Sports equipment on board a ship: yachts, cruise ships, ferries and naval vessels
Shipboard sports equipment must survive three constraints that shoreside gym equipment never meets: permanent exposure to chlorides, a fire behaviour regime specific to the marine environment, and inertial loads from roll and pitch. Grade 316L stainless steel answers all three. Its pitting resistance equivalent number, between 23.1 and 28.5, places it far above grade 304 at 17.5 to 20.8, and the IMO Fire Test Procedures Code 2010 treats ordinary metals and alloys as materials that may be installed on board with no fire test and no approval.
Light In Fitness designs and manufactures its structures in Tours, France, and has equipped facilities since 2013. The catalogue holds 98 references in 316L stainless steel, from an adjustable bench to a complete street workout cage. This page sets out the technical, regulatory and logistical criteria of a shipboard project, whatever the flag and whatever the yard.
Constraints of the shipboard environment
| Constraint | Origin | Technical answer |
|---|---|---|
| Pitting corrosion | Salt spray, chlorides, long time of wetness | 316L stainless steel, 2.0 to 2.5 per cent molybdenum under EN 10088, with passivated welds |
| Fire behaviour | SOLAS chapter II-2, FTP Code 2010 | Fully metallic frame, therefore non combustible without testing |
| Inertial loads | Roll, pitch, platform accelerations | Sized anchor plates, fixing to the deck structure, calculation note |
| Weight and centre of gravity | Vessel stability, loading plan | Declared masses per reference, layout validated with the yard |
| Dimensional access | Deck head height, hatch and alleyway widths | Demountable structures, assembled on board |
Why 316L rather than 304 or galvanised steel
Resistance to pitting corrosion is compared using the pitting resistance equivalent number, calculated as PREN equals Cr plus 3.3 Mo plus 16 N. The higher the number, the better the performance in chloride environments. Molybdenum contributes 3.3 points per percentage point, and molybdenum is precisely what grade 304 lacks.
| Material number | Common designation | Molybdenum | PREN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4301 | Stainless 304 | not specified | 17.5 to 20.8 |
| 1.4401 and 1.4404 | Stainless 316 and 316L | 2.00 to 2.50 per cent | 23.1 to 28.5 |
| 1.4462 | Duplex 2205 | 2.5 to 3.5 per cent | 30.8 to 38.1 |
These values, published by the British Stainless Steel Association from the composition ranges in EN 10088, rank grades against each other. They do not by themselves qualify a material for a given application, but they explain why 316L is the reference grade wherever there is salt in the air. Duplex is used where the exposure is more severe still, at higher cost and with tighter fabrication control.
Against galvanised steel, the comparison is made on the rate at which the zinc is consumed. ISO 9223 classifies atmospheres from C1, very low, to CX, extreme. A deck exposed to permanent spray typically falls in categories C5 to CX.
| ISO 9223 category | Zinc loss, first year | Carbon steel loss, first year |
|---|---|---|
| C4, high | 2.1 to 4.2 microns per year | 50 to 80 microns per year |
| C5, very high | 4.2 to 8.4 microns per year | 80 to 200 microns per year |
| CX, extreme | 8.4 to 25 microns per year | 200 to 700 microns per year |
A vocabulary point that matters in front of a technical buyer: the category C5-M no longer exists. The 2017 edition of ISO 12944-2 replaced C5-I and C5-M with C5 for severe shoreside exposure and CX for offshore and permanent spray. Specifications still calling for C5-M are working from a superseded edition.
Fire behaviour: what the FTP Code actually says
SOLAS regulation II-2/3 defines a non combustible material as one that neither burns nor gives off flammable vapours in sufficient quantity for self ignition when heated to approximately 750 degrees Celsius. Annex 2 of the FTP Code 2010 states that products made solely of ordinary metals and alloys are considered non combustible and may be installed without test or approval.
The direct consequence for a shipboard project is that a structure entirely in 316L stainless steel, frame, uprights, bars and base plates, triggers no fire test procedure at all. Three reservations belong in the specification:
- Upholstered parts. Seats, backrests and pads fall under part 8 of the FTP Code, which is not covered by the annex 2 exemption.
- Finishes and coatings. Paints, powder coatings and lacquers are addressed by SOLAS regulation II-2/6 on smoke production and toxicity.
- Marine equipment certification. The wheelmark of Directive 2014/90/EU covers defined equipment families; implementing regulation (EU) 2025/1533, in force since 23 September 2025, sets the current list. No item of sports equipment forms a family of its own within it.
The wording to use in a technical file is therefore: bare stainless steel frame, non combustible within the meaning of the FTP Code 2010; upholstered elements and finishes treated in accordance with the vessel requirements and the yard specification.
Securing and layout on board
An 80 kg bench standing free on a gym floor becomes a projectile on a vessel that rolls. Every machine on board is fixed. The points to settle with the naval architect or the yard design office are:
- Base plates and anchors: drilling into the deck or the supporting structure, or a raised technical floor where drilling is excluded.
- Design loads: the longitudinal and transverse inertial loads adopted by the vessel classification society.
- Galvanic separation: the couple between stainless steel and the ship structure, addressed by isolation or by metallising, depending on the case.
- Loading plan: mass and position of each machine, to be fed into the stability calculation.
- Access: passage of the crates through hatches, assembly on board, and the lifting means available quayside.
Comfort class notations from the classification societies address noise, vibration and indoor climate. There is no notation dedicated to fitness spaces. A mechanically quiet, firmly anchored machine nonetheless contributes directly to those criteria, which is a useful argument when the gym adjoins cabins, and it is one reason self powered cardio equipment is often preferred on smaller vessels.
