The Safety of Small Boats (Including Fishing Boats) Against Capsize: A Review

There is a continuing desire from communities to ensure that small boats (and especially fishing boats) are safe to within acceptable limits, but there is not always consensus on the approaches taken to achieve this objective. The diversity of these boats makes it challenging to come up with a consistent evaluation method, and the shear numbers make it difficult to enforce the regulations that a law requires. This report attempts to review the different approaches that have been taken to ensure that small boats are stable. The author makes some recommendations regarding the research needed to improve the situation and defines a role for the Institute for Ocean Technology (IOT) in carrying out the necessary research.NRC publication: Ye