In the guide

This guidance is for England, Scotland and Wales

A recreational craft is any boat, of any type, regardless of its means of propulsion; its hull must be no less than 2.5 m and no more than 24 m, and it must be intended for sports and leisure purposes.

As a manufacturer, importer or distributor of recreational craft there are certain obligations you must fulfil before you place the recreational craft, personal water craft (such as jet skis) or propulsion engine on the market. A recreational craft must meet all the essential requirements of the Recreational Craft Regulations 2017 when it is placed on the market.

All recreational craft are required to be UKCA / CE marked. For more information see 'UKCA / CE marking'.

Office for Product Safety and Standards guidance

The Office for Product Safety and Standards has produced guidance on the Regulations, which can be found on the GOV.UK website.

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Trading Standards

For more information on the work of Trading Standards services - and the possible consequences of not abiding by the law - please see 'Trading Standards: powers, enforcement and penalties'.

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In this update

No major changes.

Last updated: September 2023

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Key legislation

Recreational Craft Regulations 2017

Please note

This information is intended for guidance; only the courts can give an authoritative interpretation of the law.

The guide's 'Key legislation' links often only shows the original version of the legislation, although some amending legislation is linked to separately where it is directly related to the content of a guide. Information on changes to legislation can be found by following the above links and clicking on the 'More Resources' tab.

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Consumer enquiries from England, Scotland and Wales are handled by the Citizens Advice Consumer Service who can be contacted by telephone on 03454 04 05 06. Consumer enquiries in Northern Ireland are handled by ConsumerLine who can be contacted by telephone on 0300 1236262. Call charges may vary.

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Business enquiries are dealt with by your local council. Use the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's postcode finder to locate your local trading standards team.

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