Disclaimer:   Throughout this site, I try to provide contact information for the US Coast Guard, ABYC and other organizations. The information on this website, unless it is a direct quote from the US Coast Guard,  the American Boat And Yacht Council or other entity, or  the United States Code, Code Of Federal Regulations,  or from a published standard, is my own interpretation of the rules and regulations.  I try to keep this  as accurate as possible, but laws change, standards are revised, and personnel administering those change.  Some standards are controversial. Other persons may have different interpretations or methods of achieving an equivalent level of safety to comply with the regulations and standards.

About This Site:

This site was created for the boat builder and the consumer. It is intended to be a reference for the beginning boat builder who has decided to build boats and sell them.  It does not tell you how to build boats, although it has many links to such sites on Ike's List.  It does tell you what things you need to know if you are building or planning to build boats and sell them. 

This is not just for wood boats, or fiberglass boats, but for all boats.  I have purposely keep the design of this site as simple as possible so it will load quickly even on a dial up connection.

This is a personal web page and not affiliated with the U. S. Coast Guard. Any mistakes are the author's. If you have a comment contact me here, or post a question on my BLOG

This is not a commercial web site. I am not selling the information found here. I have compiled some of the pages into one document which is for sale through my store. I do have to pay for the domain name and for the web site. So, you will find ads on this site. There are Amazon ads and Google ads. All of the Amazon ads are for boating and boat building books, cds, dvds, magazines and tools and other boating related equipment.  The Google ads are all boating or boat building related.  You will not find ads here for dating services, escorts, craigslist, ebay or any of the other myriad web sites selling everything imaginable.  If you click on an ad I earn a few cents. If you buy a book I get a very small percentage of the sale. From these ads I earn approximately $200.00 USD which is barely enough to pay for the site.

 I have worked for many years in the boating and boat building field. I have noted the lack of information available for new boat builders. There are people who can help you.

The Coast Guard people that can help you are at Headquarters in Washington DC. I know them all and they are dedicated professionals, very knowledgeable, and will help you any way they can. You can contact them at  202-372-1076  or FAX 202-372-1934 Or E-Mail Mr. Philip Cappel at philip.j.cappel@uscg.mil  They also have a contract factory inspection program and new builders are given priority on visits, usually within the first year.

There are others who can help you. The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) is the standards organization for our industry. They have standards that go way beyond what the Coast Guard has. I am a long time member, serve on committees, and know the people who work there and they are all very helpful and dedicated to boating safety. Call them at 410-990-4460 or fax 410-990-4466.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association is a the industry association for boat manufacturers.