Alan de Enfield

Did they end up 'in the canal' due to their 'leisurely' business practices ?

It appears that most manufacturers do date mark - how odd that you should get one without a date ! Have you purchased a cheapy-chinky version ? Richard Hakeem, director of technical and safety policy, at Liquid Gas UK explains regulators play an important role in reducing the pressure of LPG in the cylinder to the much lower pressure required to run the appliance. “If a regulator fails, it can lead to over pressurisation of the appliance and an accumulation of LPG, which is a fire or explosion risk if an ignition is present. “All regulators should have their date of manufacture stamped or marked on them and should be replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If the instructions have been lost or do not give such information the regulator should be replaced not more than ten years after manufacture.” And from Flogas .......... When should an LPG regulator be replaced? Industry guidance recommends replacing LPG regulators every 10 years from the date of manufacture, unless the manufacturer’s instructions say otherwise. If you are not sure how old your regulator is, look for the date marked on it. If you can’t find it, or you would rather have an expert check it for you, it is best to speak to a Gas Safe registered engineer. And Calor Gas ................... Calor gas regulators are date marked. They typically have a date of manufacture stamped on them, which helps ensure they are safe and effective for use. It is important to replace regulators that are more than 10 years old and to follow the manufacturer's instructions for replacement.

After 15 years without a reply, I guess he has either given up, or found the answer elsewhere.

The regulators should be replaced every 10 years. There should be a date marked on it so you can find the age.

But, when they had had a run of a certain model, they'd sell on the moulds, and the 'same hull' has a new life with a different name - the OPs boat has been highlighted as such a (possible) boat..................

I used the output on the controller (right hand side 2 terminals) for the supply for the VHF radio - radio was not installed in this picture.

I am not suggesting age per se, just 'new' boats and 'old' boats (already been licenced for a year or more)

Never had that problem, but cocking-a-leg on them is not unknown.

Then you either have to pay for your non gas approved BSS inspector AND and an approved gas engineer (to do the actual gas test), or, pay whatever a Gas qualified BSS examiner wants to charge you.

Thats why you will see many boaters with a tennis ball pushed onto the top of their pins.

Another potential earner of cash for C&RT could be to follow the example of the car market, where, for a new car its 1st year licence (Road Tax / VED) is creeping up towards £5000. This would mean that 'old' boats, where the manufacturing emissions have long since been 'paid for', would become more in demand, sustaining the 2nd hand market. Buyers of new boats would then not have a 2 or 3 year lead time. £5k (or even £10k) is a piddling amount on a £150k-£300k boat. Win - Win

Yes- that is allowed in the RCD so the BSS could hardly 'ban it'. As it happens our Catamaran is fitted with a flexible rubber hose gas system to ISO 10239 The BSS states : Applicability – ‘all-hose’ systems will generally be found on imported boats, CE marked to the Recreational Craft Directive or UKCA marked according to the Recreational Craft Regulations, where the builder has chosen to apply ISO 10239. Applicability – for multi-appliance systems to ISO 10239, anticipate a manifold arrangement within the cylinder locker or housing. The "1 metre" requirement is for a different application where the appliance is used directly attached to the regulator, and is not part of the BSS checking. Applicability – single cooking appliances connected by hose of no more than 1m in length directly to a regulator are acceptable and need not be assessed against this Check. For example - a rail mounted BBQ such as the one we have fitted

An RCD HIN certainly would - down to the build month & year as well as the makers name. But, its a moot point, as it certainly predates the RCD. Builders of small GRP boats in the 70s and 80s were real "Fred in a shed" operations, buying a mould, making a few hulls and then selling on the moulds to another 'hopeful'. There could be several 'identical boats'. built by different builders.

There is an interesting report (almost 300 pages) on the canals and BWB complied by the Monopolies & Mergers Board date 1994