Which comes first. BSS or licence

[Rizzo]

After years of drooling and dreaming I am finally in a position to buy my first narrowboat. The boat I am thinking of buying is moored on a private section of the the River Wey. The boat is not licenced, insured or BSS certified. The current owners just visit to start the engine occasionally.

To enable the boat to be surveyed it needs to be moved to the nearest slipway /boatyard which is about a mile away on the navigation proper. My question is, am I allowed to get the boat to the boatyard without any of the above.  Once surveyed it can get BSS and Insurance then finally a licence. The mooring will be rented to me from the landowner.

TIA

Jon  

[Alan de Enfield]

1st thing you need to do is insure it.

 

2nd, you need to conform with whatever rules are in force on the Wey. You may be allowed to travel without a licence and BSS, but you WILL need insurance to move onto the Wey, you need to check exactly what the navigation authority allow.

 

3rd get a BSS

 

4th Get a licence (you cannot get a licence without a BSS)

Edited November 16, 2020 by Alan de Enfield

[TheBiscuits]

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

1st thing you need to do is insure it.

 

2nd, you need to conform with whatever rules are in force on the Wey. You may be allowed to travel without a licence and BSS, you need to check.

 

3rd get a BSS

 

4th Get a licence (you cannot get a licence without a BSS)

 

That seems expensive to get a prepurchase survey ...

[Alan de Enfield]

If it were C&RT waters he would be allowed (with permission, which shall not unreasonbly be witheld) to travel for a survey without a licence or BSS  but must have insurance - he could do untold damage to infrastructure or other boats and then who pays ?

 

I have no idea what the Wey & Godalming Navigation Authority require, but he can google as easily as I can.

[roland elsdon]

I would ask the navigation office for clarification.

Secondly the boatyard may have trade plates.

You might be able to get a day licence to and from dock.

[Murflynn]

I believe the previous responses have not considered the real situation which I believe to be as follows:

 

- he can't get insurance without BSS

- he believes he has to move the boat to a boatyard to get a survey (by which I understand he means a BSS inspection).

 

if the boat really is inaccessible for a BSS inspector, and you really feel that driving it a mile without licence and insurance is not worth the risk, why don't you ask the boatyard to tow it from its mooring?

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, Murflynn said:

I believe the previous responses have not considered the real situation which I believe to be as follows:

 

- he can't get insurance without BSS

- he believes he has to move the boat to a boatyard to get a survey (by which I understand he means a BSS inspection).

 

if the boat really is inaccessible for a BSS inspector, and you really feel that driving it a mile without licence and insurance is not worth the risk, why don't you ask the boatyard to tow it from its mooring?

You certainly can get insurance without a BSS

 

I read it that it was a pre-purchase survey (but you may be correct) as he says gets a survey and he can then get a BSS.

 

It is simple to confirm what he neds simply by asking the Navigation Authority.

[BilgePump]

With my little GRP cruiser which had never been on the canals before, I insured it 3rd party, got a short term licence with self declared safety, launched it onto CRT waters, got a BSS test pass, then got a long term licence.

 

edit to add: obviously not the Wey but wonder if they have a similar thing that would give you a 'window'

Edited November 16, 2020 by BilgePump

[TheBiscuits]

6 minutes ago, Murflynn said:

I believe the previous responses have not considered the real situation which I believe to be as follows:

 

- he can't get insurance without BSS

- he believes he has to move the boat to a boatyard to get a survey (by which I understand he means a BSS inspection).

 

if the boat really is inaccessible for a BSS inspector, and you really feel that driving it a mile without licence and insurance is not worth the risk, why don't you ask the boatyard to tow it from its mooring?

 

Yeah, maybe.

 

I read it that he wants a survey, and assumed that the surveyor will also do a BSS inspection as part of a survey - he doesn't own the boat yet.

 

I'd get the current owner to move the boat to the boatyard at his risk!

[Murflynn]

52 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

 

 

I'd get the current owner to move the boat to the boatyard at his risk!

good point!

