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Author Topic:   Conquest 28: How Many Passengers

Brian7son posted 06-29-2007 10:37 AM ET (US)
We all know what the capacity plate says on our boat. Mine is a 1998 Conquest, LOA 30'10" beam 10' 4". According to the plate on the boat, capacity is 14 persons. That's all well and good when tied up to a dock.
However, when underway, what's the most you guys allow on your boats? How many will you load on board, with gear and coolers and run with?
Last weekend, I had 10 people including myself (4 less than my boats capacity). There were 4 adults, 2 teenagers and 4 children. I estimated the ballpark weight of the passengers to be 1,270 lbs. I also had 2 coolers (maybe 30-40 lbs each). I had 3/4 tank of fuel (boat holds 296 gallons). My boat got up on plane (wind was at my back, calm conditions)and I was cruising at 28+ knots. I was able to pull kids on a tube, etc. no problems.
I carry 15 PFD's, nobody is allowed to ride up on the bow when underway, etc. I shut off the motors when kids are getting on an off the tube, etc. I'm a safety nut.

On the 4th of July, the wife has invited friends to go out on the boat. There will be a total of 13 on my boat (1 less than my capacity). There is no way that the boat will ride well with that load. I have done it before. I advised her that I dont like to carry that many people on the boat. Basically we're taking slow ride 2-3 miles from my dock to an island where we drop anchor and raft off with other boats. I still dont like having that many people on when underway.
You guys with Conquests, 28'and up, with similar passenger capacity, how many people can you/do you carry and run with?? I'm just curious.
Brian
Liteamorn posted 06-29-2007 12:05 PM ET (US)
The weight of the passengers and gear is more important than the number of passengers. I'm not sure but I believe the "persons" the placard refers to is a 160 lb person (I'm sure someone will know for sure). Eight children and 6 adults weighs a lot less than 14 adults.
Brian7son posted 06-29-2007 04:37 PM ET (US)
CLARIFICATION: I am aware of the vessel weight capacity and the per person average that is calculated on the placard. I am not asking what the load capacity is on my boat. I know that I have to take into account the weight of the gear and all of the passengers on board.
I was just curious about what other owners of Conquests did regarding the number of passengers that you cruise with.
thanks
freboat posted 06-29-2007 10:40 PM ET (US)
I had seven men on a fishing trip with an average weight of 210 lbs, a full tank of fuel, 25 gallons of water and normal gear. The boat was very sluggish. No problem getting on plane but very difficult maintaining plane in rough seas. Fuel consumption was out of sight.
Fortunately we were only about 35 miles off shore. Should be no problem cruising at the speeds you indicated.
Brian7son posted 07-02-2007 04:09 PM ET (US)
Freboat,
Thanks for reply. I was just curious what other guys were doing and how their rigs handled under those conditions.
JTC posted 07-03-2007 12:38 AM ET (US)

I often go out with 8-10 passengers but most of them are children...
Weight-wise, the hull + 2 225HP Optimax engines weigh in at about 7,600 pounds. Gas weighs about 6 pounds per gallon so that's 1,800 pounds for a full tank of 300 gallons. Water weight about 8 pounds throwing in another 320 pounds for a full water tank. So that comes to about 10,000 pounds depending on how much extra stuff you have on board - and if your holding tank is full ;)
So passengers should add somewhere between 2% - 20% of additional weight depending on how much they actually weigh.

swist posted 07-03-2007 08:24 AM ET (US)
I get the sense that the question is more about being comfortable with the situation than it being legal or doable.
I personally would not be comfortable with that many people on that boat. For me, boating is supposed to be fun, but I take the safety of my passengers seriously - and that is too many people to worry about. Think about this - if you were taking them out as a business, you couldn't even legally do it with the entry-level captain's license (6 people), you'd need the next level up, whatever that is. Do you have the skills called for by these licenses - just because you are not taking them out for hire doesn't mean you won;t encounter the same situations.
Paranoid Jim
Brian7son posted 07-03-2007 12:53 PM ET (US)
Jim,
Paranoid Jim,
You are partially correct. I know that it's legal, etc. It's just not relaxing/enjoyable for the Captain of a Conquest boat to cruise with 14 people on board. Everybody's relaxing and having fun, but you as Captain must remain ever vigilant to make sure that all of the passengers are safe at all times. Especially when cruising with kids on board. You can sometimes come across as Capt. Ahab, when you're giving orders as you drive to many people.
If I'm rafted off with a group or at anchor with a max cap crew, it's all good. However, being underway with that many can be challenging.
As anticipated, I haven't seen anyone chime in and say "oh yeah, I take 13-14 people on cruises on my Conquest all the time." So, Freboat had 7 men and JTC had 8-10 with some kids. With 7 men, you're not telling a 7 year old: "no, you cant climb on top of the t-top while I'm under way....etc."
Anyway, thanks for the feedback guys. My point really was to confirm my theory that most folks wouldnt load up 13-14 people on a larger Conquest for a day of cruising. Even though you are legal, it's too many people to have on board if you (as Capt.) want to enjoy yourself. I won't show this post to my wife to prove my point, I just wanted to see what you guys did as far as the number of crew.
Thanks and have a great 4th of July!!
JTC posted 07-03-2007 01:01 PM ET (US)

