Fender overkill!

I ran across this pic recently, and am still trying to figure out what the operator of the boat was trying to protect him/herself from . . .

Ready for a raft-up party?

They even have fenders on the flybridge. There are more pictures of the boat, and the fenders, on their charter site:

http://dev.sonnencharter.de/product/laurabuc-fr/

New girlfriend asked to drive the boat

Sorry, I don't understand...

speed bumps...er...kayaks

Maybe they are all gifts from their marina neighbors given out of self interest.

Cheaper than boat handling training?

I’m reminded of a friend of mine who grew up in Southeast Alaska, as a child lived aboard boats, worked for various government agencies where operating skiffs and other small boats was necessary, took the obligatory boat training more than once..who to this day has the strategy of crashing her (small but heavily built aluminum center console) boat into the dock in a controlled collision. Probably played into her and her husband’s choice of boat? He just shrugs.

This looks like many a holiday rental boat on French canals. There is no requirement in France to have any boating knowledge, license or training whatsoever in order to rent a 50' boat like this for a week. Trust me, the ridiculous number of fenders you see in the picture is necessary. On the positive side, I can say these rental boats provide a fairly constant source of entertainment for other boaters while cruising the canals...if one can maintain a safe distance ;-)

Did a little research on the name on the bow. It's, indeed, a town in France. And you can rent this boat or a sister on a weekly basis here:
https://www.boataround.com/se/bat/nicols-octo-fly-c-laurabuc
I imagine they even come with spare fenders, just in case some are lost in transit ;-)

I could have used that setup on a few ugly dockings in crosswinds.

While overkill, the fenders are for going thru locks.

ScottC said:

Did a little research on the name on the bow. It's, indeed, a town in France. And you can rent this boat or a sister on a weekly basis here:
https://www.boataround.com/se/bat/nicols-octo-fly-c-laurabuc
I imagine they even come with spare fenders, just in case some are lost in transit ;-)

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I can't say we saw any with fenders on the flybridge, but we saw many last summer with a lot of fenders kept permanently out. Also, a lot of rafting of the rental boats due to shortage of dock space. May look strange, but practical.

Have seen somewhat similar in the US on houseboats and have seen many rental houseboats on the TN and Cumberland Rivers for which it would probably be a good idea. When you get in a lock and one enters and can't get tied and soon is facing the wrong way and finally the lockmaster gives up and tells them to just tie as they are and worry it at the other end, letting everyone else exit the lock first.

That is hilarious.

That overkill of fenders is also commonplace on the UK waterways as well. Not sure what it says about the boat-handling skills of many Europeans, but there is no denying there must be a cogent reason for it.

Wayfarer got a new boat?
Sorry swamp commander...I suppose you don't keep quite that many fenders over the side.

Hi,

Chaos in canal

https://youtu.be/9gScVOM4OjY

NBs

Niagara falls attempt?

I've always thought a canal cruise in Europe would be a fun vacation someday. Youtube is convincing me otherwise.

I just want a boat with that amount of storage.

backinblue said:

I've always thought a canal cruise in Europe would be a fun vacation someday. Youtube is convincing me otherwise.

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It's only like that in July & August, when many Europeans have 5-6 week holidays. Rest of the year, it's not congested at all. For France, a really popular canal-cruising destination, I would recommend Late May-June. September-Oct would also be nice, but riskier, as we found out. Drought conditions can cause some French canals to run low on water necessary for normal operation...and they can close for the season with as little as a one-week notice (if you're lucky enough to see that notice pinned on the lock keeper's house...)

I think it makes a lot of sense. Canals, slow speed, rafting, fenders in and out, why not just leave them in place. In some of the canals, I really see no reason for every bringing them on board and cluttering your deck and storage space and lining the boat with fenders makes sense. I'd suggest even having tubes created like on a RIB.

BandB said:

I think it makes a lot of sense. Canals, slow speed, rafting, fenders in and out, why not just leave them in place. In some of the canals, I really see no reason for every bringing them on board and cluttering your deck and storage space and lining the boat with fenders makes sense. I'd suggest even having tubes created like on a RIB.

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"Slow"? I did not know that word even existed in your vocabulary


When I was a boy, boating with my Dad, I was the one who had to take the fenders in. They had to be in by the time we exited the harbor! In the Erie canal, they had to be pulled in between each and every lock. That was not as bad as it sounds, as the many locks are spread over the hundreds of miles of New York State. To this day, I always want to cruise with fenders IN. But, as you say, there comes a point where taking fenders (and boards) in is entirely impractical. Many of the old European canals have so many locks that one can come to the next one only after a kilometer or two. And then, maybe a flight of seven, just for fun. (Actually "flights" are a very efficient way to get the pain over with as fast as possible).

ScottC said:

"Slow"? I did not know that word even existed in your vocabulary

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We went slow on the Thames and the Seine and have on the Erie, but while those were slow by our definition, nothing like the other canals of France, although Paris was quite congested and we had to dock at a rental company's dock. But then we did rent a tour boat for a couple of days, just without the boat, just the captain and guide to show us around while on our boat. And then don't forget that we live in an area of canals that we generally only travel through on kayaks and paddleboards but people with all types of boats come in and out from their homes regularly. We do occasionally canal cruise here in our RIB's. That's wall to wall fender.

Sure was nice after a few days on a canal (Yes, rivers but fit description of canal better), to be able to open up and run 40-50 knots.

Very clever idea to charter a tour boat without the boat! Makes complete sense in your situation. I have thought about hiring an off-duty fisherman as a sort of guide for some areas where I might want to cruise that require local knowledge. Haven't done it yet, however...

Have been considering a future trip down the Rhine to Basel. There are parts of the Rhine in Germany where a commercial captain's license is required -- even for pleasure boaters. Most don't bother with it, but if you get stopped by the authorities, a captain will be appointed to travel with you...at about 100€/hour, so I've read.

A lot can be said for being the last in line.

Notice the light is still red when everyone was pushing into the canal?

slowgoesit said:

I ran across this pic recently, and am still trying to figure out what the operator of the boat was trying to protect him/herself from . . .

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Perhaps the guy is selling or renting fenders?

boomerang said:

Wayfarer got a new boat?
Sorry swamp commander...I suppose you don't keep quite that many fenders over the side.

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Lookit allllllllllllllllll them rubber baby buggy bumpers.....

backinblue said:

I've always thought a canal cruise in Europe would be a fun vacation someday. Youtube is convincing me otherwise.

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We thought the same. And, YouTube is making us rethink the whole thing.

phillippeterson said:

We thought the same. And, YouTube is making us rethink the whole thing.

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Wifey B: What is it about YouTube that is discouraging you from the canals? Perhaps it's timing? Don't let a few videos discourage you.

See the locks on the Ohio or Ballard Lock on July 4 and you'd never travel to either area, yet both are well worth it. We lived on a lake that was horrific on July 4 but so peaceful and beautiful other times. When France has their vacation shut down isn't the time for visitors to think they'll have all the tourist world to themselves.

Beware The Juilletistes and The Aoûtiens.

Now we were there in early August but then we're use to large numbers of people and didn't even realize it was anything more than summer tourism. Of course, we live in a tourist area.