Make Sure the Boat You Buy Meets These ABYC Standards

Virtually every year the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) promulgate new standards to improve the safety of boats. It is done quietly, without fanfare or even any notice – except to boat builders. Over the years you may have noticed that all of a sudden nearly all of the builders start doing something new, such as placing hand holds or grab bars near seats. This was a new standard instituted a few years ago and now every boat Certified by the NMMA has them. Unfortunately, not all ABYC standards are followed by all builders and some are exempt from NMMA certification requirements.

The ABYC now requires that handholds be located in exterior seating locations intended to be occupied while underway. Look closely and you will see that the young lady has her left hand on a grab handle. Note grab handle in the bow and for the stern bench seat.

This recessed grab rail technique is used by many builders of center consoles and functions well. It meets ABYC Standards in spades.

The grab handle here is a bit awkward but far better than none at all, and at high speed your guest will be glad to have it. Thank the ABYC and the NMMA for it.

Thanks to ABYC standards and NMMA Certification, all boats now have to have hand holds adjacent to boarding ladders. All boats must have a means to re-board the boat, thanks again to ABYC and NMMA.

The ABYC requires that there be a minimum of 24” of depth in cockpits from the deck to the coaming for all boats that have an enclosed permanent shelter, such as a cuddy. Are the cockpit bulwarks of your boat 24” high?

Standard H 41.6.3.1 of ABYC standards requires that the minimum height of life rails or life lines be 24”. A number of boat brands do not meet this standard so you should check before buying. Note that this boat also has a grab rail for the occupant of the bunny pad. BoatTEST.com urges boaters not to occupy the forward deck while the boat is going faster than idle.

The ABYC requires that ALL boats have a means by which a person in the water can re-board the boat. However, ABYC standards only require that there be one step on a ladder and it need be no deeper than 12 inches below the waterline. Obviously, one step 12” below the waterline makes re-boarding exceedingly difficult for most people. This summer the ABYC conducted tests which determined that a ladder 22” deep was better than 12” and a ladder with steps 34” deep was even better. The ladder you see here has at least 4 steps which is the minimum recommended by BoatTEST.com. If you plan to do a lot of in-water sports, check out the boat’s ladder before you buy.