Paranoid Over A Boat?

Carrera said:

A question: I just fell out with my family over the following situation. My question: Am I paranoid?

////... saaanip.

i dont own a boat but luckily for you i am a trained psychaitrist..

you are not paranoid, but you are clinically insane. Letting stranger take your boat, your pride and joy, all that hard work and have his wicked way with it...

no way pedro.

now, tell me about your mother....was she a cruel woman?

I'm not a psychologist either, but I think my experiences overseas made an impact.
I've dealt with some pretty cunning characters, especially in Spain where there's a lot of cheating and cons going on. I recall one time I met someone, handed over a wad of notes and naievely believed this was for a flat. It turned out to be a set-up and when I arrived at the location, there were already people living there. 😄
Mountain Pro, I think the truth is people as whole are way too trusting. I mean, have you heard about all those U.K. citizens who paid out thousands of pounds for dream homes in Spain, yet they were ripped off by sales firms and later found they had no legal rights to prevent bulldozing of the properties?
My problem is I've been ripped off bigtime about 4 times but maybe I have swung too much the other way from trusting to cautious.

MountainPro said:

i dont own a boat but luckily for you i am a trained psychaitrist..

you are not paranoid, but you are clinically insane. Letting stranger take your boat, your pride and joy, all that hard work and have his wicked way with it...

no way pedro.

now, tell me about your mother....was she a cruel woman?

Wouldn't trust George Bush with my boat either, for that matter. 🙂

I once heard a boat-owner describe a boat as "a hole in the water into which you pour money".

No, I don't think you're paranoid - just worldly wise.

🙂 John🙂

I never loan my boat to anyone. It's hard to open a beer and tread water at the same time.
Sound logic if you ask me.

Pro: The acutely insane have their place in the world. It is just not in the general population.

Owning a boat is a bit similar to owning a bike, except with boats you have genuine overheads. Apart from that, every cyclist will need to learn how to fix a puncture, how to change cables and how to adjust derailleurs. Likewise, successful boat-owners need to know how to change a filter or wire up an ignition switch.
I must admit, I have learned something. I've got the hang of painting and a bit of fibre-glass work but finding a mechanic around here is very tricky. The last one screwed up by starting the engine without checking for water in the fuel.
Really, you're 10 times better off with a bike but I would still like to finish this project regardless. :o

John Knees said:

I once heard a boat-owner describe a boat as "a hole in the water into which you pour money".

No, I don't think you're paranoid - just worldly wise.

🙂 John🙂

Carrera said:

A question: He told me later that, in order to service the motor, he wanted to unhook my boat from its mooring and tow it off. The reason for this was because he wished to use jump-leads from his own larger boat and to do this he figured it would be best for me to let him tow the boat off for a few days.
.

If the guy wanted the work and didn't offer an alterative to towing your boat off after you objected, then he probably had other plans for your boat.

Regardless of how prudent your decision was, we will still think of you as being paranoid. That's just the way it has to be. 😄

lw

lwedge said:

If the guy wanted the work and didn't offer an alterative to towing your boat off after you objected, then he probably had other plans for your boat.

Regardless of how prudent your decision was, we will still think of you as being paranoid. That's just the way it has to be. 😄

lw

I am not paranoid ,despite the fact that you are all out to get me.

jhuskey said:

I am not paranoid ,despite the fact that you are all out to get me.

The Prisoner: "Who are you?"
Number 2: "To you - I am Number 2."
The Prisoner: "Who is Number 1?"
Number 2: "You are number 6."
The Prisoner: "I am not a Number! I am a free man!"
Number 2: "(laughter) Rover the village gaurdian will always find you."

lw (What was that....? You guys hear that?)

If all you need is a battery charge then he doesn't have to tow your boat away for that.He (or you) can remove the battery and take it to his boat by vehicle to charge it.For that matter you can charge it from a vehicle engine.Or he could moor his boat temporarily near yours and do it,and if he's working on your boat this looks like the best option as it saves transporting his tools.
You could point out to him that he will save fuel and time if he brings his boat to yours and does the work and you will still be able to continue to do your own stuff on it.
I can see how this is a awkward situation for you.If he's genuine,you run the risk of offending him and losing a good mechanic.Perhaps if you tell him that you are keen to learn about your engine and would like to be there when he does the work? That's also a sensible precaution against over-charging (price-wise).

There are still plenty of pirates at large and most of them are in the boat-repair business. I think you're right to be cautious.

lwedge said:

The Prisoner: "Who are you?"
Number 2: "To you - I am Number 2."
The Prisoner: "Who is Number 1?"
Number 2: "You are number 6."
The Prisoner: "I am not a Number! I am a free man!"
Number 2: "(laughter) Rover the village gaurdian will always find you."

lw (What was that....? You guys hear that?)

