Is my vessel exempt from needing a Certificate of Survey?
Some small vessels are exempt from a Certificate of Survey: certain small sheltered-water vessels, human-powered vessels, small sailing vessels, and recreational-training vessels. Outside those categories, a commercial vessel generally needs a Certificate of Survey to operate in Australia.
Recreational vessels sit outside the domestic-commercial-vessel regime altogether, so they don’t need a survey at all. Your state or territory’s rules apply instead.
A key trap: being exempt from survey does not usually mean you’re exempt from having a Safety Management System. The SMS obligation generally still applies. Check your exact category against the AMSA source before assuming you’re clear.
The Purser reads the exemption categories straight from the AMSA survey page and matches them to your vessel’s class and operating area, flagging the survey/SMS distinction rather than letting you assume one covers the other.
General information for Australian operators, current as of 2026-10-11. Rules change and recreational rules vary by state. Always confirm against the source(s) linked above (your AMSA, Australian Sailing or state maritime authority). This is not legal advice.