All recreational boats with CE approval, i.e. all recreational boats marketed or put into service for the first time in the European Union (whether for new or used boats purchased in third countries) since June 16, 1998 must have “CE” marking that certifies their conformity with all safety requirements defined by decree.
" CE " Boat Categories
“CE” marked boats are classed in four design categories based on their capacity to face sea conditions characterized by wind speed and significant wave height. Depending on the type of sailing involved, recreational boaters have to choose a boat from a design category that allows them to operate in their desired sailing conditions.
- Design category A : recreational boats designed for conditions that may exceed winds of force 8 (on the Beaufort scale) and waves with a significant height of 4 meters and over, excluding extraordinary conditions such as storms, severe storms, tornadoes and extreme sea conditions or huge standing waves (these conditions exclude anything equal to or above force 10).
- Design category B : recreational boats designed for conditions up to and including wind force 8, and up to and including significant wave height of 4 meters.
- Design category C : recreational boats designed for conditions up to and including wind force 6, and up to and including significant wave height of 2 meters.
- Design category D : recreational boats designed for conditions up to and including wind force 4, and up to and including significant wave height of 0.3 meters, and occasional waves of a maximum height of 0.50 meters.
The recreational boats in each design category must be designed and built to withstand the design specifications of each of these categories, in terms of buoyancy, stability and other relevant requirements, and to ensurpecifications.e proper handling characteristics.
BENETEAU boat design categories are shown on the boat’s technical data sheet, under the heading Specifications.