SURVEYS and buoyancy certificates
Vessel Survey
Your sports and recreation vessel is required to have a valid COF (certificate of fitness) completed by a surveyor every year. We can now also survey vessels over nine (9) under 14 meter, under 25GT. If you have a commercial vessel, you would need to contact your local SAMSA office to organise a LGSC (local general safety certificte).
Some vessels do not require a COF and are called unregulated vessels or Regulation 37 vessels. These vessels carry an engine of 15hp or less and are under seven (7) meters in length.
The requirements for survey is dependant on the category vessel being surveyed. Below are the forms for you as the vessel owner to complete prior to survey. This gives vital information regarding the requirements of you as the owner of the vessel.
Documents required for survey are as follows - valid buoyancy or life raft service certificate, previous COF, and all required safety equipment as per below checlist provided by SAMSA.
If you wish to change the ownership of the vessel the change of ownership form is required and an additional document list is provided of the form. Remember that changing the ownership of the trailer is not the same changing ownership of the vessel.
Category D - Valid VHF Spectrum license required issued by ICASA
Category C - Valid VHF Spectrum license required issued by ICASA (this is an interactive document and may not open on some computers)
Category B -Valid VHF Spectrum license required issued by ICASA
If you need to register your VHF radio with ICASA you can use their online application system or you can contact us for assistance.
Buoyancy Certificates
A buoyancy certificate is require to provide proof of flotation for your vessel. For inland waters, a minimum of 30% flotation is required. If your boat is seagoing, it will require a minimum of 60% flotation with required evidence of aft third flotation.
Your buoyancy certificate must be updated every 1-5 years depending on flotation used. If you use bottles we must have access to the bottles so we can check their integrity on a yearly basis. For polyurethane or Sondor foam, this check and update can be done every 5 years. Please contact us if you need assistance in updating your buoyancy certificate or if you have any questions on the validity of the certificate you have.