Canal Boat — November 2017

canalboat.co.uk Canal Boat November 2017 75

SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT HAS

CHANGED ON THE BOAT IN THE

LAST FOUR YEARS

This in my experience is the most

common reason for failure in older boats.

Cookers may have been changed, electrics

added to or batteries of different sizes

provided.

Whole systems may have been installed

such as heating, hot water or waste tanks.

Given this, a good place for an owner to

start when planning for their boat safety

inspection is to write down everything

that has changed in the last four years and

concentrate on those things.

Something else to consider for those

who have purchased boats that have

been fitted-out over a period of time is

that Boat Safety Inspectors can only

inspect what is there.

For example, even if a boat only has just

the one ‘system’ on board it still has to be

inspected, so, an empty boat with an

engine, associated machinery, starter

battery and tankage installed, but nothing

else, would have to be inspected and may

well pass. However, in the subsequent four

years the owner may have added, for

example, further 12v/230v electrics and

a gas system, none of which will have

been inspected.

SOMETHING HAS DETERIORATED

IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS

This so often is the cause of frustration to

owners and inspectors alike because it is

often simple and obvious things that

cause failure. For instance, signage that

has fallen off: remember, the location of

gas and diesel isolation valves and cocks

must be labelled. Fuel fillers must be

marked as must the location of fire

extinguishers if they are out of sight, so

check all of them before your inspection.

While you are in checking mode, take a

look at the pressure on your fire

extinguishers, and at all the wiring,

electrical connections, fuses, fuel hoses

etc for signs of rubbing, deterioration,

leakage or corrosion and take appropriate

steps.

Check solid fuel stoves for cracks, leaks

and blockages to the flue. Gas systems, if

you haven’t got a gas leak detection

(bubbler) device fitted, will need to be

checked for tightness by the inspector.

SOMETHING IN THE STANDARDS

HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST

FOUR YEARS

As I mentioned earlier, the standards

evolve and develop over time but to be

honest these changes don’t seem to be

huge nowadays. It is possible that a

standard has been updated between

your inspections and what was a pass

for your boat four years ago is now a fail.

But if this is the case then I think one has

to be philosophical and accept that

standards are not updated for the sake of

it and the latest guidance will reflect

improved safety.

THE PREVIOUS INSPECTOR

INTERPRETED SOMETHING IN

A DIFFERENT WAY

This happens occasionally and I won’t

pretend otherwise. However, the

important thing is that the judgement is

now correct and fortunately both the

owner and the inspector can refer to the

exact wording in the standards and

hopefully agree. If agreement can’t be

reached, and I have never personally

known this, there is recourse for the

owner to refer judgement to the Boat

Safety Office.

Boats that are approaching their first

inspection tend to be relatively new,

professionally built ones which on the

whole tend to be compliant due to the

regulations that govern builders, or

amateur fit-out and/or sea-going boats.

For the latter, I can only advise that

owners download a copy of the Boat

Safety Standards from the official website

and work their way through it. Equally, a

number of surveyors and associations,

including a version on my own website,

provide simple checklists that might

be of help.

Finally, the boat MoT, as it is sometimes

called, really isn’t something to be feared

or resented as I genuinely believe that

many people find it a useful and

informative exercise. The scheme is based

on sound principles and although

probably not perfect has shown its very

real value in raising safety standards

overall. In my experience, the majority of

boats pass and the ones that don’t,

frankly shouldn’t and that is a good

thing for all of us.

TECHNICAL

‘The boat MoT, as it is sometimes called, really isn’t

something to be feared or resented as I genuinely believe

that many people find it a useful and informative exercise’

CB
How are the gas bottles?

When did you last check the fire extinguisher?