American Boat Builders &
Repairers Association (ABBRA)
The American Boat
Builders & Repairers
Association (ABBRA)
was founded in 1943 and today represents
over 250 boatyards, repairers and associated
businesses throughout the United States and
abroad. ABBRA promotes high ethical and
service standards by sharing industry best
practices, providing management training
and issuing certifications. ABBRA seeks to
strengthen and encourage professionalism in
the boat building, repair and marine service
industry in the belief that “professionalism
and quality make the difference.” Primarily
a trade organization, ABBRA also provides a
national network of boat builders andmarine
service companies dedicated to professional
development, training, education and the
sharing of knowledge in the search for
solutions to common problems.
“For ABBRA the issue of safety is directly
related to good management and use of
best management practices. We are proud
of our partnership with ABYC because
they offer the vital technical standards,
while ABBRA provides vital information
on the latest issues management is facing
along with opportunities gather and
build strong business networks.”
- Gordon Connell, Executive Director, ABBRA
Marine Retailers Association
of the Americas (MRAA)
At MRAA, we believe
that for the marine in-
dustry to thrive, the
companies that interact
with the boater in their community must
thrive. Those businesses determine the boat-
er’s experience and are the leading factor in
the industry’s success. The MRAA works to
create a strong and healthy boating indus-
try by uniting those businesses, providing
them with opportunities for improvement
and growth, and representing them with
a powerful voice. For more information,
visit
National Marine
Manufacturers Association
(NMMA)
NMMA is the leading
association represen-
ting the recreational
boating industry in
North America. NMMA
member companies produce more than
80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers,
accessories and gear used by boaters and
anglers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The association is dedicated to industry
growth through programs in public
policy advocacy, market statistics and
research, product quality assurance and
promotion of the boating lifestyle. For
more information, visit
“The NMMA boat and yacht certification
is grounded in the application of ABYC
standards. It is through these technical
standards that NMMA, ABYC and boat
& component manufacturers are able
to work closely together to ensure boats
meet the product quality and safety
expectations of boaters.”
- Robert E. Newsome, Director,
Engineering Standards
The Society of Accredited
Marine Surveyors (SAMS)
SAMS was established
during the 1980’s by a
small group of surveying
professionals wishing to
advance their craft. For
more information, visit
United States
Coast Guard (USCG)
The
U.S.
Coast
Guard’s Boating Safety
Division (CG-5422) is
dedicated to reducing
loss of life, injuries,
and property damage that occur on U.S.
waterways by improving the knowledge,
skills, and abilities of recreational
boaters.
For
more
information,
visit
“The Coast Guard has long recognized
the importance of ABYC to the safety
of the boating public; in fact, the
regulations established by the Coast
Guard under the authority of the Federal
Boat Safety Act of 1971, were based on
ABYC safety standards in effect at the
time. Thus, the Coast Guard has had a
long-standing synergistic partnership
with ABYC in improving the safety of
recreational boats. The Coast Guard has
many partners in its efforts to improve the
safety of recreational boaters but when it
comes down to the issue of making the
boats themselves safer, we have no partner
more valuable than ABYC.”
- Phil Cappel, Chief, Recreational Boating
Product Assurance Branch (CG-BSX-23)
View past issues of
the Reference Point
• online at
9
