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Boat Safety and Coronavirus


StephenA

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23 hours ago, Rob-M said:

Ours is booked to be done a few days before it expires which is in a couple of weeks as that was when it fitted to get it done. Hopefully the examiner will still travel to do it. I had the same thought though if he doesn't want to come and do it I will need to speak to CRT and the insurance company to explain the circumstances and see what they say.

If you get any problems give Pete Evans a try unless that's who you are using? He is based at Gloucester Narrowboats, The Black Shed, Slimbridge. Just down the road.

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57 minutes ago, rustydiver said:

If you get any problems give Pete Evans a try unless that's who you are using? He is based at Gloucester Narrowboats, The Black Shed, Slimbridge. Just down the road.

Thanks, I've arranged for for the chap that services my engine to do the service and BSS as he also installed my new cooker which is the only change from the last check. Hopefully he will still travel as he is doing someone else on the RW Davis moorings on the same day.

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7 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Thanks, I've arranged for for the chap that services my engine to do the service and BSS as he also installed my new cooker which is the only change from the last check. Hopefully he will still travel as he is doing someone else on the RW Davis moorings on the same day.

?

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On 17/03/2020 at 19:56, matty40s said:

You get lots of notice and can get it done up to 4 months in advance, but a lot of excuse really.

Yes - ours is due in two months which is why we're looking at getting it done now. It's not like we've left it to the last minute, so lets be less judgemental shall we?

On 18/03/2020 at 13:14, Halsey said:

 

Hmmmmmmm………. until you try and make a claim ???????

 

Why do so many people leave stuff too late and why do we always look to situations like this to get away with something that is common sense and for our own safety - I know the outcome of a BSS can (like an MOT) be a problem for many but that's not a reason for trying to get out of it??

 

Surely its sensible to assume that a boat that hasn't got a BSS will be regarded as failing in some "catch all phrase" sense by an insurance company as not being well maintained/seaworthy etc etc 

 

It's due in two months which is why we're looking at getting it done now.  We're not trying to get away with anything.

On 17/03/2020 at 21:21, Tim Lewis said:

 

if the examiner drives to the boat and you leave him alone I can't see what the problem is. With most surveyors being self employed I can't see many cancelling

 

 

Because the keys are in my house which is 100 miles from the boat?

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I had an oven and hob installed yesterday by an approved gas fitter and local surveyor. Same person that did my initial survey and the one BSS I have had since purchase.

 

I opened up the mooring gates and boat before he arrived, had a brief chat without getting too close when he arrived and then left him to it for a couple of hours. He phoned me when he had completed and I went back to close up, passing him on the way out as I arrived. We never set foot on the boat at the same time.

 

JP

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My BSS examiner was due to turn up at the weekend. But he has been delayed by lockdown (not in the UK).

Another week to wait.

I would have had the test done earlier but floods prevented access to the boat. 

 

 

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My BSS is due mid May, I should be having my boat safety inspection today but the surveyor had to cancel last week because of his own personal circumstances re Covid19.  I have managed to re-book with a second surveyor in Mid April, his first available appointment but still in plenty of time.  My worry is if we are still in lockdown, which I think is fairly likely,  my journey to the boat to allow access and generally be able to tell the surveyor where to find stuff (from a distance obviously) won't be considered essential and that's assuming the surveyor is still able to go ahead  & we are allowed access to the marina.  Have emailed the trust and awaiting a reply, will let you know if I get one.

 

Certainly not leaving it too late or trying to get out of it, just trying to plan ahead.

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Just now, Lottiespal said:

My BSS is due mid May, I should be having my boat safety inspection today but the surveyor had to cancel last week because of his own personal circumstances re Covid19.  I have managed to re-book with a second surveyor in Mid April, his first available appointment but still in plenty of time.  My worry is if we are still in lockdown, which I think is fairly likely,  my journey to the boat to allow access and generally be able to tell the surveyor where to find stuff (from a distance obviously) won't be considered essential and that's assuming the surveyor is still able to go ahead  & we are allowed access to the marina.  Have emailed the trust and awaiting a reply, will let you know if I get one.

 

Certainly not leaving it too late or trying to get out of it, just trying to plan ahead.

You are presently not permitted to make that journey to the boat.

The surveyor is permitted to travel for work.

 

My BSS surveyor is hopefully going to turn up at the boat at the weekend. He knows where the keys are . I am no longer worried if he doesn't turn up as we cant go to the boat for at least three weeks.

I have had four  BSS tests done before now and not needed to be present on the boat. 

 

.

