LOADING YOUR BOAT
Boating|January/February 2023
Control of people and weight ensures safety and better handling.
Kevin Falvey
LOADING YOUR BOAT

First off, never exceed the capacity rating of your boat. Even if it's the Fourth of July, your cousins are in town, or it's just a short trip to the sandbar, don't risk lives by overloading your boat. Find the capacities, listed in pounds and in persons, engraved or imprinted upon a plaque or sticker located near the helm. Know that for the purposes of capacity, a person equals 150 pounds. So, if your linebacker-size uncle fishes with you, count him as two people.

Some boats carry a yacht certification or otherwise lack a capacity plate. If you own one, apply this formula: The recommended number of people equals boat length (in feet) times boat width (in feet) divided by 15.

This story is from the January/February 2023 edition of Boating.

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This story is from the January/February 2023 edition of Boating.

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