How do the star ratings affect the sale of outboards in California?
Essentially, consumers in California may purchase any outboard offered for sale by a boat/engine dealer in California. The burden of meeting outboard emissions requirements for California and anywhere else lies solely with the engine manufacturers. In short, each outboard engine manufacturer is responsible for meeting a corporate average plan. This plan requires the average emissions across a manufacturer’s entire outboard model lineup (i.e., 2.5 horsepower to 300 horsepower) sold to California boat/engine dealers to be at or below the CARB standard in effect for a given certification year. The corporate average is based on the emissions certification level and unit sales volume of each engine family and is weighted based on engine power. For example, beginning in 2008 manufacturers will be required to meet the three-star level. That means the average sales-weighted emissions level of the manufacturer’s engine fleet sold in California must be equal to or below the three-star standard.
