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pre- boat safety cert. inspection


jojoknitter

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Hi All,

 

Do the boat safety inspectors by any chance check/ inspect/ wiggle/ or unscrew the fuel float switch cap on a fuel tank?

The reason I ask is that we came home from work tonight to find a large pool of fuel and a flow from said cap filling up our engine room. The flow has poured somehow down pipes and along edges into our bedroom and spread accross the floor ruining a lot of our stuff. Quite upset about that.

 

We found the leak was coming from the cap on the top of the fuel tank where a screw was missing. Very weird as we have never had a problem like this before - not even a tiny dribble!?

 

It happened very quickly in the space of 4 hours..... and I just want to check that it was not caused by the person who checked the engine over.....????

 

It is probably un -related but I need to know if that is part of the boat safety inspection.

 

Any suggestions??

 

Thanks,

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Hi All,

 

Do the boat safety inspectors by any chance check/ inspect/ wiggle/ or unscrew the fuel float switch cap on a fuel tank?

The reason I ask is that we came home from work tonight to find a large pool of fuel and a flow from said cap filling up our engine room. The flow has poured somehow down pipes and along edges into our bedroom and spread accross the floor ruining a lot of our stuff. Quite upset about that.

 

We found the leak was coming from the cap on the top of the fuel tank where a screw was missing. Very weird as we have never had a problem like this before - not even a tiny dribble!?

 

It happened very quickly in the space of 4 hours..... and I just want to check that it was not caused by the person who checked the engine over.....????

 

It is probably un -related but I need to know if that is part of the boat safety inspection.

 

Any suggestions??

 

Thanks,

 

Jo,

 

All fuel tank connections are examined as part of the BSS examination. If you look at the fail sheet I produced for your boat you will see one of the items relates to leaking fuel on the top of your fuel tank. We do not wiggle fittings; leaks are apparent by sight/smell/touch but no wiggling is involved.

 

The other thing is the fact I looked at your boat on Wednesday and you say the problem happened on Thursday in the space of four hours. So I am sure I did not cause said problem. Furthermore, I can't see how fuel can leak out of the top of your tank unless the tank is full to the brim or the boat moves and the fuel sloshes around. Even then it seems impossible that the amount of fuel you describe could escape on its own against gravity.

 

Give me a ring if you need to - my number is on the sheets I left on board.

 

Regards, Tom

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It’s a pity you weren’t on board while the examiner was there. He could then have discussed with you his findings. I’ve used the same BSS examiner since the scheme was first introduced and I’ve always been present. It’s not that I don’t trust him – I do - (and, what is more he understands old boats :lol: ) - it’s that I like to hear what he says about any work I’ve done on the boat and I’m able to pick his brains and ask for advice.

My examiner is more than happy for me to be there. Do others prefer to work alone without having owners breathing down their necks?

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Jo,

 

All fuel tank connections are examined as part of the BSS examination. If you look at the fail sheet I produced for your boat you will see one of the items relates to leaking fuel on the top of your fuel tank. We do not wiggle fittings; leaks are apparent by sight/smell/touch but no wiggling is involved.

 

The other thing is the fact I looked at your boat on Wednesday and you say the problem happened on Thursday in the space of four hours. So I am sure I did not cause said problem. Furthermore, I can't see how fuel can leak out of the top of your tank unless the tank is full to the brim or the boat moves and the fuel sloshes around. Even then it seems impossible that the amount of fuel you describe could escape on its own against gravity.

 

Give me a ring if you need to - my number is on the sheets I left on board.

 

Regards, Tom

 

Hello Tom,

 

We have since discovered the cause..... and it took us a while to work out.

 

What has happened is there is a weak/missing weld around the seal that has oozed fuel down onto the engine bay. This happened because we have emptied the boat of our stuff and furniture etc and the boat is noe much lighter at the back....therfore the fuel tank ( which was full ) has flowed in the opposoite direction to normal, out of the weld and down the various channels on the boat...soaking into our bed.

