Entertainment Capacity

What do you feel is the upper limit of entertainment capacity for your boat is without compromising comfort and more importantly vessel stability? Can you put it in terms of number of guests both sitting and standing?

I am interested in terms of a 4 hour cruise with close friends enjoying a BBQ on the hook in a cove somewhere. Not overnight cruises, that capacity is pretty obvious by counting beds and cabins. Let us also assume calm conditions and good weather for the sake of argument.

If it is more prudent to think in terms of dockside entertaining that would be helpful too.

Thank you all in advance.

This is a subjective question, as there are so many varieties of boats and sizes. I take clients out occasionally for day cruises, last year from Point Roberts to Roche Harbor, this year from Reed Point to Iron Bay at the end of Indian Arm. In either case, my comfort limit is around 12 guests. On a nice day, people can spread out nicely. I have 15 PFDs aboard.

Thank you for the response baldpaul, this is a very subjective question indeed. I am interested in hearing from as many members as possible as this seems to be the issue the wife and I are unable to answer adequately.

We like to entertain and are very social by nature. We also have no plans whatsoever to cruise open unprotected water.

My boat is pretty solid in open water....but may passengers may not be as solid. Indian Arm is pretty well protected, but when I cruised in Georgia Strait on way to Roche Harbor, I would watch the weather carefully if I was having guests aboard, because the weather I enjoyed or had a tolerance for may not be shared by non sea faring guests.

Most yachts run out of space for life vests , before thry run out of space for pax.

IF you want to be super careful, to repel law suits, use the USCG method of measuring stability.

They use water drums , but if you line the guests along one rail and observe when the boat heels enough to loose 1/2 its freeboard , you will be close.

Getting an accurate weight from the ladys may be harder.

Any port or opening that does NOT have a storm port installed will be counted as the deck, when measuring useable freeboard..

FF

For my Krogen 42, no limit dockside, about a dozen for a cruise as you describe.

Have had 20 on several occasions. We gather up a couple of PFD bags from the dock to cover the requirement.

What do you feel is the upper limit of entertainment capacity for your boat is without compromising comfort and more importantly vessel stability?

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We have had six guests on board at one time plus ourselves for a day cruise and on-board picnic in the islands. We wouldn't take any more than that, not because of vessel stability concerns but because any more than that and it just becomes too crowded.

Other than the flying bridge our boat does not have much comfortable space outside. Both the aft deck and foredeck are relatively small and exposed to the wind and weather and, on the foredeck, spray. As opposed to a Europa or pilothouse-style boat with a nice big covered aft deck that many owners enclose for wind and weather protection so it becomes an extension of the main cabin.

Eight people (and a dog) worked out okay on our boat. Between the main cabin and flying bridge there were nice places for people to sit but not be sitting on top of each other. But that's the limit, I think.

In addition to comfort and room on board there can be the issue of how much weight is prudent on the flying bridge or boat deck structure.

But as baldpaul says, it's a very subjective thing. Some people like lots of other people about when boating. It's a big social event. We are the opposite. We bought our boat to get away from bunches of people, not be with them. Which is easy to do in the waters we boat in. Not so much, perhaps, in places like SFO bay, the Gulf, ICW, etc.

Our limit of cruising guests on board is two and there are only six couples we will consider taking with us for more than a day-- two live in Europe and two on the east coast although one of the European couples has come over and cruised with us. There is only one other boat-owning couple we will cruise with these days.

So for us the subjective priority is what we want out of boating, not how many people our boat is capable of carrying. Below is our idea of what boating is all about. A crowd on the boat or in other boats would ruin it.

I've had 9 aboard for a cruise up the river.

I carry 49 life jackets

Does that mean I can carry 48 passengers? I like FF stability rule. I've had 25 guests on my 4788 which has a lot of seating and deck space. Not bad for a short cruise in smooth conditions. I really don't enjoy large groups messing about on my boat. The Hatteras has less seating capacity but a lot more secure deck space on the bow. So I guess for sight seeing purposes I could entertain 20 or so, but in my case not for longer than a couple of hours. It is very hard to keep track of more than a dozen people so you need some experienced help with guests.

What do you feel is the upper limit of entertainment capacity for your boat is without compromising comfort and more importantly vessel stability?

MY boat was a US NAVY utility boat , the USN rated it at 150 pax plus 3 crew.

AS it has full foam flotation , it could be cut in half , and have close to the same capacity.

The USN planned to lift them from the lower hangar bay and simply bulldoze them over the side should the carrier take a fatal hit.

Interesting construction when a boat is PLANNED to drop 70 ft!

FF

I've had 20+ for brief trips on Lake Washington / Lake Union in nice weather (e.g. watch the Blue Angels shows during SeaFair, about 2 miles from my slip).

My limiting factor is my single head - we had it clog once with about 12 people on board and we made a beeline back to the dock!

While my boat is an "uninspected passenger vessel" I try to adhere to the standards for inspected vessels (subject to 46 CFR Subchapter T, aka "T boats"). The relevant section is 115.113 - Passengers permitted, as outlined in paragraph (b):

My boat is not for entertaining with the exception of a couple for wine or supper at the dock or anchorage. My son or daughter are always welcome.
I don't deal well with "non-boat" people partying on a boat (yours or mine). I had a career managing people. I'm retired.

You should possibly qualify your question with something regarding a certain boat size range. An answer that is relevant for a 30' boat is not relevant for a 50' boat.

Our boat has a 47' hull. We could entertain probably 15 people comfortably for a 4 hour cruise in calm water.

Sit down dinner... 6 people.

Overnight... three couples.

We like to say, Drinks for six, dinner for four and sleeps two comfortably .

Larry M said:

We like to say, Drinks for six, dinner for four and sleeps two comfortably .

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Amen

Greetings,
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