The purpose of this guide is to provide interested individuals with insight into the rulemaking process. This guide is a composite of all preambles published as part of the Coast Guard's 12-year revision of the small passenger vessel regulations. The preamble contains the history, intent, and thought processes behind the regulations. Unfortunately, the preambles are not codified in the Code of Federal Regulations when final rules are published. As a result, much of the knowledge behind the creation or revision to a regulation is lost both to the industry and the Coast Guard. As the Coast Guard moves more toward regulations with options and adopted industry standards, there are more opportunities for the acceptance of equivalencies and alternatives that may benefit the vessel owner or operator and still provide the same level of safety on the vessel. Since regulations typically lag technological advancements, knowing the intent of a regulation is in many cases just as important as the regulation itself.

Click on a section below to review (pdf's):

Introduction
Section I
Section II
Section III
Section IV
Section V
Section VI
Section VII
Section VIII
Section IX
Section X