Who is the ABYC, Why are they so Powerful?

[FlyingCloud1937]

Who is the ABYC, Why are they so powerful?

ABYC was formed during the recreational boating
industry’s exponential growth of the 1950s.
Fiberglass was a revolutionary product in this day;
most boats were still built using timber, caulk and
enamel paint. In 1950, members of the Motorboat
and Yacht Advisory Panel of the U.S. Coast Guard’s
Merchant Marine Council were tasked with creating
an organization that would provide boatbuilders,
equipment manufacturers and repair yards with
critical safety related information. With this mandate,
the American Boat and Yacht Council was born,
convening its first meeting at New York City’s
Lexington Hotel in April 1954. Forty-three members
were in attendance—the founding fathers of ABYC,
as they were, led by the organization’s first president,
Phelps Ingersol of Wilcox Crittenden Corp



Just thought I would share this

Lloyd

[Andina Marie]

An excellent advisory service however I fear they are frequently biased by fear of legal action should someone following their specifications have an accident. As a practical sailor, unless you have ample funds, you have to weigh the cost/risk factor of decisions you make for your boat and allocate limited funds to the most critical jobs.

[colemj]

If one needs to spend thousands of dollars just to view the ABYC recommendations, how does one even attempt to follow them when doing boat work?

Mark

[leftbrainstuff]

Strict adherence to ABYC standards is a burden especially for a single boat owner.

What's important is safety first. I personally follow a fairly typical engineering approach to maintenance. My knowledge of standards and engineering best practice helps.

Corrective, preventative and wishlist. Safety related items that don't work sit at the top of the corrective action list. Broken convenience items sit at the bottom of this list.

Things that need regular maintenance go on the preventative list. The trick is to deal with them before they become corrective.

Standards and best practice worth following include wiring colors, wire sizing, correct choice of materials and hose sizing and selection.

Orherwise you are left with using a risk based approach. If you're prepared to take risks, or worse don't know you're taking a risk, then you'll likely cut corners.

My final caveat is think of others before cutting a corner. If you choose that cheap hose, and it fails, and your boat catches fire in a marina and you cause damage to other vessels then you are responsible for a loss greater than your own.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Andina Marie

I fear they are frequently biased by fear of legal action should someone following their specifications have an accident.

Don't know what could give you that impression. example ?

[David M]

ABYC is a good thing overall. They have no legal authority. They are is society put together to recommend safety standards for pleasure boats.

It is unfortunate that (officially) a boat owner has to pay to look up their safety recommendations. There are ways around that if one looks around the internet.

Laws in the CFR's that the Coast Guard enforces for boat manufacturers and ABYC recommendations are typically two different standards. The ABYC recommendations are typically more stringent and more thorough for pleasure craft. The laws in the CFR's regarding boats and ships are more thorough for commercial craft than pleasure craft.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by David M

ABYC is a good thing overall. They have no legal authority. All they are is society put together to recommend safety standards for boats.

Yes, no legal authority but they are routinely accepted in Canadian and US courts as "the" standard.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by colemj

If one needs to spend thousands of dollars just to view the ABYC recommendations, how does one even attempt to follow them when doing boat work?

Mark

: thumb:

Maybe so that later the surveyor has something to write.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by colemj

If one needs to spend thousands of dollars just to view the ABYC recommendations, how does one even attempt to follow them when doing boat work?

Mark

It's a long ways short of "thousands of dollars ". It costs money to produce those standards. Who do you think should pay for them ?

[Lake-Effect]

(Disclaimer - past ABYC member, have one certification)

If one needs to spend thousands of dollars just to view the ABYC recommendations, how does one even attempt to follow them when doing boat work?

Membership is US$259/year which gives you online access to the ABYC standards, and a CD of the current specs is US$60 (member price).

But pick up something like Nigel Calder's Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual (US$35). If you follow the book, you're pretty much following ABYC recommendations.

(and believe me, Calder's book is a much better read than a few thousand pages of standards)

I can't think of a field more in need of standards than recreational boating, where people will take to the water in just about anything that will float for long enough to launch and board.

Safety is of course paramount, and many competent owners are capable of doing work to a safe standard. But not everyone knows everything, so it's good to have a published standard to consult. Also, when contracting someone to work on your boat, it's nice to have some sort of benchmark for competence, such as certification.

(paid advertisement. hey ABYC you know where to mail the cheque )

Strict adherence to ABYC standards is a burden especially for a single boat owner.

It really isn't...

[deblen]

I believe the ABYC was intended as a GUIDE to pleasure boat Mfgrs.
Trying to protect the public from shoddy materials & workmanship.
Not a bad thing IMHO

[boatpoker]

Hey Lake Effect .... want another ABYC Certification ?
I'm hosting the 4 day Corrosion Analysis Course at Port Credit Yacht Club in March. That can't be too far from you.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Membership is US$259/year which gives you online access to the ABYC standards, and a CD of the current specs is US$60 (member price).

I think you completely missed the point. Let me rephrase to better fit the data: Who is going to spend $300/yr just to get information on how to do things on their boat to a recommended safety standard?

If this is such safety critical, and there are so many "unsafe" boats out there because those people don't know the standards, shouldn't access to the correct information be free and easier?

Mark

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by colemj

I think you completely missed the point. Let me rephrase to better fit the data: Who is going to spend $300/yr just to get information on how to do things on their boat to a recommended safety standard?

Will you spend $35? Will you ask a service provider what certifications they hold?

If this is such safety critical, and there are so many "unsafe" boats out there because those people don't know the standards, shouldn't access to the correct information be free and easier?

Socialist. Nanny-stater.

In the absence of government-mandated regulation (be careful what you wish for), an independent industry standards association is not a bad thing.

[colemj]

I don't understand - is it now $35/yr? What does a service provider have to do with this?

Frankly, my experiences with "service providers" has led me to know and understand pretty much every aspect of my boat.

I didn't say a standards association is a bad thing - just that the normal boat owner cannot reasonably access the standards that they are told to use. Telling people that there are "ways around it" is no different than telling people there are "ways to get free movies", or charts, or music, etc.

Mark