Skippered Passenger Boat (up to 12 passengers)

Boats used for scheduled trips, private charters, water taxi or water bus services or hotel boats with a qualified skipper and crew on board.

Key considerations

Your boat must be in excellent condition and repair if you intend to use it for trips of any kind. We may ask for photographs or we may come out to inspect it.

You will need a permanent mooring with facilities such as fuel, water, sewage disposal, commercial waste disposal, secure customer parking and a safe place to board the vessel. You may also need to provide parking and have good vehicle access to the boat so that you can restock any food and drink items you sell on board.

We may allow you to operate one boat from a directly managed Canal & River Trust or private mooring, but we will expect you to have your own serviced operating base if you want to operate two boats or more. Very small boats may be kept out of the water, but you will still need a safe place for customers to board. We may allow you to use a Visitor Mooring for this, for which there will be an additional charge.

We will assess your proposal for impact on local navigational safety, water resource and other operational matters. You should prepare a detailed Operating Proposal to enable us to do this.

Regulations

Insurance

You will need a commercial insurance policy that provides cover to a value of £2m.

Boat Safety Scheme Certificate

You will need a Boat Safety Scheme certificate that shows that the Part 10 inspection has been carried out (this is called ‘2002 checking procedures’ on the certificate).  Please note that not all boat safety examiners are qualified to carry out the Part 10 inspection so check this before placing a firm booking. If the boat does not have any gas or electrical appliances or an inboard motor it may be exempt from the scheme.  If your boat is exempt you must provide a Boat Safety Scheme Exemption Declaration instead. We will accept a Declaration of Conformity with the Recreational Craft Directive in place of a Boat Safety Scheme Certificate if the boat is less than four years old (one year, in the case of ‘sail aways’).

Small Passenger Boat Code

You will need to comply with the Small Passenger Boat Code and submit a Declaration of Compliance with the Small Passenger Boat Code with your application.

Boat Licence

Skippered Passenger boats require a Business Licence.

Other regulations

Other regulations may apply to your business. Please read our General Guidance section and make your own independent enquiries to ensure that you understand and comply with all the regulations relevant to your proposed operation.