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If you want to build a new fishing boat that’s over 50 feet and fishes outside of three miles, it’s going to cost you a lot more money than it did before July 1, 2013, because it now has to be designed, constructed and maintained to classification society standards.

You will also run up additional costs on boats 79 feet and over that now must be load-lined. The new rules were developed in the 2010 Coast Guard Authorization Act.

If you're attending Pacific Marine Expo, you can learn how to negotiate through the Authorization Act’s rules at the Classification and Load Lines for Fishing Boats conference today at 3 p.m. in Room C1.

After giving a brief history of the new rules, naval architects Hal Hockema and John Myers, both of Hockema & Whalen Associates in Seattle, will guide you through both the issues involved with having a boat meet load line approval and working with a classification society. They’ll discuss what to expect during the designing and building process and after the boat is completed.

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