Recreational Craft Directive
The Recreational Craft Directive ( RCD ) is a trade-enabling
European New Approach Directive
which sets minimum requirements of a boat which guarantee its
suitability for sale and use within the European
Union.
These requirements, known as Essential Requirements (ER) cover
all aspects of the boat from identification marks to strength of
construction, stability and handling, from gas, electric and fuel
system installations to owner’s documentation.
Boats built to comply with the RCD are CE-marked and carry an
identification mark known as the Craft
Identification Number (CIN) and a builder’s plate which shows
the CE-mark and basic information about the design of the boat,
particularly the category(ies) for which it is was designed. There
are four categories (A, B, C & D) which are based on wind and
wave conditions likely to be experienced covering Ocean, Offshore,
Coastal and Sheltered Waters.
Compliance with the ERs can be shown in a number of ways,
depending on the design category and size of boat. Boats in design
categories A & B and the larger boats in category C will be
built with some involvement of a third party
Notified Body, which monitors and checks the design and
construction. Boats in category D and smaller boats in category C
are self-certified by the builder. In all instances there are a
range of industry codes and standards,
(national, European and International) to which boats are
usually built, however only European
harmonised standards give a presumption of conformity.
The RCD (Directive
94/25/EC) was implemented in the UK as the Recreational
Craft Regulations (SI 1996/1353) and came into force on 16 June
1998.The RCD was amended in 2005 (Directive
2003/44/EC) to include environmental emission limits – this
was implemented in the UK as Recreational Craft
Regulations (SI 2004/1464) combining both the original
directive and the text of the amendment.
The RCD is currently under revision and members can
access further details here.
Any boat placed on the EU market after this date, whether a new
build or imported from outside the EU, must be CE-marked.
There are some exceptions :
- commercial craft
- boats built for own use and not placed on the market within
five years
- certain categories of boat, such as racing boats and
canoes/kayaks
The British Marine Federation has published several guides and
handbooks for the RCD, including the RCD
Workshop Manual and the Boatbuilders Guide which is
available to both members and non-members.
There are a number of additional supporting documents published
by the Notified Bodies’ Recreational Craft Sectoral Group (RSG)
and the
European Commission (EC) : these are included in the RCD CDROM,
providing boatbuilders and equipment manufacturers with a complete
reference to the regulations and standards.