Thousands of boats are already historic but don’t know it: that’s why REBAD was born

Why can a car or motorcycle become a historical object of cultural interest and a recreational boat cannot? Why is it that a car such as a Fiat 500 or a Mini Minor is registered with a registry that certifies, if well preserved, its importance in the evolution of road transportation and instead a Dufour Arpege or a Comet 910 are instead considered just old boats and cannot be defined as being of “historic interest”?
Why should owners who lovingly preserve their beloved boats in a perfect state, being careful not to betray in restoration the original spirit of the design, not see their efforts to keep the spirit and beauty of that object intact witnessed and certified?
The discrepancy between the car world and the boat world is all in one small but substantial difference. Cars have a unique national registry, the ASI, which issues a certificate attesting to the vehicle’s historical significance, while boats do not yet have one. It seems impossible, but it is so.
In the Italian boating world, there are only small, elite associations that gather only vintage (built by 1950) or classic (by 1975) boats that, who knows why, exclude all boats built of fiberglass.
But a historic car or motorcycle registered with the ASI not only receives a certificate of its historical relevance and proper state of preservation, it also benefits from concrete advantages such as reduced cost of insurance policies, or exemption from the annual road tax, and can participate in the countless events held in Italy and Europe reserved for historic cars or motorcycles.

Then, The Sailing Newspaper thinks it’s time for a change, align with the world of cars and motorcycles, break small store interests and unify in one container all boats that can be considered “historic” regardless of construction material, size, intended use, with one simple requirement, the limit set at 20 years minimum age.
Thus, our newspaper is advocating the establishment of a Recreational Boats Historical Register (REBAD) that would borrow in the recreational boating world the same approach traced by the vehicle world, which has been achieving success and benefits for decades. With the goal also in boating of calming restoration costs and creating opportunities for proper enhancement of the boat, which takes into account its certified historic value.The first step toward a single registry must concern the definition of what is or is not a historic boat.
The Journal of Sailing carried out the drafting of a Foundational Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Historic Boats which traces the 2012 one written by FIVA, the World Historic Car Registry, which sets out the general principles for defining a historic craft and the criteria for proper, resilient and non-myopic preservation of the asset.
This “founding charter” defining the criteria for defining and certifying a “historic boat” is the first step toward a single association bringing together all historic boats, with more concrete steps to follow shortly. If you are the owner of one of the tens of thousands of boats, in Italy alone, that are at least 20 years old, read this charter carefully. You may be, perhaps without knowing it, the owner of a prestigious historic boat.
In the meantime, we have set up a secretariat to answer any questions you may have as of now: rebad@giornaledellavela.com. We look forward to your questions, clarifications, contributions.

Download here the Founding Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Historic Boats.

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