General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCoast Guard Alters Passenger Limits for Boats to Adjust for Fatter Americans
Americas expanding waste lines have prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to adopt new rules for the first time in half a century because they now assume that the average passenger aboard vessels is a good 25 pounds heavier.
The new regulation states the Assumed Average Weight per Person for ships inspected by the Coast Guard is 185 pounds, up from 160. The previous weight was established during the middle of the 20th century. The average American male weighs 195 pounds, unclothed, and the average female 165 pounds.
With the new weight rule in effect, commercial boat owners are reducing the maximum number of passengers allowed onboard. For instance, some ferries in Washington State will now be limited to only 1,700 people. The same vessels used to carry 2,000. In addition to ferries, charter boats are also covered by the ruling.
http://www.allgov.com/Unusual_News/ViewNews/Coast_Guard_Alters_Passenger_Limits_for_Boats_to_Adjust_for_Fatter_Americans_120104
MineralMan
(146,317 posts)be a dangerous problem. The tag on my little 12' aluminum boat says that it has a capacity of 3 persons or a set number of pounds. (I can't remember the number, and the boat is covered.) I never carry more that one passenger besides myself because people are heavier now. The only time there are ever three people in the boat is if two of them are children.
Boat capacity is really measured in weight, not numbers of passengers, so the Coast Guard is doing the right thing here.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,732 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,732 posts)The primary cause of the accident was misrigging of the elevator, but the weight estimate was a contributing cause.
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20030110X00049&key=1