Checks for the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS)

The Boat Safety Scheme, or BSS, is a public safety initiative owned by the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency.  Its purpose is to help minimise the risk of boat fires, explosions, or pollution on the inland waterways. It's your boat's MOT and needs renewal every four years.
It is separate from the winterising process; from the normal checks for corrosion, rot and flaking paint; from regular engine maintenance and from regular cleaning of the water supply.

In preparation for Patience's BSS examination we compiled a list of checks we would make beforehand. The list of items on the certificate is lengthy and the list on their website is lengthy and comprehensive but I thought this ten point summary, though specific to our narrow boat, might be helpful.

• LPG Gas. Possibly the most important. This can be checked frequently using an installed bubble tester which is more effective than a gas detector. Check condition of gas lines from gas container (which should be protected and sit firmly in the gas locker, which should in turn be secure and drained) to final appliance. Check shut off valve. More here.
  
• Fire Extinguishers. Three in number, in good condition, accessible and near fire risk points. Plus a fire blanket.
  
• Appliances. Refrigerator, cooker and hob, solid fuel stove. In good working order with appropriate flues and ventilation.
  
• Vents. Clear. Including low level vents in doors and high level roof "mushrooms".
  
• Fuel. Filling points, lines and connections must be secure with no leaks. Feel under each line for corrosion. Any extra fuel should be in secured jerrycans.
  
• Engine and gearbox. Check for leaks. Replace bilge mat. Mop up leaks and ensure none escapes to the water outside.
  
• Solid fuel stove. Flue and firebox in good condition (no leaks from above, no gaps in seals). Area clear of inflammable materials. 
  
• Electrical systems. Batteries stored securely and cables in good condition. Fuses and circuit breakers functioning. Outlets in good condition.
  
• Emergency escape. Ensure access to exits is uncluttered and that owners have agreed an action plan.
  
• Detectors. We also checked our carbon monoxide, gas and smoke detectors.

And after that how did we do? Well, we passed successfully, but we will, of course, continue to take care, and put safety above all things. A four-year safety check helps to remind you of the importance of the maintenance of safety at all times.

Towpath walking in Staffordshire

We not only boat, we also walk and you can see where we walk and how we're progressing towards our target of walking all the English traditional counties at our walking website.

So it was that we found ourselves in Staffordshire, near the well known canal village of Stone and walking to Salt. Much of the walk was along the towpath of the Trent and Mersey canal, so this was an opportunity for us to compare our eastern region with the traditional Potteries canals.

In summary we like the history, the towpaths and the way boats simply moor up anywhere. Just don't try that on one of the tributaries of the Ouse ....

From a bridge near Aston by Stone

Trent and Mersey at Salt - parallel to the railway

Bridge at Goms Mill

Goms Mill Bridge from the other side

None of these mile posts on the Great Ouse ....

Bridge 83, Sandon, by The Dog and Doublet Inn

Sandon Lock

The Trent and Mersey is a cross country canal intended to to link the Potteries in Stoke on Trent to Liverpool in the east and Hull in the west, which, via the river Trent, it does, curving south wards almost to Lichfield and back up past Nottingham to the coast.

There is a fair smattering of liveaboard boaters here, living more economically than the summer boaters who, like us, have stored their boats in marinas at some cost.

Often liveaboards create their own mutual support communities, but I was warned in all seriousness by someone who knows the owner of the skull and antlers boat (above) that he takes no prisoners and hates people photographing his boat. Fortunately he was either away or asleep when I passed.

It makes for an alarming spectacle. I could see no name on the side. I didn't leave a note ....

Choosing Your Boat

As this blog was started as a way of recording our trials and tribulations in buying, maintaining and using Patience I thought it about time to celebrate our choice and think about the alternatives.
It's now coming up to two years ago that I stood on the banks of the Old West river with my daughter Sarah, who asked how much a narrow boat cost and started us off on this boating adventure.
 Back then we knew nothing of the pros and cons of different narrow boats and even now we have little experience of other types. But using a bit of common sense - and a thorough survey - we bought only the second boat we looked at.
So why is Patience the best boat for us?

