inebriated or until they feel the customer is reasonably competent.

That takes a lot of resource, and fairly easy to do on a canal.

AFAIK Kris Cruisers make an effort too, but it so much more difficult on the River.

Just how much time can be spent with a customer if all the boats go out at once. I do have some sympathy with the hire companies. That said perhaps some make no effort at all.

(Sorry if I've missed some of the good companies)

Time was when the customer was considerate and made an effort, but nowadays??
 
Cuchilo said:
Yup this was a ditton one . White and red . Actually its always those ones !
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Oh, is it those you meant? Sorry, Jason, I thought you were complaining about the big cruisers.

Actually,y, I'd be surprised if the hire peeps take any time at all telling the people that hire those diddy ones the ropes - if they didn't have an engine they'd be pedalloes :D
 
Saw them hooning around at times past our mooring yesterday, mostly heading for the Magpie. Sympaties on the varmnish, I was trying to clean one of my rubbing strakes prior to dressing it with teak oil and there was just too much traffic when I was trying.
 
i was at the flowerpot slip last sunday morning, one of kris cruisers was moored there Lady annalise, hired by none other than Pauline quirke and family, of birds of a feather fame amongst othersVery friendly and chatty her and husband were.
 
bumperdump said:
i was at the flowerpot slip last sunday morning, one of kris cruisers was moored there Lady annalise, hired by none other than Pauline quirke and family, of birds of a feather fame amongst othersVery friendly and chatty her and husband were.
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That's nothing once when I was at Windsor the Queen arrived and I was in the crowd but she still managed to see me and waved to me as she drove past.
 
Years ago in the 70's, best entertainment was to go and sit at the first lock from a hire base on a Saturday about lunchtime. Boats crashing into each other, lock walls, trying to go in sidewards/backwards etc.

Where is the fun nowadays?
 
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