Brunswick funds digital ABYC standards database

EDGEWATER, Md. – The creation of an online searchable database for archived American Boat & Yacht Council standards has begun, made possible by a donation from the Brunswick Boat Group, ABYC reported in a recent statement.

The database will include ABYC standards published since 1972, and the tentatively named Archived Standards Online is scheduled for completion in August.

Brunswick Boat Group agreed to provide project funding for a comprehensive archived standards database containing electronic versions of the ABYC Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft from 1972 to the present. The new database will combine 33 years of standards up to the current published version in Adobe PDF format.

The service will be available to anyone visiting the ABYC Web site at www.abycinc.org, and those in need of archived ABYC standards will be able to search the database by keyword, scope, title, or date. The desired achieved standards resulting from a search may then be purchased on a pay-per-use basis.

“Previously those in need of older standards were charged for not only the standards, but also for the research time needed to determine the proper version, and finally shipping for a paper copy,” said John Adey, ABYC’s technical director. “Now the research will be done by the user, online, resulting in the ability to purchase the desired document for download immediately. This project is something that has been needed for some time now, and we want to sincerely thank Brunswick for their generous donation and continued support of ABYC and our consensus-based safety standards.”

Dave Marlow, director of product integrity for Brunswick Boat Group, said, “Builders, attorneys, surveyors and investigators are in constant need of information that pertains to older boat models. This project will give easy access to the standards from 33 years ago until now. This is yet another step toward increased accessibility to the acknowledged standards used for building and repair in the marine industry, and Brunswick Boat Group is happy to assist ABYC with such technological advancements that will benefit a widespread audience.”

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