man paints boat on fence

A California resident who was ordered to hide his boat from the view of his wealthy neighbours has gone viral after performing a gloriously petty act of malicious compliance.

Etienne Constable, who lives in Seaside in Monterey County, was informed in July 2023 that he must construct a cover to conceal his boat, else face a $100 fine.

The town’s municipal codes decree “boats and large pickup campers, motor homes, recreation vehicles, utility trailers, and vacation trailers” can be parked on driveways if, “screened on the side and front by a six-foot-high fence”.

Constable built the fence, but then hired a local artist to paint a realistic, life-sized depiction of his boat on the barrier.

“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, who says he consulted his neighbours about the plan, told local TV station KSBW.

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

“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.”

Constable paid muralist Hanif Panni to paint a depiction of the boat, Might As Well, on the new six-foot-tall fence.

“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.”

Panni has reportedly been inundated with requests from neighbours seeking similar murals.

The city has yet to officially respond to the mural, but pictures of it swiftly went viral online, generating plenty of conversation

Constable says he assumes authorities are aware of his unusual workaround.

“It’s not like I’m hiding anything,” he adds

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