Every new boat sold in the EU between 2.5 m and 24 m long is built to the Recreational Craft Directive and carries the CE mark to show it. For a surveyor in Greece, Spain, Italy, France, Croatia or Cyprus, the RCD is where the boat's paperwork starts: the builder's plate, the identification number, the design category and the owner's manual all come from it.
What it covers
Article 2 lists the products: recreational craft and partly completed craft, personal watercraft, the components in Annex II, propulsion engines, engines after a major modification, and watercraft after a major conversion. Article 3 defines a recreational craft as "any watercraft of any type, excluding personal watercraft, intended for sports and leisure purposes of hull length from 2,5 m to 24 m, regardless of the means of propulsion."
Article 2 excludes, among others: craft intended solely for racing and labelled so by the builder; canoes, kayaks, gondolas and pedalos; surfboards; experimental craft not sold in the EU; craft built for own use, unless sold within five years; craft built to carry passengers commercially; submersibles, hovercraft and hydrofoils.
Charter doesn't take a boat out of scope. Article 2 says a craft that could also be used for charter or training is still covered when placed on the market for recreational purposes.
What it asks of the boat
Annex I sets the essential requirements: design categories, stability, construction, and systems such as fuel, electrical, steering, gas and fire protection. The harmonised ISO standards give builders the detailed way to meet them; see ISO standards for CE-marked boats.
The design category, A to D, says what wind and waves the boat was designed for; see RCD design categories.
Article 18: on watercraft, the CE marking goes on the builder's plate, mounted separately from the watercraft identification number. Article 15 requires an EU declaration of conformity to accompany the craft, and Annex I requires an owner's manual.
Imports and post-construction assessment
Article 9: importers place only compliant products on the EU market and mark their name and contact address on the product. Article 12: where the manufacturer hasn't taken responsibility for conformity, a private importer must make sure the craft meets Annex I before putting it into service. Article 19 sends that private importer to the post-construction assessment in Annex V, carried out by a notified body, whose name and address then go on the product.
What surveyors check
Find the builder's plate and read it: CE mark, design category, maximum load and persons. Find the watercraft identification number on the transom and compare it with the papers. Ask for the declaration of conformity and the owner's manual. For a boat imported from outside the EU after it was built, ask how conformity was assessed and look for the notified body's details.
Citing it in a report
In the vessel particulars: "CE marked under Directive 2013/53/EU, design category B, builder's plate sighted." A missing plate or declaration on a boat that should have one is a finding in its own right, because a buyer may struggle to register or insure it.