CE Rating: What CE Certification Does the Absolute Navetta 73 Have?
One BoatTEST.com subscriber wrote to us asking “What CE certification does the Absolute Navetta 73 have?” It raises an interesting question, since the Navetta line from Absolute Yachts are part of a relatively new category of cruising yacht that has the salty lines reminiscent of a trawler-style vessel, but the power — she has twin 1,000-hp Volvo Penta IPS 1350s – that promise to give them greater than displacement speeds. We took a look at what constitutes each of the four CE categories.
Absolute Yachts responds:
“Speaking about the CE rating of the Absolute Navetta 73, it is “B category” and it refers to the design category of the boat. For the boats certified in “B category” there is the ability to sail with waves greater than 13 feet high (4 meters) and force 8 wind on the Beaufort scale (winds blowing at more than 35 knots). Even if some of our projects comply with “A category,” we prefer to draw all users’ attention to the very adverse weather conditions that the “B category” calls for.”
For more information on the Absolute Navetta 73, have a look at the Captain’s Report here.
Understanding CE Categories
The following four CE design categories help to quantify a boat’s degree of seaworthiness, based on the wave height and wind speed the boat is designed to encounter and handle. The further offshore the vessel is expected to venture, the higher are the expectations for construction strength, stability, freeboard, reserve buoyancy, resistance to downflooding, deck drainage and other seaworthiness criteria.
CE Categories from A to D
Category A — Ocean. Category A covers largely self-sufficient boats designed for extended voyages with winds of over Beaufort Force 8 (over 40 knots), and significant wave heights above 13 feet, but excluding abnormal conditions such as hurricanes.
Category B — Offshore. Category B includes boats operating offshore with winds up to 40 knots, Beaufort Force 8, and significant seas up to 13 feet.
Category C — Inshore. Category C is for boats operating in coastal waters and large bays and lakes with winds to Force 6, up to 27 knots, and significant seas 7 feet high.
Category D — Inland or sheltered coastal waters. Category D is for boats in small lakes and rivers with winds to Force 4, up to 15 knots, and significant wave heights to 18 inches.
While the European standards are no guarantee that a boat will be suitable in all respects for the conditions in its designated category, they help to separate the purely inshore craft from those capable of operating safely in more demanding conditions.
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