Croatia sets equipment for pleasure craft in its rulebook on boats, small craft and yachts, and how they're used near the coast in its navigation safety rulebook. Equipment follows the boat's navigation area, which is written on its papers. For a charter fleet surveyor in Croatia, that area is the first thing to read.
Boats and yachts
The rulebook draws the line at 15 m. A brodica is a seagoing craft "čija je duljina trupa veća od 2,5 metra, a manja ili jednaka 15 metara", over 2.5 m and up to 15 m, carrying no more than 12 passengers. A jahta is a pleasure craft over 15 m intended for longer stays at sea, private or commercial; a commercial yacht is one offered for hire with or without crew.
Navigation areas
Article 37 of the rulebook:
| Area | Limit |
|---|---|
| I | Unlimited international navigation |
| II | Up to 20 nautical miles from the nearest coast or island |
| III | Up to 12 miles; IIIa up to 6, IIIb up to 3, IIIc up to 1 |
| IV | Ports, bays and river mouths |
The CE design category limits the area: A, all areas; B, area II and below; C, area III and below; D, area IV. Personal watercraft are limited to area IIIc in Croatian waters.
Equipment on yachts
| Item | Area I | Area II | Area III | Area IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liferaft for everyone aboard | SOLAS, A pack | ISO 9650-1, pack 1 | ISO 9650-1, pack 2 | |
| Lifejackets for all, with lights | Yes | Yes | Without lights | Without lights |
| Children's lifejackets | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Parachute rockets | 12 | 4 | ||
| Hand flares | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
| Floating smoke signals | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Harness and line, sailing yachts | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Yacht liferafts are serviced at approved stations at the maker's interval, "ni u kojem slučaju ne smije biti duži od 24 mjeseca", in no case longer than 24 months. Radio follows the GMDSS sea area: a VHF on all yachts, with an EPIRB from area I.
Equipment on boats for private use
The rulebook's table for private boats sets, among others:
- Lifejackets for everyone aboard in all areas; with whistle and automatic light in areas I and II, and on boats over 20 knots at night.
- Liferaft or a tender of suitable capacity in areas I and II.
- Lifebuoy from area III; with light and line in areas I and II.
- Parachute rockets and hand flares, three of each, in areas I and II; floating smoke signals in areas I and II.
- EPIRB in areas I and II per the table; VHF DSC on new boats in areas I and II.
- Bilge pump, a hand pump on open boats, and a high bilge water alarm where the engine is below deck.
- Extinguishers sized to the risk, from 1 kg powder in the accommodation to fixed systems in petrol engine spaces.
Commercial boats with petrol engines below deck, or a gas galley below deck, need CO detection in sleeping cabins, galleys and enclosed heads.
Navigation near the coast
The navigation safety rulebook, article 49: craft of 30 m and over keep at least 300 m from the coast, 15 to 30 m at least 150 m, and under 15 m at least 50 m. Article 50: within 300 m of the coast, in narrow channels and port approaches, a maximum of 8 knots, and motorboats and jet skis may plane only beyond 300 m.
Citing it in a finding
"Liferaft service overdue; Croatian rules allow no more than 24 months, Pravilnik o brodicama, čamcima i jahtama." Record the navigation area from the papers, because each equipment finding follows from it. The rulebook has been amended since it was first published, so check the current consolidated text.