numbers needed for certification

[CE_Cox]

Hi Guys
I am currently wading through the RCD with a view to self-certifying ( Class D) small rowing boats, but I seem to have come to a block wrt to the ISO standards. The declaration requires you to specify the standards to which you conform. As I see it, this implies you have to buy copies of all of the relevent standards in order to know if you do or not.
This appears to be another stealth tax, can anybody clarify/confirm this is true, or know what other standards can be used.
Thanks in advance
Chris

[Dutch Peter]

Chris,

The word standards is used very general! It does not have to be the Iso-standard refered to in the "Guidelines to the Directive". For example, for the Essential Safety Requirement item 3.1 (structure) you could use the Rules of a Classification Society.
But you are right, if you want to know to what you have to comply with you have to buy the relevant standards as they are the minimum requirement! In case of a Cat. D rowboat the amount of standards is very limited. Just from the top of my head, the ESR's you have to comply with are:

Hull identification
Builder's plate
Falling overboard and reboarding
Owner's manual
Structure
Stability/Buoyancy
Max recommended load
Anchoring, mooring & towing.

In the "Guidelines" you can find the apropriate standards.

Hope this helps a bit?

[Danielsan]

Hi Chris,
It is correct that in order to certity that you are CE compliant you must be aware about the (ISO) stds. But in Belgium you can make a visit to BIN (Belgian Institute of Normalisation) and consult the documents you need and copy them or write them down for free. Don't you have a similar thing in the UK?

Greetz,

Daniel Peeters

[Dutch Peter]

Originally Posted by ErikG

If not, then just mark it up as a cat C boat! :-)

Why? Because there are no rules as yet in EU that you need to comply with what the category says is the boats intended area of use (AFAIK).

You can go anywhere in the world in your cat C boat! It might be more problematic to get insurance in the future. No one will ever force you to show your Cat. cert. when going offshore.
I've been told that to get a standard Cat A will cost you around 5000 € if you don't have a great numbers guy at "the office".

I'm also interrested if anyone has more input concerning EU classification, and please correct me if anything above is incorrect.

Good luck

Erik

Erik,

You are correct! The Directive 94/25/EC, the European Recreational Craft Law, is regulating the placement of products on the market. But not what you do with them once you have purchased such a product. This is left to the conveniance of the individual countries.

However, it won't be long, if it hasn't happened already, till insurrence companies will base their quotes on design category and reject claims on the basis that the craft was not intended for the designed category.

Regards,

[Dutch Peter]

Originally Posted by Jorgoz

I know about self-certification. The boat will be in the A or B categorie. But on the 12217-3 form there's no mention of A or B, just C and D.

How did you determine the design category if you don't have the standard? BTW, what's the overall lenght of your design?

Originally Posted by Jorgoz

Some people have told me to fill out some ballpark figures, as they think the bureaucrats don't even know what it's all about themselves

That is for 90% correct, atleast that's my opinion, furthermore a lot of countries are going for the self-regulating market! So no dedicated cops to track down the uncertified boats. You run into trouble once you start to export!

Originally Posted by Jorgoz

As you speak about cowboy builders, there are also enthousiastic builders that whant to build good boats and i think all these regulations scare them off (kills creativity )

And that is why you have so many CE consultants now!

Originally Posted by Jorgoz

Hope to get some more help.....

Keep asking, I'll reply

[Dutch Peter]

Originally Posted by DavidG

If you need to do the RCD, boats under 12m can use Assessment module Aa, which means they only have to use a notified body for the stability aspect.

This is not entirely correct! The assesment module Aa is only to be used when the harmonized standard is NOT used!!!