Practical Boat Owner – August 2019

Motoring Picture Library/Alamy

Suitable category for

Solent?

Q

Would a motor cruiser

designated RCD

Category D, for river/canal

use, be suitable for use in

and around the creeks and

harbours of the Solent?

Colin George by email

ANDREW BLYTH

RESPONDS:

If first sold since the inception

of the Recreational Craft

Directive (RCD), then any boat

is required to be fitted with a

builder’s plate stating the boat

design category. If it is older

than this (build before 1998),

then check the plates on more

recent similar models.

RCD category D is known as

the river/inland waters

category. The definition of this

is that it is suitable for

significant wave heights up to

0.3m or occasional waves of

0.5m and Beaufort Force 4. It is

described in ISO 12217 (the

stability standard) as being

suitable for sheltered inland

waters, and in coastal waters in

fine weather.

So an RCD Category D boat

is suitable for creeks and

harbours in the Solent, and in

the Solent itself, but only in

fine weather.

If you want to go out in

rougher conditions then a

Category D boat is not

suitable. RCD design category

C (Coastal) covers significant

wave heights up to 2m. In my

Q

Last year we bought a

Jersey 36 in beautiful

condition and are slowly

getting her the way we want

her ready for fun times during

retirement. She has a single

engine with bow and stern

thrusters, which makes her

extremely easy to manoeuvre

on rivers and at slow speed...

and the 250hp Vetus gives us

the power to take her to sea,

but we’d like the comfort of a

secondary, smaller engine for

river work. What would you

recommend?

Will and Karen Renilson

STU DAVIES RESPONDS:

The first priority is ensuring

good maintenance on the main

engine to keep the likelihood of

needing a secondary means of

propulsion to a minimum.

Will has suggested half a

dozen options for auxiliary

engine power including the

possibility of fitting a diesel

outboard to the bathing

platform (diesel to avoid the

need for carrying petrol).

But a better use for that

bathing platform would be as a

home for a dinghy (on davits)

with an outboard of its own.

A good friend of mine used a

4hp inflatable dinghy to get his

Westerly Fulmar back to port

against the tide using an

alongside tow. The Fulmar is as

heavy or heavier than the

Jersey 36.

If you really want to go down

the route of fitting another

diesel (inboard or outboard)

then a word with a boatbuilder

wouldn't go amiss. In the olden

days, wing engines were fitted

as auxiliaries but I haven’t seen

one of those for years.

My recommendation would

be to get a modern 4-stroke

outboard and perhaps

consider fitting it to a dinghy

which could be based on the

dive platform with davits to

launch it.

Second engine enquiry...

opinion the wave limit should

actually be no higher than

1-1.2m, as a few waves will be

almost double this height.

Apart from judging the waves

on the day, one can get a

good idea of the geographical

areas of the UK that

correspond to the RCD

categories by consulting the

Merchant Shipping Notice

(MSN 1837) available online at

the MCA website.

Confusingly, the categories

used by the MCA are almost

exactly the opposite of those

used by the EU! RCD category

D roughly relates to MCA

category B, while RCD cat C

roughly relates to MCA cat D.

So bear that in mind when

reading the MSN!

Will and Karen Renilson’s Jersey 36

Nice condition Jersey 36

STABILITY

PAINT AND

ANTIFOULING

Richard Jerram is

former UK technical

manager of

International Paint

50 of the most frequently asked boating questions are answered by our experts on the PBO website. Visit http://www.pbo.co.uk

GAS FITTING
Peter Spreadborough,
of Southampton
Calor Gas Centre,
has 20 years in the
industry

TRAILER-

SAILING

Colin Haines is a

design engineer

who has trailer-

sailed for 25 years

ELECTRONICS

Andy Haines of

Greenham-Regis

Electronics is an

expert in marine

instrumentation

TOILETS AND

PLUMBING

Karl Sutcliffe of Lee

Sanitation knows

about holding tanks,

toilets and plumbing

YACHT DESIGN

Andrew Blyth is a

naval architect with

interest in stability

and buoyancy

WOOD

Richard Hare is a

wood technologist

and long-time

wooden-boat owner

BOATBUILDING

Tony Davies has

been building and

repairing wooden,

GRP and steel boats

for 40 years

The Beaulieu River is

suitable for cat D boats.

The Solent is too, but

only in fine weather...

ENGINES