Lettering: an obligation for all pleasure boats?

 

 

Lettering is compulsory if registration is. In France, registering and recording your boat is essential in the maritime zone (coastal zone and hauturière zone) for most boats (sailboats, motor boats and engine nautical vehicles - VNM). All boats whose hull length reaches at least 2.5 meters or equipped with an engine with power equal to or greater than 4.5 kW are affected.

 

If it is a boat powered by human energy, there is no obligation of lettering or registration. However, this number and its marking can help identify the boat in the event of theft, damage or claim.

What does the registration number of a pleasure boat mean?

The display regulations on the shell varies according to the propulsion mode. On a sailing boat of more than 7 meters, the name of the boat and the two letters in the registration district must appear visibly. On a motor boat, this is the registration number.

 

For maritime navigation, the registration number is fixed by theOrder of October 21, 2016 relating to the registration of ships and other buildings at sea. It is formed by 8 characters (3 letters and 5 digits), allocated by the DDTM (Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea):

• 2 letters correspond to the registration district

• 1 letter
• 5 figures.
• or 6 digits

• 1 key letter

 

In France there are 45 historic registration districts (now many are grouped, for example Marseille, Nice and Toulon are grouped in Toulon), each represented by 2 letters:

 

Registration district	Initials
Ajaccio	AJ
Arcachon	AC
Audierne	AD
Auray	Ay
Bayonne	Ba
Bastia	BI
Boulogne	Bl
Bordeaux	Bx
Brest	BR
Caen	CN
Campair	Cm
Dearburg	Ch
Concarneau	CC
Dieppe	Dp
Douarnenez	Dz
Dunkirk	Dk
Fécamp	Fc
La Rochelle	LR
Guilvinec	GV
Le Havre	LH
Les Sables-d'Olonne	Ls
Lorient	Lo
Marennes	Mn
Marseille	MY
Martigues	MT
Morlaix	MX
Nantes	N / A
Nice	NEITHER
Noirmoutier	No
Oleron	Io
Paimpol	Pl
Port-Vendres	Pv
Rouen	RO
Saint Brieuc	Sb
Saint Malo	SM
Saint Nazaire	SN
Sète	ST
Toulon	Tl
Valve	GOES
Yeu	Ye
Cayenne	Cy
Fort-de-France	FF
Point-to-side	Pp
The meeting	Ru
Dzaoudzi	Di
Saint-Barthélemy	By
Saint-Martin	SW
Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon	SP

 

 

For example, a boat recorded in the Sète registration district will carry a registration number like ST A12345. In Fécamp, it will be FC A12345 and BR A12345 in Brest.

For river navigation in interior waters, the allocation of the identification number of the pleasure vessel is simpler, without registration district. The boat number is simply followed by the letter F: 12345F for example.

The strict regulations for the lettering of pleasure boat for maritime navigation in France

 

The lettering must be readable inside the boat cockpit and on the shell. It can be inscribed directly on the shell, on an adhesive or on a solidly fixed plate.

 These identification marks are determined by theArticle D. 5111-5 of the transport code Decree of April 8, 2009 relating to the identification marks of pleasure vessels at sea 

 

 

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Lettering inside the boat

All sailboats and engine boats must wear a visible identification brand inside the cockpit or from the main cockpit. If the boat is propelled by human energy and if it is registered (optional procedure), the brand must be inscribed to be visible since the site of the rower, just like on a VNM.

 

The characters that form the registration number must measure at least:

• a height of 1 centimeter
• a line thickness of 0.1 centimeter

The minimum ratio of 1/10th must be respected if the characters are larger (thickness of 0.2 cm for a height of 2 cm…).

The lettering of the external identification brands of a sailboats

If the sailboat's hull length is less than or equal to 7 meters, there is no lettering obligation. On a shell of 7 meters or more, the lettering must be visible at the stern, with the name of the boat (motto of the boat) and the two initials in the registration district. The shape of the letters is free (Latin characters only), with a height and a thickness of the variable characters according to the hull length of the sailing boat.

 

Hull length	Character height	Width dedicated to each character	Characteristic thickness of the characters
Less than 7 meters	no obligation
7 to 12 meters	4 cm	1.5 cm	0.5 cm
12 meters and more	7 cm	3 cm	0.8 cm

 

The height is a minimum and you can register the lettering in greater. You only have the obligation to respect a ratio: the width must remain equal to half the height and the thickness at least 1/10th of the height.

 

Lettering of external identification brands of an engine boat

 

The regulations are slightly different for a motor boat, affected by lettering from 2.5 meters in hull length. The external marking must be visible on both sides of the shell. If its configuration does not allow it, it is inscribed on both sides of a vertical part of the structure. The registration number must appear in full and in capital letters, with a height and a thickness of characters varying depending on the hull length of the motor boat.

 

Hull length	Character height	Width dedicated to each character	Characteristic thickness of the characters
2.5 to 7 meters included	4 cm	1.5 cm	0.5 cm
7 to 12 meters included	7 cm	3 cm	0.8 cm
Over 12 meters	12 cm	5 cm	1.5 cm

 

This height is a regulatory minimum that you can exceed as long as you respect the following ratio: the width must be equal to half the height and the thickness to 1/10th of the height (at least).

 

The lettering of external identification brands for a VNM

 

Smaller, the engine nautical vehicle (jet ski or seas scooter type), does not allow large lettering but it is nonetheless compulsory as long as its engine power reaches or exceeds the power of 4.5 kW .

The registration number of the VNM must be carried on both sides of the hull and remain visible even when the boaters are in place for navigation. It must be inscribed in capital letters with minimum dimensions of:

• 4 cm high
• 1.5 cm reserved width
• 0.5 cm of line thickness.

 

The case of the appendices of the pleasure boat

 

An annex is defined as a boat which has no clean registration and which is used as a servitude of its carrier ship. It must carry the same identification number as it, preceded by the axis letters.

For interior lettering, the identification brand of the ST A12345 axis type must measure at least 1 cm high and 0.1 cm thick for each character.

For external lettering, the identification brand of the ST A12345 axis type must respect the minimum dimensions of:

• 4 cm high
• 1.5 cm in width reserved for each character
• 0.5 cm of line thickness.

The marking of pleasure boats for interior water navigation in France

The legislation differs a little to navigate in the interior waters on the river network or on the water bodies of the national territory. First of all, only the pleasure boats of 5 meters or more, or with a power engine equal to or greater than 4.5 kW (6 hp) must be recorded. No distinction is made in the propulsion mode.

Lettering is not compulsory below 5 meters in hull length, as stipulated in article 20 of the decree of October 15, 2009 relating to the conditions of registration, registration and affixing of external marks of 'Identity of pleasure boats sailing or parking on interior waters.

 

External marking to navigate in river zone

 

The registration number issued to the registration must be registered on both sides, either on the hull directly, or on a plate fixed to the shell. It must be perfectly readable and followed by the letter F (for "river") as well as by the name (currency) of the boat placed in the stern (back of the boat). This identity marking is in Arabic and Latin characters, light in color on a dark background or dark color on a clear background.

 

Regulatory characteristics of marking for river

 

The minimum height of lettering varies according to the hull length of the pleasure boat:

 

Hull length	Character height	Width dedicated to each character	Characteristic thickness of the characters
Less than 5 meters	no obligation
5 to 15 meters included	10 cm	5 cm	1 cm
Over 15 meters	18 cm	10 cm	2.5 cm

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