Inland regulations: New small craft table - from foilboards to BBQ donuts

It is true that all types are road users in the same way. However, it is not immediately recognisable whether they are small vehicles in the legal sense or other smaller objects.

For this reason, the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping (GDWS), as the responsible federal authority, has now published a tabular overview that applies to all federal inland waterways and categorises almost every floating means of transport according to its legal category.

Contents of the small vehicle table

These "Small vehicle table GDWS" was first published last year and has now been comprehensively expanded and updated to provide a largely complete picture.

There are 41 different categories, including well-known and widely used items such as surfboards and sailing boats, as well as trendy sports equipment such as wing foils and jetboards, and some truly exotic items: Hot tugs, for example, i.e. floating bathtubs (hot tubs) with propulsion.

The table indicates for each category (alongside a colourful illustration) whether it is a small craft and whether there is a labelling requirement. There is also information on any additional regulations that may apply (such as the water ski regulations) and whether the device in question can be equated with another category.

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