 

Obviously in the heat of the moment when you find fuel all over the place you grasp at anything that may have 'caused' it. :lol: ..hence my wanting to find out if that section was included in the exam - I hope I havn't offended you in any way - it did seem an unlikely cause, but I wanted to know . I would have called you straight away but the sheets with your number,went up to the yard straight away, and the boat yard was closed when we called!!

 

Thanks for the post anyway...

Thanks

JO

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BSS Examiners are also instructed to check tank materials and welds wherever practical (They are not permitted to dismantle bits of your boat other than a test point) In fairness to the examiners defective welds can be difficult to detect, especially when there is no evidence of leaking, and welds can be covered in paint or can not be seen or even felt.

I bet you are sorry that it was not a loose fitting. Your tank has to be emptied and well vented before it can be welded.

Get this repaired immediately, otherwise your boat is unsafe. Even if fuel is not leaking out, vapour (Heavier than air) is probably leaking into your boat. This defect is likely to result not only in a failure to get the BSC but an unsafe boat warning being issued.

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Hi All,

 

Do the boat safety inspectors by any chance check/ inspect/ wiggle/ or unscrew the fuel float switch cap on a fuel tank?

The reason I ask is that we came home from work tonight to find a large pool of fuel and a flow from said cap filling up our engine room. The flow has poured somehow down pipes and along edges into our bedroom and spread accross the floor ruining a lot of our stuff. Quite upset about that.

 

We found the leak was coming from the cap on the top of the fuel tank where a screw was missing. Very weird as we have never had a problem like this before - not even a tiny dribble!?

 

It happened very quickly in the space of 4 hours..... and I just want to check that it was not caused by the person who checked the engine over.....????

 

It is probably un -related but I need to know if that is part of the boat safety inspection.

 

Any suggestions??

 

Thanks,

 

Having read this thread through it seems somewhat unfair to use this forum to effectively slag off your boat inspector BEFORE asking him back to talk through the situation?

 

Sorry not impressed.

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In fairness the OP did not actually slag off the examiner in any way - he/she simply asked a question and also never actually gave any hint to which exaimer they had used at the time.

 

I think the fact that the examiner himself had come forward to post his position and the follow on response with an apology from the OP is a very satisfactory conclusion to the original question.

 

We all know how frustrated you feel when you find some catastrophe has occurred and you need to try and get to the bottom of how it might have happened as fast as possible.

 

In this instance everyone has managed to keep a clear head and everyone can remain friends!

 

Result!

 

I hope you soon manage to get the damage sorted JoJo. it's a nightmare none of us would like to be facing.

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Having read this thread through it seems somewhat unfair to use this forum to effectively slag off your boat inspector BEFORE asking him back to talk through the situation?

 

Sorry not impressed.

 

Hello Bag O bones,

 

 

I did not 'slag off' the boat inspector. If you read my post properly you will see that.

 

As I said I thought it was an unlikely cause but wanted to check.

 

As I also said when you come home to find a lot of your stuff ruined by fuel ...you naturally want to find a possible cause, and being unable to contact the boat yard or inspector my next port of call is this forum which I use to find advice and solutions from those perhaps more experienced than I. The Bss inspector who saw the boat did infact offer his own advice on this forum and was taken by us.

 

Please do not try to 'stir.'

thanks.

 

In fairness the OP did not actually slag off the examiner in any way - he/she simply asked a question and also never actually gave any hint to which exaimer they had used at the time.

 

I think the fact that the examiner himself had come forward to post his position and the follow on response with an apology from the OP is a very satisfactory conclusion to the original question.

 

We all know how frustrated you feel when you find some catastrophe has occurred and you need to try and get to the bottom of how it might have happened as fast as possible.

 

In this instance everyone has managed to keep a clear head and everyone can remain friends!

 

Result!

 

I hope you soon manage to get the damage sorted JoJo. it's a nightmare none of us would like to be facing.

 

THANKYOU! My sentiments exactly.

