diff --git a/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/MessageDecoders/RaceStartStatus.java b/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/MessageDecoders/RaceStartStatus.java
deleted file mode 100644
index b1f893c2..00000000
--- a/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/MessageDecoders/RaceStartStatus.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-package seng302.Networking.MessageDecoders;
-
-import java.util.Arrays;
-
-/**
- * Created by hba56 on 21/04/17.
- */
-public class RaceStartStatus {
-    byte messageVersion;
-    byte[] timestamp;
-    byte[] ackNumber;
-    byte[] raceStartTime;
-    byte[] raceIdentifier;
-    byte notificationType;
-
-    public RaceStartStatus(byte[] encodedRaceStartStatus) {
-        messageVersion = encodedRaceStartStatus[0];
-        timestamp = Arrays.copyOfRange(encodedRaceStartStatus, 1, 7);
-        ackNumber = Arrays.copyOfRange(encodedRaceStartStatus, 7, 9);
-        raceStartTime = Arrays.copyOfRange(encodedRaceStartStatus, 9, 15);
-        raceIdentifier = Arrays.copyOfRange(encodedRaceStartStatus, 15, 19);
-        notificationType = encodedRaceStartStatus[19];
-
-    }
-}
diff --git a/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/MessageDecoders/RaceStartStatusDecoder.java b/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/MessageDecoders/RaceStartStatusDecoder.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..76179872
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/MessageDecoders/RaceStartStatusDecoder.java
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+package seng302.Networking.MessageDecoders;
+
+import seng302.Model.BoatInRace;
+
+import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.nio.ByteOrder;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+/**
+ * Created by hba56 on 21/04/17.
+ */
+public class RaceStartStatusDecoder {
+    private byte messageVersion;
+    private byte[] timestamp;
+    private byte[] ackNumber;
+    private byte[] raceStartTime;
+    private byte[] raceIdentifier;
+    private byte notificationType;
+
+    private long time;
+    private short ack;
+    private long startTime;
+    private int raceID;
+    private char notification;
+
+
+    public RaceStartStatusDecoder(byte[] encodedRaceStartStatus) {
+        messageVersion = encodedRaceStartStatus[0];
+        timestamp = Arrays.copyOfRange(encodedRaceStartStatus, 1, 7);
+        ackNumber = Arrays.copyOfRange(encodedRaceStartStatus, 7, 9);
+        raceStartTime = Arrays.copyOfRange(encodedRaceStartStatus, 9, 15);
+        raceIdentifier = Arrays.copyOfRange(encodedRaceStartStatus, 15, 19);
+        notificationType = encodedRaceStartStatus[19];
+
+        time = bytesToLong(timestamp);
+        ack = bytesToShort(ackNumber);
+        startTime = bytesToLong(raceStartTime);
+        raceID = bytesToInt(raceIdentifier);
+        notification = byteToChar(notificationType);
+    }
+
+    private char byteToChar(byte bytesInt){
+        ByteBuffer byteBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(4);
+        byteBuffer.order(ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN);
+        byteBuffer.put((byte)0);
+        byteBuffer.put(bytesInt);
+        char num = byteBuffer.getChar(0);
+        return num;
+    }
+
+    private short bytesToShort(byte[] bytesShort){
+        ByteBuffer wrapped = ByteBuffer.wrap(bytesShort);
+        short num = wrapped.getShort();
+        return num;
+    }
+
+    private int bytesToInt(byte[] bytesInt){
+        ByteBuffer wrapped = ByteBuffer.wrap(bytesInt);
+        int num = wrapped.getInt();
+        return num;
+    }
+
+    private long bytesToLong(byte[] bytesLong){
+        ByteBuffer byteBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(8);
+        byteBuffer.order(ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN);
+        byteBuffer.put((byte)0);
+        byteBuffer.put((byte)0);
+        byteBuffer.put(bytesLong[0]);
+        byteBuffer.put(bytesLong[1]);
+        byteBuffer.put(bytesLong[2]);
+        byteBuffer.put(bytesLong[3]);
+        byteBuffer.put(bytesLong[4]);
+        byteBuffer.put(bytesLong[5]);
+        long longVal = byteBuffer.getLong(0);
+        return longVal;
+    }
+
+    public byte getMessageVersion() {
+        return messageVersion;
+    }
+
+    public long getTime() {
+        return time;
+    }
+
+    public short getAck() {
+        return ack;
+    }
+
+    public long getStartTime() {
+        return startTime;
+    }
+
+    public int getRaceID() {
+        return raceID;
+    }
+
+    public char getNotification() {
+        return notification;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/RaceVisionByteEncoder.java b/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/RaceVisionByteEncoder.java
index aec05dbe..5e5f0915 100644
--- a/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/RaceVisionByteEncoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/RaceVisionByteEncoder.java
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public class RaceVisionByteEncoder {
         byte[] ackNumber = convert(ack, 2);
         byte[] raceStartTime = convert(startTime, 6);
         int raceIdentifier = raceID;
-        char notificationType = notification;
+        byte[] notificationType = convert(notification, 1);
 
         ByteBuffer result = ByteBuffer.allocate(20);
         result.put(convert(messageVersion, 1));
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ public class RaceVisionByteEncoder {
         result.put(ackNumber);
         result.put(raceStartTime);
         result.putInt(raceIdentifier);
-        result.putChar(notificationType);
+        result.put(notificationType);
 
         return result.array();
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/seng302/Networking/MessageDecoders/RaceStartStatusDecoderTest.java b/src/test/java/seng302/Networking/MessageDecoders/RaceStartStatusDecoderTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d27fb5f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/seng302/Networking/MessageDecoders/RaceStartStatusDecoderTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+package seng302.Networking.MessageDecoders;
+
+import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import seng302.Networking.RaceVisionByteEncoder;
+
+/**
+ * Created by hba56 on 23/04/17.
+ */
+public class RaceStartStatusDecoderTest {
+    @Test
+    public void getByteArrayTest(){
+        long time = System.currentTimeMillis();
+
+        RaceVisionByteEncoder raceVisionByteEncoder = new RaceVisionByteEncoder();
+        long time2 = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        byte[] encodedRaceStartStatus = raceVisionByteEncoder.raceStartStatus(time, (short)1,
+                time2, 2, (char)3);
+
+        RaceStartStatusDecoder testDecoder = new RaceStartStatusDecoder(encodedRaceStartStatus);
+
+        Assert.assertEquals(0b1, testDecoder.getMessageVersion());
+        Assert.assertEquals(time, testDecoder.getTime());
+        Assert.assertEquals(1, testDecoder.getAck());
+        Assert.assertEquals(time2, testDecoder.getStartTime());
+        Assert.assertEquals(2, testDecoder.getRaceID());
+        Assert.assertEquals((char)3, testDecoder.getNotification());
+
+    }
+}