RCD complience - selfbuild boats

[demetia]

I completed a selfbuild project about 6 years ago (about the 4th person in its history!!) Does anyone have any experience of selling selfbuilds, as the broker has told me I need a CE certificate to even use it - let alone sell it. As a self build its never going to have a great value and would be hard to justify what I am sure would be a large cost given EU directives.
Is it necessary to have a CE mark or are there exemptions for home built.
Also I believe VAT may be an issue.
Whatever happened to the days you could build a boat and go sailing?????
Any beurocratic info gladly welcomed

 

[wotayottie]

Ring the RYA - they should know their way through the paperwork. Pretty sure you dont need the CE to use it, and can sell it after a certain number of years use (I seem to remember 6) without RCD. Or you can register in the lowest category of RCD (who takes any notice anyway) without any expensive tests.

But all these are dredged up memories and could easily be wrong. Talk to the RYA

 

[bigwow]

As long as you have the receipts for the major component parts, showing VAT paid,VAT is not an issue.

 

[Jonny_H]

Re VAT - ours was a self build. We have a ring binder with every receipt showing VAT paid.
When we bought the boat the marine finance people just wanted the rigging, engine and hull receipt as proof of VAT paid, but I keep the whole file on the boat just in case anyone asks.

Jonny

 

[apcheval]

A boat constructed prior to 18th June 1998 does not need any RCD certification this is only required for boats constructed after this date. As far as self build boats are concerned no RCD certification is required provided that the self builder keeps the boat for a minimum period of 5 years after completion. Normally part built boats (hull and decks) should have a certificate of comformity from the builder to say that it is built and complies with the various ISO codes and will be completed by others.

 

[goneballistic]

I think Raider is right. 5 years under your use clears it to be allowed to be put on the market.

There is no regulation saying that you cannot use a non RCD / CE Marked boat. The regulations affect only if they may be placed on the market.

I recon that many, many boats are sold each year without CE marking and as far as i know Trading Standards are the only people who can prosecute. I suppose if there is an accident involving the boat then it may become more serious.

 

[ditchcrawler]

I went through this process when I bought & later sold a Hunter boat built from a kit .There are two main parameters.A boat which is a kit placed on the market before 16th June 1998 is exempt from the Directive(CE marking).This can mean a boat sold as a kit of parts & not yet completed.A home completed boat which has been "in recreational use" for 5 years or more by the original builder is also exempt.Note that it is not 5 years since completion but the boat has to be "in use" which the RYA legal dept defined as being put in the water.I had a letter from the original owner /builder to this effect.RYA were a help to me(although they gave conflicting advice at one stage & I had to speak to head of Legal dept dealing with the matter) & if you Google Recreational Craft Directive you can get the whole document(lengthy)

 

[snowleopard]

Backing that up, yes, as long as the ownership doesn't change in the 5 years following completion you are exempt from the RCD. It is essential to keep some evidence of the date of completion - I have laminated the marina's invoice for the launch and keep it with the boat's papers. If you don't have that, I expect some evidence of it being in use 5+ years ago would do.

An interesting point on ownership: if a husband and wife own a boat jointly they can either own the whole boat jointly or half each - if part 1 registered that's either 64 shares held jointly or 32 each. If they own half each and one dies, the other inherits the rest of the shares which counts as a change of ownership. In that case the survivor has to get the boat CE marked immediately which can be a massively expensive exercise.

Getting a retrospective CE mark is so big an undertaking that almost everyone who does it gets the class D (inland waters) classification. You have a CE mark and there is no restriction in the UK where you use it.