The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) has published its latest Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft. This annual publication – now on its 65th edition – provides updates on standards that guide more than 90 per cent of boats constructed in North America. These latest updates will assist marine industry professionals to proactively meet requirements for the 2027 model year.
“The newest revisions touch just about every corner of the boat: electrical, fuel, water systems and even seat structures,” says Brian Goodwin, ABYC director of standards and compliance.
“If you’re surveying and repairing boats, or working on product design, compliance and testing, this is critical to you.”
ABYC says the standards help to ensure consumer confidence, industry consistency and alignment with evolving regulatory requirements.
This year’s supplement includes updates to 14 standards and three technical information reports, notably E-11, AC & DC Electrical Systems on Boats, E-13, Lithium Ion Batteries and H-24, Gasoline (Petrol) Fuel Systems.
ABYC supports this supplement with three core compliance tools: the overview, compliance audit tool and test templates. It says that these resources simplify standards into clear action items, allowing manufacturers, surveyors and service teams to efficiently verify critical aspects like carbon monoxide detector placement and fuel system leak tests.
The organisation will be hosting a webinar on 17 September. That’ll offer an overview of the updated standards and available compliance resources. It’s free to attend and those keen on learning more are asked to register online.
For vessels over 65 feet in length, the US Coast Guard officially accepted ABYC C-5, Construction and Testing of Electric Navigation Lights, as an equivalent to UL 1104 (pictured above) in June this year. This acceptance gives manufacturers and boatbuilders a modern way to meet compliance.
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