Who is watching us - the consumers/sailors

rockDAWG · #1 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

Are there any organizations/governing bodies overseeing the safety aspect of the new yacht sold in the U.S or Europe. CE or NMMA programs?

NHTSA has crash program for cars. Do we have agencies to test the seaworthiness of the boat - port hole, rigging, hatch, rudder and etc.

kd3pc · #2 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

None,

and from my point of view, please do not encourage them to do so...there are enough idiot labels on products now.

Yachts and boats, for that matter are only as safe as the person helming the boat is. There is little intrinsic safety that can be legislated or mandated to increase the so called "safety" of the boat.

What are you not happy with? That can be addressed by some governing body?

Please elaborate

rmeador · #3 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

I'll second what kd3pc said. Please don't give them any ideas. We don't need nor want any government entity trying to determine safety. It inevitably ends up strangling innovative designs (because they can't be proven safe unless used on a wide scale, which is a catch-22) and thus rewarding entrenched companies.

The biggest factor in whether or not a boat is built using safe techniques is the reputation of the company and the liability the company assumes for unsafe boats. A builder of quality boats is not going to want their reputation to be destroyed by a poorly built boat, so they will try very hard to continue building quality boats. They also don't want to have a massive recall or a lawsuit because of a failure in the boats. The market is self regulating in this respect. Think about this analogy: when you go to a restaurant, is your food safe to eat because the FDA dictates standards, or because it's bad business for the restaurant to make their customers sick?

The ABYC publishes safety standards for yachts that many manufacturers follow. Most marine surveyors will also compare a boat against these standards. They are completely voluntary standards, however, and thus you will find few boats that are fully compliant -- everybody finds some aspect of the standard unnecessarily burdensome or outdated due to a new design that didn't exist when the standard was written.

Also, there are a few very basic safety standards published by the USCG, such as requiring a bilge blower in gasoline powered boats and a few other such things. These are quite minimal.

rockDAWG · #4 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

I often read a lot of captains complaining about the new boat that are unsafely designed and built: The porthole too large or the transom is too wide. I would like to see an independent report on how these items can withstand the storm. For the large production yacht builders, they may have these data in the R&D stage. But for the small yacht builders, our luck may run out if they choose the wrong product and manufacture process. Sailingdog reminds me the Tartan case.
Yes, we are Americans, we don't like government intervention. But someone must be minding the store.

dylanwinter1 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

the insurance companies will decide that they will only cover you if every porthole, hatch-cover, prop shaft bearing, cooker control knob, etc etc etc has an inspection marker on it - then some-one will be paid to make sure that they are all in date. At the moment in the UK I am only allowed to go on inland waters - the broads or the rivers or the canals if my boat has little EEC approved logosd on all the fuel lines and on the gas fittings.

Lets just try to keep sailing as the one area where bureacrats have very little power over you and your movements.

Thats what I think anyway

Dylan

MooreVOLS · #6 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

The last thing we need is the government more involved in anything. What makes you think they would actually know what is safe or not anyway. More than likely they would just implement a bunch of really expensive testing requirements that no small boat manufacturer would be able to afford. This would just force the small manufacturers out of business and we would be left with very few options. Let the market decide which boats are well built and which boats are not. What is happening with personal responsibility in America?

cormeum · #7 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

Agreed. If I want to be spoon fed like some baby, I'll move to Europe-after all EVERYONE knows the Government knows best....

dylanwinter1 · #8 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

No boat registration required in Europe - no complusory insurance -so as far as sailing is concerned..... who is being spoon fed

Dylan

cormeum · #9 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by dylanwinter1

No boat registration required in Europe - no complusory insurance -so as far as sailing is concerned..... who is being spoon fed

Dylan

Talking about construction regualtions for new. Also don't you need certification to take a boat out on the water? I know you do on the Continent.

(we don't have compulsory insurance here either- for boats)

dylanwinter1 · #10 (**permalink**) 08-31-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by cormeum

Talking about construction regualtions for new. Also don't you need certification to take a boat out on the water? I know you do on the Continent.

(we don't have compulsory insurance here either- for boats)

nope

and I assume its europe wide - thats what europe is for - I can take my boat to holland or france without any certificates

on inland waterways you have to pay a toll but you only need a certificate if you want to keep the boat on the water for more than a month - although you do have to pay a toll - good eh?

Dylan