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Capacity Question
Hello All,
I am a relatively new boat owner, had it for one season up at a lake in Wisconsin, its a used 24 inch 2008 SSX 236 Chaparral Bow Rider. The capacity plate states that I can have 12 persons or 1600 LBS which seems a little off to me seeing as each person would need to be 133 lbs if i had all 12 onboard. I have a family weekend coming up and was looking for opinions from people with experience about going over that max weight of 1600. I should have about 11 people onboard but I'm sure the weight will be closer to 2000 rather than 1600. Thanks in advance. |
You have to admit that those load stipulations make you wonder . It would be very hard , in today's world , to find 12 adults who total 1600lb and no-where is it ever explained that it's an average total . You have to figure out such things for yourself .
Now , I bet that there's no warning anywhere that your 12 person/1600lb limit should also be balanced , not all up on the bow , as an example. I've seen some boats with a load of people on them but the biggest concern is that everyone is where they should be to keep things upright and level. I once had about 10 people on a 19 footer but it was safely balanced and there was a ton of reserve bouyancy left . The manufacturers are always looking for ways to eliminate their liability . |
its goofy i'll admit, but from what i remember reading once, the capacity plates are still being rated on old standards....meaning the weight of an average person being 150lbs....so the 1600lb limit is cargo weight you can have on the boat...that and the weight of the driver (150lbs) would give you a total weight capacity of 1750lbs...so 1750 divided by 12 (Person limit including driver) would give you 145.8 or close enough to the 150lb standard...they really need to re-evaluate the way they do it based on today's "average" weight person...
Most coaties i've dealt with really don't bother looking at the plate unless you are grossly overloaded they do care about how many life vests you have on board though! :) |
12 people on a 24 inch boat seems like a lot to me! :D On a 24 foot boat, if the plate says 12 people and max 1,600 lbs then that's probably ok but personally, I'd think she'd be awfully crowded. Use common sense and run the boat with 6-8 people a few times and see how she feels. If you fill the bow area with 5-6 people it's got to affect the ride and handling. I used to own a 27' Sea Ray SLX bowrider and I've had 12 adults on board but there wasn't much room to move, she was slow getting on the plane (unless we had half of the passengers up front) she lacked acceleration significantly and just felt like a big old cruiser instead of a sports/crossover type boat. It's nice to have a bit of power up your sleeve to move quickly if necessary but with 1,600 lbs onboard, it's going to make a big difference to everything you do. Enjoy your boat but go easy at first. RR . |
My 28' seats 5 in the cockpit and potentially six more easily in the cabin. Generally speaking four onboard is enough, and 5-6 is crowded from my point of view. The CG doesnt determine the capacity per se, the builder does using this formula Number of people = vessel length (ft.) x vessel width (ft.) ÷ 15. This has nothing to do with sea-worthiness. Common sense would keep the load low enough that you can handle a big cruisers wake with no concern. What if everyone decides to look over the same side at the same time?
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By law, there’s no set load weights or horsepower limits on any hull over 20 feet long. The manufacturer can suggest limits on hp and/ or weight and put that on a plate in the boat but the requirement for that plate ends at 20 feet. For example, DCB will build you a 31 foot wide body cat with twin Mercury 1350’s. Skater built a 32 wide cat with twin Eddie Young high horsepower blower motors. Howard built a 28 Bullet with 1200 hp and the list goes on. The responsibility for passenger loading rest with the boat captain. He should use his experience and common sense to match the load to the specific boat and weather and water conditions. A 21 Cobalt can safely carry 10 passengers in 2-3 ft water. Put the same load in a 21 foot Eliminator in 2-3 foot water and I doubt that the boat would have very little if any freeboard. |
1600lbs up here would be approx 7 people. I'm sure less people in some groups.:(
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1600 pounds is my ex-wife and 3 of her friends....
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Over here, 1600 lbs is me, 14 scrawny Thai chicks and 50-60 envious male onlookers at the dock. :) |
I've run 12 people in a 24ft sea ray deck boat rated for 12 people. I got pulled over too......life jackets for all was all they required. Just need to be extra carefull. Recommend subtracting one person from capacity for coolers and gear. Make sure the weight is evenly distributed. You will need to move some people around and they will look at you like your an a**hole, but F'em, safety first. Don't bother if it's too rough.
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