The Steamboating Forum

I am now a steamboater, or at lest a steamboat owner. She is just under 18 foot by 5"3'. ply/epoxy build. Engine is a ST 5a with a very small 3 drum water tube boiler.both build by Mr Beaver. The boiler needs two external stays replacing and then the boiler test. Qustion is when what? I am located on Merseyside UK and am a SBA member. What other paper work is needed for my intended cruising grounds of the Lakes, Liverpool docks and the canals of northwest England. Boat insurance to comply with the SBA rules I know about but what about Boat safty certs and BW licences?

Mike

Pictures please as soon as it is convenient. I have a friend who is fiddling around thinking of building a boat very like this and a picture or two would help me get him going.

Mike

Hi Mike

As far as I know for Windermere you need the required insurance (which means a boiler test, which can be done through the SBA Services) and you need to register your boat for the lake - this is done at the Wardens Office at Ferry Nab.

Other than that a bucket of common sense, coal, matches and, if you are on Windermere, a paddle. Water is usually easy to find on a lake, though some canals may be so mucky you want to take water with you (handy if condensing).

Typically insurance is a must, but after that it is down the the local by-laws of the water you are on.

Mike,

Congratulations on the boat.

British Waterways has been replaced by the Canal & River Trust. If you keep you don't keep your boat on their waterways (they don't look after all of the waterways in the UK) you can get a short term visitors licence (see: http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/licensing), the 30 day explorer looks like it could be quite good value, depending on the number of times you use it.

As I understand it, if you can satisfy the boat condition declaration (available from: http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/l ... -downloads) then you don't need a boat safety certificate when purchasing a short term licence.

If you keep the boat on a CRT waterway then you need a long term liscense and a boat safety certificate.

Kingsley

Pictures will have to wait a few more days as the boat currently is tucked up in a tight spot so unable to get some decent pictures. However the steam test is no long away so I will take some then.
Thanks for the links to the canal and river trust, I sent them an email to confirm that I will not need a Boat safty cert. I have downloaded the boat safty requirements and the only 2 items that I need to meet are to carry a fire extinguster and to have the engine boiler tray bolted down,both of which I do.

Mike

Just had a reply, confirming that I do not require a boat safty cert for the rivers and cannel trust. Many thanks for the tip I was going to book an inspection.

Mike