During the recent holidays, this subject came up on one of the boating forums. (I have no idea which one it was and I have spent too much time trying to find it.)<br /><br />What I am referring to is the label, plate, placard, what ever you want to call it, that is found on many boats specifying the maximum horse power the maximum load and the maximum number of persons allow on board. <br /><br />I checked some of the Coast Guard web sites and sent an e-mail to one of them asking about this subject. Today I received the following reply <br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />The placards to which you refer seem, by your description, to be Capacity<br />Labels that are required by 33CFR183 Subpart B. You can review the<br />regulations at<br />"http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/boatbuilder/part1/reg33_183_2a.htm"<br />Capacity labels are required on boats less than 20 feet in length. Hence no<br />requirement for your 24 foot boat. These regulations apply to recreational<br />boat manufacturers, not owners or operators. Technically there is no<br />federal requirement for an owner to maintain the label. However, it is<br />often used as reference by law enforcement officers. Since the label are<br />installed by the manufacturer, replacement of your weathered label is beyond<br />our capability. You might wish to contact the original builder, if<br />possible. In some cases they are able to provide a replacement. Some<br />states; e.g. Pennsylvania, have systems for issuing state capacity labels. <br />If you can read your label, or know the values it contained, you can<br />fabricate a replacement label.<br />-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
