Remember the classic "Saturday Night Live" skit in which a home owner going to bed rips the tag off his mattress and the police burst in to arrest him? Warning labels are now so commonplace they're not even funny anymore.

Today, they're on your car, your barbeque grill, your lawn mower and most definitely on your step ladder. Even though one's boat is often a refuge from the harsh realities of modern life, boats built to today's modern standards also carry a host of warning labels about everything from electrical shock and fumes to fire hazards.

A check with the boat standards-writing organization, the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), produced a list of some 25 warning labels that could be affixed to various types of boats and another 22 labels for boat accessories such as stoves, generators or inverters. One boat loaded with nearly every accessory could conceivably carry dozens of warning labels on a host of items. The U.S. Coast Guard also has some labeling requirements, but only for boats up to 20 feet. They include the maximum weight/capacity and maximum horsepower plate.

Keeping up with warning labels is an issue for boatbuilders – and their attorneys – as a label has to be written and designed in such a way that it holds up in court in "failure to warn" lawsuits if someone gets killed or injured on a boat.

"The general feeling seems to be that there are too many labels," said John Adey, technical director of ABYC and point man on the emerging label issues. "Some refer to it as 'label pollution.'"

'LABEL POLLUTION'

Adey pointed out that most labels are the result of years of ABYC technical committee work on identified boat hazards or potential problems. He suggests that labeling be looked at more in the context of U.S. Coast Guard accident statistics to find out what boat features or equipment are actually resulting in an accident, injury or death, rather than reacting to every possible danger with a new label.

BoatU.S.Recreational boats today carry growing numbers of labels. This typical powerboat with a gasoline engine could have more than a dozen information and warning labels.

A sea change in the marine industry that may push label proliferation to the front is a requirement by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) that, as of the 2007 model year, all of its members must build boats according to NMMA's certification program, which requires conformance to ABYC standards. Since the labels are part of ABYC's boat construction standards, virtually all of the 300 NMMA member boatbuilders will have to include these labels on their boats. Roughly 300 NMMA members participate in the program, and some say their boats already exceed ABYC standards.

To at least bring some consistency to labeling and make it easier for boatbuilders to comply, ABYC has – you guessed it – written a standard for boat labels. Its "T-5" standard has been around since 1990 and brings some uniformity to boat labels as it specifies proper wording, format, colors, typeface and other features.

Under ABYC's guidance for when a label should be required, four elements make common sense: "(1) the hazard is associated with the use of the equipment; (2) the manufacturer knows of the hazard; (3) the hazard is not obvious or readily discoverable by the user, and (4) the hazard will exist during normal use or foreseeable misuse."

An obvious example is the label near the engine ignition switch warning the operator to check for fumes, turn on the blower and make sure it has worked. Every year, boat operators are killed or hurt in gas explosions at the dock, one of the most preventable accidents.

RECREATIONAL HAZARD

Some experts say recreational products seem to carry far more warning labels than regular everyday products. For example, millions of Americans drive automobiles, but the auto industry does not require a carbon monoxide warning on cars. But ATVs, personal watercraft and other sports products seem to carry more warnings.

Some suggest that a consolidated sheet or card could be kept on the boat to replace the myriad of stickers. One group of marine watercraft builders decided as an industry to go that very route, rather than use the standard ABYC labeling. The Personal Watercraft Industry Association decided to produce one big label with everything on it, rather than a host of little labels. According to some, it's like reading a book on board your craft, but at least they're all in one place, fixed behind the seat.BoatU.S.California requires this stern and helm placard.

While all ABYC standards are voluntary, they are widely adhered to. But for the first time, a state is jumping on the labeling bandwagon: A new boat placard warning about carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes is now required, in California.

Dealers and owners are now required to affix a relatively-large label at the transom and helm to warn of both propeller strikes and carbon monoxide.

It's intended to prevent any additional "teak surfing" deaths by young people hanging onto the swim platform of a running boat. California boaters will also get one mailed to them with their next registration packet. Described as "pretty ugly" and the size of a car bumper sticker, the images of skulls and crossbones are not the fun image of boating most dealers, and owners, would like on their hulls.

Meanwhile, the NMMA has taken the lead in developing a standard CO/propeller transom label that its members can use nationwide. Indeed, the industry supports labels as an educational tool for boaters. Some experts say labels stem more from product testing that has identified potential dangers than they do from the fear of litigation.

But ultimately, it is boatbuilders who are faced with the expense of making sure all the labels are in place in order to meet ABYC standards and NMMA certification.