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I've emailed CRT asking for clarification as if I'm not able to travel to the boat to open it up for the surveyor then he can't to the checks.  He was going to do an engine service as well but I have the new filters at home.

As we won't be going boating though it isn't really going to matter.

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5 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

 I'm not able to travel to the boat to open it up for the surveyor then he can't to the checks.

You are not permitted to travel.

The surveyor could collect the keys  and the new filters from your home as he would be travelling for work and with no alternative means of collecting the keys possible.

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Mrs. Spal's situation is similar to ours. Our boat's certificate expires in early June. Of course we hope that life and movement will be back to normal by then, but there's a chance it may not be. We could arrange with an examiner to visit the boat but at the moment there's one point on which it would fail. This could easily be rectified if we went to the boat, but at the moment we aren't supposed to, and we certainly don't intend to flout the new regulations. So 'Trojan' won't get its BSC, which means that we shan't be able to renew the licence (due August), which means that CART could, in theory at least, seize and sell her.

   I'll ring them and see if I can find someone who can give advice or a ruling on our problem. If I am successful, I'll publish the result here.

 

Oh, and welcome to the forum, Lottie.

Edited by Athy
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44 minutes ago, Lottiespal said:

 ........... my journey to the boat to allow access and generally be able to tell the surveyor where to find stuff

 

If he is unable to identify / find the things he needs to examine then I wouldn't rate his skill levels very highly and would question his ability to do the BSSC test.

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Totally understand that I am not allowed to travel under current instructions, no intention of doing so.  My concern is for what happens if my BSS runs out before I can get it surveyed and how that would impact on my Insurance and compliance with the rules of my marina, especially because I will be unable to go and check the boat for the foreseeable future.

 

The good news is that since my email to Richard Parry at 7.30 am this morning, I have been contacted by both him and Jon Horsfall and told not to worry, they are on it and guidance will be clarified and updated just as soon as they are able.  Pretty good service in my humble opinion. 

Thank you Athy ?

 

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8 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

My suspicion is these concerns about expiring BSS tickets will seem laughably trivial in two or three week's time, given the likely trajectory of CV19 through the population. 

Considering the apparent age & health profile of many boaters, in a few weeks they may not be worrying about anything.

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2 hours ago, Athy said:

Mrs. Spal's situation is similar to ours. Our boat's certificate expires in early June. Of course we hope that life and movement will be back to normal by then, but there's a chance it may not be. We could arrange with an examiner to visit the boat but at the moment there's one point on which it would fail. This could easily be rectified if we went to the boat, but at the moment we aren't supposed to, and we certainly don't intend to flout the new regulations. So 'Trojan' won't get its BSC, which means that we shan't be able to renew the licence (due August), which means that CART could, in theory at least, seize and sell her.

   I'll ring them and see if I can find someone who can give advice or a ruling on our problem. If I am successful, I'll publish the result here.

 

Oh, and welcome to the forum, Lottie.

Same here - we have 2 CO monitors waiting to be fixed. And of course the keys for the boat are hanging up on key key rack

 

 

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3 hours ago, Lottiespal said:

 

The good news is that since my email to Richard Parry at 7.30 am this morning, I have been contacted by both him and Jon Horsfall and told not to worry, they are on it and guidance will be clarified and updated just as soon as they are able.  Pretty good service in my humble opinion. 

 

Looks like the position for car MOTs will be similar.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-51176409

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Ive just long term postponed my BSS and told CRT that I have done this.

 

Chatting to the BSS man I proposed that a BSS could be done remotely using photos and videos. The gas leakage test is the only thing that really needs a BSS man to attend in person.

So, a (hypothetical) question for mtb and any BSS men here, If a boater fitted a pressure gauge on the gas system would this contravene any BSS regulations?

A quite nice 60mBar gauge can be got for about £50.

 

.................Dave 

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13 minutes ago, dmr said:

So, a (hypothetical) question for mtb and any BSS men here, If a boater fitted a pressure gauge on the gas system would this contravene any BSS regulations?

 

I can't imagine it contravening BSS 'regulations', as there aren't any, only things to inspect and pass/fail.

 

The gas regs however, apply to a liveaboard and connecting a correctly calibrated manometer counts as 'work', for which you are required to be 'competent'. (The BSS bod needs to be GSR as he is being paid, but you only need to be competent as you are not being paid.) 

 

Putting the test screw back is more difficult than removing it, from a gas competence POV. You will need to have an approved class of "leak detection fluid" to blob all over the screw (technical term), to check the refitted screw is not leaking.  

 

You will also need to bone up on the let-by test one must do, preceding the tightness test and video this too.  

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