Quote:
Originally Posted by BroadHopper
Not a great fan of Thurston's. Capt Bonehead rents his boats from there. Many have complained to the staff about it. They are still doing it!  |
Kinda funny you should bring that up. I came across a Thurston's renter just yesterday. I was pulling into the Center Harbor docks to go to the hardware store. I was about half way between the 150' marker and the dock and I hear an outboard motor rev'd way up. I looked up and saw a boat full of people trying to dock on one of the side docks. He kept shifting between forward and reverse and each time he'd gun it instead of just putting in gear. Whenever he went into reverse he did it with such gusto that water would pour over the transom. There was a guy in the bow trying to grab for a post when he shot backwards again, almost sending him into the drink. There was a boat in the adjacent slip that I thought sure he would smash into on his next attempt. Cautiously, I approached (with the safety of a dock between us) and suggested that it might be easier to dock in the front slip instead where there were no other boats. I also offered my advice to try it more slowly. He agreed that maybe he was trying to go too fast. I had docked and tied up just as he was now attempting to dock on the outside slip. This time he got about 5' away then cut the engine and let it drift in. Before I could offer a hand the guy on the bow jumped out with a line in his hand and was able to bring them in. Fun stuff.
I wouldn't know if Thurstan's is any different with their rental policy than anybody else but I would think they would all make sure that their boats are being operated by somebody who at least has a clue as to how to do so.