How many people can go on a boat
Introduction
There are many factors that are taken into consideration to determine the number of people you can carry on your vessel. This article covers what recreational boat users in NSW will need to be aware of. You will need to take into consideration the following:
- Vessel type
- Age of persons on board
- Weight of persons on board
- Area of operation
- Weather conditions during operation
Vessels that are built after the year 2006 will have an Australian Builders Plate (ABP) that will outline the number of people you can carry on the vessel. You will need to copy this number on the ABP and place it on your boating safety label.
If your vessel doesn’t have an ABP then you can use the formula on the back of the Green boating safety label to determine the number of people you can carry on the vessel.
Vessel Type
The vessel length and beam will determine how to calculate how many people can go on a boat. It breaks down into two broad categories, less than 6m and above 6m.
If you have a vessel with a flybridge, then you will also need to get a separate boating safety label for the flybridge (usually 25% of the number of persons you can legally carry). This is to ensure the vessel does not become top heavy and risk a decrease in stability.
Boating Safety Label
Australian Builder Plate
Age of persons onboard
The age of a person will determine if and how they are counted on the vessel:
- Anyone above the age of 12 is considered as 1 person on the boat
- Anyone under the age of 12 is considered half a person on the boat
- Under 1 years of age do not count with the number of persons onboard
For example: If you have a 6 person boat, you can carry 6 persons (over the age of 12) on your vessel. If there are 2 adults on your 6 person boat, you can carry 8 more persons under the age of 12 on this vessel.
[2 Adults + (8 children x 1/2)] = 6 persons
Weight of persons onboard
Each person on board a vessel is represented as 90kg. 75kg for body weight and 15kg for any cargo carried by that person.
If you are carrying persons who weigh more than 75kg, or any extra cargo such as extra fuel tanks, ice, large game fish such as Tuna or heavy fishing gear, then you will need to factor in the extra weight on board your boat and reduce the number of people that can go on a boat.
Area of Operation
If you are going to operate your vessel in Open water, where you are no longer surrounded by land, then you must reduce the number of persons on board your vessel by at least 1. Whilst the legal requirement is to reduce by at least 1, it is best to reduce more than 1 the further you go out sea where help can be difficult to get.
Weather conditions during operation
You are legally required to reduce the number of people on board your vessel by at least 1 when operating your vessel in adverse weather conditions. Such conditions include strong winds and high seas or wave height. Whilst it is legally required to reduce by at least 1, it is best to consider reducing more than 1 person on board the boat in such conditions.
