Canoes and Kayaks are a special case. Other than requiring a Hull Identification Number, the US Coast Guard does not regulate the construction of these boats. So, are there standards for these boats that you should follow? Yes!

The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) has a standard specifically for Canoes and Kayaks. This spells out standards for:

Defines what a canoe or kayak is:

Safe Loading

Flotation

Powering

Labels

The ABYC standard is H-29. Contact ABYC for a copy. http://www.abycinc.org/

613 Third Street, Suite 10
Annapolis, MD 21403
Phone: (410) 990-4460
Fax: (410) 990-4466

Additionally, there are the following associations dedicated to canoes and kayaks.

The Professional Paddlesports Association.
http://www.propaddle.com/

The American Canoe Association
http://www.acanet.org/

American Whitewater http://www.americanwhitewater.org/

US Canoe/Kayak (US olympic Committee)
http://www.usack.org/

Paddling.Net http://www.paddling.net/

Are there other standards for Canoes and Kayaks?

Canadian Office of Boating Safety has regulations that apply to canoes and kayaks http://www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety/debs/obs/construction/menu.htm

UK And EU. Canoes and Kayaks are exempted from the RCD.

Canadian Standards for Canoes or Kayaks Taken from, the ABYC standard

“ Canoe” means a watercraft, designed to be manually propelled, with provision for auxiliary power, with neither end having a transverse dimension greater than 45% of its maximum beam and conforms to the following table :
Canoe Length Maximum Beam
     4.25m or less 1/3 Canoe Length
over 4.25m to 4.9m 1/4 Canoe Length
over 4.9m 1/5 Canoe Length

The recommended maximum gross load in kilograms for canoes shall be less than or equal to that load which yields 178mm of freeboard. Freeboard shall be measured at the lowest point along the length of the canoe.

The recommended maximum number of persons is calculated with the following formula:

(b) For outboard powered vessels (including canoes):

Number of persons = GL-We/75
where:
GL = recommended maximum gross load in kilograms
We = outboard engine and related equipment total weight, as determined from Table 4-2

4.3.2.3 The maximum number of persons shall be rounded off to the nearest whole number. If the fraction is less than 0.5, round down to the next whole integer and if the fraction is equal to or greater than 0.5, round up to the next higher whole integer.

The recommended maximum power for canoes shall be as specified in Table 4-1

Information on canoeing and kayaking is available from the International Canoe Federation. However this does not include standards for canoes and kayaks.
http://www.canoeicf.com/

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