Exterior
Look at her from the outside and what can you tell? She has a cruiser stern (more room outside, though a trad stern might offer more protection in poor weather as the navigator can partly retire into the cabin). Note also that the chimney is towards the bow. A trad stern boat with a captain's cabin would have the chimney to the rear, while ours has a wood burning stove that heats the forward saloon rather than the rear cabin (though there's a radiator for the aft area too)..
Superficially the condition of paint work tells you something about the condition of the superstructure. But in fact most narrow boats are made of steel plate (plating specs are in millimetres eg 10-8-5 being the thickness for hull, sides and roof respectively) and it would take substantial rust to affect its sea worthiness. Rotten wood outside or in (eg benches, or gas boxes) would suggest poor maintenance and might be expensive to replace but could be done by a competent DIY-er with time to spare. Old boats with wooden superstructure in poor condition are to be avoided.
Size
Patience is 45 feet long and 7 feet wide - the longest boat that can use all standard sized locks  across the country. She sleeps four in some comfort. Longer boats would have more space for sleeping and living, including single beds with doors off a gangway for privacy, while Patience is open with just the possibility of a dividing curtain to conceal the two bedroom areas from each other if required. The longer boats have manoeuvering problems in tight spaces and are restricted to which locks and turning areas they can use. And longer boats usually cost more to moor up. However 55 feet would also be a good compromise.
Seating and Sleeping
Patience has a forward saloon, with bench seats and lockers beneath, side to side, that convert to beds and house a table too. See a previous post if you're interested. The rear area has two bench seats facing fore and aft with room for a table between - the so-called Pullman arrangement. This converts to a double bed fore and aft leaving a narrow corridor - forward to the loo and aft to the wardrobes and storage spaces, including the electrical panel.

Galley
The galley is in the centre adjoining the bathroom / loo and shower. We have seen small baths in the larger boats, and longer boats sometimes have bathrooms that use the full width of the boat. However, in that pattern closing the doors for more space inside means no-one can pass along the length of the boat while the bathroom is in use. Ours has the benefit that the whole length of the boat is accessible. The galley has a sink with  hot water heated by the engine, cold from the water tank in the bow and potable from a rather basic jerrycan below. All the taps rely on a pump, so the battery needs to be on for taps to function.
Cooking and the fridge are both powered by gas so they don't drain the batteries (there are two 13 Kg propane cylinders in the stern and three car batteries) and the cooker is a 4 hob plus oven and (rather feeble) grill. The fridge is very effective when working, but we have had problems telling whether the pilot light has been lit by the piezo lighter. Annoying - but having no fridge would be worse. Modern small 12v electric fridges use little battery power, if you are cruising most days.
Power
External electrical power is available if there is a socket at your mooring, but we have never used it. We do have a small inverter to convert battery power to AC and we use that for low power devices such as phone charger, camera battery charger and the television. A small inverter is inexpensive but a larger one to power a washing machine, say, is unnecessarily luxurious for us and would risk draining the battery if used when the engine isn't running. A pure syne wave inverter is quite expensive but would be preferred for charging a laptop.
Bathroom
The shower is a bit cramped but we don't use it much as we aren't often on the boat for long continuous trips. The loo is a hand pumped version that drains into a holding tank to be pumped out only occasionally (we always use pub facilities when we are customers). The alternative, cassettes, have to be cleaned out more often and are I believe more expensive.

