We can offer assistance to print, broadcast, online media and television.  Contact Shannon Aronson, PR/Marketing Director at saronson@abycinc.org or 410-990-4460 x105 with media inquiries. 

Find an Expert

ABYC is the essential source of technical information in the marine industry and leader in marine technician education. We are driven by industry experts including boat builders, technicians, engineers, boat and accessory manufacturers, surveyors and investigators, retailers and dealers, yacht brokers and designers, marinas, law firms, government agencies, boat owners, insurance companies and more. ABYC representatives can connect reporters with technical and boating safety experts based on your story.

Popular Boating Story Topics

This list provides topics of current and continuing interest to journalists. The information here is updated regularly.

Popular boating safety and general topics:

• Boat accidents
• Boat service
• Causes and prevention of boat fires
• Electric Shock Drowning (ESD)
• Carbon Monoxide poisoning
• Aquatic invasive species
• Safety equipment, signs and labels
• Boat load capacity
• Marine surveys
• Marine technician training/workforce development in the marine industry

Topics on boat design, construction, installation, and repair:

• Marine Systems
• Fuel and Ventilation Systems
• Hull and Deck Structures
• Control Systems
• Marine Electrical Systems and Marine Electrical Components
• Gasoline and Diesel Engines
• Navigation Lights and Sound Signal Appliances
• Fire Fighting Equipment and Detection Systems
• Marine Corrosion
• Battery Installation and Maintenance
• Boat builder compliance and certification
• ISO standards 
• Global product compliance

Sign Up for Press Releases

Keep up with the latest news about ABYC. Contact Shannon Aronson at saronson@abycinc.org or 410-990-4460 x105 to be placed on a mail list.  

Click here for an archive of press releases.

ABYC in the News

ABYC has been featured in local and national media outlets, including with Good Morning America. Click here to view the interview with ABYC President John Adey on the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning on boats. 

About ABYC

The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) is a non-profit, member organization that develops voluntary global safety standards for the design, construction, maintenance, and repair of recreational boats.

ABYC has a long-established commitment to providing technical education, training, certification and professional development for marine technicians. Our seminars, workshops and technician certification courses are instrumental in increasing the level of knowledge and professionalism throughout the boating industry.

Standards are the core of ABYC as they are continuously researched, developed and revised by over 400 volunteer marine professionals on 16 Project Technical Committees (PTCs) from all fields of the industry including the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), trade organizations and private entities. ABYC collaborates with safety organizations worldwide such as Transport Canada and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). As an independent consensus-based body, these industry experts work together to develop standards with the sole purpose of protecting the safety of the boating public.  

The Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft covers all the major boat systems and the development and annual review of these standards provide boat building guidelines which correlate directly to the significant reduction in the number of boating accidents over the past six decades.

Quick Facts

• 90% of boats on the water are built to ABYC Standards
• ABYCs Standards are the basis of quality construction and repair practices, certification programs, and marine surveys
• In the absence of military specifications (MILSPECS), ABYC Standards are referenced in many RFP’s from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Homeland Security
• In product liability lawsuits, ABYC Standards are the authoritative reference for evaluating issues of design, construction, maintainance, and product performance.

ABYC History

Responding to a mid-'50s boom in recreational boating, the American Boat & Yacht Council was formed by members of the Motorboat and Yacht Advisory Panel of the U.S. Coast Guard's Merchant Marine Council. It was incorporated on February 1, 1954, in New York State as a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation.