Inflatable boat with outboard needs to be registered?

[Michael]

Hi, I'm new here,

and

It might sound like a trivial question but I'm thinking about inflatable boat 3m and 4hp outboard purchase and this question got to my mind?

Sorry it it's a repost. Thanks.

[Saintly Fish]

Hi @Michael. 
firstly welcome to the Outlaws. 
There is no such thing as a trivial or stupid question. I have a 2.8m tender powered by a 5hp tohatsu which is used as a tender to the mothership. Also as a fun river toy for my lad. 
The boat does not need to be legally registered, it's only registered with the manufacturer for its warranty. If you're buying an older boat without warranty then no registration is legally required. 
There is the "small ships register" which every small boat owner is asked to register their boats on. But, again this is a best practise exercise and not a legal requirement. However the future may see this change! 
Hope that helps. 

[Andy135]

Welcome to Offshore Outlaws @Michael

No vessel registration required in the UK. You have the option of registering with the Small Ships Register but this is optional, and may not even apply to very small craft such as the one you're considering.

If you want to use a VHF radio - recommended for communicating with other vessels, shore stations and the RNLI - then you'll need to pass a VHF operators course.

[Saintly Fish]

16 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

If you want to use a VHF radio - recommended for communicating with other vessels, shore stations and the RNLI - then you'll need to pass a VHF operators course.

This advice is good practise too. Although if you don't have a VHF license and you use one in an emergency, nobody is going to fine you or cart you off to jail! 
Id still recommend you do it however. 

[Michael]

Thanks guys! 

So what would be the pleasure vessel size which registration become mandatory by law?

[Saintly Fish]

12 minutes ago, Michael said:

Thanks guys! 

So what would be the pleasure vessel size which registration become mandatory by law?

I think it's vessels over 20m

[Andy135]

So far there is no requirement for registration at any size of pleassure vessel. And there is no governing body who would manage the registration process or what to do with the information given by registering.

For commercial vessels there are fairly onerous coding requirements but I'm assuming you're simply looking to get a small inflatable for pleasure use.

It might seem strange but for pleasure (non-commercial) vessels anyone, with any experience (even no experience at all), can buy a boat of any size and simply steam off into the sunset.

Edited to add: it seems that there's a passenger limit rather than size limit (although passenger capacity will be a function of size). 12 or more passengers and the boat becomes classed as a "passenger vessel" with greater safety requirements. Take a look here for info: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268868/mgn489-amendment-pleasure-vessels.pdf

[Saintly Fish]

1 minute ago, Andy135 said:

So far there is no requirement for registration at any size of pleassure vessel.

I don't think that is 100% accurate. There is a maximum length that once over that the vessel needs registering. A super yacht is a pleasure craft, and they need registering. So there is a size limit, I'm just not 100% sure what it's is. All I know is that it's not needed for any boat any of us could afford! 

[Andy135]

3 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

I don't think that is 100% accurate. There is a maximum length that once over that the vessel needs registering. A super yacht is a pleasure craft, and they need registering. So there is a size limit, I'm just not 100% sure what it's is. All I know is that it's not needed for any boat any of us could afford! 

It's 24 metres or less for the SSR and is optional. If a yacht in your example is 25 metres or more, who would the owner register it with? There's no governing body?

[Saintly Fish]

2 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

It's 24 metres or more for the SSR. But see my earlier point about passenger capacity. SSR registration below 24m is optional. There is no other registration body in existence, so for the purposes of the OP's question, he can just go ahead and buy a boat.

Yeah that's what I said!

[Andy135]

Just now, Saintly Fish said:

Yeah that's what I said!

Nah, I just corrected myself. See above.

[Saintly Fish]

6 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

It's 24 metres or less for the SSR and is optional. If a yacht in your example is 25 metres or more, who would the owner register it with? There's no governing body?

The vessel would need to be registered with its home port authority. 
 

[Andy135]

10 minutes ago, Saintly Fish said:

The vessel would need to be registered with its home port authority. 

