Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

[H20Rat]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

Having 10 people on a boat is never fun even if it's a 30 footer , on my 21 pursuit even though it's rated for more I never have more than four people it's just a cluster and nobody can enjoy themselves. On another note my 13ft whaler has the same "person" capacity as my 175 Aquasport , just use common sense.

Had 10 people on my boat this summer, it was a blast!!! Keep in mind this is a 26' pontoon with capacity for 16. And no, there was not enough seating, we had 2 folding chairs set up also, but still more than enough room. (so yes, it is possible to have more capacity than seating)

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

Great point about the flat deck barges compared to a 60' off shore racing boat with seating for 6 only. The rest of the capacity is taken up by machinery, a porta poty and a bow bed.

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

Just get another capacity plate on eBay. Sounds like another boat is in your future.

LK

 

[Blake0912]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

It's just my opinion I prefer to have as much free/walking around room as possible , But I only use fishing boats in the gulf/bays.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

For commercial vessel capacity, the USCG recently changed the "average" person to 185lbs....so that 141lbs that they use for recreational vessels is a load of garbage.

The way "around" this is recreational vessels that are over 5 net tons and therefore don't have a capacity plate.

Honestly though, the question shouldn't be "will I get fined", it should be "am I safe". If you're exceeding the rated carrying capacity of the vessel, you aren't. Sortof like towing a 15k lb trailer behind your half ton pickup. Can you? Sure. Will you get fined? Doubtful. Should you? Absolutely not! As the captain of a vessel.....any vessel.....you have a responsibility for the safety of the occupants. At the end of the day that's what really matters.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

It seems like every time I have a bunch of people on my boat I get stopped, I think its one of those things the local water Police have pegged as a High Priority, I have never been found to be over the stated limits of my boat and have never been ticketed for being so, in both Utah and Colorado, so I think if I were to give you any advice I would tell you to make sure you were within the stated limitations of your placard, I can tell you that every time I was a potential customer the placard was verified by the Police. I have never had an issue, of course every time I was visiting with the Police they did a full safety check on my boat as well so don't forget that either!!

Just be careful and remember that if you and two other boats are on the water, and one of those other boats is the Police your likely to have a visit so make sure to have your ducks in order and remember they are just doing their job.

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

How big of boat are we talking here? Anyone know?

LK

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

Lipp

That sounds like someone borrowed your boat & created a complaint several times. Or somebody insulted a police inspection.

Or you have a big racy high powered offshore racer running loud exhausts when no police are around.

The boat or someone has caused you to be on the constant check it out list.

Smart butts with the USCG get checked more often. Hidding people or happy hour ? There is a reason. I have a New Jersey boats in New York waters all summer. fish & game checked my license. They asked about my boats safety equipment. I told them I am equipped as a 16' & over boat. Hand wave from them & 15 years later neither of my N J boats are checked again in N Y

Boats get picked on for a reason. Your boat might look just like another boat causing problems. A visiting Hell raiser & you are IT now.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

LOL big high powered (I wish it were racier) Bowrider that does about 60 at Powell, heck Brother I don't know what it is but it attracts attention for a 12 year old Boat

The thing is it just makes sense to load my boat and make a run from Bullfrog 50 miles to Rainbow bridge instead of taking two or three boats and wasting twice the gas, and if I can haul 10 or 12 passengers comfortably and go 55-60 MPH why the heck not right? oh yeah because the POPO's gonna check me out!!

Last time I asked him if he was happy that I stopped so he could catch up, I'm pretty happy he was in a good mood......

 

[ewenm]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

my 17 foot bow rider was a marked capacity of 7 people or x weight (cant remember) but i have to say that 4 slim adults is enough.

7 slim adults would be a squeeze and ONLY to get from A to B in very good conditions, i advice would be to use common sense.

and the advisory plate as the upper limit.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

..... logistically, it can be done where the number of persons is above the capacity plate BUT the weight isn't.

And that would be considered unsafe according to the law and subject to legal action.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

It seems like every time I have a bunch of people on my boat I get stopped,....I can tell you that every time I was a potential customer the placard was verified by the Police. I have never had an issue, of course every time I was visiting with the Police they did a full safety check on my boat as well so don't forget that either!!

They must really like you!

Back East we can request a voluntary inspection at the beginning of the season or at the first on-water inspection that you pass, they give you a nice sticker to place on the Port side windshield.

Once you have the sticker, unless your are doing something to draw their attention, the routine inspections become a thing of the past.

