[ndutton]

Sorry guys, with all the shorthand flying around here like PO, FWC, RWC, UHS, OPSS and the like, I wrongly assumed ABYC was universally known.

As far as the quality of the standards, they're really all we have. The USCG pretty closely parallels them and in some cases has adopted complete sections. It's then that they become enforceable. It's interesting too the conflicts reported here all have a common antagonist - the marine surveyor. There's an entity in dire need of regulation and oversight.

Getting back to standards, imagine what boats would be like without them. How many previous owner nightmares have we dealt with? Without the standards that would be the norm.

Said another way, what will your boat's next owner have to say about you?