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Federal
Requirements and Safety Tips for Recreational Boats
Overloading
Never overload your boat with passengers
and cargo beyond its safe carrying capacity. Too many people
and/or gear will cause the boat to become unstable. Always
balance the load so that the boat maintains proper trim. Here
are some things to remember when loading your boat:
- Distribute the load evenly fore
and aft and from side to side.
- Keep the load low.
- Keep passengers seated (Do not stand
up in a small boat!).
- Fasten gear to prevent shifting.
- Do not exceed the "U.S. Coast
Guard Maximum Capacities" information label (commonly
called the Capacity Plate).
- If there is no capacity plate, use
the following chart as a guide to determine the maximum
number of persons you can safely carry in calm weather.
(The chart is applicable only to mono-hull boats less than
20ft in length.) A mono-hull is a boat, which makes a single
"footprint" in the water when loaded to its rated
capacity. For example, a catamaran, trimaran, or a pontoon
boat is not a mono-hull boat.
| Number of People = (Length of
Boat X Boat Width) |
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15 |
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