Borrowing Stuff Without Permission

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

I can’t imagine a place where all of the dinghys weren’t locked.

My Avon 310 with 15hp Merc isn’t locked and neither is anyone else’s in my area. We might need to borrow a dink for whatever reason.

[CaptTom]

OK, what if the dinghy drifting away was full of people, heading for a waterfall. And the only other dingy around was needed to save the life of one other person on shore.

Ta-Da! I've made it into the famous "trolley" dilemma!

[Fiveslide]

I've lost one dinghy, an ugly, heavy hard rowing dink. I took a second to look at the Lee shore and it wasn't there. Oh, well, not there. Someone must have stolen it, something I thought would never happen.

I have helped catch a couple that left the dock unmanned. Each time had a knock on the hull and someone saying their dinghy was gone. No questions asked I was on deck and in our little whaler that replaced the old rowing POS and we chased them down.

The whaler needed keys so it was unlikely that anyone would be able to take it in a rush.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

I can’t imagine a place where all of the dinghies weren’t locked.

Never occurred to me to lock the dinghy in the UK or France when going ashore.

I lock the one in the yacht club dinghy park because it is accessible from the water and not used very often.

[a64pilot]

First if I’m wearing socks and shoes, it’s way too cold to swim, and if there is any wind to speak of, I doubt I’d catch it anyway, unless it was close.
So swimming for it is an option only if it’s close in my mind, but is option 1.
Second I’d ask anyone if there was someone to ask.
Third, I’d borrow a dinghy, and be very apologetic if someone who owned it showed up, but assuming it was you who’s dinghy I took, would you be upset with me being very apologetic and towing my dinghy being yours?
I think at worst you would laugh at me, and I’d buy Supper or rounds which ever.

When we had to leave our boat in the mooring field at Vero, I didn’t have any trouble getting a ride to shore from another cruiser. I don’t think they understood the urgency cause they went shopping first, but that was likely my fault for not stressing the urgency.
When I returned for the boat to move it after a couple of months, I hung out at the dinghy dock and got a ride from someone back to the boat.
So yes, I think cruisers are a little more understanding.

My dinghy would cost close to $10K to replace, to me that is a LOT of money, I’m not watching it drift off thinking oh well. I’ll just get another one tomorrow.

[seadago]

Never happened to me, on either side of the equation. This said, it's one of those things that could happen to all of us, and possibly will to more than one. I would imagine it's in the back of every cruiser's mind every time we come ashore. The consequences of loosing a dinghy may range from merely an inconvenience, to a real problem threatening the viability of continuing your cruise, so no small matter.
I'd like to believe there would be understanding and empathy in most of us in those circumstances.
If I was watching my dinghy drifting away, and could not get immediate help from another dinghy owner before it was too late, I think I may "borrow one without permission" to save the day.
What I would most definitely do, once emergency is over, is locate the owner, explain what happened, buy a round or three in gratitude, and offer to help with other things in any way I could. That would smooth most ruffled feathers I think.
Put it this way, If my dinghy was drifting away, and I was not around to retrieve it, I would be very greatfull indeed that someone else that noticed did, out of their own volition, and without twice thinking of asking my permisssion.

[Fiveslide]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Third, I’d borrow a dinghy, and be very apologetic if someone who owned it showed up, but assuming it was you who’s dinghy I took, would you be upset with me being very apologetic and towing my dinghy being yours?
I think at worst you would laugh at me, and I’d buy Supper or rounds which ever.
.

I wouldn't care at all if my dinghy was shanghaied in the act of saving another cruiser's dinghy. If it we're brought back in one piece, I'd simply be glad it helped. My wife, most likely, would have some b!#@hy comment about not being asked because that's the way her mind works, but she'd get over it.

I hope she doesn't read this, cause I'll get some b!#@hy comments for saying she makes b!#@hy comments.

