New to the Thames - moving from Brighton to Penton Hook - any advice?

Markhammond

Markhammond

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Afternoon all.

I have posted a few times on the motorboat forum and have recently posted about bringing my boat (a Sealine S29 so around 30") inland from Brighton (see the link below for details).

I have now pretty much settled on the Thames at Penton Hook, but wanted to find out more about what is required to legally have my boat there. My boat is registered on the Small Ships Register, with the Coastguard, but I understand if I bring it inland I also need to register it with the Environment Agency, as well as obtain a Boat Safety Scheme Certificate (BSSC).

Any ideas on costs associated with this, any recommendations for examiners to get the BSSC and is there anything see I need to worry about?

Thanks in advice for any responses - your help and advice will be gratefully received.

Mark.



http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...oat-inland-but-where-to&p=4858660#post4858660)
 
I'm guessing you have a sea toilet?
If so, you'll need to have that blanked off or switched to a holding tank (if there isn't one already fitted)

I read some of your thread on the MB forum, I'm sure your daughter will be much happier with the tranquillity of the Thames, and you have plenty of cruising area to explore as you can easily get your boat all the way up to Oxford :)

BSSC should cost you around £125 iirc
Nothing to be scared of, have a read through this
http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/media/194782/2013ecp_private _boats_ed3_public_final.pdf
 
You could fit a cassette toilet - cheaper than fitting a holding tank.
There are plenty of Sealines here on the R Trent . I had a S23 and now a F33, no issues with the BSS. Possibly you might need some fire extinguishers and you will need a fire blanket on the boat . A S29 will presumanbly have an automatic engine bay extinguisher as standard.
On the River Trent sea toilets are acceptable providing it can be disabled by closing a sea cock. On the Thames I believe they are more fussy.
Does your boat have D3 engines?
 
Thanks for replying. My S29 has holding tanks for waste and grey water, as well as extinguishers/blankets etc and an automatic one in the engine bay - an insurance requirement apparently. And yep, it had twin d3's. Dare I ask why you ask?


MartynG said:
You could fit a cassette toilet - cheaper than fitting a holding tank.
There are plenty of Sealines here on the R Trent . I had a S23 and now a F33, no issues with the BSS. Possibly you might need some fire extinguishers and you will need a fire blanket on the boat . A S29 will presumanbly have an automatic engine bay extinguisher as standard.
On the River Trent sea toilets are acceptable providing it can be disabled by closing a sea cock. On the Thames I believe they are more fussy.
Does your boat have D3 engines?
Click to expand...
 
Welcome Mark, not stalking you, honest lol. Licence you get from the EA site. The BSC is registered on a central database nowadays so once you've had it done you can apply for your licence I've just had it done on the new boat today. You are supposed to have the bsc and licence before you get there and certainly before you head out as they will check at the locks, well should do anyway!. With your air draft you can get a long way up and plenty of places for you all to stop and you don't need to go a million miles every time you go out as there are moorings everywhere although at the Penton Hook end loads of moorings are chargeable but many are free the further up you go. As mentioned before, when you come over, look us up. It really is very easy to do, just costs money as river sailing is dearer for moorings/EA licence and BSC make it dearer than coastal but you only sip diesel at tick over or just above! Don't worry too much about glazed bores as was mentioned in the mobo forum, we've alternated coastal and river/canal with various boat for years with big engines with no issues.
Dave
 
Thanks Dave, that's good to hear. The EA licence was more than I was expecting with not much change out of £550 if I have got my sums right based on the length and draft, and I got a quote for the BSS certificate of £145. But if it means I can get the family out on the boat it's money well spent!

boatingdave said:
Welcome Mark, not stalking you, honest lol. Licence you get from the EA site. The BSC is registered on a central database nowadays so once you've had it done you can apply for your licence I've just had it done on the new boat today. You are supposed to have the bsc and licence before you get there and certainly before you head out as they will check at the locks, well should do anyway!. With your air draft you can get a long way up and plenty of places for you all to stop and you don't need to go a million miles every time you go out as there are moorings everywhere although at the Penton Hook end loads of moorings are chargeable but many are free the further up you go. As mentioned before, when you come over, look us up. It really is very easy to do, just costs money as river sailing is dearer for moorings/EA licence and BSC make it dearer than coastal but you only sip diesel at tick over or just above! Don't worry too much about glazed bores as was mentioned in the mobo forum, we've alternated coastal and river/canal with various boat for years with big engines with no issues.
Dave
Click to expand...
 
Ah ahead of the comment if you've already investigated the licence :-). Sounds as if you everything you need and the boat is more than ready for you to come over and start enjoying boating with the family lol.... From what you describe the BSC will almost be a paperwork exercise and can be done in or out of the water.
Cheers
Dave
 
I would measure the boat again that sounds a bit high for an S29, if you are bringing it round this year arrive in September as the license is half price to the end of the year.
If you can look for berth further up it is worth it, Penton Hook is ok but the river is just so much better from Windsor upwards.
 
That's what I thought but when I checked the guidance on the form below it say the cost is driven by the square foot, so length (9.1m) by beam (3.2m) which makes 29.2m hence the £529.34.

I'm very happy to be corrected if I've got this wrong, any savings can always be spent on vino!!

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/289756/LIT_7450_df3a7c.pdf




Chris_d said:
I would measure the boat again that sounds a bit high for an S29, if you are bringing it round this year arrive in September as the license is half price to the end of the year.
If you can look for berth further up it is worth it, Penton Hook is ok but the river is just so much better from Windsor upwards.
Click to expand...
 
You can only registar it once, I reckon you are 8.84 x 3.18 = 28.1 sqm = £511.28, don't use brokers details they just make it all up.
 
Markhammond said:
Afternoon all.

I have posted a few times on the motorboat forum and have recently posted about bringing my boat (a Sealine S29 so around 30") inland from Brighton (see the link below for details).

I have now pretty much settled on the Thames at Penton Hook, but wanted to find out more about what is required to legally have my boat there. My boat is registered on the Small Ships Register, with the Coastguard, but I understand if I bring it inland I also need to register it with the Environment Agency, as well as obtain a Boat Safety Scheme Certificate (BSSC).

Any ideas on costs associated with this, any recommendations for examiners to get the BSSC and is there anything see I need to worry about?

Thanks in advice for any responses - your help and advice will be gratefully received.

Mark.



http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...oat-inland-but-where-to&p=4858660#post4858660)
Click to expand...

Don't forgot the close proximity to Thorpe Park if you have kids...it will make your yearly licence look like a cheap round...
 
Ref the BSS, something you might want to check is that you have an oil tight area under each engine. It doesn't need to be a specific tray, as the bilge area will suffice as long as it's isolated from the rest of the bilge. You'll also need to ensure that your bilge pumps don't draw from that area.

I had drain holes into the lower part of my bilge under the engine, which I had to block off, and also move my bilge pump. Not a huge job, but worth ensuring it's done in advance to avoid failure and a re test.
 
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