No more license disks

[n.b.Goldie]

Thought you might be interested in this reply to my tweet, could not find any info on website

 

CRT Customer Service

replied to your Tweet.

Reply

 

Ditchdabbler @Ditchdabbler

Apr 30

@CRTContactUs Any truth in the rumour you are no longer issuing licence 'disks'?

 

CRT Customer Service

@CRTContactUs

May 01

 

@Ditchdabbler Sort of! We're now emailing licences rather than posting them, however there is no longer a requirement to display the discs.

Bumbles, topic posted twice but I have no idea why.

 

Perhaps a mod could delete one....

[Machpoint005]

Glad to see CRT can spell 'licence disc'.

Also delighted to see the organisation venturing into electronic licensing[sic] and enforcement.

[Phil.]

Glad to see CRT can spell 'licence disc'.

Also delighted to see the organisation venturing into electronic licensing[sic] and enforcement.

That may explain me being logged twice in ten minutes on the T&M yesterday. On the second occasion I told the officer that his mate had just done it and he replied that he was testing new systems.

 

Edited to add on both occasions we were on the move

Edited May 1, 2015 by Phil.

[colinwilks]

If true, this must open the way to the boating equivalent of putting false number plates on your car. CaRT now have a service to allow people to enter a licence number and, if licensed, a message comes back saying "This boat is licensed. The owner might have forgotten to display it."

See https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/licensing/boat-check

 

Seems like all you have to do to avoid paying is find a boat similar to yours, check its licence status is good and paint the number on the side of your boat. The chances of the two boats being checked by CaRT and the "how can this boat have got from Bingley to Braunston in one day?" question raising the alarm seems remote.

Or am I missing something?

Edited May 1, 2015 by colinwilks

[Boat&Bikes]

If true, this must open the way to the boating equivalent of putting false number plates on your car. CaRT now have a service to allow people to enter a licence number and, if licensed, a message comes back saying "This boat is licensed. The owner might have forgotten to display it."

See https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/licensing/boat-check

 

Seems like all you have to do to avoid paying is find a boat similar to yours, check its licence status is good and paint the number on the side of your boat. The chances of the two boats being checked by CaRT and the "how can this boat have got from Bingley to Braunston in one day?" question raising the alarm seems remote.

Or am I missing something?

Which may also result in the properly licensed boat being incorrectly identified breaking rules...

 

Ian.

[BruceinSanity]

If true, this must open the way to the boating equivalent of putting false number plates on your car. CaRT now have a service to allow people to enter a licence number and, if licensed, a message comes back saying "This boat is licensed. The owner might have forgotten to display it."

See https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/licensing/boat-check

Seems like all you have to do to avoid paying is find a boat similar to yours, check its licence status is good and paint the number on the side of your boat. The chances of the two boats being checked by CaRT and the "how can this boat have got from Bingley to Braunston in one day?" question raising the alarm seems remote.

Or am I missing something?

AIUI (and I'm happy to be corrected) when the patrol enters the number, they get a brief description of the boat, so you'd have to find something similar, at least.

[Delta9]

If true, this must open the way to the boating equivalent of putting false number plates on your car.

That has always been a possibility, this change doesn't make it any easier.

[Guest]

somebody once told me that paper licences ere known to have been copied. Wouldn't be hard I suspect. I have often wondered if and how many boats have been "cloned" in a fashion similar to cars. I suspect it would be dead easy.

[Guest]

Thought you might be interested in this reply to my tweet, could not find any info on website

CRT Customer Service

replied to your Tweet.

Reply

Ditchdabbler @Ditchdabbler

Apr 30

@CRTContactUs Any truth in the rumour you are no longer issuing licence 'disks'?

CRT Customer Service

@CRTContactUs

May 01

@Ditchdabbler Sort of! We're now emailing licences rather than posting them, however there is no longer a requirement to display the discs.Bumbles, topic posted twice but I have no idea why.

Perhaps a mod could delete one....

Common sense prevails at last.

[Machpoint005]

That may explain me being logged twice in ten minutes on the T&M yesterday. On the second occasion I told the officer that his mate had just done it and he replied that he was testing new systems.

 

Edited to add on both occasions we were on the move

 

The point being here that it's not the logging that's the problem, provided that the software can work out what's happening. It cannot be difficult to write a bit a code that can work out how far a boat could actually have progressed in the interval between two loggings.

somebody once told me that paper licences ere known to have been copied. Wouldn't be hard I suspect. I have often wondered if and how many boats have been "cloned" in a fashion similar to cars. I suspect it would be dead easy.

 

But we are talking about a few tens of thousands of boats, not 30 million road vehicles. I cannot conceive that it is, or ever will be, a serious problem in terms of loss of revenue.

