CE rating: weight or number of people?

[gr1mb0]

Which do you work to?

My Cranchi is nominally rated for 6 people / 540kg fully laden.

I carry very little kit (anchor, lines, basic safety kit) which can't weigh more than 20kg - and say another 20kg for fuel?

So would I be safe to carry 500kg worth of people -- even if say, it was 4 adults and 4 smaller children (aged 6-11, the heaviest being 35kg)? This would actually make the total weight of the people c. 440kg -- seemingly well within my 'allowance' (especially if, as I suspect, CE ratings would be set conservatively).

Normally, my 'crew' is limited to 5 or 6 total - but I'm thinking that it would be nice sometimes to be able to take 2 familes out (e.g. to see the Red Arrows from between Bournemouth/Boscombe piers), travelling only at displacement speeds and assuming very light sea conditions. Everyone on the boat wears lifejackets as a matter of course (adults to set examples for kids, for whom it is mandatory in my view).

Or would I be compromising safety, doing this?

I'd appreciate your opinions and/or factual knowledge on this question - thanks!

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[tcm]

If there is a rating for the number of people, then as far as i know, that's it. You can have bigger parties whilst moored at a pontoon, but at sea your insurance will be deeply compromised if you overload beyond the number of people rated.

For MCA, the rating is whatever the number of people for whom you have an official liferaft space.

Of course, you could easily be safe with more people, but I suppose it's a matter of "what happens if something goes wrong" rather than loading to a level so that it's *just* ok for nothing to go wrong. Limit of 540 kg is not big, and six people would seem about right.

I would not take extras unless had liferaft space for them - in which case er they aren't extra.

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[Kevin]

I personally think you have to take the weight AND the number of people into consideration, stay within the max weight allowable. The CE plating for 6 people is for safety whilst on board e.g people moving about (given the space the boat has) without compromising safety, unsettling the boat etc- so IMHO both should be adhered to. although usually the CE guide is very rough and well withing the boats actual capabilities.

Kevin

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[gr1mb0]

Hmmm, insurance is a pertinent point to consider -- but my primary issue is, given that it's my family that are on board, whether its actually safe to have more people on board as long as the total loading is within the CE rating (weight wise).

Interestingly, I think that the Cranchi seating can be flexed to seat 8 - the backrests on the front seats fold flat to make a big 'U'. (could seat 9, in fact, if you were to flatten the helm seat, but you probably wouldn't want to do this when in motion) -- and that's not allowing for kids loving to play in the cuddy.

Sounds like for absolute safety sake, stick to 6 -- and consider having the rest of the party wade/swim (at least until I get the money together for a tender!) out to join us on board only when anchored.

Thanks again for your views.





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[jon_bailey]

If insurance is concern why not ask your insurance company?

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[kimhollamby]

MCA rating

Is also linked to static stability.

As one who has managed to get half a hernia lifting sandbags onto the side deck for the test when codes first emerged I know a little bit about that...

You tend to find that safety kit is tailored to the rated number of peeps which are in turn determined by the perceived safe carrying capacity, up to 12 peeps, on the small craft codes.

RCD stability (depending upon category) may well in fact have been determined by something a bit more scientific but the people part of it will be taking into account that they all have legs and brains, an unfortunate combination that allows them all to decide to fling themselves one way or the other.

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[jfm]

Incidentally I'd hope you have more than 20kg of fuel (5 gallons). Only 20kg fuel wouldn't be safe in any circumstances......

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[gr1mb0]

On fuel -- more like 20 gals if average is half-full, so there's 100kg worth for starters.

Looks like I should already be planning for a bigger boat!

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