Capacity Plate - 1985 Bass Tracker Tournament Tx (17')

[awallace]

Hello All, I just purchased a 1985 Bass Tracker Tournament Tx (17') and am in the process of stripping it down to the aluminum. During this process I noticed there is no Capacity Plate. So I contacted Tracker with the hull # asking for assistance. The response was the boat is too old we don't have the information contact a distributor, I contacted Bass Pro and they tried to help but could not find the information. So off I go to contact the Coast Guard Auxiliary, they suggested contacting the manufacturer. Yep so here I am. I have emailed several people with the same boat for sale asking for help with the information but so far no response. I have reviewed the American Boat and Yacht Council publication “Rules and Regulations for Recreational Boats”. (thats a bit complicated for a simple minded old guy) as well as applied the rule of Max Number of Persons = (Boat Length X Boat Width)/15 to come up with a max of 4 persons. However if someone here has the same boat with a capacity plate my life could be made much simpler. Thanks to anyone who might assist.
The pic is a generic off Google pics.

 

[CNT]

1985 Bass Tracker Tournament Tx (17')

http://boatspecs.iboats.com/Tracker_by_Tracker_Marine__Tournament_TX__1985/bp/66b97441

 

[awallace]

http://boatspecs.iboats.com/Tracker_by_Tracker_Marine__Tournament_TX__1985/bp/66b97441

Unfortunately the information provided (boat weight and recommended HP) doesn't give enough data to fill in a capacity plate.

 

[jbcurt00]

Your 4person max is correct, w a max capacity of 600lb +/-


FYI: those 4ppl are consider to be a max weight of 150lbs ea..

So 2 200lb fisherman and 200lbs of gear (including a motor, battery and gas) is at max capacity.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I'm afraid to open the above link. I'm afraid either my laptop explodes or everything on it is suddenly in Russian.

 

[jbcurt00]

I'm afraid to open the above link....

Deleted for your safety

 

[awallace]

Your 4person max is correct, w a max capacity of 600lb +/-


FYI: those 4ppl are consider to be a max weight of 150lbs ea..

So 2 200lb fisherman and 200lbs of gear (including a motor, battery and gas) is at max capacity.

Thanks, I'm pretty sure the L X W= /15 only applies to the # of people on board and assumes as you stated 150 Lb each, but has nothing to do with the maximum capacity or total load when taking persons, gear, motor etc into consideration. The closest I have come to is 4 persons and a total load of 980 pounds and a maximum HP of 50. So far that's what I'll be working off. I am assuming that if I get checked while I am on the water that an attached "aftermarket" capacity plate (however inaccurate) it might be would be what an officer would judge on.

 

[Scott Danforth]

HP calculations (sumarized) https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2002-title33-vol2/xml/CFR-2002-title33-vol2-sec183-53.xml

other boat building CFR codes https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2019-title33-vol2/xml/CFR-2019-title33-vol2-part183.xml


recent interpretations of the CFR states the average person is 185#

from a USCG site For mono-hulled boats that are less than 20 feet in length, boaters can use the following equation. This equation calculates the number of persons that their boat can safely carry in good weather conditions:
Boat length (ft.) x boat width (ft.) / 15 = number of people.



When in doubt, contact your local LEO

 

[Big Gee]

Here's a link to an earlier thread with a similar question Look at post 7, it may be what you're looking for.

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/gen...8594-passenger-capacity?p=6853576#post6853576

 

[awallace]

Here's a link to an earlier thread with a similar question Look at post 7, it may be what you're looking for.

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/gen...8594-passenger-capacity?p=6853576#post6853576

Thanks Big Gee, there is a capacity plate for my exact boat embedded in the post. (the year might be off) I wouldn't be comfortable with the 80 HP (I'm converting to a tiller motor) but the # of persons and the weight capacity follows well with what Scott Danforth put forward. Thank-you gentlemen my question has been answered. It's too bad the manufacturer simply answered my inquiry with a "its too old we don;t have the information" It's support from forums like this that help keep knowledge circulating among us end users.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Thanks Big Gee, there is a capacity plate for my exact boat embedded in the post. (the year might be off) I wouldn't be comfortable with the 80 HP (I'm converting to a tiller motor) but the # of persons and the weight capacity follows well with what Scott Danforth put forward. Thank-you gentlemen my question has been answered. It's too bad the manufacturer simply answered my inquiry with a "its too old we don;t have the information" It's support from forums like this that help keep knowledge circulating among us end users.

if you are converting to a tiller and removing the remote steering, you will need to drop the HP down to what the CFR is for tiller steer.

 

[awallace]

if you are converting to a tiller and removing the remote steering, you will need to drop the HP down to what the CFR is for tiller steer.

