Overloaded boats are unstable and dangerous. You need to use common sense when judging how many people to carry on your boat.

The legal limits on passenger numbers are detailed below.

You must also have

• even distribution of load
• adequate freeboard for the prevailing weather conditions.

Interpreting the capacity

The figures given in the tables below or on your manufacturer’s capacity plate determine the maximum number of adults a boat can legally carry.

This is the number of people you can carry safely in calm waters under ideal conditions such as on the River Murray or other protected waters.

The number must be reduced when boating

• in adverse weather conditions
• on the open sea.

As a guide, reduce this number by one-third when boating on the open sea or in rougher conditions.

Children under 12 years old only weigh half that of an average 75kg adult. They can be counted as half an adult when adding up the number of people on board

• eg a boat with a capacity of four adults could safely carry three adults and two children under the age of 12.

To use the tables you need to know your boat’s length and breadth in metres. The maximum number of adults the boat can carry safely in calm water conditions, based on an average weight of 75kg per adult, is indicated where the length and breadth measurements intersect.

Table 1 Maximum Persons Capacity Conventional vessels without flybridge
(conventional-type boats such as single hull open, half cabin or cabin boats not fitted with a flybridge)

Table 2: Maximum Persons Capacity Conventional vessels without flybridge

Example: A flybridge vessel with a length of 8 metres and a breadth of 2.5 metres has a capacity of 8 adults.

Boats over 10 metres length

For boats over 10 metres in length, use the appropriate formula below to calculate the number of adults you can safely carry in calm water conditions.

For single-deck boats (no flybridge) the formula is

• Maximum capacity (adults) = 0.75LvB (nearest whole number)
  W where L=length of boat in metres
  B=breadth of boat in metres

For boats fitted with flybridge the formula is

• Maximum capacity (adults) = 0.6LvB (nearest whole number)
  Where L=length of boat in metres
  B=breadth of boat in metres

For flybridge boats, no more than one-quarter of the maximum number of passengers allowed on board should be on the flybridge at any one time.

A TSA boating capacity sticker can help make sure you interpret the capacity of your vessel. Free stickers are available from any Customer Service Centre.