Following my last post regarding whether we should travel around the system with fenders down, and judging by the comments left, (thanks to all of you), it would seem that the majority think that fenders are only needed when moored.
If that was true then why are over half of boats moving around the system with them down? Is it just that they are worried about being 'outed'? But that can't be true otherwise they wouldn't have them down in the first place. Or is it that there is no good argument for having them down anyway?
It strikes me that it is simply lack of effort, and possibly also lack of understanding of what the fenders are actually for, and what damage and expense they can cause when lost.
It was noticeable to me that when looking at passing hire boats those that had fixed points on their hull invariably had fenders hanging, and those that didn't , didn't. Could it be that simply not building these points into the hull would mean that people would deploy fenders when mooring and not permanently? Could it be that, lets face it, a large percentage of boaters are of an older generation, so they may find the bending down to remove the fenders when letting go is difficult so means they don't do it! Or is it that they are so low down that they are out of sight, out of mind? Could placing the fixing points half way up the side of the cabin side mean that they were more visible so prompted the crew to remove them as part of the routine? I'm sure they will be an argument made that they are not aesthetically pleasing, or that they are likely to catch on lock walls or passing foliage. I think not as they would not have to be so big as to moor the QEII. Whilst we on that; why do modern 'tugs' seem to have massive shackles attached around the hull? Don't get me started on false rivets!!
I suppose that it comes down to education; of the boaters but also the shell builders and fitters. Could Braidbar and others be persuaded not to put fixing points on their boats in the first place?
I wonder if it would be possible to quantify the cost of fender to C&RT is the form of call outs for jammed gates due to them, or loss of water due to paddles being the last resting place of a rubber or rope fender. I don't suppose it is, and without being able to put a value, or even a statistic, on it things wont change.
I would love to hear from anybody who is able to argue for them being down when underway, or from anybody who has a good method of fixing or hanging them for mooring.
The picture above was taken by a bloke standing at the viewing platform near to Eastham Lock at the start of the Manchester Ship Canal when we arrived from Liverpool. It is probably the best picture taken all year. Luckily he was also at the Lock at Ellesmere Port when we arrived a week later having had to come all the way back down the MSC due to lock closures. He was good enough to chat to Helen and obtain our email to pass on the photos he had taken. I wonder if we will ever pass that way again? Look, no fenders down. Mind you the tug is making up for us!!
If that was true then why are over half of boats moving around the system with them down? Is it just that they are worried about being 'outed'? But that can't be true otherwise they wouldn't have them down in the first place. Or is it that there is no good argument for having them down anyway?
It strikes me that it is simply lack of effort, and possibly also lack of understanding of what the fenders are actually for, and what damage and expense they can cause when lost.
It was noticeable to me that when looking at passing hire boats those that had fixed points on their hull invariably had fenders hanging, and those that didn't , didn't. Could it be that simply not building these points into the hull would mean that people would deploy fenders when mooring and not permanently? Could it be that, lets face it, a large percentage of boaters are of an older generation, so they may find the bending down to remove the fenders when letting go is difficult so means they don't do it! Or is it that they are so low down that they are out of sight, out of mind? Could placing the fixing points half way up the side of the cabin side mean that they were more visible so prompted the crew to remove them as part of the routine? I'm sure they will be an argument made that they are not aesthetically pleasing, or that they are likely to catch on lock walls or passing foliage. I think not as they would not have to be so big as to moor the QEII. Whilst we on that; why do modern 'tugs' seem to have massive shackles attached around the hull? Don't get me started on false rivets!!
I suppose that it comes down to education; of the boaters but also the shell builders and fitters. Could Braidbar and others be persuaded not to put fixing points on their boats in the first place?
I wonder if it would be possible to quantify the cost of fender to C&RT is the form of call outs for jammed gates due to them, or loss of water due to paddles being the last resting place of a rubber or rope fender. I don't suppose it is, and without being able to put a value, or even a statistic, on it things wont change.
I would love to hear from anybody who is able to argue for them being down when underway, or from anybody who has a good method of fixing or hanging them for mooring.
The picture above was taken by a bloke standing at the viewing platform near to Eastham Lock at the start of the Manchester Ship Canal when we arrived from Liverpool. It is probably the best picture taken all year. Luckily he was also at the Lock at Ellesmere Port when we arrived a week later having had to come all the way back down the MSC due to lock closures. He was good enough to chat to Helen and obtain our email to pass on the photos he had taken. I wonder if we will ever pass that way again? Look, no fenders down. Mind you the tug is making up for us!!
2 comments:
Great photo!! You need to get that printed and framed and hung on your wall.
Kath (nb Herbie)
Hi Kath, Thanks for reading. We have it all in hand, and it will feature prominently somewhere in the house I'm sure, as well as on the boat. I was a little shocked to see just how big I look lurking on the back end!
Cheers for now, Tony and Helen.
Post a Comment