Flotation Test Procedure.

This report describes the reasoning and logic which led to the development of a standard flotation test procedure for outboard boats, inboardoutdrive boats and boats without mechanical propulsion. The present report is a companion document to the Flotation Test Procedure report, and the paragraph numbering corresponds to the paragraph numbering of the test procedure of ease of interpretation. The flotation test procedure which has been developed is designed to determine whether or not a given boat meets the minimum flotation requirements outlined in the Boating Safety Act of 1971, and the Rules and Regulations in the Federal Register, Vol. 37, No. 151, dated 4 August 1972. Basically the minimum requirements are that each boat must have enough flotation to keep any portion of the boat above the surface of the water when the boat is filled with water and loaded with weights to simulate submerged Persons Capacity, submerged Machinery Weight and submerged Dead Weight the latter bringing the total load on the boat up to the Maximum Weight Capacity. Air chambers designed into the boat for the purpose of providing flotation are acceptable only if the largest two chambers provide excess flotation over and above the minimum required flotation. An analysis is also presented which compares the present flotation test procedure against the minimum required amount of flotation specified in the Flotation Standard. Author