Help Newbe Just about to launch

[lukeyboy]

Hi im 21 and i have a mirror offshore yacht, its been sat on my drive way for about 8 to 9 years, iv been doing bits off work on it and am planning on giveing it a test dip in the next week.

i have loads of questions i hope some of you can help me with.

1, do i need any kind of licence to take it on the english watter ways?

2, dose the boat have to show a lisence plate?

3, will i get insuard as i have no qualifications and only alittle experiance in a lazer

4, how do i tax and MOT the boat.

And 5 is there anything else i need to know before i put it in the water?

all help and advice is welcome.

Thanks
Luke




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[paulrossall]

A chap I know has a Mirror Offshore and it is an excellent yacht to start out with.
You do not say where you are or where you want to launch it. If you are in a river with locks or a canal you will need a British Waterways licence. These can run from 1 day to 1 year. If you want one longer than 1 month then you need to have a boat safety certificate which costs about £60 for a qualified tester to inspect your boat to make sure the electrical, gas and engine fuel systems meet with regulations. Such a certificate lasts for either 3 or 4 or 5 years, I cannot remember which. A boat does not need tax or MOT. Any trailor just has to be roadworthy.
You will need to get insurance and that should not be a problem for river use. if you want to go to sea in it the insurer will want to be convinced you are competant, but for your own safety you should complete a RYA Day skipper course.
When you launch the boat into the water you have to make sure it does not leak. If it has been out of the water for a long time leaking can be a problem.
If I were you I would consider launching it for a day and see how you get on. Then progress from there. You will need a mooring in a marina or riverside which will cost money. You have to decide whether you want to leave it in the water all winter as many people bring them out of the water as they dont get much use during the cold weather. Where do you propose to launch it.
Hope this helps. Paul

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[Avocet]

Not enough detail to help really! Where were you planning on launching it? Some places (like Windermere) make you register it, others don't. The easiest way to see if you can get insurance is to phone some insurance companies - there's several who advertise in the back of the boating magazines like Practical Boat Owner. I don't think insurance is compulsory but at the VERY least, "third party" insurance is (I feel) a "must". If you hit someone else's boat, how are you going to pay for the damage otherwise? There's (blisfully) no such thing as an "MOT" for boats as such, but depending on its age, an insurance company might want a marine surveyor to look at it before they will provide cover. If you're planning on sailing it in tidal water, some harbours have their own byelaws requiring insurance. Some marinas also insist on it before they will give you a berth. There's no mandatory "driving test" as such but PLEASE, for the sake of everyone else who shares this passtime, do consider getting some training!!!!!! At present, there are very few lives lost at sea among yachtsmen. As such, the government has left us largely alone. Sailing (even on inland water) has an element of danger and if the accident statistics get significant, it will spoil the freedom we all enjoy so much because we will be forced to take compulsory tests. The Royal Yachting Association (search for "RYA" on the internet) does a whole range of excellent boat handling and navigational courses - they have a very strong "Educate - don't legislate" message and they fight our corner with the government and try to minimise the impact of any new legislation on us. Do, please, consider one of their courses - they start at absolute beginner level so don't be shy!

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[clyst]

I smell a troll !!
Regards Terry

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[lukeyboy]

Hi thanks for the help.
"I smell a troll " what is that meant to mean?

Anyway, am putting the boat in a marine in Nottingham for the day just to test out for leeks, and to test the engine, I will probably be sailing up stream and back if it seems ok. After the day test I will take it back home and fix anything, I will be planning to moor it some were. See is not an option just yet.

So if I understand, when I drop it in the water for the day I will only need to be insured and have a day licence.

Then if I want to keep it in there I will need a health and safety test and a year’s license.

Where do I get my license?

Thanks for the grate help.
Luke.


