What is a safe number of passengers?

[bizzard]

Now here's a little true story that very nearly ended in a terrible tragedy. Can't go into much detail as the folk concerned might browse this forum.

A couple of years ago the owner of a widebeam boat had a couple of ton of coal delivered opposite me, they brought the boat round to collect it and to take it elswhere.

They frantically loaded nearly all of it onto the front end of the cabin roof, when i happened to look out and saw water starting to pour through the scuppers into the front well , shouted out to warn them and at the same the chaps wife who was inside with their baby slammed the front doors shut as water had begun to flow over the step. They then even more frantically started dragging the coal bags back along the roofto spread the load and chucking them off again. It was a very very near thing.

[ditchcrawler]

Take a look at September Tillergraph bottom of page 6 "Boating volunteers win recognition" to see how the trust interpenetrates it

[David Mack]

The only time the question has arisen for us is when we crossed the Ribble Link. The literature from BW states that the number of passengers is limited to the number of berths

 

That's a bit nonsensical. If by 'berths' you mean sleeping accommodation, then a day boat wouldn't be allowed to make the passage. And I can't imagine that was the intention.

[ditchcrawler]

Take a look at September Tillergraph bottom of page 6 "Boating volunteers win recognition" to see how the trust interpenetrates it

You can see it online here

[Ange]

That's a bit nonsensical. If by 'berths' you mean sleeping accommodation, then a day boat wouldn't be allowed to make the passage. And I can't imagine that was the intention.

 

You wouldn't take a day boat over the Ribble Link! They only cross in one direction each day and it takes the best part of a day to make the crossing.

[Dr Bradley]

Precisely 20 tons of corpses. My boat is perfectly stable with 20 or so people onboard, inside and none fooling about on the roof.

 

None of us were like corpses until later that night.

[Dr Bradley]

The only time the question has arisen for us is when we crossed the Ribble Link. The literature from BW states that the number of passengers is limited to the number of berths which seemed ludicrous because that means we can only take two passengers on Iona, which is 57 foot. We did abide by this because we were very mindful of how insurance companies jump on anything to get out of paying a claim.

 

Being a 1990 boat there's no advisory plate. We've carried ten quite comfortably (including ourselves), though it does cause a bit of a list because all the seating's on one side of the boat!

 

Next time borrow 4 double air beds, then you'll be 12 berth.

[Dave_P]

My boat was built in 2003. Should I have a CE plate? If so, what does it look like and where would I find it?

[Rob@BSSOffice]

can overloading a boat make it unstable enough to sink!

 

Yes it can. It will depend on many factors, but it is possible.

 

For reference this is what happened in 2003 when someone took a boat load of colleagues on a little trip on the Severn during a river festival: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/4513659.stm the consequences of 'getting it' wrong can be severe in several ways.

Rob

[Mike Tee]

The 'Mary Jane' is one of our local self drive day boats, and is 26'. Week before last I saw about eight largish lads on board with the usual amount of alcohol visible, and when they came past about the fourth time, things were getting lively. Just after they went past most of them went below and suddenly all rushed to one side to 'scare' the one steering. It went over so far, the rear deck on that side went underwater, and it looked like they had a fair bit of canal going in through the rear doors. I think this sobered them up a bit, and things then calmed down.

 

However, what if they had all gone to the other side instead - the side with the engineroom air vent? I reckon they would have swamped the engine and maybe taken enough on board to partially sink it. Doesn't matter what rules the board of trade put in place, if people are stupid enough they will sink a boat. And that wasn't the maximum of twelve.

[Mick and Maggie]

It depends too where you put them - up on the roof and you will have a very unstable boat (and might have trouble seeing, even without the odd glass or two )

 

There is a boat with about 8 persons on the roof in this thread. However, they are sitting down and pretty much balanced across the beam.

 

I have seen some interesting numbers up on boat roofs. Including one roof party with people dancing that passed us last year. One party animal fell off the roof as the boat heeled over and knocked himself out in the bow. No one in the party noticed that he was missing until I raised the alarm. They had had enough to drink between them to float the boat. Later we passed them floating free in the canal. They had stopped and not moored up correctly. We tied them up again, which we managed to do without waking anyone. We met up with them later in Gas Street Basin and a nicer group of lads and lasses you could not meet.

[system 4-50]

Deleted as, on reflection, it had little merit.

Edited July 10, 2013 by system 4-50

[Chertsey]

Has anyone already provided the response 'How long is a piece of string'?

[Ange]

Next time borrow 4 double air beds, then you'll be 12 berth.

Hey I missed this one! Nice one Dr Bradley - though we'll have to figure out the gravity problem because to fit 4 double air beds on our boat they'd have to be on their sides