Recreational Craft Directive 2013/53/EU

Last reviewed: October 2026 · Legal status verified against EUR-Lex.

Directive 2013/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 on recreational craft and personal watercraft — the "Recreational Craft Directive" or RCD — replaced Directive 94/25/EC and has applied since 18 January 2016. It covers recreational craft from 2.5 m to 24 m hull length, personal watercraft, propulsion engines (including engine modifications affecting power or emissions), and certain components placed on the market separately. Published as OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 90.

Legal status and timeline

• Adoption: 20 November 2013.
• Date of application: 18 January 2016.
• Repeal of Directive 94/25/EC: 18 January 2016.
• Status in October 2026: applies.

Scope: products covered

Article 2(1) applies to:

• Recreational craft — watercraft of hull length 2.5 m to 24 m intended for sports and leisure;
• Personal watercraft (PWC) — watercraft for sports and leisure of less than 4 m hull length using a propulsion engine with a water jet pump as its primary source of propulsion, designed to be operated by a person or persons sitting, standing, or kneeling on, rather than within, the hull;
• Propulsion engines — installed or specifically intended for installation on or in watercraft (with limited exclusions for racing and military engines);
• Major engine modifications — modifications that could cause the engine to exceed the exhaust emission limits in Annex I, Part B, or that increase its rated power by more than 15%;
• Major craft conversions — converting the propulsion type, undertaking a major engine modification, or altering the craft to such an extent that it may no longer meet the applicable essential requirements;
• Components listed in Annex II when placed on the market separately for installation in recreational craft.

Annex II components

Ignition-protected equipment for inboard and stern-drive engines, start-in-gear protection devices for outboard engines, steering wheels, steering mechanisms, fuel tanks, prefabricated hatches, and portlights.

Exclusions (Article 2(2))

Craft intended solely for racing, canoes, kayaks, gondolas, pedalos, sailing surfboards, surfboards, original historical watercraft and individual replicas thereof designed before 1950, experimental craft not placed on the market, craft built for own use (with conditions), passenger craft for commercial use (covered by separate maritime law), submersibles, air-cushion vehicles, hydrofoils, external combustion steam-powered craft.

Design categories (Annex I, Part A, Section 1)

Recreational craft are designed for one of four design categories based on wind force and significant wave height the craft is designed to withstand:

• Category A — Ocean. Wind force exceeding Beaufort 8 and significant wave heights of 4 m or more, excluding abnormal conditions such as hurricane.
• Category B — Offshore. Wind force up to and including Beaufort 8 and significant wave heights up to and including 4 m.
• Category C — Inshore. Wind force up to and including Beaufort 6 and significant wave heights up to and including 2 m.
• Category D — Sheltered waters. Wind force up to and including Beaufort 4 and significant wave heights up to and including 0.3 m, with occasional 0.5 m.

Essential requirements (Annex I)

Annex I, Parts A (general requirements for craft), B (essential requirements for exhaust emissions from propulsion engines), and C (essential requirements for noise emissions from craft fitted with stern-drive engines without integral exhaust or inboard engines, from personal watercraft, and from outboard engines and stern-drive engines with integral exhaust).

Conformity assessment procedures

Articles 19–22 select from the modules in Annex II to Decision No 768/2008/EC. The available routes depend on the design category and craft type:

• Module A — Internal production control;
• Module A1 — Internal production control plus supervised product testing;
• Module B — EU type-examination;
• Module C — Conformity to type based on internal production control (with B);
• Module D — Production quality assurance (with B);
• Module E — Product quality assurance (with B);
• Module F — Conformity to type based on product verification (with B);
• Module G — Conformity based on unit verification;
• Module H — Conformity based on full quality assurance.

Article 20 maps each design category and hull length to the available modules for design and construction; Articles 21 and 22 do the same for exhaust and noise emissions. Higher design categories (A and B, especially over 12 m hull length) require Notified Body involvement; smaller, lower-category craft may use Module A.

