Fire on boat at Wroxham

[Guest]

The BSS has been around for many years longer than it's introduction on the Broads.

It's actually been made a lot less stringent than when it first came in on the Canals and EA rivers.

Just before it became mandatory here, it was extensively rewritten, with many previously compulsory items becoming "advisory" only.

Yes, a lot of things are very difficult to reach, when I purchased my current boat I stripped out much of the interior to be able to thoroughly inspect everything myself. Even though it had passed the BSS 4 years previously, it was painfully apparent that many crucial things couldn't have been inspected.

Coincidentally, the fuel filler and breather hoses had no BS markings and were clearly the original fitment from 1989, (and it's a petrol boat).

The 30kg batteries were "fixed down" with flimsy straps with thin plastic buckles held by half inch wood screws.

The electrics (12v and 240v) were very poorly terminated with very amateurish crimps.

[teadaemon]

I was asked to fix a boat that had failed its gas test very badley this year, the owner was oblivious even though it stunk of gas, this is one to be alerted to, the system had a bubble tester and that didnt show any leak, why? well the regulater had given up and was leaking, the bubble tester tests everything the other side of it! This is why we need the BSS examiner to test and not leave it to the owner to diy test, now boats are having their 2nd test most gas failiers are on the applience and not the gas pipe run and the leaks are slight (i know any leak is bad but i would rather a minor leak on the valves not quite seating than a kinked pipe with a split), but hence my comment regarding the inspection not always being carried out as it should be, too many boats slipped through the net first time around, and im sorry to say some work that is carried out is still 'old school' from the eara that you do whater ever works no names mentioned as mud slinging in your own back yard is not recomended!

Surely if the regulator failed, the leak should have been within the gas locker, and therefore the leaking gas should have been safely vented overboard? Was there also a problem with the gas locker that allowed leaking gas to enter the boat?

[MBA Marine]

Surely if the regulator failed, the leak should have been within the gas locker, and therefore the leaking gas should have been safely vented overboard? Was there also a problem with the gas locker that allowed leaking gas to enter the boat?

your quite right yes it was and yes it would, but still the smell was very strong inside the cockpit with the canopy on, i would not have lit a match thats for sure! gas box was one of the lids that you could lift in cockpit floor, the space next to it was engine bay (thankfully diesel). the gas dropping to the lowest point and out of drain does stop the bin from being a bomb, but if there is a source of ignition the leak will still jet out a flame like a mini flame thrower, setting fire very quickly to what is proberbly a grp gas bin, as the bottle falls through the burned box the pipes sever and bye bye boat!