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« Last post by jallii on October 01, 2021, 02:20:50 PM »
I have no clue about the inner workings of USA legislation, but what i read in these posts sounds pretty similar to whats happened in EU with compliance to EU directive. To me it sounds like americans are starting to change their legislation to have it unified with ours. If that is the case, my guess is that soon similar demands will appear in other states also. Could your state be the first of many states....?
Ofcourse I could simply be wrong and its just a mistake or...
Stability means different things for different sized boats, and depends also on how the boat is powered. Also intended use affects requirements (work boat, pleasure boat, inland waters, coastal area, open water... etc) Smaller boats need to either "simply float" or "float in a level position" when completely filled with water. Larger boats usually dont have floating requirements, but there are other requirements for windows, everything that goes thru hull, roof strength, how high the cabin door is from the deck.... how fast water sheds off your boat in case a wave runs over your boat (for ex. in a bar crossing)... even larger boats have requirements about bulkheads, watertight compartments... Ships have to be able to float even if they take some damage... One part of the stability assesment is determination of max load your boat can handle...
In case you are really required to comply with USCG regulation find out the details.
I have read the USCG stability documents some time ago, they are detailed and very informative. Find out if its only the stability test or does other parts of USCG regulation apply to you also. Also find out if you can "selfcertify". In EU there is a separate procedure for self certification. That is. I just need to make sure that my boat fulfills the requirements an put it on paper. That is can I can also do the the stability test. It just need to be on paper.
I know that European legislation was made in such a way (in co-operation with americans) that the demands were codified in about 70 standards. ABYC and USCG rules were part of the international process to make these standards. So it makes sence if they are starting to enforce the rules in US also.
Legislation here only makes it compulsory to have the boats CE sertified in order to sell it. Legislation only states that boats have to be safe, but what that means is codified in those standards in case of legal disputes. US and EU have declared to each other already some time ago that the requirements are compatible.
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So probably after a while american boats built according to these standards can be sold in EU without extra inspections. Probably also EU boats can be sold in US directly.
Eu directive has a few exceptions. You cannot sell your home built boat (for 5 years) unless you have it certified safe and marked with CE plate. I guess the idea is that if you have managed to keep the boat afloat and use it for 5 years and someone is stupid enough to buy it, the boat must be safe enough to be sold. Historical boats or boats with steam engines... are also excluded.
Before doing anything else make sure You have the rigth information.
If needed
1. Read the USCG instructions for your boat
2. Find out what the requirements are for the stability test for your boat
3. Find out who can perform and how the stability tests are done.
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