Number 2 : Don't worry,Number 6.You'll be cured.No more nightmares.If you have so much as a bad dream you will come...
whimpering ...to tell it to me! 😄

I think you were being sensible. Unless it was being towed to a yard where I could actually go and check the work in progress, there is no way I would let some stranger tow my boat away.

What prevented him from bringing his boat over to yours and tying up alongside?

If you think he is genuine, then SteveBaby's advice about asking if you can watch what he does because you want to learn how to do it yourself, is pretty good.

This guy I gave 50 pounds up front for parts. He seemed very very keen to tow the boat off and insisted that was the best option. My family told me to let him tow the boat off and said I was paranoid.
I stuck with my feeling. This guy has now suddenly disappeared. He's not forwarded me the spare parts that he said he'd buy with the 50 pounds and then billed me appropriately for his time - or communicated he no longer wishes to do the job. Zilch.
I'm beginning to suspect he is no longer in the area. People I ask haven't seen his boat either. Maybe he got offended but I myself said nothing that was offensive. All I ever said was I didn't feel comfortable loosing my boat form its mooring unless I knew the person well enough. Hell, I wouldn't just give someone my bike on trust, unless he or she worked for a specific shop.
I have started work on the engine myself. I'll do the job myself - there is no option. I discovered there is way too much water in the fuel tank so I'm draining it in a jug, bit by bit. Tomorrow I'll fit a new filtration system.

stevebaby said:

If all you need is a battery charge then he doesn't have to tow your boat away for that.He (or you) can remove the battery and take it to his boat by vehicle to charge it.For that matter you can charge it from a vehicle engine.Or he could moor his boat temporarily near yours and do it,and if he's working on your boat this looks like the best option as it saves transporting his tools.
You could point out to him that he will save fuel and time if he brings his boat to yours and does the work and you will still be able to continue to do your own stuff on it.
I can see how this is a awkward situation for you.If he's genuine,you run the risk of offending him and losing a good mechanic.Perhaps if you tell him that you are keen to learn about your engine and would like to be there when he does the work? That's also a sensible precaution against over-charging (price-wise).

There are still plenty of pirates at large and most of them are in the boat-repair business. I think you're right to be cautious.

Carrera said:

This guy I gave 50 pounds up front for parts. He seemed very very keen to tow the boat off and insisted that was the best option. My family told me to let him tow the boat off and said I was paranoid.
I stuck with my feeling. This guy has now suddenly disappeared. He's not forwarded me the spare parts that he said he'd buy with the 50 pounds and then billed me appropriately for his time - or communicated he no longer wishes to do the job. Zilch.
I'm beginning to suspect he is no longer in the area. People I ask haven't seen his boat either. Maybe he got offended but I myself said nothing that was offensive. All I ever said was I didn't feel comfortable loosing my boat form its mooring unless I knew the person well enough. Hell, I wouldn't just give someone my bike on trust, unless he or she worked for a specific shop.
I have started work on the engine myself. I'll do the job myself - there is no option. I discovered there is way too much water in the fuel tank so I'm draining it in a jug, bit by bit. Tomorrow I'll fit a new filtration system.

Hehehehe. We always thought you were bonkers, and now you've proved it.

I recall seeing a guy crack up at university. He was a plump, working-class dude who seemed to be having problems settling in. He became ever more anxious as the weeks passed by and fell into deeper depression over his one-off poor biology result.
One day a friend told me about a weird conversation he had with this guy in the cafeteria. Seemingly after complaining about the biology class, he looked around shiftily and then said:
"And another thing. Some [censored]'s been following me around campus!"
When asked to elaborate, he said:
"Some [censored]'s been following me about campus. I keep hearing footsteps behind me and when I turn round I can hear shuffling, tittering and sniggers. Then "they" disappear when I shout out!"
The poor guy cracked a few weeks after and dropped out.

jhuskey said:

I am not paranoid ,despite the fact that you are all out to get me.

lwedge said:

The Prisoner: "Who are you?"
Number 2: "To you - I am Number 2."
The Prisoner: "Who is Number 1?"
Number 2: "You are number 6."
The Prisoner: "I am not a Number! I am a free man!"
Number 2: "(laughter) Rover the village gaurdian will always find you."

lw (What was that....? You guys hear that?)

Aaaah, "The Prisoner" series from Portmeirion in Wales. Excellent stuff.
Carrera - don't be letting anyone tow your boat away without you onboard. I thought you'd figured out the diesel [censored]? It's pretty basic.

Virtually all the problems I had with owning a boat has been caused by this f*****g rain to put it bluntly.
People need to start acting and forcing politicians to act before it's too late because this weather is the most serious threat we face at present. Far more so than terrorism.
Despite the sheet coverings, the sheer force of this rain is getting into my boat, into the fuel-tank and into the bilges. It's my number one problem.

EoinC said:

Aaaah, "The Prisoner" series from Portmeirion in Wales. Excellent stuff.
Carrera - don't be letting anyone tow your boat away without you onboard. I thought you'd figured out the diesel [censored]? It's pretty basic.