ABYC publishes largest standards manual ever

June 8, 2021

The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC), the non-profit organization that develops the global voluntary safety standards for the design, construction, maintenance and repair of recreational boats, is set to publish its largest supplement ever of the Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft. ABYC is offering a special pre-order sale until June 18 for the 2021-2022 manual, which will be officially released Aug. 1.

ABYC standards are continuously researched, developed, and revised by over 400 volunteer marine professionals on Project Technical Committees (PTCs). Every year ABYC publishes its updated manual with new and revised safety standards, keeping current with the marine industry’s newest trends and technologies.

“PTCs have had an active year in standards development and virtual meetings have allowed for broader international participation,” said Brian Goodwin, ABYC technical director. “Over 20 revised documents are set to be published this year, a great accomplishment by experts from all fields of the industry dedicated to keeping boating safe and enjoyable.”

Highlights include the updated E-30, Electric Propulsion Systems, which addresses advancements in electric propulsion technology. E-10, Storage Batteries is another safety-critical standard that will be updated as well as ABYC’s largest and most popular standard E-11, AC & DC Electrical Systems on Boats.

“There’s a growing demand for electric propulsion and more manufacturers are applying this technology to boats and associated systems,” said Goodwin. “Additionally, the increasing complexity in boats’ electrical systems has led ABYC to expand upon its suite of standards to include topics such as battery switches and lithium ion batteries, which are covered under standards C-7 and TE-13.”

With over 75% of revised documents included as the standards basis for the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Boat & Yacht Certification Program, manufacturers designing for 2023 model year will need to understand and apply standards updates that affect their product.

The pre-order sale price is $79.95 USD for members and $465.00 USD for non-members through June 18. Visit http://www.abycinc.org/publications or call 410-990-4460 x103 to order the manual or desktop download.

The Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft with Supplement 61 will be published Aug. 1.