Absolutely Scott, looks like ~25% reduction for the tiller vs the console and that seems reasonable. My end use for the boat is in a freshwater river(NE Canada a place called Labrador West. I currently use a 16' Espadon deep V aluminum boat with a 25 HP Johnson commercial. I use a Tempest 240 (24' fiberglass w/ Merc inboard 320 HP) to get down the lake 33 miles and then fish the river. The flat bottomed will be better suited to my partners needs. There are a few rapids in the river with lots of shallow water and rocks. I will be installing a hyd motor lift (straight up) to make the boat behave a bit better when climbing back up through the rapids. My desire is to install a capacity plate for "the future" owner of the boat. I don't want to be the person responsible for them overloading or overpowering the boat.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

 

[CNT]

My desire is to install a capacity plate for "the future" owner of the boat. I don't want to be the person responsible for them overloading or overpowering the boat.

I suggest you NOT to do that. Since this label is "official", which cops would use and whatever else. Also, the data may be way off. OTOH, if you insist, you probably still get that information "legally" some how, even if dragging a Coast Guard to look at the boat, just do it safely. I could be wrong, and others may know better than my suggestions.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Deleted for your safety

What more can one love about this site. Safety 1st. Youl volem. I love it in Russian.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

awallace . I've been to Labrador. How many hours of boating do you Down Homers get in NW Labrador?

edit: oops another stupid ??? How many Moose crossings on your river?

 

[awallace]

I suggest you NOT to do that. Since this label is "official", which cops would use and whatever else. Also, the data may be way off. OTOH, if you insist, you probably still get that information "legally" some how, even if dragging a Coast Guard to look at the boat, just do it safely. I could be wrong, and others may know better than my suggestions.

Thanks CNT. You make a very good point, I went to the OEM Tracker and they said
"Happy New Year Alan!

Unfortunately with the boat being a 1985 we no longer have the part information. You will need to contact an authorized Tracker dealer for further assistance.

It is my pleasure to assist!


So when your options get limited a choice still needs to be made. Here is the response I got from the Coast Guard Aux last week.
"Alan,
The process would start with the boat's manufacturer. I am not aware of any Coast Guard service that would help you get a replacement capacity plate. The CG works on establishing standard for boat manufacturers but the manufacturer determines the information required to be displayed on the capacity plate.

You request regarding how to replace a missing or unreadable Certificate of Compliance or Capacity Plate comes up often. Only the original manufacturer or importer can replace these. Significant research might be involved in finding the manufacturer or importer, especially if they have been purchased by or merged with another company. If all else fails and you need to determine the safe capacities for a boat without a Capacity Plate, information is available from an American Boat and Yacht Council publication “Rules and Regulations for Recreational Boats”.

If there is no capacity plate on a single hull boat under 20 feet, use the following formula as a guide to determine the maximum number of persons you can safely carry in calm weather:

Max Number of Persons = (Boat Length X Boat Width)/15

You could also try doing an internet search for someone looking to sell the same model and ask them to send you a picture of the capacity plate."

So the process so far has been to use the Link provided by Scott Danforth
HP calculations (sumarized) https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...-sec183-53.xml

other boat building CFR codes https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...l2-part183.xml

And the "Rules and Regulations for Recreational Boats" and compare that to what little bits of data I can find, roll all that up and smoke it. (kidding) Hopefully at the end the replacement capacity plate will be favoring the conservative side of safe boating.
Thanks again for your comments.

 

[awallace]

awallace . I've been to Labrador. How many hours of boating do you Down Homers get in NW Labrador?

edit: oops another stupid ??? How many Moose crossings on your river?

Inland waterways are open from the end of the 1st week in June till mid October ish. So with fishing, back and forth to the camp etc probably a hundred hours in a good year. Not so many moose in Labrador West, I've probably only seen 25 or so in 40+ years. As we get older and retire we get lots of time to go boating but lack of funds to do as much as we might want. cheers

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Inland waterways are open from the end of the 1st week in June till mid October ish. So with fishing, back and forth to the camp etc probably a hundred hours in a good year. Not so many moose in Labrador West, I've probably only seen 25 or so in 40+ years. As we get older and retire we get lots of time to go boating but lack of funds to do as much as we might want. cheers

Down here in Southern Ontario where we have palm trees growing on the beaches of Lake Erie we can get out as early as March up until today if winds are quiet. I have a fishing pal who is 75 that fishes in his boat 12 months of the year. Even when all the lakes are frozen over he fishes the lower Niagara River. Getting the boat in and out of the ramp is the tricky part as he sometimes has to break up the ice to get the trailer in. 75 years old!!!! A few winters ago he found too much ice at the ramp at The Niagara one January morning. His solution was to cross the border and drive far enough south until he found open water, North Carolina is where he launched first. He's my Hero.