Boat Safety business for sale

[matty40s]

It is now 3 1/2 years since Smoke Alarms were going to become part of the scheme next year...

[LadyG]

1 hour ago, Momac said:

That's not even an option. You need some sort of relevant  experience and  qualifications before you can do the BSS training.

exactly 

[Momac]

6 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Maybe there is an argument for having fixed locations and you take your boat there (like your car for its MOT) and the fee is £54

There is nothing preventing this arrangement.  I don't think that would work financially otherwise  it would already exist.

 

 

[Tonka]

1 minute ago, Momac said:

There is nothing preventing this arrangement.  I don't think that would work financially otherwise  it would already exist.

 

 

The firm would charge more as you have increased their overheads

[Mike Todd]

6 hours ago, jonathanA said:

well i think that is largely Stephanie Horton driving that by claiming that RCR attend many 'unsafe' boats.  hmm what possible self interest is there then....  its utterly ludicrous to suggest an annual test is needed and I think BSS have still to produce any reliable data to suggest the BSS has improved safety/reduced death/injuries...  (happy to be proven wrong on that) 

 

I think i would pay a little bit more to have a consistent standard of tests and examiners properly censured for poor behaviours. 

Strictly, making the BSS weed out unsafe boats would require a significant extension of its remit which currently, as I understand it from other forum members closer to the process, is about safety of others. Hence the non-trivial debate about making CO monitors compulsory (in the end I think it was concluded that there have been cases where CO from one boat has had serious effect on those outside the boat. However, RCR might perhaps have been meaning to refer to BSS non compliant boats. Whilst RCR are likely to be very well informed on safety matters, they are not, I believe, BSS testers. 

 

I have seen a report that indicates that SH was specifically concerned about boats that become non-compliant after their last test and hence was calling for more frequent testing. This may or mat not be a good thing as any test, such as MOT, is only 'valid' at the time of the test. The frequency of testing has to balance the cost implications of more frequent testing against the probability of a boat lapsing in the re-test period. Some clearly do but is there objective data on the frequency and the number of occasions that it impacted others. The report I read did perpetuate the myth that a BSS is effective throughout its standard re-test frequency - IIRC it is explicitly said that the BSS ceases to be valid if certain work is carried out in the meantime (I can't remember how the rules define work that needs to be re-tested!) The example cited in the article clearly did not have a valid BSS as non-compliant changes had been made.

[Momac]

2 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

Strictly, making the BSS weed out unsafe boats would require a significant extension of its remit

I agree 

The BSS  does not consider many things that might be considered safety related  . Examples of matters not considered  include the engine is not started , the heating is  not checked for safe operation, the boat need not be afloat in the water and could have holes in the hull and no propeller or rudder and still it could pass a BSS.  

 

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Momac said:

There is nothing preventing this arrangement.  I don't think that would work financially otherwise  it would already exist.

 

 

I have always taken mine to the tester, first Calcutt and then Thorne Marine . I still pay a lot more than £54 but then an MOT certificate costs pennies the BSS certificate costs pounds 

[Momac]

23 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have always taken mine to the tester, first Calcutt and then Thorne Marine . I still pay a lot more than £54 but then an MOT certificate costs pennies the BSS certificate costs pounds 

Do these places have their own in house BSS examiner ? Or do they call in a BSS examiner as and when required?

[matty40s]

9 hours ago, Momac said:

I agree 

The BSS  does not consider many things that might be considered safety related  . Examples of matters not considered  include the engine is not started , the heating is  not checked for safe operation, the boat need not be afloat in the water and could have holes in the hull and no propeller or rudder and still it could pass a BSS.  

 

You can have a lovely stove fitted, crack free and bolted down.....the flue pipe is only recommended.....

[Rob-M]

2 hours ago, matty40s said:

You can have a lovely stove fitted, crack free and bolted down.....the flue pipe is only recommended.....

When our stove cracked the BSS didn't fail it, only advised we got it replaced.  The crack wasn't visible until he tapped the stove with a hammer.

 

[ditchcrawler]

12 hours ago, Momac said:

Do these places have their own in house BSS examiner ? Or do they call in a BSS examiner as and when required?

Nigel the owner of Thorne Marine is a BSS examiner just like Roger was at Calcutt he also had a chap working there who was. I don't know about today  

[Tonka]

52 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Nigel the owner of Thorne Marine is a BSS examiner just like Roger was at Calcutt he also had a chap working there who was. I don't know about today  

I had a Russell Fincham who used to work for Calcutt do mine. I had to remove the boat from the marina to get the reduced price. He parked by the marina shop and walked across the locks down to where I had prearranged I would be

[Slim]

On 02/03/2026 at 12:35, ditchcrawler said:

And sometimes free with service agreements, My Citroen dealer offered that

No such thing as a 'free lunch'. What are their service/hourly rates?.

[ditchcrawler]

40 minutes ago, Slim said:

No such thing as a 'free lunch'. What are their service/hourly rates?.

I think the prices were the same as turn up and pay for a service, the up side for them was they had you signed up to use them and not the bloke down the road.

[carlt]

22 hours ago, matty40s said:

It is now 3 1/2 years since Smoke Alarms were going to become part of the scheme next year...

That's like when I worked in research and planet saving Fusion power generation was 20 years away (mid 80s-early 90s).

 

Current estimates reckon it is now....20 years away.

[IanD]

17 minutes ago, carlt said:

That's like when I worked in research and planet saving Fusion power generation was 20 years away (mid 80s-early 90s).

 

Current estimates reckon it is now....20 years away.

As it has been ever since the 1970s... 😉 

 

I would say things have started to look more promising in the last couple of years (with new computational analysis techniques), but of course that's been said before too... 😞 

Edited March 3 by IanD