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If the plate says "5 people OR 750 pounds", does this mean you can have 6 people on the boat as long as the total weight is below 750 pounds?

Can you have 900 pounds on the boat as long as you have 5 people or less?

I am confused by the "OR" on the plate.

Any links to official sites that would clarify this would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Chris

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About a week ago my son, his family and the neighbor family were out on the boat (2007 Montauk 170). Four adults and 5 children. Approx. total weight #1000 lb. Owners manual states 1650 lb (Passangers, motor, equip, etc,). The capacity plate says 7 persons or 1100+ lbs. Not sure exactly on the weight but 1100+ lbs. Son was told he was overloaded and was required to put two people ashore.

In checking the regs. I looked at my states boating rules (Wyoming) and noted it mentioned the two limits (persons or weight) and put importance on which limit was reached first. In my son's case, although he was in Colorado, the number of passengers limit was reached before the weight limit. I'm not sure if that's how it works in other states but it appears to be the rule out here.

Ron

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surfside,

Take a look at the capacity plate on the left sidebar.
If we look at the very first line, it states and I quote: "MAXIMUM CAPACITIES"

So, the Maximum "Persons" you are allowed onboard is "5".... That seems straight forward...
I know the rest of it is sort of confusing so let's take a look at the other ratings.

5 Persons or 645 lbs..... (taken from the capacity plate on the left sidebar)
This to me means, "Whichever comes first"...
1. 5 persons less that 645 pounds total weight
or
2. 645 pounds of persons but no more than 5 persons. (that could mean 3 people at 215 pounds each = 645 lbs.)

If we put 5 people on board that all weigh 200 lbs each, that is 1000 lbs....
We would be over the capacity plate specifications for the weight of the persons onboard.
Might get in trouble here if the inspector has a scale for weighing people with them but then if you have 5 people onboard, they might not bother.

The total maximum weight capacity stated is 1,055 lbs for Persons, Motor, and Gear.....
Right off the top of this weight capacity, we have to figure in how much the motor weighs.
A 1985 Evinrude 70 hp weighs in at 250 lbs...
If we deduct 250 pounds from the 1,055 total, we have 805 pounds left for 5 people and/or gear...
This 805 lbs is obviously more than stated in sentence 2 which says 645 lbs for persons...
So, yes, this is still a little confusing... I assume they are always counting on you have some gear aboard.

Maybe someone can point us to something more legal, but I would think you would be alright if you have:
1. 5 Persons on board.
Legally, the 5 persons should not weigh more than a total of the 645 pounds listed although possibly up to 805 pounds if you have no other gear aboard and have a 70hp Evinrude.
or
2. 1055 pounds total... Persons, Motor, Gear....
This would be the maximum according to the capacity plate.

Anyone else have any other thoughts or links to the legal interpretations?

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The USCG Boating Safety website might answer some of your question.

http://www.uscgboating.org/about/faqs...tions.aspx

It states that the USCG has "NO REGULATION against exceeding the safe loading capacity".

They qualify this with "There is a Coast Guard regulation that gives Coast Guard Boarding Officers the power to terminate the use of a boat (send it back to shore) if, in the judgment of the Boarding Officer, the boat is overloaded."

They also do not consider it a violation to exceed the max horsepower. But there may be state regulations to cover this.

It goes on to state that capacity plates are only required on boats less than 20'.

I take it that the capacities are a "rules of thumb" type of thing. All the while keep in mind that one should investigate state regulations and don't forget about how insurance companies view this.

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Thanks for your quick responses!! wywhaler - Your experience is exactly what I am worried about. I have 3 small kids.





Joe Kriz - I don't see the capacity plate as straight forward as you do. The plate lists several maximums. They are listed one by one and obviously if any of them are exceeded, then you are in violation. If the capacity rules are as you stated above, why wouldn't they just be listed in order as the others are on the plate?

Example:

645 pounds
5 people
1,055 pounds persons, motor, gear
70 h.p. motor

The fact that they moved the 645 pounds and 5 people on one line and included an "OR", implies that these two capacities are not treated the same. Am I making sense?

One boat dealer told me the weight is the overiding factor - another dealer said it was the way you interpreted it, another said these are just guidelines. Basically, I don't feel like anyone is exactly sure.

Thanks!

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surfside,

I did not mean to imply that the entire Capacity Plate was "straight forward", only the amount of persons listed seems to be straight forward.

Like I mentioned above, if the capacity plate says 5 persons, then you shouldn't have anymore than 5 persons onboard.
wywhaler above also states that the authorities made them take 2 persons out of the boat as the boat was only rated for 7 persons.

I don't think any authority is going to weigh all the people although anything is possible.
As Mike mentions above, I would check with your state or county authorities if you want to go by the their book.

As far as I am concerned, and this is strictly my opinion, I go by the number of persons on the capacity plate first. I don't think anyone will bother me if I don't exceed the number of persons on the capacity plate. I have never been checked for total weight onboard. They have checked me for only the safety gear required, life vests, horn or whistle, registration, fire extinguisher (this if for 17' and larger vessels in my state), flares (if more than a mile from any shoreline), and throw cushion or ring.

Do you plan on exceeding the maximum weight at anytime?
Even if we do exceed the maximum weight, how is anyone going to know?

I'm glad you brought this question up as it might help people understand a little more about the capacity plate. I guess the only way any of us will know for sure is to contact our local authorities.

For me personally, I will not exceed the number of persons that is stated on the capacity plate.
Something I always have to remember when I am bringing extra people onboard, is that I also need to have enough life vests for everyone. That is the biggest and most important thing that I need to remember. The authorities will give you a citation if you don't have enough life preservers for everyone, and of course, safety comes first.

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Hi, Just my 2 cents: These capacities are GUIDELINES required by the feds for boat mfgs. Above all, never break the persons capacity. It's more for safety than anything else. Too much weight? Again, safety: riding too low on the water can get you swamped. Too much horse power? Ever watch a new inexperienced driver
operate a 500hp Porsche?
Remember, going over the capacities may not be illegal, but it's not safe and if an accident does occur, the law, lawyers, and insurance companies may see it differently

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I am new to the site - seems like a very helpful group.

Thanks guys.