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Hi

I have a boat trailer and when I took it for it's WOF the guy told me that he can not do the WOF as the lights are not fitted to the trailer.

I have done a good couple of WOF's in the past and at different places and never was that mentioned. I do not have submersible lights on the trailer. Instead i have a board with the proper lights that attaches to the back of the boat itself and is removable when launching the boat. These lights are available all over to buy. (Repco, Super Cheap etc)

I spoke to NZTA and they just tell me the legal requirements for a simple light trailer and i understand that a boat trailer also falls under this section.

But does that mean that there are 1000's of boaties in NZ that does not have a legal WOF?

Very view of my boatie friends do have submersible lights.

Please tell me what is the correct requirements.

Thanks

We have spent a considerable amount of time trying to find out just where in the Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual (WoF inspectors bible) it says you can’t do this.

Guess what? We can’t find it!

There are requirements around visibility angles and height, but in general a light board attached to the boat itself is not illegal from what our studies have revealed.

As you rightly point out, there are thousands of boaties who do the exact same thing as you without any dramas or problems at warrant time.

Maybe you should ask the WoF inspector to show you exactly where in the rules it states what you are doing is illegal.

Love to know their answer.

Hi, Thanks for the answer. Actually the day of the WOF the guy said he would show me in the manual which he did but it all related to a normal trailer and not a boat trailer or anything where it shows about that a board is illegal.

Seems like an impossible battle with them so i will just find another place.