Common sense prevails at last.

 

Quite so.

[b0atman]

The licence is sometimes the only way to identify Boat number or name .

[Alan de Enfield]

Thought you might be interested in this reply to my tweet, could not find any info on website

 

CRT Customer Service

replied to your Tweet.

Reply

 

Ditchdabbler @Ditchdabbler

Apr 30

@CRTContactUs Any truth in the rumour you are no longer issuing licence 'disks'?

 

CRT Customer Service

@CRTContactUs

May 01

 

@Ditchdabbler Sort of! We're now emailing licences rather than posting them, however there is no longer a requirement to display the discs.

Bumbles, topic posted twice but I have no idea why.

 

Perhaps a mod could delete one....

 

I 'reported' this18 months ago - when I renewed my licence included was a letter saying that the owner was now responsible for 'supplying' the licence.

 

There followed a lengthy thread about the boat owner now having the costs of ink, paper etc,and I think Cotswoldman made the point that he knew of several boaters without printers.

[Naughty Cal]

The licence is sometimes the only way to identify Boat number or name .

Did they not send out reminders to some customers about displaying their index numbers a short while ago?

[cuthound]

The licence is sometimes the only way to identify Boat number or name .

They will change the T&C's to allow boats not displaying their registration number to be seized and crushed

Edited May 1, 2015 by cuthound

[Alan de Enfield]

They will change the T&C's to allow boats not displaying their registration number to be seized and crushed

 

They cannot legally do that, but, what they can do is enforce the existing law (from 1965) which states :

 

(1) Every vessel on any canal shall have exhibited on the outside thereof so as to be clearly legible at all times at a distance of twenty yards her name and such index mark and number (if any) as the Board shall have assigned to the vessel.

 

Judging from the posts (in the past) about not needing to display your boat number as it is already shown on your licence - not many people have read the relevant laws. (Law - not T&Cs)

[Delta9]

 

They cannot legally do that, but, what they can do is enforce the existing law (from 1965) which states :

 

(1) Every vessel on any canal shall have exhibited on the outside thereof so as to be clearly legible at all times at a distance of twenty yards her name and such index mark and number (if any) as the Board shall have assigned to the vessel.

 

 

Does a boat have to have a name? I've asked here before and was told 'no' but the law you've quoted seems to contradict that.

[Machpoint005]

Yes, but call it "unnamed boat" and the job is done.

[Guest]

 

The point being here that it's not the logging that's the problem, provided that the software can work out what's happening. It cannot be difficult to write a bit a code that can work out how far a boat could actually have progressed in the interval between two loggings.

 

But we are talking about a few tens of thousands of boats, not 30 million road vehicles. I cannot conceive that it is, or ever will be, a serious problem in terms of loss of revenue.

 

Quite so.

Me neither.

[Alan de Enfield]

Does a boat have to have a name? I've asked here before and was told 'no' but the law you've quoted seems to contradict that.

 

The law stands, and if C&RT really wanted to ''make money" they could fine any wrongdoers £100 per day until the matter was corrected.

 

However - when you ask C&RT they state that they do not 'use' the boat name as there are so many duplicates that mis-identification would be easy. They solely use the Index number which must be, (at all times) readable with the naked eye at 20 yards.

 

I believe the EA use boat names as well as numbers and therefore insist that every boat has a unique name which must be displayed.

[Delta9]

Yes, but call it "unnamed boat" and the job is done.

Would I then have to write 'unnamed boat' on the side of my boat in letters big enough to be read at 20 yards?

[Machpoint005]

Would I then have to write 'unnamed boat' on the side of my boat in letters big enough to be read at 20 yards?

 

Yes, of course.

So why not think of a name and save trouble?

[alan_fincher]

The licence is sometimes the only way to identify Boat number or name .

 

Particularly as some of those of us who ordered up replacement CRT Index Number plates when they were having a purge on this have never received the bloody things!

 

Without licence "discs" neither of my boats would currently be displaying an index number.

[Machpoint005]

Or perhaps the boat with no. 501234 (for example) could just be called "boat 501234"- then you just need to write "boat" in the appropriate places.

[cuthound]

Would I then have to write 'unnamed boat' on the side of my boat in letters big enough to be read at 20 yards?

Or (as per ISO9000 documentation) you could have it signwritten " this space intentionally left blank"

 

Edited to correct spelling.

Edited May 1, 2015 by cuthound

[Delta9]

 

So why not think of a name and save trouble?

I find the concept of naming boats a bit silly, I don't need to name my car. I also change my mind a lot so i know that if I chose a name I would end up changing my mind about it a few months later. My boat currently has the name it came with but I don't like it. My plan was to get rid of the name whenever it needs repainting.