2001 310 Sundancer passenger capacity?

[alkrisma]

I have a 2001 310 Sundancer and other than seeing 'yacht certified' at the helm I can't determine the passenger capacity? Can I safely carry 9 adults and 2 children (11 total) through the mouth of the Merrimack River Massachusetts?

 

[davidh82]

Why not just let them ride on the boat?

 

[Craigalan]

That amount would most likely be fine on a 310. But, thats getting tight. Perhaps check your transom plate or owners manual for capacity/weight limits? And, be sure to have 11 life jackets on board.

 

[Molson]

With a yacht certification, there is no limit/capacity plate. Just use common sense when loading.

 

[MTC]

I agree with Dave, just kidding! I'm not personally familiar with the mouth of the Merrimack although I've heard conditions can get tricky.

The number of safe passengers you carry is something you'll need to determine based on a few things IMO. At the end of the day, you're responsible for their well being. I was out with 8 adults Saturday, including myself, and returned to dock before the weather turned. Everyone/thing was comfortable for the conditions, I was familiar and experienced with the area we were cruising, had ample seating for those who needed or desired, everyone was healthy and mobile, and the first mate was experienced an able to perform any needed task up to taking over the boat if need be. With that number most likely not everyone will have a seating option. Obviously make sure you have enough properly sized life jackets for all.

So not in any particular order, you should consider: Your experience, your first mate's experience, conditions, familiarity with area, your passengers state/needs, and equipment. The boat will be fine and there should be no reason anyone needs to be in an unsafe location, some may need to stand though.

As a side note, whenever an outing is being "planned" I prepare everyone for the possibility of me canceling the trip on the day of the show if you will if the weather/conditions do not look favorable. If I'm not comfortable all bets are off and Plan B goes into effect.

Mike

 

[Ten Years Gone]

edit

 

[MTC]

For my personal space perspective with that same boat I'd say 6 all day no problem. 8 of the right adults are tolerably but starting to get a little crowded. Never had greater than 8 adults on board.

 

[trflgrl]

There's plenty of excellent info here on number of people/skill levels and PFDs (which should cover legality, too), but don't forget your gear load. If you expect a long day and are packing food, beverages, and/or water toys, factor that weight as you do your math.

Now, for those who haven't picked up on the subtleties of my tongue in cheek response here, I will confess that nine adults on that boat would be down right uncomfortable! NOT unsafe or illegal...just uncomfortable. My 25 footer is maxed out at four adults because of personal space issues, not because I've overloaded it according to the capacity plate.

As always, your methods may vary.

And then go back to the comfort thing....11 is a LOT of people, especially if it means 12 or 13 including you and a first mate. What's your objective on this cruise? A way to get to an island/beach/port/marina where you'll debark and swim/play/see some sights? A fun day ON the boat for all?

If it's primarily a nice ride to a destination, go for it if you feel safe with that number. People can swap seats if needed, some can be in the cabin, some can be on deck while en route. Then when people go to shore or disperse to the beach/the water, no problem.

If it's to spend the day on the boat/on the hook, however, I hope you all like each other very, very much, and that the kids aren't the extremely busy type, because you'll be stepping all over each other and your stuff. Even if some move to the bow (as law permits), that's a lot of bodies.

On our older 300, with similar sizing, we can seat about 9 in the cockpit area (including captain), but we max at bringing 4 - 6 people with us for a total of 6 - 8. If an emergency happened and we had to carry passengers from another boat, we'd be comfortable with a number as high as about 16 or a little more, because we could seat another 7+ in the cabin without it being standing room only/stacking people.

Edited to add: we're on an inland lake where we don't have to deal with big river/ocean conditions.

 

[alkrisma]

the ONLY purpose of this trip is strictly to spread my recently passed fathers ashes at sea otherwise I would NEVER even dream of more than 6-8 passengers

 

[Craigalan]

Maybe find a buddy with a boat. Cruise in tandem and raft up together. Maximize comfort and space.


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[Alex F]

As others have mentioned, when it comes to loading your boat with passengers, it comes down to two primary things, safety and comfort. Since we know that there’s no safety concerns (meaning your 310DA is capable to carry 11 people), then let’s look at the comfort.

If your agenda is to do some cruising and then hang out for few hours, or majority of the day, on the hook, then you need to ask yourself a simple question. Where each individual (including kids) would be possibly positioned/seated? You have only two options, cockpit and the cabin. Apply this question to any circumstances, while underway or anchored.

From my experience, almost 100% of the time all adults will be together in the cockpit. So, do you have room to comfortably sit every adult in the cockpit? The next question is for how long? Besides seating you’ll need some moving around room. While cruising, obviously everyone will be seated most of the time. When you get to the destination people won’t just sit still. So, if the weather is not nice and not many will go for a swim, it will get tight fast. While at anchor, you can utilize swim platform and the deck. So, this will help a lot to create more room and comfort.

As you can imagine, weather is the driving factor.