Post-construction assessment (PCA)

Article 23 and Annex V provide a "post-construction assessment" procedure. Under Article 19(2), a private importer (a natural or legal person established in the Union who imports a product from a third country in the course of a non-commercial activity, with the intention of putting it into service for that person's own use) must use it where the manufacturer has not carried out the conformity assessment. Under Article 19(3) and (4), it also applies to anyone placing on the market or putting into service a craft or engine after a major modification or conversion, and to anyone placing a craft built for own use on the market within five years. The Notified Body assessment under PCA serves in place of the manufacturer's conformity assessment.

Technical documentation

Annex IX sets the contents. Retention: 10 years after the product has been placed on the market (Article 7(3)). See technical documentation.

EU Declaration of Conformity

Article 15 and Annex IV. The Declaration is provided with the craft and contains the design category, engine data, and references to harmonised standards. See EU Declaration of Conformity.

Marking and labelling

Articles 17 and 18 require CE marking, followed by the Notified Body identification number where a Notified Body is involved in the production control phase. Annex I, Part A, Sections 2.1 and 2.2 require the craft to bear:

• The Craft Identification Number (CIN) — a 14-character ISO 10087 reference;
• Manufacturer's name, contact details;
• Design category;
• Builder's plate with maximum load, maximum recommended number of persons, and other data per Annex I, Part A, Section 2.2.

Harmonised standards

The EN ISO standard family for recreational craft includes:

• EN ISO 6185 series — inflatable boats;
• EN ISO 8666 — principal data;
• EN ISO 8665 — propulsion engine power;
• EN ISO 10087 — craft identification, coding system (the CIN);
• EN ISO 10133 / 13297 — electrical systems;
• EN ISO 11192 — graphical symbols for craft controls and displays;
• EN ISO 11812 — watertight cockpits and quick-draining;
• EN ISO 12215 series — hull construction and scantlings;
• EN ISO 12217 series — stability and buoyancy assessment and categorisation;
• EN ISO 14945 — builder's plate;
• EN ISO 14946 — maximum load capacity;
• EN ISO 15584 — inboard petrol engines (fuel and electrical components).

See harmonised standards.

Recent and upcoming changes

The RCD has not undergone structural amendment since 2016. Stage II exhaust emission limits for propulsion engines (Annex I, Part B) have been in force throughout the application period. The Commission has been monitoring the interaction of the RCD with the Battery Regulation 2023/1542 for electric and hybrid recreational propulsion, where battery and craft regimes apply in parallel.

Related legislation

• Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 — does not apply to recreational craft (excluded under Article 2(2)) but applies to certain marine equipment incorporated.
• Marine Equipment Directive 2014/90/EU — applies to equipment on certain commercial ships, not recreational craft.
• EMC Directive 2014/30/EU — applies in parallel for EMC of electrical equipment in craft.
• Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU — applies in parallel for radio equipment on craft.
• Battery Regulation 2023/1542 — applies in parallel for batteries used in electric/hybrid craft.

Common errors

• Design category mismatch. Marketing a Category C craft for offshore use is non-compliant; the design category is determined by stability and structure tests under EN ISO 12217 and related standards.
• Engine modification without re-assessment. A power increase of more than 15% or modification to emissions triggers a fresh conformity assessment.
• Missing builder's plate or CIN. Both are mandatory.
• Misuse of post-construction assessment. PCA is available only in the cases listed in Article 19(2)–(4) (private importers, major modifications or conversions, own-built craft sold within five years); manufacturers and commercial importers placing new products on the market must use the module routes in Articles 20–22.

Sources

• Directive 2013/53/EU (Recreational Craft) — EUR-Lex consolidated text.
• European Commission — Recreational craft sector page.
• Commission Notice — Blue Guide 2022 — EUR-Lex.
• EN ISO 12217 (stability and buoyancy categorisation, CEN/ISO).