Minimum fitout level before a BSS examination can be scheduled?

[Gybe Ho]

Given a newly fabricated steel narrowboat shell what is the minimum fitout stage required before a BSS examiner can inspect and issue a passing BSS cert?

 

I assume the boat has to provide a safe working environment for the examiner and this means lighting, robust cockpit to cabin ladder, engine access covers and a cabin floor to walk on.

 

I would also fit the basic fire number (points) of extinguishers and fire blanket. Otherwise the shell would be empty, there would be no gas related stuff onboard, the diesel tank would be empty, no solid fuel stove and perhaps not even an engine or electric motor.

 

For those wondering about the motivation for this question, I intend to fitout afloat and the cheapest launch option for a new shell comes with limited post launch time tied up before I would have to relocate to the public towpath at which point I would need a CRT license and BSS cert.

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

Given a newly fabricated steel narrowboat shell what is the minimum fitout stage required before a BSS examiner can inspect and issue a passing BSS cert?

 

They don't need to. With a new boat the RCR certification counts for the first four years. 

 

 

[Gybe Ho]

16 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

They don't need to. With a new boat the RCR certification counts for the first four years. 

 

 

 

The 4 year new build exemption only applies to fully fitted out boats. A sailaway boat gets a shorter exemption, a year or two I recall. The extreme version of my newboat plan would involve launching a ballasted sub-sailaway shell. However your post has got me thinking about a creative interpretation of "sailaway".

 

Edited April 2 by Gybe Ho

[MtB]

7 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

However your question has got me thinking about a creative interpretation of "sailaway".

 

Eh? 

 

What question? 

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

 

By law - a 'sailaway' boat (at any stage - even just an empty steel tube) must have an RCD/RCR certificate of compliance to the stage it is being sold at.

 

The builder (buyer) then takes on the responsibility for ensuring that everything else fitted is compliant and the paperwork correct.

 

 

Following the 2017 version of the RCD/RCR being issued there is no longer the '5-year rule' for sailaways, and completed sailaways must now be fully compliant.

The 5-year rules only now applies to a fully DIY built (including the hull) boat.

Edited April 2 by Alan de Enfield

[Gybe Ho]

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

By law - a 'sailaway' boat (at any stage - even just an empty steel tube) must have an RCD/RCR certificate of compliance to the stage it is being sold at.

 

The (buyer) then takes on the responsibility for ensuring that everything else fitted is compliant and the paperwork correct.

 

 

Following the 2017 version of the RCD/RCR being issued there is no longer the '5-year rule' for sailaways, and sailaways must now be fully compliant.

The 5-year rules only now applies to a fully DIY built (including the hull) boat.

 

Oh I like it. Months ago I had read the BSS details on the shorter sailaway exemption and interpreted this as the working commercial definition of a sailaway e.g. engine, prop shaft, propellor, throttle and starter battery. A commercial sailaway also includes a cabin floor typically.

 

I suppose the BSS regs would need to allow for a newly built buttyboat to be launched prior to fitout!

 

It is most likely my new shell would depart the shell builders with a working engine and this buys me time to launch and fitout for a 1+ year before I need to worry about a BSS.

[Russ T]

36 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Eh? 

 

What question? 

 

 

The one you didn't ask Obvs. The only stupid question is the one you didn't ask, therefore, it must have been stupid. QED innit.

[ditchcrawler]

In that state of fit out it could be exempt from a BSS altogether 

Edited April 2 by ditchcrawler

[Gybe Ho]

2 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

In that state of fit out it could be exempt from a BSS altogether 

 

Hmmm, would the CRT process a license application for a newly launched empty shell boat that does not have a BSS cert? I think an engineless Butty license requires a nominated parent boat.

 

Anyhow this thread has got me thinking that a bit more prep by the builder to get me to the point where a BSS examination is possible then buys me 4 years of hassle free BSS concerns. The 1 year BSS exemption for a newly built shell seems attractive however in the case of a slow fitout afloat the 1 year will quickly pass leading to a situation where an examiner might be alarmed by the interim state of the fitout.

 

I hope a BSS examination fee for an empty floating shell would be keenly priced.

[MtB]

23 minutes ago, Rod Stewart said:

The one you didn't ask Obvs. The only stupid question is the one you didn't ask, therefore, it must have been stupid. QED innit.

 

Oh I geddit. The stoopid question that is not worth answering eh? 

 

Hang on, he DID answer it!! 

[LadyG]

1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

Eh? 

 

What question? 

 

 

Don't feed the troll,

[MtB]

Just now, LadyG said:

Don't feed the troll,

 

Good point, I forgot!!

 

My apologies.

