The American Boat & Yacht Council’s Project Technical Committees — industry professionals who work together on ABYC standards — review their assigned standards every three to five years. Sometimes data collection is needed to clarify the scope and magnitude of the subject at hand.
In Supplement 64 of Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft, you will find the result of research, data collection, analysis and validation into the topic of strength requirements for ski pylons, wakeboard towers and inflatable tow points in general. This information was not easy to compile. The initial round of testing included world-class athletes trying to create the greatest load when they were wakeboarding, skiing, barefooting and trick skiing.
We also tested a range of toys, from a single-rider tube to a six-person inflatable. As one of the six people in the inflatable, I can attest that the boat driver gave us hell. Anyone who has towed inflatables knows that if the rider gets too far forward as the boat accelerates, the inflatable can submerge and essentially become a sea anchor. So we tested that scenario. It was clearly the highest load on the attachment point.
Data was crunched. A subcommittee from the Hull and Deck Structures PTC began developing performance requirements for the standard. Then the pandemic hit, and the project screeched to a halt.
After a two-year pause, the subcommittee was able to get back at it. Commonly used hardware was subjected to a pull test. A boat on a trailer was tested with the proposed loads and angles for the standard. When the trailer tire started lifting off the ground, it was clear that some refinement was necessary.
A question was also raised: Is a one-size-fits-all approach correct? The initial data was collected on a high-performance wakeboard boat with more than 350 hp. What about the aluminum fish and ski boat with a 90 hp outboard on the transom? Could it produce the loads of the wakeboard boat?
We went back to the water. This time, we focused the testing on the submerged-inflatable scenario. We tested a variety of horsepower ranges, boat weights and boat types. The data clearly pointed to having different test loads based on the engine’s horsepower. Again, the proposed performance requirements were revised and validated by a number of boatbuilders to ensure that the proposed
requirements were understandable, and testing could be completed.
The final stage was incorporating the proposed requirements into a standard: ABYC H-40, Anchoring, Mooring and Strong Points. The draft of H-40 proceeded through the full American National Standards Institute-approved standards development process.
A couple of key points about the new requirements in H-40. The standard defines water toy attachment points and water-sports attachment points. The performance test applies loads to the fitting in the aft direction and at a 45-degree offset to port and starboard. This will test the fitting and the boat structure.
Additionally, these test loads will vary based on the type of attachment point and the boat’s maximum horsepower rating. The test load can be as high as 2,400 pounds.
And the standard contains requirements for labeling the attachment points and including information in the owner’s manual. The standard also contains a two-year compliance date, so it would apply to model year 2027 boats.
The ABYC’s Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft serves as a reference point for manufacturers, boatyards and industry professionals — and for good reason. A recent independent study confirmed that boats built to ABYC standards are up to 47% less likely to be involved in certain types of accidents. Adherence to the standards may reduce fatalities by up to 58%.
Compliance with these standards is also crucial to maintaining high-quality customer satisfaction. The ABYC collaborates with industry stakeholders — including boatbuilders, equipment manufacturers and regulatory bodies — to better ensure that the standards in Supplement 64 are practical, relevant and aligned with global requirements while maintaining a high level of safety.
ABYC’s standards development process is transparent and open to anyone who is materially affected by the standards. For more information, visit us at abycinc.org.
This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue.
