21/12/2025
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CFYunyzYE/
๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ (๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ณ): ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐
So the other day we chatted about COFs and all agreed, ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ. Cool. Progress. Brain cells were working.
Then December arrivedโฆ and apparently took logic with it.
Iโm at a boat shop getting my boat serviced, COF renewed, the usual adult responsibilities. And thatโs when I hear it.
Not a normal argument.
Not a disagreement.
A ๐ณ๐๐น๐น-๐ฏ๐น๐ผ๐๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ.
Shouting. Swearing. Finger-pointing. The kind of tantrum where you know someone hasnโt been told โnoโ since 1992.
So obviously, like any decent South African, I slow down my movements and pretend to check something very important so I can listen.
Hereโs what happened...
This oke rocks up for a CoF renewal. Surveyor politely asks:
โCan I please see your required safety equipment?โ
And the oke hasโฆ
Nothing.
Not โitโs at homeโ.
Not โI forgot one itemโ.
๐๐ผ๐ธ๐ธ๐ผ๐น. ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ. ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ.
No lifejackets.
No rope.
No fire extinguisher.
No first aid kit.
The boat was basically a floating death wish.
Surveyor calmly says:
โSorry sir, I canโt issue a Certificate of Fitness without the required safety equipment.โ
Which is, you knowโฆ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ.
And BOOM.
This oke loses his s**t like the surveyor personally sank his boat.
โThis is bulls**t!โ
โI never needed this before!โ
โYou guys are just making things difficult!โ
Boetโฆ the only thing difficult here is ๐๐ผ๐.
Eventually he storms off, jumps in his car, and drives away in a huff.
(PS: To the way you acted... I sincerely hope you forget your b**g plug this December. Merry Christmas.)
๐๐จ๐ง ๐ช๐๐๐ง, ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐โ๐ฆ ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐
Not even 10 minutes later, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐๐น๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป.
Exact. Same. Story.
โI donโt need 50m rope.โ
โI donโt need a first aid kit.โ
โIโve been boating for years.โ
This one at least had a moment of clarity, bought the required gear, and guess what?
๐๐ข๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
Itโs almost likeโฆ logic works?
๐๐๐งโ๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ช๐ก: ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ข๐?
Because apparently we need crayons now.
A Certificate of Fitness (COF) is your boatโs ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.
Issued under SAMSA, it confirms your boat is seaworthy and properly equipped.
Yes, itโs a legal requirement.
But more importantly... itโs a โ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒโ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ.
๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ช๐๐ก๐ง ๐ ๐๐ข๐
๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ
You launch knowing your lifejackets are there, your buoyancy is legit, and your safety gear actually works.
๐ก๐ผ ๐ฏ๐น๐๐ฒ-๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐
๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐
Water police pull you over?
You smile, hand over the blue paper, carry on with your day.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐
Minor issues get picked up early before they turn into โinsurance claim and tearsโ.
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ
Your COF defines where you can go... dams, rivers, offshore.
No COF = no fun.
๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐ก๐๐ช๐๐ก๐ (๐ฌ๐๐ฆ, ๐๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จโ๐ฅ๐ ๐ โ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ขโ)
Because:
โข Flares expire
โข Fire extinguishers expire
โข First aid kits get raided and never replaced
โข Boats age
Itโs not about rules... itโs about ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐.
๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐กโ๐ง ๐๐๐ง
The surveyor is not:
โข Trying to rob you
โข Trying to fail you
โข Trying to ruin your December
He has ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ:
Check the boat.
Check the safety gear.
Issue CoF if everythingโs right.
Thatโs it.
If you bought a boat privately and it came without safety gear... ๐ด๐ผ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ถ๐.
Once.
Keep it on the boat.
Problem solved forever.
You just paid ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ธ+ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ต for a boat but now you want to cry about a fire extinguisher?
Boetโฆ priorities.
๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐ (๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ช-๐๐ง-๐๐๐๐ฆ)
The day your boat catches fire and you donโt have a fire extinguisherโฆ Youโre going to float there, watching your pride and joy burn, thinking:
โJaโฆ maybe the surveyor had a point.โ
Enjoy the 2km swim back too... because you also didnโt believe in lifejackets.
Very lekker nรฉ.
FINAL WORDS (WITH LOVE โค๏ธ)
Boating isnโt hard.
๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ.
If this post triggered you... congratulations, youโre exactly who itโs for.
And to the two okes from the COF drama this weekโฆ
๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐, ๐๐ท๐ผ๐บ.
May your COF be valid, your safety gear complete,
and may you never meet a b**g plug you forget to install.
