Dave 205
New Member
- Mar 15, 2011
- 449
- Boat Info
- 2006 205 Sport, Shorelander Trailer. Towed by 2012 Ford F-150 Supercrew 5.0 with factory tow package
- Engines
- Mercruiser 5.0 220 HP Carb w/ Alpha 1 Drive
My boat is rated to 8 people, or 1,120 lbs max person / weight. Since my family has five people, inviting another family tends to put us at 9 people. Five are usually kids, but two are in high school. Tubes and coolers add some weight as well.
To be practical, I know we are over the weight limit. And, as the kids grow, it will be a bigger issue. Yet, the boat performed very well, there was never any hint of handling concern, sitting too low in the water, etc.
The odd thing, when looking at boats, Sea Rays seem to be rated more conservatively than other brands. I've attached a Crownline ad rated to 12 people, with 20' length, and an 8'6" beam. My boat is 21' width and 8'0" beam. I've "heard" that ratings have generally been dropped in the past several years.
I took the boat safety course, and they recommend the following capacity for unrated boats:
# of people = vessel length (ft) x vessel width (ft) / 15.
This calculation indicates 11.2 people @ 150 lbs each, or 1,680 lbs.
So, outside of the obvious legal violation, am I taking a lot of risk with my 9 people and growing weight problem?
http://omaha.craigslist.org/boa/2697738071.html
To be practical, I know we are over the weight limit. And, as the kids grow, it will be a bigger issue. Yet, the boat performed very well, there was never any hint of handling concern, sitting too low in the water, etc.
The odd thing, when looking at boats, Sea Rays seem to be rated more conservatively than other brands. I've attached a Crownline ad rated to 12 people, with 20' length, and an 8'6" beam. My boat is 21' width and 8'0" beam. I've "heard" that ratings have generally been dropped in the past several years.
I took the boat safety course, and they recommend the following capacity for unrated boats:
# of people = vessel length (ft) x vessel width (ft) / 15.
This calculation indicates 11.2 people @ 150 lbs each, or 1,680 lbs.
So, outside of the obvious legal violation, am I taking a lot of risk with my 9 people and growing weight problem?
http://omaha.craigslist.org/boa/2697738071.html