BSS due date

[Alan de Enfield]

16 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

So I think MTB is right, I can't see how a BSS in and hour or so can be anything like thorough.  

 

My last BSS was 20 minutes from me opening the marina gate to let him in to opening the marina gates to let him out.

A good 10 minutes was trying to get a signal to log onto the BSS network and find the boats BSS history.

 

He appeared to have superb vision as he checked EVERYTHING in under 5 minutes without leaving the Saloon

[Jon57]

18 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

My last BSS was 20 minutes from me opening the marina gate to let him in to opening the marina gates to let him out.

A good 10 minutes was trying to get a signal to log onto the BSS network and find the boats BSS history.

 

He appeared to have superb vision as he checked EVERYTHING in under 5 minutes without leaving the Saloon

Sound like MB

[Naughty Cal]

4 hours ago, MtB said:

I hold that there are so many requirements in the BSS that there is no chance of actually considering and inspecting each and every one of them during an inspection taking perhaps an hour or so. 

 

Just a handful of important rules will be actually checked in my experience, and most of the rest overlooked.

 

But random obscure contraventions here and there might be noticed for the first time on any re-inspection, and a fail issued. Matty40s's experience above is a good excample.

 

 

Perhaps the inspection fees should be higher and the allotted timer per inspection longer to take account of the longer time required to inspect every aspect on the check sheet?

 

None of the 3 BSS tests we had done on NC were longer than an hour, in fact two were considerably shorter, so there is no way that they could have checked everything they should have properly. Which makes a mockery of the whole thing. 

 

Conversely the last hab check we had done on the van in February last year took 4 hours despite not being a mandatory requirement. Cost was £200 so comparable to the BSS test. In fact a lot of the items checked are the same as ones checked in the BSS.

 

We have booked the same chap in for early next year and received a £20 discount for repeat custom.

[GUMPY]

17 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

 

Conversely the last hab check we had done on the van in February last year took 4 hours despite not being a mandatory requirement. Cost was £200 so comparable to the BSS test. In fact a lot of the items checked are the same as ones checked in the BSS.

But that is yearly rather than four yearly.

Boaters would really whinge if they had to pay £200 a year for a BSC😄

[Momac]

5 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Cobblers. 

 

An equal degree of emphasis is given to every BSS requirement. 

 

 

So which are the handful of important rules  you mentioned earlier ?

 

 

[magnetman]

3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

My last BSS was 20 minutes from me opening the marina gate to let him in to opening the marina gates to let him out.

A good 10 minutes was trying to get a signal to log onto the BSS network and find the boats BSS history.

 

He appeared to have superb vision as he checked EVERYTHING in under 5 minutes without leaving the Saloon

20 minutes? 

 

Sheesh. We used to get them in about 180 seconds. 

How the internet changed the world. The old paper stamps were much better. 

 

Its not what you know its who you know, why you know them and how you knew when to know them.

 

 

[Momac]

2 hours ago, GUMPY said:

But that is yearly rather than four yearly.

Its not a mandatory check on motorhomes (as said) but guess evidence of annual checks is considered important when its time to sell.

 

[GUMPY]

2 hours ago, MartynG said:

Its not a mandatory check on motorhomes (as said) but guess evidence of annual checks is considered important when its time to sell.

 

Being a tin tent owner I do know that. 

The only time it's almost mandatory is when you need to claim under warranty, no service no warranty.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, MartynG said:

Its not a mandatory check on motorhomes (as said) but guess evidence of annual checks is considered important when its time to sell.

 

 

Annual check is also required to maintain the 10 year water ingress warranty on some caravans and motorhomes.

 

It also provides some piece of mind. On a caravan the check includes a check of the running gear. Last June our tyres were found to be cracking on the sidewalls. Annoying given the amount of tread remaining on them but we changed them.,Good news was that single axle caravans use van tyres and they were not stupidly expensive for a pair.

Edited December 21, 2023 by MJG

[Naughty Cal]

19 hours ago, MartynG said:

Its not a mandatory check on motorhomes (as said) but guess evidence of annual checks is considered important when its time to sell.

