About the Measurement Certificate

What you really need to know about measurement, buoyancy, and insurance

The description of measurement is in the rules and measurement policies

If you want to join us at a major championship regatta such as the Ontario Championship or Canadian Albacore Championship, and a few other regattas, you need a measurement card. CAA has official measurers who can measure your boat and sails, and then provide the signed card to you. There is a nominal fee for this.

This makes sure that all the boats can compete on an even basis, and no-one has an unfair advantage. It keeps the boat and equipment costs reasonable, by avoiding an arms race.

Local events are often more relaxed in their requirements. Check the Notice of Race for the regattas or race series that you want to join. The NOR will tell you the local rules.

If you bought a used boat that already has the measurement card, CAA measurers can prepare a new card in your name.

To inquire about measurement, or if you are interested in becoming a measurer for your area of the country, please email measurement [at] albacore [dot] ca.

At some events, you also need an up-to-date boat buoyancy certificate. CAA will not check the buoyancy - you are responsible for doing it yourself. Regularly checking the buoyancy is a good idea for safety, even if you don't race. The Class Rules tell you how to check the buoyancy. CAA measurers can provide the blank buoyancy card for you to fill out and keep.

Many regattas, race series and boat clubs need the boat owner to carry insurance. Usually, this is liability insurance.

To learn more about buoyancy or insurance, a good place to start is the North American Albacore Forum, or you can ask the CAA General Inquiries at the CAA contact form.

Example of the CAA Measurement Certificate

The CAA Measurement Certificate is issued with two (2) components on the blue card: a Measurement Record and a Bouyancy Declaration.

What is the CAA Measurement Certificate

This blue card is a simple record of your ownership of a specific hull. The data documentation is from the full hull measurement record that the CAA maintains as part of the measurement records for all hulls that have been measured in Canada, since 1961.

One side of the blue card shows the Measurement Record. It consists of:

• Owner’s name
• Owner's Sailing Club
• Sail/Hull Number
• Name of the Original Hull Measurer
• Builder of the hull
• Date the hull was built
• Weight: The last weight of the hull as recorded by a CAA Measurer and filed with the CAA Measurement files.
• Weight of Correctors: The amount of Corrector Weights required to bring your bare hull in dry condition up to the minimum weight (240 lb. or 109 kg).
• Exceptions: Any exceptions to the class rules noted when the hull was measured. These usually refer to accepted Exceptions by the CAA Chief Measurer and CAA Chief of Specifications in consultation with the International Chief of Specifications of the Class. Unacceptable exceptions must be corrected to ensure compliance within the Class Rules before any Measurement Certificate will be issued.
• Date the Certificate was issued
• Chief Measurer's Signature
• Sail Endorsements: This is a record of the suits of sails you may have as active for racing events, subject to class rules. The data will be a record of what the measurer has noted on the jib and mainsail tacks; Sailmaker, Serial No, Date, Measurer’s signature.

The second side of the blue card shows the Bouyancy Declaration. It consists of:

• the declaration-required signature, by the boat owner, that the hull has a fully installed buoyancy apparatus compiling within the current requirements of the International Class rules.
• the dates of the testing of the buoyancy apparatus competed as required within the class rules.

Why do I need the CAA Measurement Certificate?

The CAA Measurement Certificate is required to:

• confirm you own or are buying a "bona fide" certified Albacore,
• confirm your Albacore measures within the Class Rules,
• ensure that you may register for sanctioned CAA/IAA racing events. For example, the Albacore Internationals, North Americans, Canadians, Ontarios or any other provincial Championship where registration requires the CAA Measurement Certificate,
• determine whether your boat is sailable and/or sellable, and
• protect your investment in boat. Boats in good condition with the CAAMeasurement Certificates typically command a “higher price” in the market place than those without. Those without the CAA Measurement Certificate may not sell.

How do I get the CAA Measurement Certificate?

New Boats

When you buy a new boat from a builder (Ontario Yachts in Canada) or other builders, you should arrange to have the Albacore Association Measurer of the country where the hull is built, measure your boat before you accept any final delivery and make any final payment. This is your confirmation that you are getting a “bona fide” certified Albacore.

It may be in your interest to try to be present when the Measurement is performed. It will be the first step in a major education about the nature of the boat you are buying. It is your “due diligence” step to protect yourself in the “Caveat Emptor” (Buyer Beware) acceptance of new hull ownership. Builders are more than happy to comply with this requirement because they know once your boat has passed measurement you will be a happy customer. If any minor or major corrections are to be made it is best they and you know about them at this stage and take the appropriate steps to ensure the boat passes measurement.

Second-hand Boats

When examining a boat for consideration of purchase from an existing owner do request to see the existing Measurement Certificate. If you buy the boat without reviewing and this document you accept the liability of not knowing whether the boat may “measure within the class rules” and you will have little or no recourse legally to demand “make good” or “compensation” from the previous owner.

If the owner does not have this document, has lost, or does not know if the boat has been measured, you have several courses of action, before or after you buy the boat. You may wish to ask the owner to have a successful measurement performed on the hull as a condition of purchase. Who pays for the measurement expense is subject to negotiation of cost sharing between the buyer and seller.

To determine if the boat has been measured you may contact the CAA Chief Measurer and ask him to research the CAA files on this hull number. He will tell you the date and details of the last recorded and filed copy of the Measurement Form. If a previous measurement record exists, he may then issue a new Measurement Certificate to the new owner. Previous issued Certificates are invalid once a hull ownership is exchanged with a new owner.

To obtain a first measurement or re-measurement of an Albacore contact the CAA Chief Measurer or the Chief of Specifications and request a list of CAA Measurers. Contact a Measurer and arrange a mutually convenient time to have the boat measured. The fee for Measurement is a $50.00 honorarium. Additionally, the Measurer is entitled to recover out of pocket costs for travel to get to the hull location. A full measurement takes 1.5 - 3 hours. The Measurer will need to arrange to borrow the CAA Measurement scales to weigh your boat and this may dictate where the measurement activity will take place. The hull needs to be properly hung and secured safely to record the dry hull bare weight. Once the hull has been fully measured, the Measurer will advise you of the outcome and suggest corrective steps if any are required. Once corrective steps have been completed to the Measurer's satisfaction or if none are required, he will forward the completed and signed International Class Measurement Form to the Chief Measurer. The Chief Measurer will issue to the owner the new Measurement Certificate.

When does my hull need to be measured?

Your hull should be measured:

• when it is built by the builder.

Your hull should be re-measured

• Any time major equipment changes are made to a boat or major repairs have been undertaken due to repair or betterment of the hull or rigging,
• When you don't know the measurement status of the boat, or
• If you are concerned about minimum weight and wish to know if the natural weight increases due to rigging changes or years of sailing during which the hull could have gained weight through water absorption.

A Recommendation

If you want to be confident you are buying/selling or sailing an Albacore, arrange to get your boat measured. By doing so you also help the CAA, which is a volunteer organization of boat owning members helping other members, to be in touch with its many boat owning members. Protect the value of your boat and arrange to get it measured.

At the same time why not become a CAA member?