Max Persons or Max Weight?

[Ashlexadd]

Does anyone know what the official coast guard rules are in regard to the number of people allowed on a boat?

I've heard that as long as you do not exceed weight capacity you are OK, but not sure if that is true.

Capacity on name plate is 10 persons or 1600lbs.

I want to go out with myself and 3 other adults along with our 3 kids and their 4 kids = 11 people.

However as the kids are all 4-10yrs old, the total weight of all passangers and gear will only be around 1300lbs.

Thoughts?

 

[bushway9172]

I think it is whatever number you hit first. Stop at 10 people. Or if you have 1 person and 1400 lbs of crap (unrealistic), for example, stop there. Coast guard will most likely cite you for exceeding the max. capacity of persons on board. We used to have a 220 Sundeck, and it was definitely tempting to exceed the limit. Can't say we didn't a few times. :lol: Now we are "yacht certified," so we can carry as many people as we want, as long as there is a sufficient amount of life preservers. :thumbsup:

 

[Sundancer]

Just keep the little ones moving so they can't get an accurate count! As the nameplate says, 10 OR 1600 lbs. To me, that says the most important piece is staying UNDER 1,600 lbs. If I have 4 400 lb folks, I'd better not let anyone else aboard. If I have 16 100 lb folks on board, I don't think that would be an issue?

I had 13 on our 250 DA and 9 were all little kids. I'll bet I was UNDER the weight limit by 500 lbs!

 

[Sea Gull]

Bushway has it right. The capacity is whichever number you hit first. You can have no more than 10 people.

By the way, I'm not sure about FL but in most jurisdicitons this is a termination of voyage offense. If you are stopped, by LE, they will require that people be removed before you are allowed to get underway again.

 

[Ozzie-iv]

here in NSW Australia we have limits too however a child upto a certain age is considered 1/2 a person

just checked and this is what it states "each child between the ages of one and
12 equals one half of an adult"

Ozzie

 

[VTSeaRay]

If they're Gary's Girls, you might have space issues.

 

[Mogut]

You got about a ton right there

 

[Presentation]

Briefly, per the coast guard the above information is correct if the boat is under 20 feet only.

I'll try to find the official USCG document.

 

[Presentation]

Boat builders must comply with Federal law by putting a Capacity Plate in sight of the helm (steering area) on motorized monohull boats less than 20 feet in length.

Found it here:

http://www.nmma.org/certification/about/chart.asp

Read: Maximum weight and persons capacities

USCG: Applies only to monohull boats under 20' except sailboats, canoes, kayaks and inflatable boats.

OK lets say your boat is over 20' of hull (do not count bolted on items like a bolted on swim platforom) then what?

If a boat at least 20 has a capacity plate the capacity plate becomes a manufacturers recommendation however it is not coast guard law.
Per NMMA guidelines a manufacture may no longer use this weight / passenger plate if the boat is 26 feet of over.
By NMMA guidelines the 26 foot vessel is a yacht and must comply with a different set of certifications called “Yacht certification.”

So what is the law of a boat at least 20 feet?

Person Capacity:
Average weight per person is 150 lbs.

(Boat lengthXBoat width)/15 = max number of people

In all cases you must round down.

So if your boat is 23 1/2" x 8 1/2" you go (23 x 8)/15 = 12.2666 = 12 people.

 

[tobnpr]

First- don't forget that capacity INCLUDES all your gear- anything that you've put on the boat since the day you bought it, along with all the coolers, chairs, etc. you're dragging along.

Some common sense needs to be applied, regardless of the regs.
We have small boats turn turtle in our usual severe summer squalls on an all-too-regular basis.

They load up a 17 footer with 8 or 10 people 'till there's a foot of freeboard at the bow... then the afternoon blow comes and they suddenly find themselves in 3' seas on the flats just a few miles offshore. Recipe for disaster.

 

[Presentation]

First- don't forget that capacity INCLUDES all your gear- anything that you've put on the boat since the day you bought it, along with all the coolers, chairs, etc. you're dragging along.

Some common sense needs to be applied, regardless of the regs.
We have small boats turn turtle in our usual severe summer squalls on an all-too-regular basis.

They load up a 17 footer with 8 or 10 people 'till there's a foot of freeboard at the bow... then the afternoon blow comes and they suddenly find themselves in 3' seas on the flats just a few miles offshore. Recipe for disaster.

Oh I have no argument with anything you are saying.
I’m answering a legal question.
What is legal does not necessarily mean what is safe.

In a cross walk with no lights in Wisconsin the pedestrian always has the right of way. I can step off the curb in front of a bus and be legally right but I’ll also be legally dead.

 

[petern]

The girl's of Mallet's Bay no doubt.

 

[Gunn]

Some common sense needs to be applied, regardless of the regs.

I wonder how the Coast Guard would handle this? I have a 1995 175. The capacity label was placed near the throttle control, so it is completely worn off...just a bright shiny silver label now. I know from researching it that my capacity is 8 persons. I've had 9 on there three times in 3 years....my family of 4 (kids 7,5) and friends family (kids 9,8,3).

I know I'm breaking the rule...but my boat has seating for all nine and I am under the weight limit, which is THE most important spec to me. IMO I'm meeting the intention of the law; but I also know the law enforcers don't care about that.

 

[Presentation]

I wonder how the Coast Guard would handle this? I have a 1995 175. The capacity label was placed near the throttle control, so it is completely worn off...just a bright shiny silver label now. I know from researching it that my capacity is 8 persons. I've had 9 on there three times in 3 years....my family of 4 (kids 7,5) and friends family (kids 9,8,3).

I know I'm breaking the rule...but my boat has seating for all nine and I am under the weight limit, which is THE most important spec to me. IMO I'm meeting the intention of the law; but I also know the law enforcers don't care about that.

To answer your question, based on the above you would get 2 tickets.

Ticket #1) Title 33, Code of Federal Regulation, Section 183 – note: this is a equipment violation.
Using a boat that is missing a capacity plate on a boat under 20’ produced after August 1, 1973.

Ticket #2) Statute 30.68(9) Load Boat Above Safe Carrying Capacity as determined by NMMA guidelines.

Note 30.68 is the Wisconsin statue. There is also a federal title and section however since there is also a state statute in my area the literature I have gives me that number, not the federal.


To explain the capacity plate, let’s take it to the extreme. Let’s say the capacity pate reads 9 persons or 1,200 lbs and you have onboard 10 people, 9 are kids that weigh 50 pounds each and you weigh 100 you are over capacity on a vessel under 20 feet.

Note: this changes when you reach 20 feet as mentioned earlier.



If you are missing a capacity plate the place you should go to get a replacement is the boats manufacturer.

With so many boat brands disappearing right now I don’t know what to do if a brand has gone out of business.

 

[VTSeaRay]

The girl's of Mallet's Bay no doubt.

Maybe, I'm not sure, they're Gary's Girlfriends. He just shared this family pic of them.