Ian Marris - Boat Safety Scheme Examiner

05/02/2026

Mooring Availability.
We have two leisure mooring suitable for narrowboats up to 52' available in Banbury. These moorings are within our small and friendly marina in the centre of Banbury.
Conveniently located for access to the shops & restaurants in the town centre. We are a 10 minute walk to the railway station and a 5 minute drive from junction 11 of the M40.
Oxford and the River Thames are only two days cruising to the south, while Napton, Braunston and the Grand Union are two days cruising to the north.
Sovereign Wharf is a secure site, with parking, elsan, electric and water for all berths. Our chandlery is open on Fridays, selling boating essentials, calor gas, coal and pump outs.
Please enquire by email: [email protected]

16/07/2025

It‘s a beautiful morning to be completing a Boat Safety Certificate examination at Abingdon Marina!

11/03/2025

From the 1st April 2025 most BSS examiners will be putting their prices up. It's not something that many of us are happy about, but the Boat Safety Scheme have increased our operating costs by raising the annual registration fee, certificate fee and ongoing training costs.
I will now be charging £300 for a BSS examination, which is inclusive of the certificate issue fee and (if required) a retest.

18/03/2024

Top tips for passing your Boat Safety Scheme examination.
Tip 2 - Fire Extinguishers.

Today we will be looking at one of the most common areas for failures on a BSS examination - fire extinguishers. Below are some pictures of some typical fire extinguishers found on boats, along with some easy checks that you can do before your boat is examined.

Please like my page to receive more top tips on preparing your boat for its Boat Safety Scheme examination.

If you need a Boat Safety Certificate for a narrowboat or river cruiser on the Oxford Canal, River Thames, Grand Union Canal or River Avon, please give me a call or visit my website: www.boat-safety-examiner.co.uk

18/08/2023

Today is an office day. It's not as exciting as going out to visit boats to conduct Boat Safety Scheme examinations, but it's an integral part of an examiner's role. The physical examination of the boat is not all that happens, once I have examined a boat the paperwork then needs to be completed. In the case of a pass, a certificate is issued and logged on the BSS database. In the case of a failure, a detailed report of any non-compliant checks is created and sent to the boat owner to help them rectify the issues.

13/06/2023

Its a beautiful day to be working on the Thames!
If you need a Boat Safety Certificate for a boat on the river, I cover the River Thames from Wallingford to Lechlade.

04/04/2023

It’s always nice to come and do a Boat Safety Certificate examination at Cropredy Marina, but it is especially nice when the sun is shining!
It’s also lovely to see Tycho looking very smart in her new paintwork that was done by my friends over at The Oxon Boat Painting Co est. 2006

11/03/2023

It was great to see M J Pinnock Water Transport's "EMU" working on the River Lee this week!
Did you know that the Boat Safety Scheme has some applicabilities that apply only to Historic Boats, that can help to enable compliance without having to modify parts of the boats systems?
As a historic boat owner, I am well aware that applying the BSS checking procedures to older craft can be tricky, but with an understanding of the checks and applicabilities I can offer a consistent standard of examination to both modern and historic boats.

10/03/2023

Top tips for passing your Boat Safety Scheme examination.
Tip 1 - The gas cylinder locker.

Today we will be looking at one of the most common areas for failures on a BSS examination - the gas cylinder locker. Below are some pictures of a typical narrowboat cylinder locker, along with some easy checks that you can do before your boat is examined.

Please like my page to receive more top tips on preparing your boat for its Boat Safety Scheme examination.

03/02/2023

Ian is a Boat Safety Scheme Examiner covering the Oxford Canal, River Thames, Grand Union and River Avon. You can book your next BSS online at

Ian offers Boat Safety Scheme examinations (sometimes called a BSS examination) on all types of boats. Primarily he examines narrow boats and small cruisers in Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, but it is rarely a problem to travel further afield to provide BSS examinations on larger ri...

20/01/2023

My website is now live and you can book your Boat Safety Scheme Examination online!
There's also information on the examination procedure and some FAQ's. Why not take a look!

He offers Boat Safety Scheme examinations (sometimes called a BSS examination) on all types of boats. Primarily he examines narrow boats and small cruisers in Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, but it is rarely a problem to travel further afield to provide BSS examinations on larger riv...