Boat & Yacht Design
Accommodations Escape Hatches
No boater wants to look at the hatch over the berth in the bow stateroom and say, “Could I climb through that if I really needed to?” The only thing worse than needing to use a stateroom escape hatch is discovering one is in a stateroom without an escape hatch or one that is too small. The ABYC has set explicit standards so that boats allow their occupants to leave in a hurry.
Boat Building Standards:
Emergency Egress from Accommodations
ABYC Standards--
- Enclosed accommodation compartments shall have a readily accessible and unobstructed means of exit and shall have a second readily accessible means of exit to the open air if the main exit leads through or over an engine space or directly past a cooking appliance.
- A round hatch used for egress should be at least 18” (45.72 cm) in diameter. Any other shape should be large enough for a 14.5-inch (36.38-cm) diameter circle to be inscribed.