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Jo,

 

Thanks for posting back and also for my PM. I obviously was not offended in any way; I always thought forums were here to get advice and help and it was clear that was all you seeking.

 

It seems every time a surveyor or examiner sticks their head above the parapet they become a target, which is why I rarely post on here. However having read your post I felt I had a duty of care to reply. I also thought it would be helpful!

 

One thing is certain though; there is nothing on a boat that cannot be fixed, so don't despair, and liase with David as he is very honest and helpful.

 

And remember you can always give me a call no matter how trivial or complex the question may be!

 

Regards,

 

Tom

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Jo,

 

Thanks for posting back and also for my PM. I obviously was not offended in any way; I always thought forums were here to get advice and help and it was clear that was all you seeking.

 

It seems every time a surveyor or examiner sticks their head above the parapet they become a target, which is why I rarely post on here. However having read your post I felt I had a duty of care to reply. I also thought it would be helpful!

 

One thing is certain though; there is nothing on a boat that cannot be fixed, so don't despair, and liase with David as he is very honest and helpful.

 

And remember you can always give me a call no matter how trivial or complex the question may be!

 

Regards,

 

Tom

 

Tom,

 

Thanks again, good to see a proffessional response...exactly what I wanted when I posted! We are tackling the damage and the cause. What a mission!

 

JO

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In fairness the OP did not actually slag off the examiner in any way - he/she simply asked a question and also never actually gave any hint to which exaimer they had used at the time.

 

I think the fact that the examiner himself had come forward to post his position and the follow on response with an apology from the OP is a very satisfactory conclusion to the original question.

 

We all know how frustrated you feel when you find some catastrophe has occurred and you need to try and get to the bottom of how it might have happened as fast as possible.

 

In this instance everyone has managed to keep a clear head and everyone can remain friends!

 

Result!

 

I hope you soon manage to get the damage sorted JoJo. it's a nightmare none of us would like to be facing.

 

 

Predictably I cannot concur with the above. Surely you should get your facts in order prior to posting what was clearly a DIY 'semi-legaled' dig at your examiner, perhaps contacting him directly to ask a few pertinant questions and/or to ask him for his advice should have been your first course of action, my guess is that he would have beetled over poste-haste had he been consulted on the off chance he had indeed missed something. The chap has clearly behaved in a magnanimous and professional fashion with regard to his post replying to your own, potentially he may have had some sort of claim under libel law. It is worth noting that he probably makes his living/feeds his children/pays for his beeeer doing these examinations and a 'from the hip' and erroneous (if only implied) summation of his skills will possibly not help clear the bitter taste in his mouth!!!....... Bet you dropped your bacon sarnie when he posted his response though lol!!!!

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Predictably I cannot concur with the above. Surely you should get your facts in order prior to posting what was clearly a DIY 'semi-legaled' dig at your examiner, perhaps contacting him directly to ask a few pertinant questions and/or to ask him for his advice should have been your first course of action, my guess is that he would have beetled over poste-haste had he been consulted on the off chance he had indeed missed something. The chap has clearly behaved in a magnanimous and professional fashion with regard to his post replying to your own, potentially he may have had some sort of claim under libel law. It is worth noting that he probably makes his living/feeds his children/pays for his beeeer doing these examinations and a 'from the hip' and erroneous (if only implied) summation of his skills will possibly not help clear the bitter taste in his mouth!!!....... Bet you dropped your bacon sarnie when he posted his response though lol!!!!

 

 

OH PLEASE!!!

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I won't make any comments re the above except to say that Tom Keeling goes to the top of my list for BSS Examiners when the time comes again.

Mike

Yes full marks to him. he goes straight to the top of my "reserve" list too (I'll continue to use my usual examiner as long as he's available)

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Yes full marks to him. he goes straight to the top of my "reserve" list too (I'll continue to use my usual examiner as long as he's available)
m

Tom Keeling Inspected my NB and found him very good,i will be using him again and recommend him to anyone needing BSS.

Mick

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