CHICAGO — Seven boat manufacturers have joined the ranks of builders officially certified under the National Marine Manufacturers Association's (NMMA) Boat/Yacht Certification program.

The following manufacturers recently earned the "NMMA Certified" designation for their respective products: General Boats, Edenton, N.C.; Mainstream Outdoors, Stillwater, Minn.; Panga, Miami; Sessa Marine, Milano, Italy; and Smoker Craft, Sun Chaser and Sylvan, all of New Paris, Ind.

Certification is an NMMA membership requirement beginning with all products manufactured for model year 2007. To date, 209 NMMA member manufacturers have become NMMA Certified. An additional 163 manufacturer members are currently undergoing the certification process.

"We're just a few months into the New Year and already well on our way to meeting our goal to certify all 350 NMMA-member boatbuilders by close of the 2007 model year," says Robert Newsome, NMMA manager, Engineering Standards.
While all boats in the United States must meet applicable U.S. Coast Guard regulations, boats built by manufacturers participating in the NMMA Certified program must also meet the more comprehensive standards set by the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC). Furthermore, to become NMMA Certified, a boat must pass rigorous third-party inspection to ensure they meet and adhere to all applicable standards, as well as maintain an ongoing, formal Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) program.

The NMMA Certification program covers more than 30 categories of standards, which vary by boat type and size and may include: fuel systems; ventilation; passenger and weight capacity; horsepower capacity; flotation; electrical systems; navigation lights; warning label placement and guidelines; and steering systems.

For additional information on the NMMA Certification program, or to schedule an inspection, contact NMMA manager, engineering standards Robert Newsome at (312) 946-6275; [email protected].