Sport Boats for Sale

Sport boat

A sport boat doesn't necessarily have anything to do with physical exercise – but it can. Just how misleading the name for this boat type can be, and how the different categories are defined, is explained by Boat24

What is a sport boat?

Here the compound word obscures the actual meaning of the term. Because a sport boat doesn't necessarily have anything to do with physical exercise – but it can!
Sport boats are boats with one or more hulls that are, logically enough, driven by engine power. They are intended to "serve recreational enjoyment on the water".
Sport powerboats are clearly defined by European directives with regard to the length of the boats: the European CE Recreational Craft Directive specifies that the hull length of a sport boat should be between 2.5 and 24 m. However, some EU countries interpret these guidelines differently. In some European countries, for example, sport boats on the Rhine may not be longer than 15 m, and no longer than 20 m on all other inland waters – at sea, on the other hand, there is no length limit for sport boats.

Sport boat categories

For legal and insurance reasons, sport boats used within the European Economic Area are classified into different categories according to their seaworthiness. These categories are also mandatory for boats that are built outside the EEA and used on waters within the EEA.

• Category A: for the open sea, must withstand wind forces above 8 Bf and waves over 4 m
• Category B: for offshore waters, must withstand wind forces up to 8 Bf and waves up to 4 m
• Category C: for coastal waters, up to 6 Bf, wave height up to 2 m
• Category D: for sheltered waters (inland and coastal), wave height max. 0.5 m

You'll find more information in our magazine: The CE marking

Incidentally, these categories are also an important factor when buying a used boat. So if you want to sail the Atlantic with the used boat of your dreams, you should look for Category A. The respective category classifications also give you a good indication of the stability and robustness of most boats.

The CE directives are also important in relation to licensing regulations in the individual countries. In some European countries, for example, a boating license is required depending on the area you're navigating. However, it's only necessary once the engine power of the boat being operated exceeds 15 hp (on the Rhine: 5 hp).

What is not a sport boat?

As explained, even luxurious motor yachts are classified as sport powerboats. Just how misleading the term sport boats can nevertheless be under European directives becomes clear when you look at the "exceptions". Very small motorized craft such as jet skis do NOT fall under the sport boats category.