An ABYC technician can ensure critical running gear doesn’t rot away like this outboard motor mount (credit: ABYC).

May 14, 2024

Here’s to getting boat work done right – and keeping you safe on the water!

If there is one thing boaters all agree on, it’s the need for quality marine service and repair work. At the heart of any good boat maintenance program is a qualified marine technician with the necessary training, knowledge and skills to tackle the job.

With the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) recently celebrating its 2024 Outstanding Technician Awards, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) thought it would be a good time to highlight the crucial role of an ABYC marine technician. ABYC sets the standards for the design, construction and repair of recreational boats, and technicians certified by ABYC follow these guidelines to ensure safety and quality in their work. Here, BoatUS offers five excellent reasons (of many!) to thank your local ABYC Certified Marine Technician.

            • Stopping a silent killer: Carbon monoxide detectors have an expiration date to comply with ABYC standards. Replacing your boat’s expired unit will help protect your family against CO poisoning.

            • Preventing a potential sinking: Replacing the corrugated plastic bilge-pump hose they find in your boat with properly rated, smooth-walled hose to ensure your bilge pump can remove water as effectively as possible as described under ABYC standards.

            • Not allowing your boat’s running gear to rot away: To prevent corrosion of your boat’s underwater metal parts like shafts, propellers and outdrives, it’s important to maintain the cathodic protection system. An ABYC Tech can regularly check and maintain this system to ensure it continues to work effectively.

            • Preventing an electrical fire: To ensure boat safety, it’s crucial to use the right overcurrent protection, such as fuses and circuit breakers, according to ABYC standards. These devices prevent electrical wires from overheating or catching fire by limiting the maximum current they can safely handle.

            • Stopping a potential electric shock drowning before it happens: Adding an electrical-leakage circuit interrupter (ELCI) to your shore power system is required by ABYC standards on new boats. This will protect against possible AC stray-current issues that could lead to electric shock drowning in a worst-case scenario.

To learn more about ABYC standards for recreational boats, or to find an ABYC certified professional marine technician, go to www.abycinc.org/boaters.