Windows
Height and width are standard rectangles rather than port holes. Brass framed port holes look dinky but they need polishing and most people agree they let in less light.  All our windows open on a bottom hinge and can be easily removed from their frame for cleaning or in hot weather.
Roof
We have no roof lights ("Houdini hatch" or "pigeon box") which would let in more light and let out summer heat but could leak if not well maintained. Our roof is slightly curved (so the rain pours off) and covered in a non-slip paint (useful to walk on, especially in locks - gloss may look better but performs poorly) with only air vent "mushrooms" for ventilation. It's painted cream, so reflects heat in summer. We also have a rail along each topside - more convenient I think than a ledge as we can tie centre ropes to it, hold on to it and it doesn't collect water or leaves.
Gunwales
The gunwales, those narrow ledges along the sides, have to be non-slip; traditionally sand is applied while the paint is still wet, then brushed off later. You can also buy paint with small rubber granules embedded to provide surface grip.
Engine
I'll leave John to write an entry on the engine - whether it's powerful enough (I think it usually is, though we've had occasions in weed, wind and current which could have used more power), economical enough (we believe it does 8 mpg) and whether the engine cooling system is effective enough (probably not, we'd prefer a larger cooling tank) - and electrics (strip lights versus halogen and LED, mains power versus batteries, 12 volt appliances versus inverters). Modern boats with a "hospital silencer" are quieter than ours.
The Answer
But the answer to my original question must be that Patience is ideal for 2-4 people holidaying rather than living aboard or using it for lengthy cruising. For more extensive use we might have chosen something longer and with more storage. As it is, it's an ideal size, with all the mod cons you need for a week or so at a time without anything superfluous. And as it is 16-17 years old the price wasn't huge compared to a new one.
Read Waterways World and  survey boats of the length and age that suits you. The other variables are condition (modernised, or not) and place (comes with a mooring? conveniently placed or needs to be moved to your preferred mooring?)

Good old Patience!

How it all started

Just thought it was worth mentioning that, like many of the best things in life, this all happened by chance.
My daughter Sarah wanted to rummage around the Emmaus second hand warehouse near Waterbeach so I offered her a lift. When she'd finished we went for lunch at The Lazy Otter, a pub I'd seen advertised nearby but never visited. Arriving with time to spare we wandered down to gaze at the boats and saw a for sale sign. "How much are narrow boats?" asked Sarah. Not having a clue I pulled out my mobile and rang the number on the sign.
By chance the owner was on board and kindly showed us round.
That got my interest going and led in only a short time to a conversation with my friend John, an engineer now with some time on his hands who himself visited the boat. As it happened this boat was quickly sold to someone else, but he told us of another boat for sale just yards away and that is how Patience came to our attention.
All because Sarah needed a lift. And thanks to The Lazy Otter.

Ready for a Survey

We're now booked in a for a survey with a marine surveyor. We've set great trust in Alan who's selling Patience, but it's important to know the state of Patience's bottom (ouch!) and whether there is any serious maintenance required.
Alan and John will put her into dry dock for the inspection and if the results are favourable we can decide firstly whether to buy her and secondly whether she needs work, such as blacking her bottom. Depending on water conditions a narrow boat may need blacking every two or three years. We must also find out about her "sacrificial anode". This is defined as "An anode attached to a metal object, such as a boat or underground tank, to inhibit the object's corrosion. The anode is electrolytically decomposed while the object remains free of damage." So it sounds like a good idea to have one, though it's tough on an innocent anode ....
And if all that works out we might then get on with choosing a solar panel, changing the sleeping arrangements and winterising her for the cold days ahead. Not to mention paying for her mooring, insurance, cruising certificate and other things about which we currently know little.
But it makes it easier to suggest things for us this Christmas. A little something from the chandlery collection perhaps?

Life in the Slow Lane

No I'm not really having a mid-life crisis but ... my friend John and I have just decided to buy a narrow boat and our wives have doubts about our common sense. The boat is named Patience and she's 45 feet long with a cruising stern, cosy accommodation for four and a wood burning stove.

In fact we're pretty sensible blokes looking for a project - and what could be more sensible than a narrow boat? Not for us the red Ferrari or a subscription to a lap dancing club; not a mistress or a motor bike or a speed boat in sight. Just a slow moving little caravan on water. We can, individually or together, chug down the river at 4mph, stop at a waterside pub for a pint and a sandwich, browse the local sites or bookshops then set off again at a sedate pace.
We've both been on narrow boat holidays, so we have a general idea of what it's about, but I think we might have a lot to learn about the ways of the water.
We are moored at The Lazy Otter between Cambridge and Ely on a part of the river Ouse called "The Old West River". We plan to spend the winter rearranging the accommodation on Patience and perhaps improving the electrical system. She needs a survey and we'll probably have to paint her bottom ("blacking") but by early Spring we hope to be out there on the Ouse spending time navigating the eastern waterways.
Watch this space ....