Max # of Passangers

[Don Crowther]

Could someone tell me where I would find the maximum # of passangers I can have onboard?

I know from my powerboat days that there is a placard on the transom stating the max. horsepower and max. weight (pax.) allowed onboard. I havn't seen anything like that on my Hunter.

If there isn't any guidelines don't you think there should be? If you only have sitting for 6 should that be the max.? Or if you have berths for 7 should that be the max.

I did try a search but got no matches.
Once again thanks in advance
Don

 

[Ross]

When your cockpit drains start to back flood then you are definitely over capacity. Remember at least one PFD for each passenger.

 

[higgs]

You will not find such a placard on a boat like yours. It is really up to the discretion of the skipper. Of course you need PFDs, but beyond that it is your call. i am sure the CG can pull you over and ticket you if they feel you are overloaded.

I have had up to 10 aboard my 34 for a light wind sail. There was not enough room in the cockpit for everyone and some had to sit on the cabin top. In those conditions for a day sail, and with a stable weather, I would have been ok with a few more. We are talking here about winds of less than 8 kts so it was basically a drifter on flat seas.

On the other hand, in winds that will heel me, I prefer no more than a half a dozen and find 4 or less ideal.

Every boat is different. This is a judgement call and is part of what skippering a boat is all about.

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

Another thing to consider is whether the cockpit gets so crowded that you and your crew can not move around effectively. What about routine tacking and jibing? Then again, what if the weather kicks up and you have to quickly reef or take down a sail? On my 39 foot boat, I like 6 or less, including me.

 

[Ron20324]

This goes way back in my almost-depleted memory bank, but I recall (from a Coast Guard Course maybe?) boat length in feet, times the beam, divided by 15 is the max number of people. As in 15 square feet per-person. You might do that for the fireworks show close by, but it is certainly not the way you'd safely count heads. We had 39 people on a 40-foot boat, but it was in a slip for happy hour. My boat has a stamped-metal manufacturers notice in the cockpit with the number of people, but I think their 6 on a 32-foot boat is not proper.

 

[Stu Jackson]

This comes up about once a year

and there isn't that pb requirement for boats like yours. I forget what the regs say, but the CG website is a handy place to start looking.

 

[sailingdog]

It really depends on the boat, the weather and the skipper.

One of my sister boats had 12 or 14 people aboard for an afternoon day sail. That's on a 28' boat. Of course, it wasn't so bad once they were out on the water, since the boat is 18' wide...and there's far more deck space to spread out on, since the amas are decked and there are nets between the amas and the main hull. He did say it got a bit crowded when they had to retract the amas to put the boat back in the slip.

Personally, I wouldn't want that many people on my boat. My limit is probably 5 or 6 people aboard...since that is how many can comfortably fit in the cockpit or sit in the cabin. The longer the trip, the fewer the people I can stand...

 

[Ross]

There was a whale watcher boat out one day years ago, whales were spoted and all of the passengers rushed to one side to look and capsized the boat. If you can load them like cargo and be sure that the cargo doesn't shift you can carry more than if they are free to move about.

 

[paulj]

May want to take a look here and review some boating stuff.

http://www.boatingbasicsonline.com/course/boating/3_7.php


paulj :troll:

 

[Don Crowther]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]I found this on the web site that Paulj sent. So it would appear that both paulj and ron20324 are right. If my math is correct then I could carry up to 20 pax. I think that 6-7 is more that enough. Besides that all the pfd's I have onboard. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]U.S. Coast Guard accident statistics show that capsizing and falls overboard are the most reported types of fatal accidents and accounted for over half of all boating fatalities. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Also that most of the males found had their zippers undone![/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Formulas for Safe Loading[/FONT]​

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Horsepower Capacity
for small, flat-bottom boats:
Multiply boat length (ft) times transom width (ft)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Person Capacity:
Average weight per person is 150 lbs.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]If answer is:
35 or less
36-39
40-42
43-45
46-52[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Maximum HP is:
3
5
7.5
10
15[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica](Boat length
X
Boat width)
15[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]=
Number of
people[/FONT]​

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Note: for flat bottom, hard chine boats, with an answer of 52 or less, reduce one increment (e.g. 5 to 3)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Boat length and width are measured in feet. Round fractions down to next lower number.[/FONT]​

[/FONT]

 

[RECESS]

Yikes,

By the calculation (Boat Length X Boat width)/15 I come up with 13-14 people on my 25. That thought is just scary.

On my sailboat I will stick with about the number of people it is designed to sleep is a comfortable number of people that will be on it. That is about 6 for me and maybe a few children.

 

[Ross]

I can provide drinks for 6, food for 4, and can sleep 2 comfortably and 3 if they are very good friends.

 

[sailingdog]

My friend says something similar about his C&C 38—"Sails 6, feeds 4, sleeps 2" and I think he's about right...

I can provide drinks for 6, food for 4, and can sleep 2 comfortably and 3 if they are very good friends.

 

[Mike B]

Usually it's associated with the rating for the boat, e.g. A, B, C. If you don't have the rating plaque then try asking Hunter. If that fails have you considered matching what new model, same length Hunters are currently rated at? If you're looking for a safety factor I don't think you'll go wrong it matching with current models, even if a competitive branda. BTW based on a previous 31' boat I'd say a max of 6 is about right.

 

[Ross]

Loading between 900 and 1200 pounds into the cockpit on any boat under 40 feet is going to seriously change the trim. 1000 pounds of provisions carefully stowed below deck causes Bietzpadlin to sit an inch deeper in the pond. Put all of that load in the cockpit and I would be down by the stern.

 

[David in Sandusky]

Sailboats are not flat bottomed!

I think the Coast Guard is talking about flat bottomed power boats.

With our heavy keels, sailboats would shed passengers before they capsized. So the question is, what are the goals and conditions.

There is a great story on the web about a sailboat rescuing over 30 people at a time after the tsunami in Thailand. In that case, we could load the boat to the point where flooding over the gunnels is a danger.

On a day with moderate winds on Sandusky Bay, we can handle around 9 with comfort on our 27 footer: 4 in the cockpit, three on the cabin roof or the rail, and a couple on the bow. If things got nasty, we could put 4 below, and have a good crew on deck of five: two in the cockpit, and three on the rail.

A lot depends on the mobility and sailing savvy of the crew. Crew who know what they are doing will find a good place to be whatever the conditions. They will go below if needed. In 20 knots of wind, the boat will sail better with 5 on the rail!

While we can sleep 5 in comfort, 4 is a practical limit for cruising, due to storage limits. And the 4 better be good friends, or family!

We have good room for three while cruising. This is optimum for sail handling, look-out, and ease in assignments under way.

Th Admiral and I have been out for over a month together, and feel there is not much limit on how long we could cruise together on Lady Lillie. But we have met others who would find her cramped for two.

Our rule is that all where PFD's under way, but we have a good supply of inflatables, and foam models.

 

[Ron20324]

As far as a practical application of how many people you can put on a boat, ask any Haitian captain who has made it to Miami- if you can find one.

 

[sailingdog]

Speak for yourself... I don't got no stinkin' heavy keel on my boat...

...With our heavy keels, sailboats would shed passengers before they capsized. So the question is, what are the goals and conditions....

 

[Benny]

Manufacturers of boats 20' or over do not have to certify nor give notice of maximum number of passagers for the craft. It is the boat's operator responsibility to use common sense and not to overload a boat for the conditions. The USCG or State officials may use their judgement as to what may constitute overloading.