ABOUT BSSE
The purpose of the Boat Safety Scheme
Is to help minimise the risks to all visitors to the waterways and the waterways' workforce, and to help protect adjacent property,
The remit of the BSS is only related to the condition, equipment and use of boats.
Navigation Authorities use the BSS
to help develop a set of national minimum legal safety requirements and to run an examination service to verify that each boat registered with the navigation authority meets the requirements.
This is the Boat Safety Scheme Examination
if the boat meets the requirements, it is a given a Boat Safety Scheme Certificate, which is valid for four years. Owners will receive a full BSS Certification report from the examiner either on a paper print out, or as an electronic file, or both if the owner wishes.
A Boat Safety Scheme Certificate is valid for four years.
You can book an examination up to two months before your old certificate or CE Declaration of Conformity runs out; or the Sail Away first year anniversary.
If your boat passes with two months or less left on your existing certificate, the examiner will post-date the new certificate.
The BSS recommend taking advantage of this facility, because if your boat fails for any reason, you will still have some time to put things right.
The Boat Safety Examination paperwork issued by the examiner
A Pass certificate
listing the examination number, expiry date and any Advice items the owner should be aware of
or No Pass certificate
listing the date of no pass, all items of no pass and advice check in detail
An Appliance Record,
listing all appliances, Fire extinguishers, Fire blanket, Ventilation quantity to high and low level
Is everything is ready for an Examination?
Can the examiner get to the boat? Are the conditions safe? Does he need the permission of the Marina or Land owner? Is there water and gas aboard to run appliances? Is a CO alarm fitted along with sufficient fire extinguishing capacity, a fire blanket, is the ventilation adequate and open? Are gas pipes visible, Engine and Batteries easily accessible?
CE Certifying?
Since 1998 completed leisure boats are CE certified/marked under the Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) or since Brexit, UKCA marked under the Recreational Craft Regulations (RCR).
CE Certification is required for all recreational boats entering or being sold in the European Union and UK.
Manufacturers and builders self certify and document to show conformity with the RCD/RCR. This record is supplied to the initial owner of the craft as a manual and forms part of the crafts record carrying a Craft Identification Number.
Fully completed vessels built to the Recreational Craft Regulations carry a written statement made by the builder in the form of a CE mark (Annex XV (15)) Declaring Conformity to the Recreational Craft Directive/Regulations.
This can often be used for its first four years to support a boat river registration. After which a Boat Safety Scheme Examination (BSSE) is required
For a partially complete vessel purchased for completion by the owner, built as a sail away to the Recreational Craft Regulations, is similarly recorded and marked, The Declaration/document can often be accepted for the first 12 months to support a boat registration. After which a BSSE is required.
Craft Identification Number
The identification number facilitates easy identification of the boat’s production year and model year. The number may be referred to as
Watercraft Identification Number WIN, Craft Identification Number CI, Hull Identification Number HIN.
Typical number FI-YAM28010K708
FI = Country code
YAM = Manufacturer code
28 = Model number
10 = Serial number
K = Production month (November)
7 = Production year (2007)
08 = Model year (2008)
Do I need BSS certificate?
My boat is very small and has an outboard motor,
On most waterways, a BSS examination is not required for a privately owned open vessel in which all the accommodation is completely open to the elements, has no domestic cooking, heating, refrigerating or lighting appliances installed and is propelled solely by an outboard engine.
To arrange a Boat Safety Examination for a private or Hire boat
Call or text 0755 744 8532 email john.a.aldous@gmail.com
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