boat capacity, who sets it?

[flyhigh123]

The 18' bass boat i purchased used, has a sticker on the back that says max of 4 people. My question is who sets these guidelines? Is this something that can be readjusted for more people based on some inspection?

 

[tazrig]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

Well... you asked... so here is your answer:

http://newboatbuilders.com/docs/BoatCapacityVSAvailableSeating.pdf

 

[flyhigh123]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

thanks! i guess mine says 4 becauase of the number of seats. following their LXB/15, i get a much higher number

 

[tpenfield]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

Yes, manufacturers are not supposed to exceed those numbers, but can certainly go lower than the numbers that result from the USCG formulas and test procedures.

A couple of years ago, there was a well publicized court case against Mastercraft , where their person capacity on a 24 foot boat was 18 (IIRC). It met the USCG requirements, because the boat had lots of flotation, etc., but clearly that many people was too much in practice.

This case raised the question of not merely basing person capacity on the test results, but also on more practical limitations.

 

[JoLin]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

thanks! i guess mine says 4 becauase of the number of seats. following their LXB/15, i get a much higher number

Number of seats has nothing to do with capacity. The manufacturer set it at 4 because it's safe enough for 4 in most conditions. There's more to it than a simple formula. There's flotation- how much and how it's distributed. The hull's innate stability based on its design, height of freeboard, etc. What you do when you're out there by yourself is your business, but you have a responsibility to your passengers to operate the boat in a safe manner.

One last consideration- if that boat gets swamped or sinks with people aboard, good luck with any potential legal charges or lawsuits. You wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

My .02

 

[southkogs]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

Manufacturers (at least some) test their boats with real people on board ... load it up and see what it'll do or won't do. I've got friends who work for one of the manufacturers here in TN, and they've told a couple of stories about sinkin' one.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

... Is this something that can be readjusted for more people based on some inspection?

The Calculations and Procedures are in CFR 33 Part 183 ... Start at page 54.

Ultimately you load it to the max and try to steer through a slalom course at full speed.
If the boat flips over and sinks, it was overloaded! :faint2:

 

[H20Rat]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

Bass boats generally have very low freeboard, and massive engines on the back. THAT is the reason for the low capacity. It wouldn't take much of a wave to send water over the side and swamp the boat.

Even new boats often have capacities higher than available seating.

 

[rallyart]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

The person capacity is different than the total weight capacity due to the fact that people move around. The person capacity is set so that, if all the people are on one side, the list is not unsafe. That is why an 11' inflatable might have a higher capacity than an 18' bass boat.

 

[flyhigh123]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

great points. I'm not planning on putting more people on the boat than whats recommended. The boat is older, so was going to see if new laws might have changed, or what else could be done.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

nope sorry, you're stuck with 4... also look at the weight total you may find that you are actually stuck with 3 if they are bigger than about 150 lbs

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

good point about the weight of the passengers, and remember, it's people OR weight. Not people AND weight. And they base that on 150# per person. So you could be safe, but "illegal" with more 75# children than the passenger limit.

Some stickers take into account the weight of the motor, some don't.

Some states and regs incorporate the sticker limits as the law. Some use it as guideline (called evidence in court) of whether you are safe--and you have to be safe to be legal; they all can write you for unsafe regardless of the sticker.

The "formula" is a starting point but generally worthless. I have a 17' OB rated for 4 and share a 19' OB rated for 10. I cannot, however, put those additional 6 people in the additional 2 feet added to the bow. And personally I think 4 is low and 10 is high for those boats.

 

[mrdancer]

Re: boat capacity, who sets it?

good point about the weight of the passengers, and remember, it's people OR weight. Not people AND weight. And they base that on 150# per person. So you could be safe, but "illegal" with more 75# children than the passenger limit...

The newer numbers are closer to 180lbs/person, so newer boats are rated at fewer people. The boat manufacturers saw this coming several years ago and started rating their boats with the new numbers before they were put into regulation. That would account for some discrepancy on numbers between identical boats that are 10+ years old vs. one built in the last several years.

Most boats can carry quite a bit more than what they are rated for, so if you are in a pinch, know your boat well, and conditions are ideal, you could get by carrying a little more. However, in the interest of liability and insurance, I don't recommend it.