The city told a homeowner to hide his boat behind a fence — his creative and hilarious response went viral

Brooke Kato
·2 min read
1.8k
Photorealistic boat mural painted on fence
Photorealistic boat mural painted on fence

Is this guy the B.O.A.T., or what?

A Seaside, Calif., man ordered by the city to to hide his boat behind a fence has gone viral with his hilarious and creative response to the washed-up request.

Etienne Constable was surprised to receive a sternly-worded letter from his local code enforcement office, informing him that large vehicles parked in driveways must be hidden from view.

Constable said he isn’t a “rule breaker,” per se, but is keen to make a political and humorous statement when necessary. KSBW 8
Constable said he isn’t a “rule breaker,” per se, but is keen to make a political and humorous statement when necessary. KSBW 8

So he built a fence — and had a local artist turn the barrier into a mural of his prized possession.

“I’m not a rule-breaker but I like to make a political statement as necessary as well as a humorous statement and a creative statement,” Constable told local TV station KSBW.

“I thought, ‘This is ridiculous,’ and my first reaction was to leave a nasty, nasty message at the city hall,” he told the Washington Post.

“And then I thought, well, I might as well build a screen … I’ll do what they want, but I’m not going to do it their way.”

After running his grand idea by his neighbors, Constable hired muralist Hanif Panni to paint a photorealistic image of the ship, named Might As Well, on his new, 6-foot tall fence in the driveway.

In response to the letter from the city, he hired a muralist to paint the image of his beloved boat, trolling city officials who asked him to fence in his ship. ModestHouse/X
In response to the letter from the city, he hired a muralist to paint the image of his beloved boat, trolling city officials who asked him to fence in his ship. ModestHouse/X
“I’ll do what they want, but I’m not going to do it their way,” he said. ModestHouse/X
“I’ll do what they want, but I’m not going to do it their way,” he said. ModestHouse/X
Municipal code orders large vehicles, such as a ship, to be fenced in if they are stored in a driveway. ModestHouse/X
Municipal code orders large vehicles, such as a ship, to be fenced in if they are stored in a driveway. ModestHouse/X
He hired artist Hanif Panni to paint the mural. KSBW 8
He hired artist Hanif Panni to paint the mural. KSBW 8

“I’m a big proponent of public art in spaces,” Panni told KSBW. “It engages people in ways that reaching out and having conversations doesn’t sometimes.”

While the city has yet to respond to the cheeky artwork, images of the painting have gone viral and drummed up quite a bit of buzz online.

“I’m all in favor of generating a discussion and making people smile,” Constable told KSBW. “The reaction is extremely more than we ever expected and we’re both just tickled about it.”