Bowrider max capacity

New-ish boater here, how close do you all come to running at or near max capacity? I am guessing the weight number is more important, but just curious the effects of getting close to that max weight. We generally have less than half, but I can foresee situations where we will want to take enough people out where we will get close to that max figure. A lot of times some of these people will be children, so their weight won't be as bad. I know the more you put in the more handling and fuel consumption will be affected, I am just looking at safety reasons on why I might NOT want to approach that limit.

The boat is designed to be safe up to the limits on the plate. Will it be comfortable? Probably not. But as long as you have the PFD's and the patience you shouldn't need to worry the boat being safe when conditions are also safe.

OB, there will be a weight/capacity placard on the boat and you want to make sure you don't exceed either of those numbers. Big fines can go along with exceeding the limits. Same thing with not having the right number and type of pfd's on board.

I had a 20' open bow boat and found it had just enough power to handle the weight limit with a 5.0L V8. It was sluggish getting up on plane and definitely lacked the snappiness it showed with lighter loads.

No more than 1 Friend is my limit, not one friend per child, a total of one. My limit isn't listed on the plate, but believe me it's for safety...

ohioboater said:

New-ish boater here, how close do you all come to running at or near max capacity? I am guessing the weight number is more important, but just curious the effects of getting close to that max weight. We generally have less than half, but I can foresee situations where we will want to take enough people out where we will get close to that max figure. A lot of times some of these people will be children, so their weight won't be as bad. I know the more you put in the more handling and fuel consumption will be affected, I am just looking at safety reasons on why I might NOT want to approach that limit.

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Full load to run down the lake for dinner? Sure
Full load to go cruise and find a swimming hole? sure
You don't say which model you have, my 240 is listed as max 12. We run that way almost every weekend. Boat is full, but the teenagers seem to like the closeness. We have the bow sunpad filler cushions, and that area is very popular.

With a full load, acceleration is sluggish, skiing would be tough. But we pull kids on a large tube all the time. Be aware it handles different when loaded, and be safe.

Definitely be cautious with weight distribution in the bow.

Safe limits are about more than a rating plate with maximum power, persons, and weight. The limits are established within the spectrum of the rated capacities by variables such as, weather, sea conditions, weight distribution around the center of gravity, mechanical condition, and such.

I have seen many a captain stuff an overloaded bow into a wave. Not even a big wave, just a wake at the wrong angle/speed. This is where judgement takes over.

if you are at max capacity for persons it is important to have a clear understanding of how much weight you are carrying, and where. An overweight condition is more likely to overwhelm the boat’s flotation and increase the likelihood of swamping or stuffing the bow. It’s also very hard on the propulsion.

if you have a max of eight persons OR 1200lbs this does not mean 1200lbs of people. It’s everything plus gas, coolers, whatever else is aboard. If there are several light adults and their children making 10 but their combined weight is 1000 lbs and 200lbs of gear you are within the weight limits and handling of the boat should be acceptable.

The caveat to this is while your within the weight ratings, the number of persons aboard in that scenario would likely cause greater distraction to the operator and certainly greater responsibility for any mishap.

Think about all of the overloaded ferry’s sinking with catastrophic loss of life and who was responsible. And those are only the stories you hear about in world news.

randmhall said:

Full load to run down the lake for dinner? Sure
Full load to go cruise and find a swimming hole? sure
You don't say which model you have, my 240 is listed as max 12. We run that way almost every weekend. Boat is full, but the teenagers seem to like the closeness. We have the bow sunpad filler cushions, and that area is very popular.

With a full load, acceleration is sluggish, skiing would be tough. But we pull kids on a large tube all the time. Be aware it handles different when loaded, and be safe.

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This is pretty much what I am talking about...my max is 12 (forget the weight at the moment) but I could see us having 10-11 people occasionally and 3 or 4 of those being children 13 and under, average weight each of maybe 100 lbs.

Life vests for kids come in various sizes and I think you should have the right ones and the children should be wearing them at all times. I would expect much less tolerance by law enforcement where minors are involved. Nice if they also had whistles and lights attached to the vests which may or may not be legally required as it would help in finding any when your head count is short.

Arminius said:

Life vests for kids come in various sizes and I think you should have the right ones and the children should be wearing them at all times. I would expect much less tolerance by law enforcement where minors are involved. Nice if they also had whistles and lights attached to the vests which may or may not be legally required as it would help in finding any when your head count is short.

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We already have form-fitting life vests for our family members (one of which is required by law to wear it at all times) and the required number of "other" vests to make sure every adult has one....we would have to figure out what to do when other kids are on board, we will cross that bridge when we are expecting said kids.

If your boat is listed for a max of 12, 6 will be just fine, even if you are a novice. If you try to put 8 or 10 in, then you better be an experienced captain. If a storm blows up and the waves get big, you better hope for the best.

That's just my opinion. As they say, YMMV.

ohioboater said:

New-ish boater here, how close do you all come to running at or near max capacity? I am guessing the weight number is more important, but just curious the effects of getting close to that max weight. We generally have less than half, but I can foresee situations where we will want to take enough people out where we will get close to that max figure. A lot of times some of these people will be children, so their weight won't be as bad. I know the more you put in the more handling and fuel consumption will be affected, I am just looking at safety reasons on why I might NOT want to approach that limit.

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The 240 is a great hull. I find that it rides better with a little more weight in it.

I've had as many as 11 with no issues.

The extra oomph from the 350 MAG will help you too.

if the front passengers see the fishes swimming it was too much ;-)

seriously : i found out at my 240 sundancer it will handle max weight at the plate even with full fuel and water .

weight distribution for correct trim is common sense if the skipper of course

The boat must plane before the skier can plane. Drive should be trimmed fully down. Order all passengers to the bow area before your skier yells, "Hit it!" and you firewall (WOT) the throttle. They may resume their chosen positions after you get the skier up. Leave fat kids on dock as necessary.

My 240 could hold 12, 8 was overly full to me. Six was good for a day of water sports. My 270 is yacht class, and 10 would be way too many. It's not a subway car.