 

Depends on the age of the van. You would want evidence of hab checks on a newer one but as they age it becomes less important, although a fresh hab check is always a selling point even on an older van.

16 hours ago, MJG said:

 

Annual check is also required to maintain the 10 year water ingress warranty on some caravans and motorhomes.

 

It also provides some piece of mind. On a caravan the check includes a check of the running gear. Last June our tyres were found to be cracking on the sidewalls. Annoying given the amount of tread remaining on them but we changed them.,Good news was that single axle caravans use van tyres and they were not stupidly expensive for a pair.

Ours only comes with a five year warranty which expired in October this year, so really we don't have to keep up with the hab checks now.

 

We will do though for our own peace of mind. We spend a lot of time in it, we want to know it isn't trying to silently kill us 🙄

 

We have the joy of changing the tyres early next year. They still have plenty of tread on them (which is surprising at 25k miles) but they are a shade over 5 years old now so ready to swap. We are changing the wheels at the same time for some different (appropriately load rated) alloys, so it won't be a cheap job.

[Momac]

1 hour ago, Naughty Cal said:

Depends on the age of the van. You would want evidence of hab checks on a newer one but as they age it becomes less important, although a fresh hab check is always a selling point even on an older van.

Ours only comes with a five year warranty which expired in October this year, so really we don't have to keep up with the hab checks now.

 

We will do though for our own peace of mind. We spend a lot of time in it, we want to know it isn't trying to silently kill us 🙄

 

 

I looked up a habitation check list.

It looks to be superior to a BSS Inspection. 

 

 

[Naughty Cal]

36 minutes ago, MartynG said:

I looked up a habitation check list.

It looks to be superior to a BSS Inspection. 

 

 

It checks a lot of the same stuff as the BSS relating to gas and electric.

 

There are a lot of other things checked and lubricated such as windows and hatches, canopies and steadies etc.

 

It definitely feels like value for money and a worthwhile annual check.

 

But then again we never really begrudged the BSS on the boat either. The concept is sound enough it just needs the consistency of testing to be improved. 

[Slim]

On 19/12/2023 at 16:09, Arthur Marshall said:

I got so fed up with having mine done in the winter and being moaned at by my brass monkey while watching the entirely pointless exercise, I just got it done four months early in the summer. For a once four yearly thing a month or two makes little odds. I keep thinking "this'll be my last one", but so far it hasn't been.

I applied the same logic when I used scrabble under our cars years ago. MOTs always seemed to fall due in the winter when it was cold, wet and miserable. One year I had a lightbulb moment and booked them both in for tests in the middle of the summer. Mysteriously, reliability seemed to improve significantly.😇

 

(before I get inundated by comments along the lines of "you should have bought an XYZ model" I'm talking about an era when 50K miles was good for an engine and Volkswagen sold their NEW cars with a 6 month, 6,000 mile warranty.)

[Momac]

As it looks like no new examiners are being trained in 2024 it sounds like there are plenty of them available to do the job.

 

I would have though surveyors who only do bss as a sideline would be more readily  available in winter when boat sales are usually fewer and therefore less call for pre-purchase surveys.

 

The last BSS time for me was pandemic year 2020 so the BSS exam which I would have had done in March was delayed to 11th May .

Thinking  I should be booking a request  to get a fresh BSS just under 2 months before the due date. 

 

[matty40s]

On the subject of examiners interpretation of the rules, the very common Boatman and Epping stoves are under threat from over zealous testers.

 

In the flue , at the top of the smoke box is a damper vent(brass button on right hand side with a rod through the gap to the other side.

At least 2 BSS examiners to my knowledge have said this needs to be removed and the holes blocked up. One chap took this as bible and made his own damper free smoke box before retest. The other examiner(who has a very neglected historic motor himself!!) was carrying out a pre-purchase survey. We refused to carry out his block up the holes recommendation, as we knew it was incorrect.

This has subsequently been confirmed as an erroneous interpretation of the back cabin stoves safety and risk factor....by two other BSS examiners.