I am a boat safety examiner based in Yorkshire and working all through Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and down the A1 /M1 corridor through to West London.
Please message or call me if you would like to book a boat safety examination or if you have any questions about the boat safety scheme or BSS examinations.
I look forward to hearing from you.
The Boat Safety Scheme
Examination
INITIAL INFORMATION
A new BSS certificate can be issued up to two months before the old one expires and can be forward-dated to preserve the expiry date.
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When booking an exam, it may help to have your existing BSS certificate to hand.
This information could be required when preparing the paperwork.
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​Ensure you notify the operator / owner of your mooring of your booked inspection as they may wish to see my public liability insurance details ahead of the visit.
PREPARATION
Preparing your boat before the boat safety scheme examination can really pay off.
Apart from checking to see that installations, components and fittings are to the correct standard before the examiner arrives, there are several things you can do to make the whole process run smoothly.
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Easy Access
Provide full access to all gas joints and hoses, and to any pipe-work wherever possible (including fuel lines) so that they can be examined.
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Check your fire extinguishers and Carbon Monoxide alarms. The BSS Guide on fire extinguishers is available here . (refer to Chapter 6 for full details) and Cardon Monoxide alarms here.
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Check gas and water systems are topped up to enable a 15 to 30 minute test to be run on the systems that include open flue gas water heaters, gas hobs , ovens and cookers on your boat,
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Make sure gas lockers are unlocked.
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All boards and panels should be removed (or easily removeable) to give access where needed and necessary.
(specifically boards and panels that cover fuel lines, fuel filling lines and connections, gas pipes, hoses and connections, engine bay, fuses boxes and wireing that need to be seen and reached by hand)
Please make sure that all batteries are fully charged, secured are easily accessible.
USEFUL ARTICLES
AND WEBSITES
WHAT ARE THE COSTS?
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The examination fee for all PRIVATE BOATS is £220.
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Included in the Examination FEE-
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Examination of the boat (average 2/3 hours)
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BSS certifications fee (currently £72 including VAT)
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Travel costs within an hour from base
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Administration (BSS register of certificate and details)
Certificates can be issued either hardcopy, electronically or both.
Examinations can take place 2 month in advance of certificate expiry dates.
RETESTS
Retests are £40.
TIMESCALE FOR RECTIFYING WORKS
There is a timescale of up to 3 months in which to undertake any rectification work.
The Boat Safety Scheme insist that a full new examination must take place after three months has passed.
PAYMENTS
Payment can be made with cash, via bank transfer or Paypal.
Payments are due on the day of or before the examination
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ABOUT ME
My name is Hannah Cope and I am a Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) examiner.
I have been involved in boats my whole life; I love the community, the history and the engineering!
Over the years I have refitted a number of Narrow Boats and Dutch Barges, taking on every aspect but in recent years my main focus has been bringing up my son.
He’s now 12 and at secondary school so I have the time to re-engage into the boating world of work, where I can use my engineering skills and experience to best effect.
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I have worked along side Marine engineers on major boat renovations both in the UK and the Netherlands, as well as taking on the roll of warranty manager for a large London based Boat brokerage.
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The great thing about society these days is freedom of opportunity, and I am very pleased to be one of a handful of women working as BSS examiners, as this is a true reflection of the rich social diversity within the boating community today.
I look forward to meeting you and your boat.