[Rizzo]

Thanks for the prompt replies. Yes it's a pre purchase survey and getting the current owner to move it covers my backside nicely. 

[MartinC]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

You certainly can get insurance without a BSS

 

 

But you need to be careful with whom you arrange the insurance. At least one of the major narrowboat insurers has a policy condition that you must have a current BSS.

[Momac]

2 hours ago, Rizzo said:

After years of drooling and dreaming I am finally in a position to buy my first narrowboat. The boat I am thinking of buying is moored on a private section of the the River Wey. The boat is not licenced, insured or BSS certified. The current owners just visit to start the engine occasionally.

To enable the boat to be surveyed it needs to be moved to the nearest slipway /boatyard which is about a mile away on the navigation proper. My question is, am I allowed to get the boat to the boatyard without any of the above.  Once surveyed it can get BSS and Insurance then finally a licence. The mooring will be rented to me from the landowner.

TIA

Jon  

I would ask the present owner to move the boat at his own  risk.

Edited November 16, 2020 by MartynG

[Momac]

By the way - all risks  insurance in your name would be worthless in the event of a claim  if you don't own the boat.

[Ally]

I'm glad getting the current owner to move it was pointed out! First thing in my head from post 1. Plus, if you moved it and something happened, you could, these days, be sued and end up paying for the boat without getting it. And yes, agreed, insurance does not require a bss automatically.  We insured our studio boat about 2 months before we got a bss (as it was completely empty, no engine or anything to test.)

[pearley]

21 hours ago, MartinC said:

But you need to be careful with whom you arrange the insurance. At least one of the major narrowboat insurers has a policy condition that you must have a current BSS.

Craftinsure require current BSS

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, pearley said:

Craftinsure require current BSS

Not on all policies, and, if you talk to them and explain things they tend to be quite flexible.

Remember Bob Hoskins :- "Its good to talk"

[pearley]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Not on all policies, and, if you talk to them and explain things they tend to be quite flexible.

Remember Bob Hoskins :- "Its good to talk"

Not a problem with us as always had a BSS.

[Murflynn]

2 minutes ago, pearley said:

Not a problem with us as always had a BSS.

well bully for you 

[Alan de Enfield]

14 minutes ago, pearley said:

Not a problem with us as always had a BSS.

When you bring a boat off 'non' C&RT waters you have to get it BSS'd

[pearley]

3 hours ago, Murflynn said:

well bully for you 

Thanks for that.

 

Always try to keep within the 'rules'.

[Momac]

11 minutes ago, pearley said:

 

Always try to keep within the 'rules'.

A BSS  certificate may expire when off water without breaking any rules. 

Boats based on coastal marinas are not usually required to have a BSS certificate at all.

 

 

[pearley]

25 minutes ago, MartynG said:

A BSS  certificate may expire when off water without breaking any rules. 

Boats based on coastal marinas are not usually required to have a BSS certificate at all.

 

 

Yes and yes.

 

But not sure of your point. Post 12 mentioned that some insurers require a BSS. I said mine was one of those. As this is a canal forum, which covers other inland waterways, I'm not concerned with coastal marinas.

 

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by pearley

[Momac]

2 minutes ago, pearley said:

Yes and yes.

 

But not sure of your point. Post 12 mentioned that some insurers require a BSS. I said mine was one of those. As this is a canal forum, which covers other inland waterways, I'm not concerned with coastal marinas.

Just trying to give examples where  its not mandatory to have a BSSC .  My boat was off water when the BSSC expired in November 2019 and the was no issue at all ant not against any rules . I had intended to get the BSS renewed in March but Covid lockdown struck and it was not done until May. In the meantime no problem with insurance.

.

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

3 minutes ago, MartynG said:

Just trying to give examples where  its not mandatory to have a BSSC .  My boat was off water when the BSSC expired in November 2019 and the was no issue at all ant not against any rules . I had intended to get the BSS renewed in March but Covid lockdown struck and it was not done until May. In the meantime no problem with insurance.

.

 

 

I can't remember, was it a requirement on the Middle Level

Edited November 17, 2020 by ditchcrawler