And what power do they have over the vessels registered with them? [genuine question]

[Saintly Fish]

55 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

And what power do they have over the vessels registered with them? [genuine question]

I think it's more to do with pilotage in and out of the port rather than powers over the vessel. 

[Michael]

All this informations are helpful!

What about insurance? I would assume as a engine powered transportation unit it needs something like it.

[Andy135]

4 minutes ago, Michael said:

All this informations are helpful!

What about insurance? I would assume as a engine powered transportation unit it needs something like it.

Insurance is a requirement of some marinas and slipways if you want to keep or launch your boat there but there is no requirement by law to be insured. So if your inflatable is capable of beach launching then there's nothing stopping you just getting afloat. Definitely advisable to be insured though.

[Saintly Fish]

3 minutes ago, Michael said:

All this informations are helpful!

What about insurance? I would assume as an engine powered transportation unit it needs something like it.

Do You have a larger boat too or is it just the dingy? If it's just the dingy then I'd say minimum 3rd party insurance. However, in the event your engine falls off the transom whilst fitting or removing and it takes a swim, then you'd wish you had fully comp.

If you have a larger boat, list the dingy and outboard as part of that boats insurance. But as @Andy135 says, there is no need by law.

[GPSguru]

7 hours ago, Andy135 said:

So far there is no requirement for registration at any size of pleassure vessel. And there is no governing body who would manage the registration process or what to do with the information given by registering.

For commercial vessels there are fairly onerous coding requirements but I'm assuming you're simply looking to get a small inflatable for pleasure use.

It might seem strange but for pleasure (non-commercial) vessels anyone, with any experience (even no experience at all), can buy a boat of any size and simply steam off into the sunset.

Edited to add: it seems that there's a passenger limit rather than size limit (although passenger capacity will be a function of size). 12 or more passengers and the boat becomes classed as a "passenger vessel" with greater safety requirements. Take a look here for info: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268868/mgn489-amendment-pleasure-vessels.pdf

It is not length, it is the displacement ...........

I can't remember the actual tonnage, but ALL vessels over a certain tonnage have to have a fully qualified ship's master and there are detailed registration requirements (I guess it is an MCA thing)

 

 

 

[Michael]

Hi again,

any advice on buying one of this special watercrafts?

 

[Andy135]

@Michael, I've pasted up the .webp image in your post so that everyone can see it without needing to click on it.

That's an Aqua Marina Aircat, which I belive is a copy of the Takacat/TrueKit cats. It's a design I'm considering buying myself but would probably avoid Aqua Marina simply because I've never heard of them and their cats look a little on the "cheap" side? Generally you get what you pay for, and especially with inflatables where you want high quality components and seams that won't split after the first season.

[Michael]

Thank you. 

I'm just wondering how would it behave in bay waters Portsmouth like, in other words if I can survive it😁

[Andy135]

The design would handle sheltered waters like harbours, estuaries and bays just fine. My concern is about how long the materials and construction of the Aqua Marina boat would last. My guess is that you'd get one or two seasons of heavy use out of it before it lets you down.

Here's a vid of the True Kit cats blasting around on breakers in New Zealand. The hulls and construction materials are designed to handle stuff like this, so their price is higher to reflect that. I suspect that cheaper inflatables would split a seam in waves like this.

 

[JonC]

4 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

The design would handle sheltered waters like harbours, estuaries and bays just fine. My concern is about how long the materials and construction of the Aqua Marina boat would last. My guess is that you'd get one or two seasons of heavy use out of it before it lets you down.

Why not get one and let us know?

[Michael]

What could be a disadvantage with open hull v hull of a traditional boat?🤔

[Andy135]

12 minutes ago, Michael said:

What could be a disadvantage with open hull v hull of a traditional boat?🤔

They're wetter, but the advantages outweight the disadvantages in my opinion - easier entry and exit, the boat can be nosed up to a pontoon rather than come alongside, more floor space in the boat as no thick tubes up front, easier/quicker drainage of any water that does get in (assuming an open transom or transom with drainage holes).