Weight Capacity Lable

[suburfish]

Dose anybody have or could send me a picture of the offical weight capacity sticker of of a 1980 montmogery wards 12' v boat, I know the mfg. was sea nymph, but they have been sold out twice and now own by Godfrey inc. The vin number is SEAE5179m80E Overall length is 12'1" Beam is 55" Transom Height 15.1/2" I need to prove this to Mr. Barney Fiffe (Park Ranger).

He said 300lbs max I know the sticker said over 500lbs I think it should be around 550 or 560 I have done the US Coast Gaurd formula which equals 540lbs, I would like to see it in writing so I can make a new tag

Thank you
Suburfish

 

[CaptNCamille]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

I agree with you. Calculating it yourself, with the USCG formula.

The number of people = the vessel length in feet times the vessel width in feet divided by 15

Your boat is 12 feet long and 4.5 feet wide, your boat's capacity would be 3.6 passengers.

To figure out the passenger weight capacity is to take the formula above and figure out the number of people and then multiply by the average weight of 150 pounds per person. For your boat, the weight capacity of the boat would be 540 pounds.

I think barney needs to demonstrate to you how he arrives at 300#.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/boatbuilder/safeloading_landing.htm

 

[jasper60103]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

I wanted to know the capacity rating for my crestliner, which changed companies a couple times over the years.
Fortunately, when I called they were able to provide a copy of an old
sales brochure with the specs.
You may want to give the mfg a try.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

Failure to display a capacity plate is a violation in itself!

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

I bought a used boat without a capacity plate that was one of the last built before the manufacturer's assets were purchased by another company. By looking in the USCG's MIC database, I was able to find a contact and called the new owner's warranty department. They told what they had but it did not include the specifications or capacities. However, they did put me in touch with the owner of the original company who asked me to put my request in writing with the HIN and promised to look through his old records. He responsed that a plant fire had destroyed the records for my boat but his former marketing guy still had some info in his personal files at another location. Once I made that contact, a capacity plate was obtained. All these people were very helpful. They seemed proud of the fact that someone was trying to save an old boat they had built. Good luck!

 

[Ike-110722]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

I received many questions like this one while working in the Boating Safety Office at USCG HQ

First. The requirement for a capacity label is a manufacturer requirement. A boat owner CANNOT be cited or held responsible for a missing label. Yes it is a good idea to have one, and local, state and other authorities use the label to judge your boats capacity and whether or not it is overloaded. If it is Pennsylvania it is the state's responsibility to provide you with a label.

Second: Sometimes a manufacturer can supply you with a replacement label but not always, and there is no requirement in law that they keep a record of them for more than ten years. But in 1980 the time period for compliance was five years. After 29 years it may be next to impossible.

Third: since you know who the manufacturer was ask him if the boat was NMMA certified. If it was NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association) they may have a record of the values on the label. They are located in Chigago

Mr. Thomas J. Marhevko
NMMA
200 E. Randolph D., Ste. 5100
Chicago, IL, USA 60601
Phone: (312) 946-6213
Email: tmarhevko@nmma.org

Forth: if all else fails call the USCG at 202-372-1073 and ask for **** Blackman or Po Chang, or the boss Phill Cappel, or e-mail **** at Richard.A.Blackman@uscg.mil. Explain your situation. They may be able to assist you. I handled many of these over the years.

Good luck, but don't get in a panic about this. You might want to ask the Park Ranger to Call **** Blackman at the USCG Office of Boating Safety and **** will be glad to explain to him that this is not an owner requirement.

Last but not least, the formula you were given by another poster, length times width divided by 15 is only a rough rull of thumb. It is not the formula used by the USCG, or anyone else for that matter. The capacities on the boat are based on a value called displacement weight. Displacement weight is essentially the weight it would take to sink the boat. That weight is divided by five, and then the engine weight, batteries, fuel tank, and steering gear is subtracted. The remainder is the persons weight. The number of persons is the persons weight plus 32 divided by 141. So the rule of thumb could be way off. If you want to know how it is done look at http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/load.html To see what the label you need looks like see http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/labels.html

 

[Ike-110722]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

By the way, I neglected to add that it is legal for a boat owner to have a label made, or make one themselves, and put it on the boat. As long as it has the correct values, and conforms to the size, color and wording rules for capacity labels, it is legal.

 

[ctraugh]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

I received many questions like this one while working in the Boating Safety Office at USCG HQ

First. The requirement for a capacity label is a manufacturer requirement. A boat owner CANNOT be cited or held responsible for a missing label. Yes it is a good idea to have one, and local, state and other authorities use the label to judge your boats capacity and whether or not it is overloaded. If it is Pennsylvania it is the state's responsibility to provide you with a label.

This is what the PA boat and fish commission has to say about it. The rules may be different in other states but this is what is required in Pennsylvania.

You can get a new plate by using the forms at the Pa Boat and Fish commission. Boats are not controlled by the state. The cost for a new plate is $5. Not a bad price.

It is illegal to operate the boats that require a capacity plate with out one. If you are caught without one you will be cited.

CAPACITY PLATES

A capacity plate is required on all mono hull (single hull) boats, less than 20 feet in length, designed to carry two or more persons and propelled by machinery or oars as their main source of power. Boats exempt from having to display a capacity plate include pontoon boats, canoes, kayaks, sailboats, inflatables, hydroplanes, personal watercraft, and boats considered by the Commission to be of unusual or unique design. The capacity plate must be positioned close to the operator where it can be easily read.The capacity plate provides important information about the boat, including maximum weight capacity, maximum horsepower, maximum person capacity by number, and maximum persons capacity by weight. Any person towed behind a boat is included in the total number of persons specified on the capacity plate.No boat shall be loaded beyond its safe carrying capacity. Observe and understand your capacity plate. It is the law and it may save your life.

 

[Ike-110722]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

Actually you have proven my point.

Here is a link to tPennsylvania application for a capacity label http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/forms/pfbc702capacity.pdf If you read the rules, specifically rule three, you will see that the state supplies those boats not having a label, with the label.

The Federal law applies to boat manufacturers. The Federal law also pre-empts any state from passing a law requiring a safety standard for a boat (not carriage requirements such as pfds and the like) that is not identical to the fedearal law. So, in the case of capacity labels, the USCG requires the state of Pennsylvania to supply a label the state requires. This applies to backyard built boats, boats built before the label was required, and boats that are very old and have lost their label. Old is over 10 years old. Federal law requires manufacturers to comply for ten years from date of manufacture. If the boat loses the label after that and the manufacturer is in business they can usually supply a new label but are not required to do so. If they are no longer in business (boat builders go out of business at a rate of about 400 every year) Then you are out of luck.

Further questions about this can be addressed to the Pennsylvania State Boating Law Administrator at

Boating Law Administrator
Dan Martin
PO Box 67000
Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000

Phone: 717.705.7849

Unfortunately I don't have his e-mail address.

 

[suburfish]

Re: Weight Capacity Lable

THANK YOU
Everybody