The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) on April 1st, announced that for the month of April, 2011, it will provide no-cost access to its April webinar series on a global basis.  This offer is being provided to the marine industry to familiarize people with the quality of content, delivery and value of ABYC webinars.  This offer is extended to the first 1,000 registrants for each webinar.

“No, this is NOT an April Fool’s Joke,” stated Skip Burdon, ABYC’s President in a statement.  He continued: “this is our way of encouraging all levels of our industry to participate and learn first hand of the quality of our webinar series as well as to thank industry members for their efforts in manufacturing, maintaining, and repairing boats and marine products to ABYC standards.”

As part of ABYC’s new global education outreach program ABYC will be offering two technical Webinars per month throughout the remainder of 2011.

“Webinars are a great way of learning without physically having to leave your workplace or the comfort of your home,” explained Ed Sherman, ABYC’s Director of Curriculum Development and Delivery.  “Using our delivery methodology, you register per site and then can have as many employees or students as you desire gather around a PC or widescreen to watch, listen and learn from the online Instructor and his presentation.  You can even use a smart phone or device while on travel to learn as you go,” concluded Sherman.

“During the month of April ABYC will offer two Complimentary Technical Webinars to introduce the marine industry to our newest, most affordable and valuable learning tool,” said  Mike New, ABYC’s Educational Services Director. Each webinar will last 60 to 90 minutes and questions will be fielded.

The regular rate for an ABYC technical webinar is $49 per site with unlimited live access to that site for ABYC members; $69 for non-members, which includes an opportunity to view the recorded webinar for an additional 30 days at no extra cost.  ABYC also offers industry access to previously recorded webinars for $69.00 (US) for 30 days.

The two no-cost technical education webinars being offered in April are:

Shipping Boats Overseas…..What You Need to Know

Date: Thursday, April 7, 2011     Time: 1:00 PM US Eastern Standard Time

Location: Globally, at your workplace or in the convenience of your home

Register: Click here to register or copy this link to your browser: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/j3ywgso5fn7g

Note:  Registration is limited to 1,000 globally and your receiving electronic device must be capable to receive both audio and video.  Telephonic access is not offered for the audio portion of this webinar.

Presenters: Denis Bonneau, President/CEO U2 Marine Services and John Adey, Vice President and Technical Director, ABYC 

If you or your clients are considering buying or selling a boat outside the US, you should be familiar with the details of European Conformity or CE program before you sign the sales contract.  Original boat manufacturers especially need to apply the conformity assessment procedures in relation to the boat design category and hull length as well as construction, noise and exhaust emissions.  In this overview, the presenters will identify the following requirements for new and used boats and much more:

•What is a Declaration of Conformity?

•What are the RSG (Recreational Craft Sectoral Group) guidelines?

•What are the requirements for noise and exhaust emissions?

•When must you install CE marked products on your boat?

•Where do you find applicable ISO standards?

Marine Fire Investigation… How NFPA Guides the Investigator

Date: April 27, 2011     Time: 1:00 PM US Eastern Standard Time

Location: Globally, at your workplace or in the convenience of your home

Register: Click here to register or copy this link to your browser: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/ryv7ywymbu91

Note:  Registration is limited to 1,000 sites globally and your receiving electronic device must be capable to receive both audio and video.  Telephonic access is not offered for the audio portion of these webinars.

Presenter: Joe Derie, Marine Investigator, Marine Surveyor and ABYC Instructor

This webinar will discuss how to complete a proper marine fire investigation.   The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) produces Guide Book 921, “The Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigation” and Chapter 28 of this guide pertains to marine fire investigations.  Joe will use the case study of a 44 foot motor yacht fire he investigated in 2009 as a basis to explain the entire NFPA process.

The fire occurred while the boat was tied up to the dock after use by the owner.  The owner was still on board and smelled smoke.  After determining he could not extinguish the blaze he called both the police and local fire department.  The boat suffered catastrophic damage.  View this Webinar to find the outcome of this investigation.

NOTE:  ABYC will be offering at least 2 Technical Webinars per month staring in May at a site cost $49 each for members ($69 for non-members).  ABYC will also occasionally offer as a public service no-cost webinars on a new or unique topic such as Developing a Marketing Plan using ABYC for your Marine Business which will be scheduled for May.

Technical Webinars for May include:

May 12th:  Basic Electrical with Kevin Ritz

May 25th: Lead Acid to AGM Battery Conversion with Dwight Escalera

Check the ABYC Education Calendar at http://www.abycinc.org/calendar/index.cfm for description and registration for these webinars.  ABYC also conducts technical education courses around the world to include workforce certification courses in 9 disciplines.  To schedule a course at a site contact Mike New at mnew@abycinc.org.

“No, this is NOT an April Fool’s Joke,” stated Skip Burdon, ABYC’s President in a statement.