Caveat emptor Buyer beware

[larryjc]

This whole subject makes me wonder where this world is going to.  Yes yachts are built to the RCD nowadays but are never required to be inspected again.  There again, I expect nearly everyone who owns a yacht goes out and buys a gas sensor alarm and fits it if one isn't there already - yet the BSS does not require one.   My BSS examiner wasn't even aware that they were available.  They do however require a different size of drain pipe from a gas locker depending on the size of the gas bottles, which is daft as the size of the drain should be proportional to size of the leak (although god knows how you would measure that!!) and that has nothing to do with how big the bottle or pipework is.  So we have the situation of inland craft having to pass a 4 yearly MOT and yachts, which are generally much more expensive, operate in a far more demanding environment and are packed into marinas where millions of pounds of other far more inflammable vessels are moored, do not require any sort of checks at all.

And then there are the wrecks you see moored on the towpath with a valid licence that can barely float, which presumalby have passed inspection.

[Machpoint005]

Are you saying that legislation isn't strong enough, or that it is too rigorous?

 

No matter what rules or guidance are put forward, some idiot somewhere will either find a way around them or just disregard them completely. There is a mentality that says legislators and safety bodies are just interfering for the sake of it, and should let "those who know better" get on with it. The fact remains that there are idiots around, and some degree of protection is necessary so that the rest of us aren't affected by them.

 

It seems to me that the only real question is that of degree, and there are probably 100 different opinions per 100 people as to where the line should be drawn.     

 

As my old man used to say "If you don't like the way I'm refereeing, just try playing without one at all". 

[larryjc]

18 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

  As my old man used to say "If you don't like the way I'm refereeing, just try playing without one at all". 

But that's my point, there are far more sea going yachts than inland waterway craft in this country and to use your metaphor - they have no referee at all - and yet they don't seem to have a problem with that!

[Alan de Enfield]

21 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

The fact remains that there are idiots around, and some degree of protection is necessary so that the rest of us aren't affected by them.

And, supposedly, that's where the BSS comes in *

 

* valid only at the moment of issue.

1 minute ago, larryjc said:

But that's my point, there are far more sea going yachts than inland waterway craft in this country and to use your metaphor - they have no referee at all - and yet they don't seem to have a problem with that!

To be topical :

 

40 : Love  - to Larry