The ugly truth

Boats in Egypt are generally very badly equipped and not properly maintained, specially boats that are rented for either trips or fishing.

The problem is compounded by several factors:
1- No proper regulating procedure that will force owners to ensure their boats are per standards.
2- Lack of general knowledge and common sense in owner, captains and people who rent.
3- The lack of proper maintenance schedules of the boat and equipment.

Usually boats for rent are mostly made of wood, in general wooden boats can last a very long time if maintained with care. However its common that boats exceed the time that they should be serviced in a dry doc because of downtime.

Its typical to see a wooden boat that has not been serviced in 2 years (10-12 month is the maximum) resulting in all sorts of problems and risks.

Engine failure and mechanical problems are very common as well for the same reason.
If you are renting a boat you must be aware of such issues at least to know what kind if boat you are getting into.

Another major problem is the lack of common sense like the lack of bilge pumps (pumps that enable the boat to expel water in case of damage to the structure). Should the boat develop a leak it will sink, what is even worse is that a lot of boats could be underprepared with inadequate bilge pumps not having them is unacceptable.

There is no point for every person to be aware of the full technical requirements of boats but there is a bare minimum of safety that has to be met in your choice of boats.

Boats in Egypt, the good, the bad and the plain ugly ...

Boats have always been a fascinating prospect, sitting on your luxury yacht sipping tea while it glides smoothly on the water.

The truth however is nowhere near that, owning a boat is a nightmare that only the true enthusiast and the people who are willing to spend can afford to own one.

If you are new to boating or a boating enthusiast its a myst that you get an idea of the truth and fiction about boats.

To own a boat is to learn a LOT about boats !
If you choose to go out at sea with out having a clue you are putting yourself and every one with you at risk.
All is fine and dandy until something happens and in that situation there is no time for regret.

I have seen many disasters, including boats sinking, catching fire and get damaged mostly because of owners with no clue on boats or boats that are not even sea worthy.

Boats are risky, when things go wrong you have no where to go and thus its your life on the line. It's amazing how people in Egypt choose to ignore all that and just go on a boat (either owned or a friends) the result is usually a nice trip until something wrong happens.

My aim is to start a serious of posts that will at least shed some light on the problems we face in Egypt in the boat industry.