Commercial RIB info request

[ahuxley]

Hi, I am looking for any assistance or constructive feedback on the following if possible. I have a small 3.6 Zodiac RIB with a 15HP engine that I use for private use / pleasure on local rivers.

I have been asked by a friend if I can assist with some research & survey work on private lakes and potentially some rivers.He will be required to photograph the banks from the water side and gain access to islands, etc, on these lakes and rivers. I would not be going to sea, just inland waterways.
As he is a professional and is being paid for this (and in turn I will be paid) I have been informed that I will need to be Commercially Endorsed to take a ‘passenger’ on my RIB, and to hold all of the necessary certifications, insurances and get my RIB ‘coded’ for commercial use.
As this may be a one off, or a potential new business I would be grateful for any feedback.
At present I have the RYA Powerboat 2 Certification and also Inland Waterways Helmsman Certification.
Many thanks.

[scrambler]

I was once asked by a friend to take out a professional photographer to take photos of his classic yacht for the Classic Boat magazine where it was up for an award. I would have enjoyed doing it but had to decline because as you were rightly informed you have to go down the route of qualifications, coding, and commercial insurance cover.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by ahuxley

I would be grateful for any feedback.

Inland water rules are a bit vague - but its likely to be far cheaper to pay someone who is already coded than cover your costs for compliance. I would have thought it would be cheaper still to pay a commercial drone operator.

[Pikey Dave]

I doubt that you could actually code a 3.6M RIB. By the time you’ve got all the required kit on board there wouldn’t be room for any pax.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I doubt that you could actually code a 3.6M RIB. By the time you’ve got all the required kit on board there wouldn’t be room for any pax.

Yeh I think your right, couldn't code that small. On the other hand you dont need coding to hire a work boat or rescue boat & as its inland lakes which may be too small or inaccessible for a larger boat I think I'd just do the job & not worry too much. It's easy to overthink the "what if's" & end up making the job impossible sometimes you just need to use common sense & get the job done.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Yeh I think your right, couldn't code that small. On the other hand you dont need coding to hire a work boat or rescue boat & as its inland lakes which may be too small or inaccessible for a larger boat I think I'd just do the job & not worry too much. It's easy to overthink the "what if's" & end up making the job impossible sometimes you just need to use common sense & get the job done.

I think where he'll fall foul of that is "I have been informed that I will need to be Commercially Endorsed to take a ‘passenger’ on my RIB, and to hold all of the necessary certifications, insurances" - so someone (presumably his contact or the person contracting them) is expecting to see paperwork and regardless the rules I'm sure most insurers are going to panic!

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Poly

I think where he'll fall foul of that is "I have been informed that I will need to be Commercially Endorsed to take a ‘passenger’ on my RIB, and to hold all of the necessary certifications, insurances" - so someone (presumably his contact or the person contracting them) is expecting to see paperwork and regardless the rules I'm sure most insurers are going to panic!

I guess we'd need more info from the op to determine why he thinks he needs a coded boat & to determine how close he is to his freind there are ways around everything depending on the relationship with his freind
If it was me & I knew the guy well & was happy we would be safe I'd stick a fishing rod in the boat & it's two pals going fishing .

HKJ do commercial workboat qoutes online but I suspect it probably wouldnt be worth it for a one off job

I've done a few paid jobs in the past & not worried about commercial insurance, sometimes you either bend the rules a little or simply dont do the job.

[mhill]

These guys cover the uk https://swim-safety.co.uk if you want a commercial provider.

As it's inland waterways, there is no need for any coding, but you will need insurance cover that is suitable for the job and proof of suitable qualification and training along with appropriate risk assessments and method statements.