 

[briangcc]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

And that would be considered unsafe according to the law and subject to legal action.

And why would that be unsafe? A 50 lb child is not the same as a 250lb adult. The boat will not be over loaded at that instance. The capacity is one or the other - not both. The operator on the plate is "OR".

That being said, again its not something I would do but it is within the confines of the capacity plate.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

And why would that be unsafe? A 50 lb child is not the same as a 250lb adult. The boat will not be over loaded at that instance. The capacity is one or the other - not both. The operator on the plate is "OR".

That being said, again its not something I would do but it is within the confines of the capacity plate.

Unsafe according to the law... Law is rarely based on common sense. The tricky part is that sometimes you find an experienced officer who plainly sees you are not unsafe being one person over, but well under the weight limit. But then the next time you get the guy fresh out of school who goes by the exact letter of the law, no matter how insane it may be.

In reality, the person count has NOTHING to do with safety. Its to keep people from having to weigh themselves and try to figure it out from there. People suck at basic math, so having someone try to figure out what 1275 pounds capacity divided by what they think is their average person weight, say 175 pounds, isn't a good scenario.

So here is a what if for anyone that thinks the people count has anything to do with safety... Lets say you have a bowrider, 17 foot, with 7 person capacity. Why is it entirely legal for a 21 year old who has had three beer to take out that boat with 6 young kids on board? Legal in all states, as long as he is under .08. But now lets say it is 2 couples with 2 kids each, with 4 of the parents certified life guards... They are over the person count by one. Are they more unsafe than the first case? Yeah, i don't think so. In the eyes of the law, they are absolutely a disaster waiting to happen, and deserve to be stopped instantly. The first case, let him go, he is fine.

Yes, those are two hand picked examples, but they demonstrate the letter of the law vs common sense. They often aren't the same.

Lastly, just remove the capacity plate! At that point officers have to use common sense. (may or may not be legal in your area, check first)

 

[colbyt]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

And why would that be unsafe? A 50 lb child is not the same as a 250lb adult. The boat will not be over loaded at that instance. The capacity is one or the other - not both. The operator on the plate is "OR".

That being said, again its not something I would do but it is within the confines of the capacity plate.

Actually it is not within the capacity plate. It is people or weight.

I honestly do not know the reasoning but I highly suspect it is what is called "live load" in the construction trade. Live things move about; the stability of a boat depends upon weight distribution. A fifty pound child who moves about can wreck more havoc on boat stability that a 300 pounder who is experienced enough to sit very still.

Maybe here, somewhere online for sure, I read an reputed humorous quote from a sheriff, "It's a little hard to weigh them in the boat even if we wanted to carry a scale. Most of my deputies can read numbers and count".

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

colbyt has a example I saw last spring in shallow 10' deep water @ 55 F. overloaded 20' boat with a cabin. Dog fell off the boat & EVERYONE is yelling & waving frantically at the dog on the SAME SIDE of the boat. It took several minutes before the boat could be controlled enough to get the dog.

Good thing most of the woman were skinny.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

And why would that be unsafe? A 50 lb child is not the same as a 250lb adult. The boat will not be over loaded at that instance. The capacity is one or the other - not both. The operator on the plate is "OR".

That being said, again its not something I would do but it is within the confines of the capacity plate.

The last thing I'd want to do is bend the rules with children or the elderly aboard.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

And why would that be unsafe? A 50 lb child is not the same as a 250lb adult. The boat will not be over loaded at that instance. The capacity is one or the other - not both. The operator on the plate is "OR".

That being said, again its not something I would do but it is within the confines of the capacity plate.

as it is written.... do not exceed x persons OR x lbs....... It does not say do not exceed both but one is ok.....
same as a warranty on a car 3 years OR 30,000 miles.... exceed either one and it's over

 

[64osby]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

Saw a boat this last summer when we were anchored / swimming at one of the local lakes.

It was a 16 - 17ft open bow, there were 5 adults and 6 kids on board, kids appeared to be 12 and under by their size. The boat was just idling as it past by. The water was within 8" of the top of the gunwall. Not a life jacket to be seen.:faint2:

I couldn't believe it. A wake wave from my boat could have swamped them. I tried to get a picture but wasn't quick enough on the draw.

They ended up anchoring and letting the kids swim for a short time. I think someone else said something to them because they pulled up to the nearest dock and offloaded half the people. Came back later empty and picked them back up.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Over loading boats above the capacity plate max?

I see that all summer with 700' freighters going by them. Do not worry.