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[Happy1]

Wow, your speeling is gettin better on eech post, I see you now know how to spell Insured and licence, amazing really, but I think you have been found out /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

<font color=purple> "You only see what you recognise, and you only recognise what you know" <font color=purple>

 

[amadeus]

Terry is right when he warns about the troll I'm sure. Lukeyboy this is a nautical term for big trouble looming ahead. What you must do is go out onto your driveway and mix up some cement. Put under the centre of the boat and climb aboard. Preferably wearing your lifejacket if you have bought one yet. If not maybe your mum could knit one there are instructions available in back copies of Practical Boat owner magazine. Now wait for the cement to go off then go indoors and have tea. Leave for another 8 to 10 years by which time the urge to go boating should have worn off. Alternatively you could do as the sensible and helpful people have said and go on some courses (but please avoid the Clyst and the Exe as these are very dangerous and frightening rivers for newbes). All the Best from Seagull

<hr width=100% size=1>Seagull

 

[lukeyboy]

LOL found out! Yes my spelling is cr*p, I used a spell check last time.

1, I was in a rush when I wrote the first one because I had only just found the forum.
2, my spelling is cr*p.
3, I’m ill with some flue, sh*t

And In-between typing messages I’m lying on my bed.

Iv got a mate coming on Sunday with his pickup to toe the trailer, so all the info I can get will help.

Also if your implying for some dumb reason I would make this up I don’t think I would use a 1969 Mk1 mirror offshore with a Volvo Penta D1.MD1 “7BHP” engine.

So far iv sanded down the entire inter and repainted it, reattached the faring, removed the see toilet and blocked off the copper piping were the toilet was. Cleaned out the injectors, and sealed some cracks in the block. I still need to put copper pipes in place of the current rubber fuel lines. And service the trailer and it’s done. I did revarnish all the external wood, but that was a couple of years ago. I will redo that latter and I will also replace the doors, as they’re rotten at the bottom.

Iv not joined this forum to debate my spelling; iv joined here for help and advice on yachts, and to chat to other people with the same interests.

I have had the mirror for just over 3 years I think, but I was working full-time as a CAD draftsman. I have resonantly quite and gone self-employed with an Internet businesses, and have more time and cash to work on my boat.

I hope people will still be of assistance, ,and thanks to the people that are sofar being helpfull.

Thanks
Luke


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[lukeyboy]

"What you must do is go out onto your driveway and mix up some cement. Put under the centre of the boat and climb aboard. Preferably wearing your lifejacket if you have bought one yet. If not maybe your mum could knit one there are instructions available in back copies of Practical Boat owner magazine. Now wait for the cement to go off then go indoors and have tea. Leave for another 8 to 10 years by which time the urge to go boating should have worn off"

That makes no sense to me. Must be a joke I may understand in another 3 years?
I have been considering a sailing course for a while now. I was going to take one last year but as I didn’t have enough time I didn't, hopefully this year I will. And until then ill try to stick to the safe areas, thanks for any concern, every little bit of advice helps.


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[Bodach na mara]

Short answers:
1. Yes if canals, but there are free waterways. All tidal water is licence free but you may need to pay a launching fee.
2. Not as far as I know
3. Insurance makes sense and should (but see answer 4) be fairly easy to get. It depends more on the boat than the owner. I could not insure a converted 1912 six-metre racing yacht, got cover on a 1965 cold-moulded motor-sailer only with great difficulty, but found it easy to insure a 1975 Westerly.
4. No tax or MOT, but to get insurance you may need a survey. This will cost a lot more than an MOT!
5. How to get it back out! Seriously much of what you need to know, you will have learned in your Laser, so happy sailing.


<hr width=100% size=1>Ken Johnson

 

[gjgm]

It really is a good idea to get some training. There s a great deal of useful things to learn from a course that you wont have mastered from your dinghy, safety,mooring alongside, getting the heavy boat back out of the water,rigging the boat for a tow if your engine conks and no wind.some basic engine maintenance,close quarter handling under power...you really will be much more relaxed and enjoy yourself if you have some confidence. And if something does go wrong, at least you ll be better prepared for what to do. Even one of the RYA booklets like Day Skipper Theory/Practical will give you some evening reading to make it safer for you.. and everyone else. Otherise, hope your boat stays dry and brings you some fun

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[paulrossall]

Which marina in Nottingham are you going to launch your boat?

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[lukeyboy]

Thanks all for the help.

Im not shore wich marina it is, my friend works near it. and he is sorting it all out for me with them.

I Was talking to an acountant from Newark the other week, i dont think its you though., this guy works at the marina at newark, and told me boats dont excite hi!!! so couldent be you!

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