[jkleins]

Originally Posted by Jd1

I must admit I am a bit (pleasantly) surprised to find out I was wrong when I assumed people would borrow a stranger's tender without asking in the situation given.

I felt exactly the opposite. I felt sad that a person would not feel free to borrow my dinghy to save their own. It says a bit about what we have become that we think people wouldn’t readily help us in that situation.
I personally would borrow a dinghy and put it back exactly as I found it (or better) and if I damaged something I would make sure it was repaired or replaced and I would probably put a note to the owner thanking them and I might even throw in a bit of money to reinforce it.

Jim

[Stu Jackson]

Cane Garden Bay, early 90s: Our dinghy disappeared from the dinghy dock, and it was late at night by this time. We got a ride back to our boat from a family who overheard us talking about our lost dinghy. Next morning a different couple came over towing our dinghy. "How did you know it was our dinghy?" we asked. "Because you are the only boat at anchor without a dinghy this early in the morning."


Nice helpful folks.


We'll never know if it was my knot tying skills or someone else not retying it when they dinghied in. I knew how to tie good knots even way back then, though.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

The worst that would happen (in the USA) is that you would be riddled with bullet holes...

Jim

Oh man, Stereotype much, I mean just because I'm American, and just because I have a gun collection, and just because I have a Concealed Carry permit, and just because the rest of the world is afraid of guns, doesn't mean...……. Aww wait never mind, Go for it, keeps the foreign tourists jittery and in line

Originally Posted by cyan

Finally!
A gun thread about guns on dinghies.
I've been waiting for this.
So...
Do we need to declare dinghy guns at the dink dock? Can this process wait until we get to the beach bar?
Are there dinghy pirates to be aware of?
What are the best waterproof guns, suitable for dinghy patrol?

[note to gun poster, please use emoticons when making a funny. TIA]

Check them on the dock, just like in some Southern states that have gun checks in restaurants as opposed to a coat check.

Of course there are dinghy pirates, that's why we need Guns

For a long rifle go for an AK, loose tolerances, easy to clean, and it looks "scary" at least that's what I've been told

Originally Posted by a64pilot

My dinghy would cost close to $10K to replace, to me that is a LOT of money, I’m not watching it drift off thinking oh well. I’ll just get another one tomorrow.

What kind of dinghy do you have? Got pictures?

Originally Posted by Fiveslide

I wouldn't care at all if my dinghy was shanghaied in the act of saving another cruiser's dinghy. If it we're brought back in one piece, I'd simply be glad it helped. My wife, most likely, would have some b!#@hy comment about not being asked because that's the way her mind works, but she'd get over it.

I hope she doesn't read this, cause I'll get some b!#@hy comments for saying she makes b!#@hy comments.

Definitely best post of the week. I just about spit out my coffee when I read that.

[sailorboy1]

only dinghies worth stealing are ..................................... the locked ones

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

only dinghies worth stealing are ..................................... the locked ones

All these guys carrying conceled weapons around ought to trade them in for cable cutters.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

All these guys carrying conceled weapons around ought to trade them in for cable cutters.

No need, we can carry both. We're good like that

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

I can’t imagine a place where all of the dinghys weren’t locked.

I've never seen ANY of the dinghies locked (Chesapeake Bay).


I'd consider chasing down a stray dinghy to be an emergency and wouldn't think much of it, so long as they brought it back. I'd probably share laughs with them at the close call and their goof!

[Dsanduril]

I'd hem and haw over borrowing someone else's dinghy for so long that mine would have disappeared from view around the point long before I ever decided it was OK.

The only trepidation I'd have over someone borrowing ours to go fetch theirs would be the concern that if they couldn't tie their dinghy up so that it would stay how are they going to make sure mine stays when they return it?

I do think of this as a community and I sure hope I'd already know you, or have mutual friends, but either way if your dinghy is AWOL, or your boat is dragging and you don't have your dinghy, or if someone is in trouble, feel free, just please bring it back in one piece.