Four shipboard contexts, four purchasing logics
| Type of vessel | Decision maker | Dominant issue |
|---|---|---|
| Yacht and superyacht | Refit yard, captain, management company | Footprint, finish, acoustic discretion |
| Cruise ship | Cruise line, building yard | Intensive passenger use, exposed outer decks |
| Ferry and merchant vessel | Owner, technical department | Crew habitability and recreation duties. See crew gym on board a ship |
| Naval vessel | Command, public procurement office | Operational physical preparation, extreme use cycles |
Naval vessels
Warships and naval auxiliaries are expressly excluded from the scope of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, so none of its habitability duties apply to them. The equipping logic is that of operational physical preparation: high usage rates, military supervision, and maintenance reduced to a minimum, which pushes hard towards bare stainless steel and mechanical rather than electronic equipment. We have delivered street workout cages to French army sites at Carcassonne, Frejus and Tahiti, and a stainless steel functional rig to the Finnish armed forces. Defence purchases follow public procurement rules, covered on buying sports equipment through public tender. For a deployable capability quayside or on a naval base, see container gym.
What the 316L stainless range covers
| Family | Example | Price excluding VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Benches and single stations | Multi adjustable outdoor stainless steel bench | 1,199 euros |
| Bodyweight | Outdoor stainless steel pull up bar, seven grips | 1,499 euros |
| Core and abdominal work | Outdoor stainless steel core station | 3,499 euros |
| Plate loaded | Stainless steel leg press, Olympic plate loaded | 5,499 euros |
| Cable machines | Outdoor stainless steel cable crossover | 11,999 euros |
| Rigs and racks | Wall mounted outdoor stainless steel functional rig | 5,999 euros |
| Complete structures | Stainless steel street workout cage, C8 station | 16,999 euros |
| Self powered cardio | Outdoor non motorised treadmill | 5,999 euros |
| Free weights | Outdoor stainless steel dumbbells, 1 to 100 kg | from 99.99 euros |
The non motorised treadmill deserves separate mention in a shipboard context: the absence of a motor removes the electrical connection, the question of the vessel supply frequency, and the most common failure point of cardio equipment in a salt atmosphere. The same logic favours plate loaded over selectorised machines where humidity is high and spares are far away.
The complete range is on stainless steel outdoor fitness. For a configuration outside catalogue, a dimension imposed by an alleyway, a layout on a non standard deck or a particular finish, bespoke manufacture covers design and production; see turnkey projects.
The marine market in figures
| Segment | Volume | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Superyachts over 30 m in operation | 6,174 units, 63 per cent between 30 and 40 m | Monaco Yacht Show market report 2025 |
| Superyachts over 30 m under construction | 588 units | Monaco Yacht Show market report 2025 |
| Ocean going cruise ships in CLIA membership | 310 vessels, 37.2 million passengers in 2025 | CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry 2026 |
| Cruise order book | 60 vessels through 2037, 71 billion US dollars | CLIA, State of the Cruise Industry 2026 |
| Passenger vessels under French flag | 86, including 51 ro-ro ferries and 16 cruise ships | French maritime ministry, merchant fleet, July 2025 |
| Merchant fleet under French flag | 459 vessels above 100 GT | French maritime ministry, merchant fleet, July 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
Does the Maritime Labour Convention require a gym on board?
No. The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 requires appropriate recreational facilities without defining their content. French habitability rules require a room intended for recreation on vessels of 3,000 GT and above, and recommend providing seafarers with sports articles including physical training equipment from 500 GT. The distinction between a requirement and a recommendation should be respected in any commercial document.
Does 316L stainless equipment need fire certification to be installed on board?
A fully metallic structure falls within ordinary metals and alloys, which annex 2 of the FTP Code 2010 permits to be installed without test or approval. Upholstered parts and applied surface finishes follow their own regime: part 8 of the FTP Code for upholstered furniture, and SOLAS regulation II-2/6 for smoke and toxicity of coatings.
How does the service life of 316L compare with galvanised steel on an exposed deck?
The comparison is made on rate of degradation rather than in years. In ISO 9223 category CX, a zinc coating loses up to 25 microns per year, so a coating designed for a shoreside life is consumed quickly and requires access, staging and downtime to renew. Stainless steel is not consumed: its passive layer reforms in the presence of oxygen, provided the surface is periodically washed so that chlorides do not accumulate in sheltered areas.
Can equipment be installed during a refit without drilling the deck?
Yes, using a raised technical floor or a base plate fixed to an existing structure. The chosen solution depends on the mass of the machine, the inertial loads adopted by the classification society and the nature of the deck. Settle it with the yard design office before ordering, on the basis of the mass and footprint of each reference, which we supply with the quotation.
What lead times should be allowed for a shipboard project?
The quotation is issued within 24 working hours. Catalogue references are dispatched within 5 to 10 working days from stock; bespoke structures carry their own manufacturing lead time, quoted with the delivery window to the quay or the yard so that it can be matched to the vessel’s out of service period.
What maintenance does stainless steel equipment need at sea?
Fresh water washing of all surfaces, particularly those sheltered from rain where deposits accumulate, inspection of fixings and torque checks at the interval stated in the manual, and prompt attention to any surface contamination by carbon steel, which can initiate rust staining on an otherwise sound stainless surface. There is no repainting cycle.
Studying your project
For a shipboard project, send the type of vessel, the tonnage, the available area and the out of service window. The quotation comes back within 24 working hours with masses, footprints and the technical documents the yard needs. Warranties run from two to five years depending on the range, with extended cover available on steel structures.
See the stainless steel outdoor fitness range, crew gym on board a ship, equipment standards and compliance, and use request a quote or call +33 6 20 72 66 96.