Capacity on 404

[Aimhii]

Hi All:

Cannot find the capacity / Weight / Passenger Capacity on my boat.

Anyone know where to look or how many passengers or weight allowed on a 2001 404?

[waybomb]

You'll probably have to call Carver. On boats over 20', no nameplate is required. Passenger count is based on stability, as designed by the engineers.

Just so long as they all don't get on one side of the boat, you can hold more than you'd want to bring.

I've had about 20 on my 4207 for a fireworks show via water, and never again. Landlubbers just don't understand it is just gelcoat on top of fiberglass! So we limit it to a max of 6 or so, with a bit of an instruction class by me.

[Aimhii]

Hi -
Carver no longer in business .... No luck

[waybomb]

? Unless they went out of business within the last few days, they are still mixing up resins in Pulaski, Wisconsin.

"www.carveryachts.com"

[AaHubb]

Hi Aimhii, Your 404 is yacht certified so does not have a listed weight limit. You are however required by Coast Guard regs to operate your vessel in a safe and prudent manner. Legal talk for if the captain thinks it is overloaded then it is, or if the Coast Guard thinks it is then it definitely is. Or as waybomb found out it will hold more than you would want onboard.
..Aaron

[Lyndon670]

Anyone know where to look or how many passengers or weight allowed on a 2001 404

Your question concerns me....if you have to ask, its probably too many....

[Ramsport47]

Hi -
Carver no longer in business .... No luck

Carver is still in business in Pulaski Wisconsin. I just talked to Bret Temple in the service department yesterday. They have just come out with their 4th new boat in the C series and are working on the 5th as well as still making the Marquis line of high end yachts. They do, however, operate under the Marquis name now instead of Carver

[Aimhii]

You are right....They are now Marquis....Still cannot find anyone who knows the answer.

Every Vessel should have a Buoyancy / Load line spec to show safe loading and C of G tolerances and every Commercial Vessel must have one on board.

Thus the reason I am asking if anyone has reference to where this info may be obtained?

[Lyndon670]

Commercial vessels yes, doesn't apply to us.

From the Coast Gaurd site, here is the formula:

Boat Capacities

Before you can load your family and friends onto your boat, you have to understand the number of people and amount of weight you can safely take. This amount is called the gross load capacity of your boat. If you load more on your boat than it was designed to handle, the boat may become unstable. And no matter how hot the weather is, you don't want your boat to capsize. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, capsizing and falls overboard are the most reported types of fatal accidents and account for over half of all boating fatalities. You need to be especially careful when loading small boats that are less than 16 feet in length.

Your boat should have a capacity plate that tells you how many persons or pounds you can have on the boat. Manufacturers typically assume the weight of each person to be 150 pounds, so if you are taking small children or heavier adults, you need to adjust the number of people you can take. The capacity plate will also tell you the horsepower recommendations.


Sample capacity plates

Usually, you can see the capacity plate in the steering or helm area. Never remove or alter the capacity plate on your boat.


Typical location of the capacity plate

Boats over 26 feet long are not required to have a capacity plate. If your boat does not have a capacity plate, you can figure out how many people can safely board your boat with a simple calculation:

Boat length (ft) x boat width (ft) = no. of people
15

For example, if your boat is 30 feet long and 10 feet wide, the equation is:

30 ft x 10 ft = 20 people
15

How much you can load on your boat also depends on the design of the boat: its hull volume, hull dimension, and the weight of the engine, among other things. The number of seats on the boat does not necessarily indicate how many people can safely ride in the boat.

Even though federal laws do not prohibit exceeding the maximum capacities listed on your boat's capacity plate, many state laws do.

The load recommendations that come with your boat assume good weather conditions. If there's any chance the weather will be less than ideal, don't load your boat to capacity.

Once you get everyone and everything loaded onto your boat, make sure the load is balanced throughout the boat. And remember, if you allow people to move around on the boat, their moving positions will change the balance of the boat, which may make the boat more difficult to maneuver.

[Aimhii]

Hi Lyndon:

Appreciate the info....I am aware of this as well.


Just because a boat is over 20 or 26' that does not require a capacity plate, does not make one revert to pen and paper load calculations.
Transport Canada won't accept my calculations on a piece of paper, due to liability issues if I accept remuneration aboard my vessel. In fact I am required to provide this document by Transport in order to obtain a Commercial registration as does any other vessel. Any vessel can be used for commercial purposes. Just because my vessel is a "Cruiser" doesn't mean I cannot do so. BTW you state make sure your load is balanced.......Thats my point.....How Can I do that without knowing where the C of G or Limit lines are?

Thus why I ask for any experienced boaters who have run into this?

Sitting in court showing lawyers how I came up with my load calculations using your method, will probably land me in a heap of trouble after the boat capsizes.