BSS Examination Checklist | How to Prepare Your Boat

This checklist is for privately owned boats. It is based on the Boat Safety Scheme’s own Examination Checking Procedures. Hire boats and other non-private boats are examined to different requirements.

The full checking procedures are free to read on the BSS website. If anything here differs from them, they are right.

How the examination works

An examiner authorised by the BSS checks your boat against the BSS checks.
Each check is either a requirement (R) or advice (A). For a private boat, failing an advice check does not stop you getting a certificate. You should still fix it.
If every requirement is met, the examiner records your certificate on the BSS database. It lasts four years.
An examination can take as little as an hour on a simple boat, or two to four hours on others.
There is no fixed price. Each examiner sets their own charges.

Book at the right time

You can have the examination up to two months before your current certificate runs out. The new certificate then starts from your old expiry date, so you lose nothing. This also gives you time to fix any problems.

The ten most common failures

The BSS publishes the ten things it most often finds wrong, from around 21,000 examinations a year:

Batteries not secured against movement.
Gas leaks found in the tightness test.
Not enough suitable fire extinguishers, or too low a combined rating.
Missing or wrongly placed carbon monoxide alarms.
Gas pipe joints insecure, poorly made or in poor condition.
Fuel shut-off valves not in view or not clearly marked.
Battery isolators not in view or not clearly marked.
Gas burners not giving a proper flame.
Gas main shut-off valve not in view or not clearly marked.
Electrical cables not supported in a safe position.

Start with these.

Fire safety

Extinguishers. Under 7m: at least two, combined 10A/68B. 7m to 11m: at least two, combined 13A/89B. Over 11m: at least three, combined 21A/144B. Each must be at least 5A/34B and carry a certification mark. See our fire extinguisher guide.
Condition. No missing pin, dents, corrosion, perished hose or gauge in the red.
Position. Easy to reach, next to escape routes, in view or labelled, and not reached over the cooker.
Fire blanket. Needed if you have permanently installed cooking facilities. Marked BS EN 1869 or BS 6575, within about 2m of the hob.
CO alarms. At least one on any boat with an accommodation space, within 10m of any door between accommodation spaces, in open view, certified to BS EN 50291, with a test button.

Fuel system

Fuel cannot overflow into the boat from the filling point.
Every tank has a vent.
Non-integral tanks do not move when pushed.
Fuel lines and connections are secure, in good condition and not leaking.
Fuel filters are in good condition. Filters in the engine space must be fire resistant.
Every fuel feed line has an emergency shut-off, in view or clearly marked.
Petrol engines have extra checks, such as flame arrestors on tank vents and carburettor drip trays.

Engine

Engine and gearbox sit over an engine tray or oil-tight area big enough to hold the oil.
A fixed bilge pump must not pump from that tray unless it goes through a suitable filter or to a holding tank.

Electrics

Batteries cannot move more than 10mm in any direction.
Open-vented batteries are in a ventilated space, vented to the outside.
Battery terminals are covered or insulated.
Battery tops are at least 300mm below any metal gas or petrol parts, or those parts are shielded.
A battery isolator is fitted as close as practical to each battery or bank, and is in view or clearly marked.
Cables are insulated, supported and in good condition, with sound connections.
Fuses and circuit breakers are complete and undamaged.

An RCD on your mains (230V) system is not a BSS requirement, but the BSS strongly recommends one.

Gas (LPG)

Cylinders stored so leaking gas goes overboard, upright and secured.
Locker sound, with a drain opening near the bottom and an outlet above the waterline.
Nothing in the locker that could block the drain, damage the cylinders or ignite gas.
Fixed pipes made of seamless copper, stainless steel or copper nickel.
Hoses no longer than 1m, correctly marked and in good condition.
Appliances fitted since 3 January 2000 have flame failure devices on every burner.
A test point or bubble leak detector is fitted, and the system passes the tightness test.

See our LPG gas safety guide.

Ventilation (advice for private boats)

The examiner works out how much fixed ventilation your boat should have, based on the number of people it is designed for and its appliances. Vents you can close do not count. Ventilation should be split roughly equally between high and low level. See our ventilation guide.

On the day

The BSS asks you to make sure:

the examiner can reach the boat, and any landowner knows
keys are available
there is gas and fuel to run the appliances, and the batteries are charged
there is water in the system for boilers and water heaters
access panels and covers are removed
every gas joint and hose can be seen and reached
the gas locker is unlocked and emptied of loose items, mats and false floors
fuel hoses and connections can be seen and reached
you know your last certificate number and expiry date
any paperwork, such as hose standards, is ready

If the examiner cannot check something, the examination is incomplete and no certificate can be issued.

If your boat does not pass

The examiner will tell you what failed, why, and what must be done.

Under BSS policy, you generally have up to three calendar months to have a re-examination. The examiner may then check only the items that failed. A full re-examination is needed if:

the boat has changed owner
work or changes have affected other parts of a system
the original examination found a lot of problems

Some examiners include re-examination in their price. Ask before you book.

Sources

All read 20 Oct 2026.