Legal question

[chinajohnny]

Hai all,
I just registered.
I am all new to boating and do not even have a boating licence yet ( stuying now)...........
(i am even allowed on this site ???)
I have been very interested in trawlers and cruising the world for a couple of years now and have been ready some books and many articles on the web about it.
I am particular interested in the Diesel Ducks.
Any of you cruising around in them?
I visited Bill Kimley's factory Seahorse yachts in China a few years ago to check things out. ( I live in China too)
All was very interesting and it got me really excited.
As I was studying a bit I came across a part in the study book where the CE certification was mentioned.
Class A (ocean) till D (inland waters). I saw also advertisements of trawlers for sale where this CE mark was mentioned.
I see photo's of people sailing over the ocean in sometimes a bathtub.
What does this CE certification then actually MEAN?
Is it more an "advice" or are you legally not allowed to cruise the ocean if your boat does not have class A ?
What about old boats then which do not have this CE certification?
What about home build yachts?
Maybe all stupid questions, like said I am new to all this.

[Astrid]

CE stands for Conformité Européenne, or European Conformity, and is a certificate required on any product imported for sale into the European Community. It is a mark that the product, be it a recreational vessel or a sewing machine, meets all the safety, environmental protection, and health requirements set by the European Economic Area. The CE certificate is only required when something is to be sold in the EEA, not, I believe, on a vessel cruising there for personal use.

[savoir]

Chances are you can completely ignore the whole CE business. You are most unlikey to ever have a problem or any other encounter with it. You would have to import a boat into Europe with the intention of selling it.

See yourself doing that ?

This doesn't stop you from visiting the place with your boat.

[goboatingnow]

While what has been said about the CE mark , for a European boat it's a mandatory requirement as it is to sell one there.

However there is value to the categorisation, it shows that the boat had at least been built to the basic standards that each each category requires. It also means the builder has a properly documented production and quality control system and retains such build documentation .

The ISO standards behind the scantlings, the onboard systems hatches etc. Noise and engine emissions, STIX, downflooding etc do ensure that you get a reasonable boat. I certainly wouldn't buy from any European builder that wasn't able to produce a category A product. ( sailing ) . Unlike the ABYC, CE is a mandatory system where the builder and the build process has been signed off and certified by an independent approved Survey House. Getting a Category A rating is not easy for any builder.

As to home built boats. They are exempt from such standards as long as they are not sold for 5 years after built. This only applies where the boat has been substantially built by the owner and no professional was employed. For example if the hull was built for you then it would have to be CE marked. Most valuable homebuilts avail of the " post construction CE marking process". This allows them to seek a CE rating after the boat has been built.

Obviously only applies to EU boats

You would have to import a boat into Europe with the intention of selling it.

any boat owned by a EU resident must be CE marked irrespective of import , it must be marked to allow it to be used inside the EU , it matters not that you want to sell it

[David M]

To answer one of your questions, there is no international requirement to have an A rated boat to navigate on the oceans. For people in Europe it may be different.