 

[MrsM]

If you are planning to fit out your shell on the public towpath will you be doing this from a mooring? Asking as I can't see how it would be possible to cc a shell while you are doing it?

Edited April 2 by MrsM

[Momac]

26 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

I hope a BSS examination fee for an empty floating shell would be keenly priced.

Why?

The surveyor still has to travel, inspect the boat , process the certificate and pay the fee to BSS for the certificate and issue the certificate to you.

You seem to be assuming your yet to exist part built boat will achieve an easy pass, which is is not certain.

 

[Gybe Ho]

3 minutes ago, Momac said:

Why?

The surveyor still has to travel, inspect the boat , process the certificate and pay the fee to BSS for the certificate and issue the certificate to you.

You seem to be assuming your yet to exist part built boat will achieve an easy pass, which is is not certain.

 

 

Because the onsite inspection time would be an hour less than is typical. I am thinking of a 20% discount on the typical fee for this edge case examination.

7 minutes ago, MrsM said:

If you are planning to fit our your shell on the public towpath will you be doing this from a mooring? Asking as I can't see how it would be possible to cc a shell while you are doing it?

 

Fair point but it has been done before. Journey-with-Jono was a well documented example 5 years ago. I will be a continuously cruising fitterouterer until the weather gets too miserable at which point I will haul out at a proper boatyard and continue through the winter.

[Alan de Enfield]

11 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

Because the onsite inspection time would be an hour less than is typical. I am thinking of a 20% discount on the typical fee for this edge case examination.

 

You mean he would pay you for the 30 minutes that he is not there ?

(average BSS time taken less than 60 minutes)

[Stroudwater1]

10 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

You mean he would pay you for the 30 minutes that he is not there ?

(average BSS time taken less than 60 minutes)

60 minutes? Ours took 90 minutes recently and it’s a fairly simple non livaboard boat. 
 

Either way I doubt the OP will get any discount unless he was lucky. They could ask but it may cheese off a BSS bod sufficiently to be overly strict. 

[LadyG]

7 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

60 minutes? Ours took 90 minutes recently and it’s a fairly simple non livaboard boat. 
 

Either way I doubt the OP will get any discount unless he was lucky. They could ask but it may cheese off a BSS bod sufficiently to be overly strict. 

You dont seem to realise everyone else has him on ignore.... 

[haggis]

5 minutes ago, LadyG said:

You dont seem to realise everyone else has him on ignore.... 

Not everyone 😄

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Gybe Ho said:

I hope a BSS examination fee for an empty floating shell would be keenly priced.

What is he going to examine?

[Gybe Ho]

13 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

60 minutes? Ours took 90 minutes recently and it’s a fairly simple non livaboard boat. 
 

Either way I doubt the OP will get any discount unless he was lucky. They could ask but it may cheese off a BSS bod sufficiently to be overly strict. 

 

90 minutes is the typical figure I hear but you cannot challenge entrenched forum myths. The great & good of forum assert a BBS examination takes 40 minutes and 20 minutes of that is a social chit-chat over a cup of tea.

 

I understand BSS examiners are more cheesed off with BSS HQ. Asking for a 20% discount for a visit where half the inspection points are n/a is hardly an outrage. In my case there would be:

 

No Gas

No stove or any heating

No 240 ac circuits

No cooker

No diesel engine or diesel fuel onboard

DC wiring would be minimal

No thru hull fitments except for a bilge pump

No corrosion to worry about

 

 

[LadyG]

So, no boat.

[Gybe Ho]

11 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

What is he going to examine?

 

Quite hence my question in the OP, at point is it possible to issue a legit BSS cert for a new build. And at that point there is so little to do I feel a discount is reasonable.

 

Even an empty shell has some checkpoints e.g. emergency egress, fire extinguishers, correctly installed diesel fuel tank, service point labelling...

[ditchcrawler]

6 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

90 minutes is the typical figure I hear but you cannot challenge entrenched forum myths. The great & good of forum assert a BBS examination takes 40 minutes and 20 minutes of that is a social chit-chat over a cup of tea.

 

I understand BSS examiners are more cheesed off with BSS HQ. Asking for a 20% discount for a visit where half the inspection points are n/a is hardly an outrage. In my case there would be:

 

No Gas

No stove or any heating

No 240 ac circuits

No cooker

No diesel engine or diesel fuel onboard

DC wiring would be minimal

No thru hull fitments except for a bilge pump

No corrosion to worry about

 

 

You have decided what you want and plan to do so no point in discussing it.

[LadyG]

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

You have decided what you want and plan to do so no point in discussing it.

Good idea.

Edited April 2 by LadyG