Design Category
Every boat built, regardless of manufacturer, falls within a specific design category applicable to that
model. Currently there are three (3) categories designated by the ISO 10240 Standard. They are:
♦ Category A - Ocean: Craft designed to operate in winds that may exceed wind force 8*
(34-40 knots/39-46 mph) and in significant wave heights of 4 meters (13 feet) and above. These
vessels are largely self sufficient. Abnormal conditions such as hurricanes are excluded. Such
conditions may be encountered on extended voyages, such as ocean crossings or inshore when
unsheltered from the wind and waves for several hundred nautical miles.
♦ Category B - Offshore: Craft designed to operate in winds up to and including wind force 8*
(34-40 knots/39-46 mph) and in significant wave heights of 4 meters (13 feet). Such conditions
may be encountered on offshore voyages of sufficient length or on coastal waters when unshel-
tered from the wind and waves for several dozens of nautical miles. These conditions may also
be experienced on inland seas of sufficient size for the wave height to be generated.
♦ Category C: Craft designed to operate in winds up and including wind force 4* (11-16 knots/
13-31mph) and in wave heights up to and including 0.3 meters (1 foot) with occasional waves of
0.5 meters (2 feet) maximum height. Such conditions may be encountered in sheltered inland
waters and in coastal waters in fine weather.
♦ *Wind force is based upon the Beaufort Scale.
♦ For categories A, B and C, the significant wave height is the average height of the highest one-
third of the waves, which approximately corresponds to the wave height estimated by an experi-
enced observer. Some waves will double this height.
♦ The boats addressed in this manual are certified as follows:
Table 1.5 Design Category
Boat Model Category
32 RJ Launch
B
32 RK Corsair
B
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