Overview - ISO 25649-5:2024 (Floating leisure articles, Part 5)
ISO 25649-5:2024 specifies additional safety requirements and test methods for Class C floating leisure articles used on and in the water. It applies whether buoyancy is achieved by inflation or inherent buoyant material and complements the classification and general requirements in ISO 25649-1:2024. Typical Class C products include tube riders, raft riders, board riders and banana-type towables, intended for high‑speed towing in relatively open, low‑wave water areas.
Key topics and technical requirements
This part of the ISO 25649 series focuses on practical safety and performance aspects specific to Class C towable devices:
- Design and sizing
- Rules on admissible number of users, maximum load capacity and space per person for C1–C3 device types.
- Grab handles and user restraint
- Requirements to prevent foot, leg and finger entrapment and reduce entanglement risks.
- Quick release systems
- Mandatory quick‑release provisions for C1 towables and guidance on design principles (see Annex A).
- Buoyancy and residual buoyancy
- Tests and acceptance criteria to ensure flotation after capsizing or damage.
- Towing system and towing rope
- Strength, elasticity, floatability and colour considerations for towing ropes and attachment fittings.
- In‑water performance testing
- Practical tests with test subjects, defined manoeuvres, capsizing trials, drainage efficiency and pass/fail criteria.
- Consumer information and signals
- Required warnings, written instructions, a special quick‑release manual, and standardized non‑verbal hand signals (Annex B).
- Test person capabilities
- Minimum capabilities and responsibilities for riders, observers and watercraft drivers during tests.
Practical applications - who uses this standard
ISO 25649-5:2024 is intended for organisations involved in the lifecycle of Class C towables, including:
- Manufacturers and product designers - to design safe towable devices and demonstrate compliance.
- Test laboratories and conformity assessors - to perform standardized safety and performance tests.
- Water sports operators and rental companies - to select compliant equipment and create safety procedures.
- Regulators and procurement agencies - to specify safety requirements for recreational towables.
- R&D and quality teams - for root‑cause analysis after incidents and for product improvement.
Related standards
- ISO 25649-1:2024 - Classification and general requirements for floating leisure articles.
- Other parts of the ISO 25649 series that address different classes, labelling and safety across floating leisure products.
ISO 25649-5:2024 is the second edition (revising ISO 25649-5:2017) and reflects updated test methods, additional entrapment safeguards and enhanced consumer information to improve safety for high‑speed towable leisure products.