On a houseboat, often only the builder checks
Houseboats are a growing segment, and the rules for them are thinner than most buyers assume. The decisive point is not in the brochure but in the question of who checks stability and buoyancy, and often only the builder does.
Law NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH
A houseboat is legally a recreational craft. It falls under the same European Recreational Craft Directive as a motorboat, although it looks different, handles differently and is used differently. Much superstructure, little hull below the waterline, and correspondingly large windage against usually modest engine power.
There is no separate legal definition for the type. What exists is the division into design categories, and most houseboats fall into category D, meaning sheltered waters, wind up to force 4 and waves up to around half a metre. That is precisely where conformity assessment is at its lightest. In this category the builder may declare conformity with the requirements himself and affix the CE mark himself. An independent body need not be involved.
So the CE mark on a category D houseboat says exactly one thing to begin with: the builder declares that he meets the requirements. That is no accusation, and many builders have their boats assessed voluntarily. It is however the difference between an assurance and a test report, and a buyer should know which of the two he is holding.
The trade knows the problem and is working on it. The German association of leisure craft and shipbuilding surveyors, together with what was then the federal water sports trade association, produced a technical guideline for houseboats that goes voluntarily beyond the directive. The association that co published it has since merged into the Verband Maritime Wirtschaft Deutschland.
What this means for owners
Houseboats are a type we see a lot of, and we still say this: four questions belong asked before the purchase. Who checked stability and buoyancy, the builder or an independent body, which assessment option was calculated, and did the windows have to be watertight under it? Is there a fixed bilge pump on board that reaches every compartment, and are there smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in every enclosed living space? Four answers to those are worth more than a CE plate.
Our view as NAMMERT, not part of the news. Your own policy wording decides.
Where this comes from
- Source: Directive 2013/53/EU on recreational craft and personal watercraft
- Source: Verband der Sportboot- und Schiffbau-Sachverständigen, German association of leisure craft surveyors
- Source: Verband Maritime Wirtschaft Deutschland
The text is our own; the sources supplied the facts and figures, not the wording.
