Advice on getting a boat safety certificate

[Bacchus]

12 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Would you rather he passed a boat that had items installed that were "not according to requirements / regs" ?

 

 

He couldn't find it in the manual. He had to phone home to the BSS central, but they're obviously going to err on the side of caution. He only questioned it because he saw a for-sale sign on the boat and was worried that a surveyor might not agree.

 

The annoying thing is that there is no cock at the bottom of the fuel tank (which, personally, I would say is more of a safety issue?), so I will have to find someone who can drain the fuel turning a ten-pound job into a two-hundred pound job. C'est la vie. "Bring Out Another Thousand".

Edited September 30, 2023 by Bacchus

[Alan de Enfield]

13 minutes ago, Bacchus said:

 

He couldn't find it in the manual. He had to phone home to the BSS central, but they're obviously going to err on the side of caution. He only questioned it because he saw a for-sale sign on the boat and was worried that a surveyor might not agree.

 

The annoying thing is that there is no cock at the bottom of the fuel tank (which, personally, I would say is more of a safety issue?), so I will have to find someone who can drain the fuel turning a ten-pound job into a two-hundred pound job. C'est la vie. "Bring Out Another Thousand".

 

Put a pair of mole-grips across the hose and squash it - it will do whilst you re-route or 'adjust' the hose.

Bend the hose back on itself and get another 'crease it it and cable tie it together.

 

It is not difficult.

[Tacet]

46 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Rightly so.

Would you rather he passed a boat that had items installed that were "not according to requirements / regs" ?

 

I'd rather have that than my last examiner who sat in the saloon for 15 minutes didn't even look at anything on the boat (and didn't see all the failures I had set up - including fire extinguishers with a 'use by date' of 10 years ago), simply asked if I had CO alarms) and issued a 'pass'.

 

I felt cheated having paid £180.

Was the validity of the BSS pass result affected/ cancelled by the boat not, in fact, being compliant at the test time and immediately after?

 

If so, your licence and insurance.........

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Put a pair of mole-grips across the hose and squash it - it will do whilst you re-route or 'adjust' the hose.

Bend the hose back on itself and get another 'crease it it and cable tie it together.

 

It is not difficult.

The use to make Mole grips to do that on brake hoses with a special jaw

[Tony1]

3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Rightly so.

Would you rather he passed a boat that had items installed that were "not according to requirements / regs" ?

 

I'd rather have that than my last examiner who sat in the saloon for 15 minutes didn't even look at anything on the boat (and didn't see all the failures I had set up - including fire extinguishers with a 'use by date' of 10 years ago), simply asked if I had CO alarms) and issued a 'pass'.

 

I felt cheated having paid £180.

 

I don't suppose you could PM me with the contact details for this reprehensible chap? 

I can only imagine how awful it would be to have a BSS inspector who just checks the CO alarms and then sits down for a brew and a chat.

Not the sort of chap I'd want to use, obviously.

But it might be handy to have his contact details, just in case I can't find a good diligent inspector....

 

 

[Tony1]

On 12/09/2023 at 20:16, Tracy D'arth said:

Ask   Steve Williams,   Based around Middlewich so Crewe is local.

Stephen Williams

Middlewich

07814-530679

  A helpful examiner.

 

Thanks a lot for this tip Tracy.

Steve did my inspection a few days ago and he was absolutely great. Thoroughly checked the gas workings, engine bay fittings etc, and offered some additional safety advice on other issues that were not going to fail my BSS, but could still affect my safety. 

Definitely struck me as a pragmatic, helpful and professional bloke, and if he's still working in 4 years time I'll book him again . 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

10 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

Thanks a lot for this tip Tracy.

Steve did my inspection a few days ago and he was absolutely great. Thoroughly checked the gas workings, engine bay fittings etc, and offered some additional safety advice on other issues that were not going to fail my BSS, but could still affect my safety. 

Definitely struck me as a pragmatic, helpful and professional bloke, and if he's still working in 4 years time I'll book him again . 

 

Glad to help.  I speak as I find, and the good are worth recommending.

I have heard of an examiner who takes hours and nit picks the smallest things that would never be a safety issue.

You have to accept that the examiner will do a rapid assessment of the boat and the owner on first arriving, and based on that will be the depth he feels necessary during his examination. Faced with boat that is up for sale he will have to be sure that the next surveyor does not find something he has missed.

[Tony1]

25 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

 

You have to accept that the examiner will do a rapid assessment of the boat and the owner on first arriving, and based on that will be the depth he feels necessary during his examination. 

 

 

I wondered if initial impressions might be a thing, so I was careful to clean the engine bay surfaces, fuel pipework, engine (and even the long-neglected cratch) on the day before the inspection, and generally tried to give the impression that I fastidiously maintained the boat. 

It was all a complete act of course- I am the most slovenly devil that ever held a tiller. 

I think he was probably a fellow Liverpudlian, which was a pleasant surprise, although I refused to disclose my football team allegiances until after the inspection. 

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Tony1

[roland elsdon]

I used Steve recently.

Very reasonable and loads of good advice. Stuff I hadnt even thought about offered ( age of hoses and regulators etc) Pragmatic too with a boat very unaltered since 1937 in many aspects.

[LadyG]

On 30/09/2023 at 12:31, blackrose said:

 

You are a never ending font of stupid advice.

This was in response to his sole requirenent to achieve a pass on the day, which is a hazardous approach to personal safety.

[Machpoint005]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

This was in response to his sole requirenent to achieve a pass on the day, which is a hazardous approach to personal safety.

 

Yes, it is, and it should not ever be encouraged.