General information
7
Seaworthiness
It is the boat builder’s duty to check that the security
requirements applying to the market in which the boat
is sold are met. In the USA for example, these are the
US Federal Regulations for pleasure boats described
in Title 46. The requirements described below apply to
the EU principles. For information and detailed de-
scriptions of the safety requirements that apply to oth-
er markets, contact the authority for the country con-
cerned.
From 16 June 1998, pleasure boats and certain asso-
ciated equipment marketed and used within the EU
must bear CE labels to confirm that they meet the
safety requirements stipulated by the European Parlia-
ment and Council of Europe’s directive for pleasure
boats. The normative requirements can be found in
the standards drawn up to support the directive’s ob-
jective of uniform safety requirements for pleasure
boats in EU countries.
Certificates that grant the right for CE label use and
confirm that boats and equipment meet safety require-
ments are issued by approved notified bodies. In
many Member States the classification societies have
become the notified bodies for pleasure boats, e.g.
Lloyd’s Register, Bureau Veritas, Registro Italiano Na-
vale, Germanischer Lloyd, etc. In many cases com-
pletely new institutions have been approved as noti-
fied bodies. The directive also allows boat builders
and component manufacturers to issue assurances of
compliance with the requirements of the directive.
This requires the manufacturer to store the prescribed
product documentation in a place that is accessible to
the monitoring authority for at least ten years after the
last product is produced.
Life boats and boats for commercial activities are ap-
proved by classification societies or by the navigation
authority for the boat’s registered country.
Joint liability
Each engine consists of many components working
together. One component deviating from its technical
specification can cause a dramatic increase in the en-
vironmental impact of an engine. It is therefore vital
that systems that can be adjusted are adjusted prop-
erly and that Volvo Penta Genuine Parts as used.
Certain systems (components in the fuel system for
example) may require special expertise and special
testing equipment. Some components are sealed at
the factory for environmental reasons. No work
should be carried out on sealed components except
by authorised personnel.
Remember that most chemical products damage the
environment if used incorrectly. Volvo Penta recom-
mends the use of biodegradable degreasing agents for
cleaning engine components, unless otherwise indi-
cated in a Workshop Manual. Take special care when
working on board boats to ensure that oil and waste
are taken for destruction and not accidentally pumped
into the environment with bilgewater.
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