Using A Boat With No Bss

[Jocave]

The Bss expired on my boat at the end of last month, for various reasons  its not yet been done , hopefully this week if all goes to plan but not 100%confident as I've been let down twice before, just wondering if this is a major concern and I am OK to still use the boat ,RCR state that any boat covered must have a current bss ,but more concerned that my insurance will be invalid if I had an accident..

[Hockham Admiral]

I think that the only certain way to find out is to ring your insurers and ask them if they require one.     

[MBA Marine]

I would be pretty sure it will invalidate your insurance, any excuse not to pay out tends to be the way they work.   

Dont be let down, Tim Waters is super reliable Alan May also comes recommended.  If you need anything putting right for BSS it does not have to cost the earth, depending on the boat's location I will always help.

[Chelsea14Ian]

I to share the advice of those above it's worth a phone call.I also  use Tim.He is very good.

[thingamybob]

There are many boats that are moored and used away from rivers and canals that do not have a BSS certificate and they are still insured. My insurance policy (Navigators and General) does not state anywhere that the boat should have a BSS certificate. The only problem you may have is with BA if you are stopped when using the boat. 

[ranworthbreeze]

5 hours ago, MBA Marine said:

I would be pretty sure it will invalidate your insurance, any excuse not to pay out tends to be the way they work.   

Dont be let down, Tim Waters is super reliable Alan May also comes recommended.  If you need anything putting right for BSS it does not have to cost the earth, depending on the boat's location I will always help.

Hi Mark,

Our BSS inspection last week was done by Alan May and I can recommend him for his friendly manor and the work he put into the inspection and his recommendations.

Regards

Alan 

[Guest]

I think basically it boils down to if its a requirement of the navigation authority as to insurance being valid as some navigation authorities don't require BSS hence unlikely to feature in a policy , however insurance companies will do anything to get out of a claim if they can .

Tim gets my vote too but on the whole I recon the vast majority are pretty good iv only met one that was totally ridiculous and made the mistake of treating me like an idiot right up until I pulled out my BSS book of requirements .

[rightsaidfred]

Would you use a car without a valid MOT.

Fred

[grendel]

That said, are you allowed to use the boat en route to or from a BSS test (as you can with an MOT) ?

[ranworthbreeze]

4 minutes ago, grendel said:

That said, are you allowed to use the boat en route to or from a BSS test (as you can with an MOT) ?

Hi Grendel,

Most of the BSS inspectors we have come across tend to visit the boat.

Regards

Alan

[rightsaidfred]

You can`t keep a car on the Public highway without a valid MOT likewise it is a requirement for a boat to have a valid BSS. it can be done in advance of the expiry date so there is really no excuse.

Fred

[ExUserGone]

Call the BA and tell them it's expired but booked in and they are generally fine about it, your boat is no less safe than it was the day before it ran out, the fact that it is booked in means you are more likely to have checked all the bits that have been ignored for the last 4 years so likely safer than before it ran out.

I've had claims with 2 different insurance companies and neither asked to see the bss cert. (I know it's all checkable online these days)

[MauriceMynah]

2 hours ago, Ricardo said:

however insurance companies will do anything to get out of a claim if they can .

A popular held misconception Ricado. Actually they will do what they can to protect themselves from fraudulent claims but will pay genuine ones with as little fuss possible. Sometimes it's difficult for them to tell the difference.

[WherryNice]

Prior to my ownership my boat had never had a Bss cert issued as it had been out of commission since before it came in. I bought her and within a cpl of months she was out on the hard over winter then the following spring she went back in, still minus Bss. When I contacted the BA with regard to the toll I was told it was ok to keep her in the water in the yard but not to use her out on the river until Bss cert was issued and that he would make a note on the record to say as such. I have found the BA to have a pretty relaxed attitude to this sort of thing which I think is a good thing, keeps it friendly.
Tbh both the Bss and Mot are pretty low standards in my opinion(and I am an Mot tester!) But they do provide a basic level of safety for those who arent technically minded enough to know the difference themselves. However a car or boat can easily be very dangerous even if it has literally just passed the respective tests. Good and regular maintainence by competant persons is what really matters!

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

A popular held misconception Ricado. Actually they will do what they can to protect themselves from fraudulent claims but will pay genuine ones with as little fuss possible. Sometimes it's difficult for them to tell the difference.

