I think that as a designer, the only safety regs you have to follow are the
USCG rules, which have less to do with boat design than they have to do with
systems and things like loading and powering. If you're a manufacturer,
then following ABYC guidelines are a good idea since there is a lot of court
precedent that says if you don't, then you chose to be liable. As anybody
with a boat, buying or building or owning, following ABYC guidelines makes
good sense since most if not all were derived from real-life issues and
experiences. Anyway, this is how I understand it. I'd love to be corrected
if I'm wrong...

Brian


"Steve" wrote in message
...
I'm not sure of what safety regulations your talking about.. ABYC, USCG,
??

The boat designs that I have dealt with never got down to such detail.
These
element are left to the builder wisdom and discretion.. Even if your
talking
about fastener types or material, that is also left to the builder.

Load and passenger capacity plate? Nah! not applicable in a 38 ft boat.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions