Regarding the use of BSAC club boats not been coded ....
BSAC / PADI and SAA diving "Clubs" not schools have a set of guidelines called the "Combined Diving Associations Boating Guidelines" these have been put together with the MCA to lay down recommendations for the use and equipment on club boats.
The guidelines recommend most things that a coded boat would have except liferaft/grabbag, and most clubs do actually follow this.
There are specific definitions of "Member Clubs" and who has what privileges of membership and it must be a non profit club.
It clearly says that it does not cover "Commercial Operation" which is defined as
1) Where services are being offered for hire or reward.
2) Where someone is deemed "at work" ie the vessel is owned by a PADI Chapter club, and is being used to ferry divers who are under instruction. ie the diving instructor is getting payment for the instruction they give.
BSAC instructors and cox'ns in their clubs are not paid therefore are "non profit" therefore are not a commercial operation.
If a privately owned boat is used for BSAC club members to go diving on, then all costs must be shared equally between all parties, ie the owner must pay their share, and the costs may only cover the costs on the day ie fuel, launch, oil, towing costs.
The guide also covers the issues of syndicate boats and guests.
Hope this explains things.
A full copy of the CDA guidelines can be downloaded from
http://www.bsac.org/uploads/document...delines_04.pdf
Pete
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