Overview
EN ISO 6185-3:2024 (ISO 6185-3:2024) is the CEN-endorsed European standard for inflatable boats and rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) with a hull length (LH) of less than 8 m and a motor power rating of 15 kW and greater. It specifies minimum safety characteristics for design, materials, manufacture and testing for boats intended to operate in ambient temperatures from −20 °C to +60 °C. The standard covers Type VII (powered boats with buoyancy tubes suitable for design categories C and D) and Type VIII (suitable for design category B), and explicitly excludes single‑chambered boats, unsupported‑material tubes, aquatic toys, liferafts and boats with rigid tubes (aluminium, roto‑moulded polyethylene, FRP).
Key topics and technical requirements
EN ISO 6185-3:2024 addresses the following core technical areas:
- Construction and structural requirements - materials for buoyancy tubes and flexible floors, wood and composite considerations, foam-filled buoyancy materials and related testing.
- Buoyancy, flotation and stability - minimum buoyancy and flotation characteristics and categorization to design categories B, C, D (per ISO requirements).
- Manufacture and testing - production quality, material properties and mandatory tests for durability and performance in the specified temperature range.
- Safety systems and equipment - requirements for engines and compartments, fuel systems, electrical systems, steering and remote control, ventilation, fire protection and navigation lights (see Annex ZA mapping to Directive 2013/53/EU).
- Operational features - visibility from the main steering position, means of reboarding, protection against falling overboard, builder’s plate identification and Owner’s Manual requirements.
- Exclusions and limitations - types of constructions and materials not covered by this Part.
Practical applications
- Ensures regulatory compliance and provides a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements of EU Directive 2013/53/EU when cited in the Official Journal (see Annex ZA).
- Used by boat designers and manufacturers to design, test and certify inflatable boats and RIBs under 8 m with higher power outboards.
- Guides quality assurance teams, test laboratories and notified bodies for conformity assessment and product verification.
- Helps maritime safety officers, fleet operators and procurement teams specify compliant craft for coastal and inland operations within specified design categories.
Who should use this standard
- Small craft designers and naval architects
- Inflatable boat and RIB manufacturers
- Test houses and conformity assessors
- Regulatory bodies and maritime safety inspectors
- Importers, distributors and purchasers specifying compliant vessels
Related standards
EN ISO 6185-3:2024 references and aligns with several small craft standards, including (but not limited to): ISO 11591 (field of vision), ISO 11592-1 (maximum propulsion power rating), ISO 12215 (hull construction and scantlings), ISO 12217 (stability/buoyancy assessment), ISO 10239 (navigation lights), ISO 11105 (ventilation), ISO 7840 (fuel hoses), and waste/water/steering standards listed in Annex ZA.
Using EN ISO 6185-3:2024 helps stakeholders deliver safer, compliant inflatable boats and RIBs while streamlining certification and market access across CEN member states.