Whether elaborate prank or loony politics, someone left The Centre on Barton with an early present docked at their doorstep on Christmas Eve.

A small boat, wrapped in tin foil with rambling bits of text scrawled on its exterior from starboard to port, has been parked on a trailer at the shopping mall for more than three days.

Staff Sgt. Frank Miscione says Hamilton police went to the scene on Dec. 25 and 26, and have determined the boat does not pose a threat.

Since there was no hate speech or any danger to the public, it's now up to the city's bylaw enforcement department to decide what to do with it, he added.

Inside the boat is an assortment of items including clothes, memory foam and a book titled "Mysteries of the Unexplained."

The muddled exterior text includes references to Jeranism, an emerging countercultural movement based on flat earth theories and the rejection of conventional science.

Among the blood-red hand prints and scribbled notes are suggestions to "Open your II III II there's truth inside," and musings about NASA being a joke and having "really bad acting."

The text also provides a link to a website where passersby could further research the topic, but mistakenly links to a British-based travel agency domain at globebusters.com/jeranism instead of the likely intended jeranism.com/globebusters.

Centre on Barton security said Sunday there has been no opportunity to get in touch with Hamilton bylaw enforcement since Christmas Eve, so the boat would be enjoying a minimum four-night stay on their property.

Miscione said Centre security has contacted the owner and asked the individual to remove the boat. Police could not confirm whether their officers had interviewed the owner.