I have a 6 teenagers and 2 other adults who want to sail on the lake. Can i take 8 passengers? The boat has a fixed keel and keel-stepped mast.
Thanks to everyone. Yeah, I had a really bizarre request. We've pared it down to a total of 6 people, which I know the boat can accommodate. The strange thing is: my registration paper says capacity of 13 and I know that can't be right. There is no number posted on the starboard hull near the transom, nor "OR" either so I'm probably not legal. The Iowa regs clearly state that the figure on the hull needs to be same as the registration. Perhaps I'll just do nothing and not try to get 6 teenagers together for any purpose!I have a 6 teenagers and 2 other adults who want to sail on the lake. Can i take 8 passengers? The boat has a fixed keel and keel-stepped mast.
That only refers to powerboats anyway. I guess that sailors are expected to have more "commonsense" <GRIN!>A capacity label is only required on boats 20 feet or less, so your 23 won't have one. It's all judgement after that, and pretty much if the LEO thinks you're overloaded, you're overloaded.
This formula puts my capacity at (39x12.5)/15 = 32. At 180# average x 32 we have 5760#, more than a third of my rated displacement!! This suggests that I could load safely the boat with two and a half tons of stores and supplies. One hundred gallons of water would take up 800 of those pounds.I’m no expert on this but my state (NY) is phasing in requirements that all operators complete a boater safety course within the next five years or so. One segment of that course addresses this issue directly and cites USCG formula for passengers on a vessel without a capacity plate as follows: Length x Width / 15
I don’t know the exact beam of your boat, but I would assume it’s at least 7’ so based on the above formula, your 23’ could *legally* take on 10 (which feels a little crazy!) It seems wise to consider not just what is legal but what is responsible, safe, and enjoyable. It may be worth knowing this calculation for all skippers, (for aid in rescue scenario?) but as we all know, there are so many variables—especially for sailboats.