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Business Advertising on my Boat?

The Grumpy Triker

By The Grumpy Triker
in General Boating

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BilgePump Rising Star

BilgePump

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Sorry to be late to this thread but thought this may be useful. The OP's question is answered to some extent in CRT's business boating T&Cs where it seems that any advertising on the boat is regarded as trading whether or not the trading is from the boat or not. It's buried on page 10 of https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/original/28089-business-licence-terms-and-conditions.pdf

 

Roving Trader "Any boat used for trading in multiple locations. Includes boats used for the sale of goods and/or services, cargo carrying, and the provision of boat handling courses. Customers may board the boat in order to inspect or purchase goods (subject to insurance cover and holding a Non-private BSS certificate) when moored up, but the boat must never navigate with customers on board, except where the boat is licensed for boat handling courses. Advertising any kind of trading or business activity on or from the boat is deemed to be trading. If the boat is used for a business use that is not advertised anywhere on the boat and does not involve any deliveries to the boat or any customers visiting the boat (e.g. proof reading copy sent via email, writing wills) then its use is not deemed to be that of a Roving Trader. If the boat is used as a workshop to produce goods to be sold on the internet or at land based markets, then such use is deemed to be that of a Roving Trader."

 

From this I inferred that if I work on the boat on a computer, eg running the admin for an online shop and the actual goods are not delivered to, stored on or sold from the boat and the online business makes no reference to the boat and the boat makes no reference to the business then all is okay with a standard non-business licence. Same goes for the online tutor/trainer whose abode is irrelevant as clients do not visit, just so long as the tutor/trainer does not advertise his/her professional skills on the side of the boat. Stick your business details on the side and it would appear that a roving trader licence is needed.

 

Of course there seems to be the possibility of as many grey areas as clear ones. What about a small business that designs and supplies custom solar installations for boats and the owner lives on a boat but only does the design side from it and has no customers visiting? If each installation displays the supplier's business details and the business owner has not removed these details from the panels on his/her own boat then would that be regarded as 'advertising any kind of trading or business activity'? Are the panels a part of the boat? Is the wording of CRT quoted above suitably unambiguous to give a definitive answer to the question of whether a trading licence is need or not? It could well be argued not. The crux falls on the line 'Advertising any kind of trading or business activity on or from the boat is deemed to be trading'  but is that to be interpreted as the advertising or the business activity itself that is on the boat? It just doesn't seem totally clear.

Edited by BilgePump
added final few sentences
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The Grumpy Triker

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13 hours ago, BilgePump said:

Sorry to be late to this thread but thought this may be useful. The OP's question is answered to some extent in CRT's business boating T&Cs where it seems that any advertising on the boat is regarded as trading whether or not the trading is from the boat or not. It's buried on page 10 of https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/original/28089-business-licence-terms-and-conditions.pdf

 

Roving Trader "Any boat used for trading in multiple locations. Includes boats used for the sale of goods and/or services, cargo carrying, and the provision of boat handling courses. Customers may board the boat in order to inspect or purchase goods (subject to insurance cover and holding a Non-private BSS certificate) when moored up, but the boat must never navigate with customers on board, except where the boat is licensed for boat handling courses. Advertising any kind of trading or business activity on or from the boat is deemed to be trading. If the boat is used for a business use that is not advertised anywhere on the boat and does not involve any deliveries to the boat or any customers visiting the boat (e.g. proof reading copy sent via email, writing wills) then its use is not deemed to be that of a Roving Trader. If the boat is used as a workshop to produce goods to be sold on the internet or at land based markets, then such use is deemed to be that of a Roving Trader."

 

From this I inferred that if I work on the boat on a computer, eg running the admin for an online shop and the actual goods are not delivered to, stored on or sold from the boat and the online business makes no reference to the boat and the boat makes no reference to the business then all is okay with a standard non-business licence. Same goes for the online tutor/trainer whose abode is irrelevant as clients do not visit, just so long as the tutor/trainer does not advertise his/her professional skills on the side of the boat. Stick your business details on the side and it would appear that a roving trader licence is needed.

 

Of course there seems to be the possibility of as many grey areas as clear ones. What about a small business that designs and supplies custom solar installations for boats and the owner lives on a boat but only does the design side from it and has no customers visiting? If each installation displays the supplier's business details and the business owner has not removed these details from the panels on his/her own boat then would that be regarded as 'advertising any kind of trading or business activity'? Are the panels a part of the boat? Is the wording of CRT quoted above suitably unambiguous to give a definitive answer to the question of whether a trading licence is need or not? It could well be argued not. The crux falls on the line 'Advertising any kind of trading or business activity on or from the boat is deemed to be trading'  but is that to be interpreted as the advertising or the business activity itself that is on the boat? It just doesn't seem totally clear.

Hats off to you and the detail here ?

 

It it is all a bit unclear and advertising a business that isn't being run from the boat would seem tricky to class as trading....I wouldn't want a solicitors bill trying to get that through in court.....else as others have pointed out, all those old businesses on older boats would be included and a lot of newer ones as well.

 

Think I'll proceed as planned ??

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