A BRIEF GUIDE TO ISO 14509 PASS BY TESTING
WITH TRISKEL MARINE LTD
January 2006
Introduction
The amended Recreational Craft Directive, which was adopted in the UK on January 1st 2005, requires power boats of 24m or less to demonstrate that their noise levels are below prescribed limits.
Small, low power boats can do this simply by calculation and do not need any physical testing. Thus for canal narrow boats, sailing boats and small displacement craft, compliance is a matter of some simple paperwork.
Boats fitted with drive systems which have integral exhausts, such as outboards and stern drives, do not need to be tested by the boat builder. Responsibility for demonstrating compliance lies with the engine supplier.
All other boats currently need to be tested by the builder in accordance with ISO 14509 part I. This is a simple pass by test which records the maximum sound produced by the boat as it passes a microphone at a distance of 25m.
As the legislation is currently drafted, all boat and engine variants must be tested. This means that if the same boat is offered with different engine options, each option will need to be tested. However, some notified bodies will allow minor changes without further testing if the original boat was significantly below the statutory limits.
Pass by testing
The principles behind pass by testing are straightforward. The test boat has to pass a microphone at a distance of 25m at full speed up to a maximum of 38 knots. The peak sound measured at the microphone, averaged over two consistent runs per side, is the figure used to determine compliance. This is set at a maximum of 78dBA for a twin engine boat and 75dBA for a single engine boat.
There are 3 possible ways of testing depending on the facilities available at your preferred test site:
1. Using a microphone mounted on a jetty or other fixed platform
2. Using a microphone mounted on an anchored support boat
3. Using the SoundBuoy
TML’s director, Ken Wittamore, was the project manager for the EU sponsored SoundBoat project which set out to determine the simplest and cheapest way to demonstrate compliance using ISO 14509. Experience of testing well over 100 boats has shown that it is frequently unsafe to test from a jetty, especially for the larger vessels.
The safest options for open water testing are either to use the SoundBuoy or an anchored support boat. SoundBuoy was approved for commercial use in August 2005 and is now our preferred test method.
If using the SoundBuoy, only the boat to be tested is required. The buoy is deployed from the boat under test and is either anchored or left to drift. The built in computer system then provides instructions to the skipper allowing the test boat to be piloted past the buoy at a distance of 25m. SoundBuoy then reports back the peak sound and the exact distance from the buoy.
If testing from an anchored boat, two boats and crews are needed. The support boat is positioned in sheltered and relatively shallow water and anchored fore and aft. Ideally we prefer to use a sailing boat or RIB for this due to their inherent stability (please note that the support boat should have at least 50m of scope on the bow anchor). A marker buoy is positioned 25m from the bow of the anchored support boat and the test boat is then driven past at full speed. The sound level is recorded using a microphone on the bow of the support boat.
Typically, setting up for testing takes about an hour and the test itself takes about 30 minutes per boat. With briefing and boat transfers included, a minimum of half a day should be allowed. Once the equipment is in place, the incremental cost for testing more than one boat is very small, so we would recommend that as many boats as possible are tested at the same time to keep the overall cost down.
Test site
The test site itself needs to be very sheltered and to have approximately one nautical mile of unobstructed water for boat manoeuvring. This is to allow the boat under test to have adequate room to turn, build up to full speed, run out and turn again, all with a margin of safety. Even if it is not strictly required, we ask you to inform the coastguard and any other statutory authorities that testing is being carried out.
Using an anchored boat, water depth should be not greater than 10m to avoid excessive difficulties with anchor and line handling.
Whether testing from a support boat or using the SoundBuoy, care also needs to be taken to ensure that other boats are not inconvenienced or endangered. Sheltered sites attract small boats and their safety must be taken into account at all times when testing.
Safety of the support boat, the boats under test and other water users remains the responsibility of the skippers at all times. TML staff will advise on positioning and anchoring and will deploy all equipment but the skipper always remains in charge.
Weather
The big constraint to testing is weather. At the moment, the standard limits wind speed to 5m/s (about 10 knots) and wave height to 100mm, although this is being eased to 7m/s and boat length/50 in the next few months. No precipitation is allowed so testing in rain or mist is not possible.
Certification
The end result of our testing is a standard engineering test report which you should then pass on to your notified body for certification. TML is not a notified body in its own right but our reports are accepted by a number of bodies including AV Technology, VTT and the RYA. Our partner of choice is AVT.
Terms and conditions
For a full quotation, please contact us with details of your requirements.
We will talk to you a few days before the test date about probable weather on the day and will agree together whether or not conditions are likely to be suitable. If we agree to postpone the test there is no charge but if we come to your site and cannot test for any reason, a minimum charge will apply.
You are our customer and we will invoice you directly for our services. Your notified body will invoice you separately for the certificate.
Payment terms are 30 days from the date of invoice.
Further details are available from:
Ken Wittamore
Triskel Marine Ltd
T: 01 726 83 38 63
F: 01 726 83 38 64
M: 077 74 94 06 47