I agree its incredibly difficult to spot a fraudulent claim   iv only personally claimed twice in 12 yrs my insurance company getting a full settlement from British waterways in both cases , tgw major difference between car and boat insurance is boats are an agreed valuation and cars a market valuation .

[Jocave]

Thanks for all the advice, I've had it done now and its failed spectacularly 

[Snowy]

Be interesting to know what it failed on 

I had a BSS done on our last boat and it too failed, but only on the gas installation, so I got a pair of snips, cut the orange hose threw the hose and hob onto the bank* and hey presto it passed

 

* I didn’t leave it there

[Jocave]

Not seen the report but the marina have said various issues with the gas installation and various issues with the heating installation, won't know exactly what issues there are until I get up there next week, they are not too good with technology I asked them to scan and email me the report but they said they didn't know how to but they could post it second class, they didn't even tell me it had failed  two weeks ago, Its hard work getting anything done ,I'm quickly going off the idea of owning a boat if this is what I'm up against.

[WherryNice]

Stick with it Jocave, there are plenty of places out there who do things a little better...

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[thingamybob]

15 minutes ago, Jocave said:

Thanks for all the advice, I've had it done now and its failed spectacularly 

If it is any consolation, I really do not have much time for the BSS. In my opinion, whilst it is a good idea that certain things need to be done properly, a boat with a BSS in the charge of an idiot is much more dangerous than one without a BSS in the charge of a sensible person.

You can have a BSS but as I saw a couple of years ago a boat had a cockpit full of spare petrol cans and the whole boat stunk of petrol. You can have a BSS and still carry spare gas cylinders outside a vented gas box and the list goes on. I know that the above instances are not allowed under BSS but they happen, I have seen it with my own eyes and smelt it too!

Also, Camping Gaz lanterns can leak gas into bilges, I have seen this too. A Camping Gaz cartrige can take down a house, what will it do to a boat if it leaked?

[Jocave]

2 minutes ago, thingamybob said:

If it is any consolation, I really do not have much time for the BSS. In my opinion, whilst it is a good idea that certain things need to be done properly, a boat with a BSS in the charge of an idiot is much more dangerous than one without a BSS in the charge of a sensible person.

You can have a BSS but as I saw a couple of years ago a boat had a cockpit full of spare petrol cans and the whole boat stunk of petrol. You can have a BSS and still carry spare gas cylinders outside a vented gas box and the list goes on. I know that the above instances are not allowed under BSS but they happen, I have seen it with my own eyes and smelt it too!

Also, Camping Gaz lanterns can leak gas into bilges, I have seen this too. A Camping Gaz cartrige can take down a house, what will it do to a boat if it leaked?

I do agree with your first point , as this is the first boat I have owned I have done all the usual checks like checking all the gas connections and pipes are in good condition and have installed a carbon monoxide and a couple of smoke alarms, but obviously there are items that do not comply , as disappointing as this is I want to ensure the boat is as safe as it can be , myself and my wife and occasionally family members spend a number of nights every few weeks onboard, I don't have the expertise to know if everything is safe so quite glad that some potential issues have been highlighted, we might only have one more summers use out of this if my wife's condition continues to detiriate at the rate it has so far ,so how ever much it costs to put right ,at least I will be able to sleep soundly at night, maybe a bit chilly if the heating is coming out..

[dnks34]

As your boat has had a BSS issued previously you shouldnt really be getting that much flagged up on the new inspection unless there have been a lot of changes since the last one was issued.

My re inspection was an absolute doddle.

[Jocave]

Only thing that has changed was an eberspacher was installed a year ago

[dnks34]

Ah right well fingers crossed it wont be that difficult or costly to sort out.  It might not be as bad as you think, some things are easily sorted.  

Would your boatyard not allow you to get your own BSS inspector in so you could deal with him directly? 

[VetChugger]

I think you changed your fridge Jocave? The Electrolux would have been a failure not being room sealed. What cooker do you have? Many come with the old Vannette? These fail as well for not having a flame failure device. You can get onto the BSS website and see all the issues that count so to speak and try and cross check these with the boat.

https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/

The eberspacher could well be exhaust or the burner needed adjusting and is there a test point in your lpg curcuit. The gas storage locker needs a drain hole at the lowest point. (mine was too high!

Most important really is that you find an engineer that you can trust. Being on the Lanky have you thought about seeking advice and recommendations on the Canal Junction forum as they will have folk up there?

Best of luck, I know what its like trying to get a tad aged small boat through this kerfuffle!