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CE Certification of Winkle Brig

Started by VROUW KIRSTEN, August 02, 2015, 09:51:58 AM

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VROUW KIRSTEN

Good morning!

Does anyone of the owners of a Winkle Brig have a CE certification for his boat? In Germany a registration of the boat is required if  I want to travel on inland waterways. But, actual, without a CE certification I cannot apply for a registration number.

Thanks a lot for your informations!

Gerold
Life is happy, life is sweet, on a gaff rigged boat of 16 feet!

Mike Seller

Hi Gerold - I am aware that boats built or in use in the UK prior to June 1998 do not need to comply with the RCD standards or have the relevant CE builders mark. I assume the same applies in Germany as part of the EU. Production of the Winklebrig started in 1985 and I think the last boat was finished in the year 2000.
The RYA (Royal Yachting Association) have guidelines on their website www.rya.org.uk on this subject and you may also find other useful information if you 'google' the question. I am a member of the RYA so if you have difficulty in finding the answer to this problem I can ask their Legal Expert on your behalf. This service comes free of any charges.
However  I think you may find that you do not need the CE mark even though your boat was built after 1998 as the design was already being manufactured prior to 1998 - this is only a guess on my part! The magic words in the guidelines are 'or in use prior to June1998' which might extend to the design.

Hope this helps and do get in touch if you would like me to ask the RYA.

Mike.

Paul Thomas

Mike is probably correct, but I suspect that will not wash with the German authorities.  Some years ago a colleague of mine was trying to register a car in Germany which had been imported from the US via Italy where it had been registered with NATO.  The car was quite old and not worth much, certainly not all the trouble it caused. Eventually, Chrysler were persuaded to provide a certificate of conformity which was sufficient.  It was very much a bureaucratic 'box ticking' exercise.  It seems unlikely that the same service is going to be available in this case, so is there a boating equivalent of 'single vehicle approval' or Boat Safety Scheme?  If I was bringing my boat to Germany I would brandish its 'Small Ship's Registration' which should be sufficient.  Different rules apply in the UK to vessels entering waterways from the sea.  There are several other owners in Germany who may be able to help.

VROUW KIRSTEN

#3
Just (my) end of the story: A CE certification is possible, made by an certified engineer. Costs app. 1500 to 2500 €, benefit doubtful.

I have got the information that because of the CE Eric decided to sell the WB 120 as a construction kit and the first owner assembled the boat by himself. Because of this I do not need the CE for registration of the boat. Nevertheless the official registration is required to sail upon german inland waterways.


Kind regards

Gerold
Life is happy, life is sweet, on a gaff rigged boat of 16 feet!

Barend Nieuwendijk

Hallo Gerold,

we sailed this summer on the lakes of Mecklenburg in Germany without any problem. No one ever asked about CE.

Greetings,
Barend

VROUW KIRSTEN

Hello Barend,

Mecklenburger Seenplatte, very nice area! I found an interesting account of a journey there under http://www.archiv.piekfall.info/pdf/piekfall_seite408.pdf . By the way, the hompage http://www.freunde-des-gaffelriggs.de is very interesting , unfortunatly only in german language.

I believe, it is possible to travel without the CE, but I need a registration because of several reasons and it is easier to get this if the boat has a CE label. At least, I will get this registration without because it is self bulit .

Kind regards


Gerold
Life is happy, life is sweet, on a gaff rigged boat of 16 feet!