Purchasing early '98 boat. Proving no CE requirement

[Biggles109]

I am in the process of purchasing a small but nicely built inboard displacement motor boat dating from 1998, of a value around £10K. It was built by a small UK boat builder who built three of them, and then stopped as the boats were apparently not profitable. The original sale invoice is not present, subsequent invoices between owners are and suggest that it was VAT paid and built in 1998. The boat will not be leaving UK waters. A survey has identified some issues, but nothing unexpected for the age of boat.

1) The surveyor cannot find the HIN, did all boats, even built pre-CE have to have this or was it to an extent optional on smaller boats until CE came in? Ownership does appear to check out.
2) It would make sense that production stopped prior to CE requirements in June 98 as the expense of compliance for a small builder may have been too high. My concern is that although it probably was pre June 98, without definitive documentation showing it was pre-June '98 the boat may be difficult to sell on. Would this be a concern for people?

Grateful for your thoughts.

 

[Trundlebug]

CE has been a requirement since 1992, not 1998 so should be present on a boat of this age

 

[Tranona]

Nothing to worry about. CE came in 1998. Prior to that there was no requirement to have any format of identification on a boat, although large scale builders did tend to have some sort of system. CE is only relevant when a boat is placed on the market for the first time, but when it subsequently changes hands it is less relevant, although useful to know that the boat was legal when new.

The builder of the boat you are looking at probably stopped building because he could not be bothered to go through the certification process.

Key things when buying are ensuring you get good title and the boat is in good condition.

 

[Imperial One]

If it worries you it is easy enough to get a CE test done and the vendor may even split the cost with you. Worth asking.
Check this for explanation of CE mark
http://www.small-craft-consultancy.com/refpg1.html

 

[Spi D]

Not knowing where years 1992 or 1998 come from I'd suggest you Google the Recreational Craft Directive

You will find this, I believe

- The date of the placing of the craft on the EU/EEA Market: this date must be posterior to the date of the entry into force of the Directive in the Member States (which was 16 June 1996 for Directive 94/25/EC). Boats which were already on the EU/EEA market at this date do not need to comply with the requirements of the Recreational Craft Directive.

The FAQ on http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/maritime/faq/index_en.htm is very informative too.

 

[Tranona]

Not knowing where years 1992 or 1998 come from I'd suggest you Google the Recreational Craft Directive

You will find this, I believe


The FAQ on http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/maritime/faq/index_en.htm is very informative too.

You are correct about the date of the order. However the date of introduction of the requirement was 18 June 1998. The key word in the order is "posterior" indicating that it is not retrospective. So all boats in the EU/EEA prioe to that date are exempt.

 

[oldgit]

Would this be a concern for people? Grateful for your thoughts.

In this price bracket,would not personally waste time looking for a HIN and doubt you will find any future cash buyer will care.As long as boat is sound and well founded.

 

[Momac]

Sounds like the builders couldn't get CE approval for some reason. That could be due to some design issue or just financial reasons.