How do I code my boat for charter?

[mainshiptom]

I would like to take people out on my boat (maybe paying passengers) or even charting the boat out right, How do I MCA code my boat?

Where do i get the info, can i do some of the work myself?

Is it a good idea anyway since that it will make the boat safer?

Thanks

Tom

 

[tcm]

there is a poster hereabouts who is a consultant inspector and very excellent chap did my boat. He comes on the boaty and does preliminary inspection, then (maybe) identifies a lot of things that you need to buy, then comes on a second and mebbee third time a few wks later to check it all and evetyually you get the cert.

 

[mirage]

The information is on the (rather messy) MCGA web site.

Try Here for starters.

Good luck /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I'm not sure you'll want to. You're looking at a cost possibly around £10k. Have a look at

MCA Coding

I know one company in Southampton who could do it

Landau UK

 

[mainshiptom]

I know it could cost up to £10k ! But surley some of the stuff they want us to do is just common sense, so we can do any way?

I know one example is that hatches should open facing backwards(MCG REG), well I am about to replace three of my hatches and I might as well put them in line with the macg regulations ! save 1k allready ! down to 9.

tom

 

[jfm]

You will be able to do it for much less than 10k if you are ok at DIY Our Sq58 cost about £4k, although the rules have tightened slightly since then and hence it will be a bit more spensive. The wrong-way hatches are ok, there is a simple fix. Gotta run, more later. As tcm sez, you need inspector to look at it, agree a jobs list, you do the jobs, he returns to confirm all ok, cettificate issued and job done.

To manage cost you can reduce numbers. Eg it you code it for 6 + 2 crew you only need one 8man liferaft. To code for 12+ 2 crew you will need an 8 and a 6. Etc

 

[Nauti Fox]

The flaw in your plan is that not everyone wants to go to Stangate Tom!
You may have to venture further away.

 

[tcm]

yes, direct with inspector

there a number of people who say they will do it, but it seems thast they then get an inspector and of course, not incentive for them economising in anything at all, so all loaded up with lifejackets at full retail and so on. Whereas diy much hbetter, and paint yerown stupid line on the boat etc.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Yes, of course you could save money by doing the work yourself but I think it would be wise to get the boat surveyed before you do and have the same suveyor certify the boat after you've finished. The trouble is that a lot is down to intepretation. I've seen 2 boats recently, both the same model and both coded. One had a great big extra handrail around the cockpit and extra protective grids over the propshafts in the engine bay, the other had neither of these. So you could end up intepreting the regulations yourself only for a pernickety surveyor to fail the boat because his intepretation is different to yours

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

jfm, how did you get round the requirement to have all portholes (below the gunwhale?) sealed? Obviously, when its hot you want to be able to open these. Apparently there is some way of getting round this?
Any info on your laser jammer yet?

 

[jfm]

For 2004 it was ok to have sticker on glass saying "keep shut at sea". That's what I did. Now (2005) you have to have them locked and key kept by captian. But those twiddle things where they can be jammed shut by tightening allen key are also ok. So, still easy to deal with this rule

You are dead right that inspectors all interpret rules differently. Hence it is crucial to get the right inspector, and sound him out at first visit to make sure no traffic warden mentality, and read rules yourslef so you can challenge him when he interpets rules too harshly.

Sorry forgot laser thing, will check it out soon....!

 

[mainshiptom]

I am going as far as Southend on Sunday and Ramsgate in June?

I will go as far as it needs to go?

 

[Nauti Fox]

By the way Tom, the Princes channel is a nicer way to go to Ramsgit (if a few miles longer) IMHO.
Forecast for monday keeps changing, now there's a surprise!

 

[alastair]

Did mine (F37) a few months ago. Main expense was a liferaft.
Have a list of what I needed to do - send me a pm for a copy.

Regards

Alastair

www.javacharter.co.uk

 

[Steve Clayton]

Some of the legal paperwork no-one has mentioned yet.

Hull survey - she has to come out of the water
Register on part 1 as a Commercial Vessel
Tonnage measurement.

Your engine water cooling intake has to be outside the engine bay.

Fleixible fuel lines have to be braided

Galley strap

Heads are required to be looped vey high

Cooker gimbles must be locked so no chance of cooker coming out.

There are different coding requirements dependent on where you propose to charter; if between Bembridge and Hurst in the Solent then there is something known as the Portsmouth code. Further afield and a more extensive safety list comes into play.

Can send you a checklist for both if you want them.

 

[ccscott49]

If engine intakes are in engine room, the hoses have to be fireproof.

 

[jfm]

Steve, the commercial part 1 and related tonnage survey are not compulsory, are they? I mean you could code a boat and say SSR it, can't you?

The engine cooling intake shows how you get different interpretations from one surveyor to the next, as mentioed above. Our boat is recently coded and the engine, gen, aircon cooling intakes are all inside the engine bay. They are in fireproofed hose, that's all. Also our surveyor required heads only to be looped the normal little bit above w/line, so no mods were needed from standard fiarline spec

So, you cannot state rules as if they are rules. It varies depending on your surveyor

 

[Renegade_Master]

has to pass a stability test (lots of peeps standing on the side deck)

 

[TigaWave]

I did all the work on codeing my boat (40' yacht for category 120 miles think it was B, but the one before ocean)

Took me less than a week, only extra cost I would not have done any way was looping one of the heads up and fitting an anti syphon valve. Everything else made sense.

Windows as someone else said were fitted with signs and could be wired shut, cable tied.

The best thing to do is get a copy of the code from the MCA
its actually written in pretty plain english, you can read through and see what you need to do yourself, before you get the surveyor involved.

There are big savings from using a company to code it for you, one thing I remember talking to a friend who had his boat coded proffesionaly, was the first aid kit, theres a list in the code and you can get everything from a wholesale supplier www.999supplies.com. Rather than buying an off the shelf cat X marine first aid kit.

My alterations included extra bilge pump, gas alarm, toilet plumbing, more D rings in cockpit and more fire extinguishers.

Its worth reading through a copy of the code though and then deciding.

 

[Lozzer]

There is a guy called Ray Johnston who is based near Ramsgate. He is one of the nicest surveyors I have ever come across. I would recommend you talk to him. He came to our boat as he was in the area, gave it the quick once over 1 hour or so then told us what we had to do to get it up to scratch. He came back a week later and all was in place. Stability test was easy, we just invited family and friend down to the port and bought them a bear afterwards.

We also bought our bits and pieces from Adec Marine - Nilesh... very useful guy and truned the quote around in a day. His price was 1/2 of others.

I see a note about Landau, beware.... They have just quoted me £15k for coding a boat and they havent even looked at it. Very interesting!!!