I should have mentioned that when I'm going out with 8 people, 7 of them are *my* kids! I've spent a lot of time educating them on boating safety and everyone (including me) wears a PFD at all times. My teenagers are capable of operating the boat and the younger ones know how to handle the radio and EPIRB. They wouldn't dream of climbing the T-top underway! :)
Brian7son posted 07-03-2007 02:56 PM ET (US)
JTC,
Sorry of it came across wrong. I wasn't implying anything. My 2 kids know the drill, but friends of my kids try all sorts of stuff when they are onboard.
JTC posted 07-03-2007 11:23 PM ET (US)

no no - you raise a totally valid point and I agree with you! I was trying to say that the larger numbers work for me because all my passengers are well versed at boating and (generally speaking) do what they're told! Well, at least on the water they do!

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Author	Topic: Conquest 28: How Many Passengers
Brian7son	posted 06-29-2007 10:37 AM ET (US) We all know what the capacity plate says on our boat. Mine is a 1998 Conquest, LOA 30'10" beam 10' 4". According to the plate on the boat, capacity is 14 persons. That's all well and good when tied up to a dock. However, when underway, what's the most you guys allow on your boats? How many will you load on board, with gear and coolers and run with? Last weekend, I had 10 people including myself (4 less than my boats capacity). There were 4 adults, 2 teenagers and 4 children. I estimated the ballpark weight of the passengers to be 1,270 lbs. I also had 2 coolers (maybe 30-40 lbs each). I had 3/4 tank of fuel (boat holds 296 gallons). My boat got up on plane (wind was at my back, calm conditions)and I was cruising at 28+ knots. I was able to pull kids on a tube, etc. no problems. I carry 15 PFD's, nobody is allowed to ride up on the bow when underway, etc. I shut off the motors when kids are getting on an off the tube, etc. I'm a safety nut. On the 4th of July, the wife has invited friends to go out on the boat. There will be a total of 13 on my boat (1 less than my capacity). There is no way that the boat will ride well with that load. I have done it before. I advised her that I dont like to carry that many people on the boat. Basically we're taking slow ride 2-3 miles from my dock to an island where we drop anchor and raft off with other boats. I still dont like having that many people on when underway. You guys with Conquests, 28'and up, with similar passenger capacity, how many people can you/do you carry and run with?? I'm just curious. Brian
Liteamorn	posted 06-29-2007 12:05 PM ET (US) The weight of the passengers and gear is more important than the number of passengers. I'm not sure but I believe the "persons" the placard refers to is a 160 lb person (I'm sure someone will know for sure). Eight children and 6 adults weighs a lot less than 14 adults.
Brian7son	posted 06-29-2007 04:37 PM ET (US) CLARIFICATION: I am aware of the vessel weight capacity and the per person average that is calculated on the placard. I am not asking what the load capacity is on my boat. I know that I have to take into account the weight of the gear and all of the passengers on board. I was just curious about what other owners of Conquests did regarding the number of passengers that you cruise with. thanks
freboat	posted 06-29-2007 10:40 PM ET (US) I had seven men on a fishing trip with an average weight of 210 lbs, a full tank of fuel, 25 gallons of water and normal gear. The boat was very sluggish. No problem getting on plane but very difficult maintaining plane in rough seas. Fuel consumption was out of sight. Fortunately we were only about 35 miles off shore. Should be no problem cruising at the speeds you indicated.
Brian7son	posted 07-02-2007 04:09 PM ET (US) Freboat, Thanks for reply. I was just curious what other guys were doing and how their rigs handled under those conditions.
JTC	posted 07-03-2007 12:38 AM ET (US) I often go out with 8-10 passengers but most of them are children... Weight-wise, the hull + 2 225HP Optimax engines weigh in at about 7,600 pounds. Gas weighs about 6 pounds per gallon so that's 1,800 pounds for a full tank of 300 gallons. Water weight about 8 pounds throwing in another 320 pounds for a full water tank. So that comes to about 10,000 pounds depending on how much extra stuff you have on board - and if your holding tank is full ;) So passengers should add somewhere between 2% - 20% of additional weight depending on how much they actually weigh.
swist	posted 07-03-2007 08:24 AM ET (US) I get the sense that the question is more about being comfortable with the situation than it being legal or doable. I personally would not be comfortable with that many people on that boat. For me, boating is supposed to be fun, but I take the safety of my passengers seriously - and that is too many people to worry about. Think about this - if you were taking them out as a business, you couldn't even legally do it with the entry-level captain's license (6 people), you'd need the next level up, whatever that is. Do you have the skills called for by these licenses - just because you are not taking them out for hire doesn't mean you won;t encounter the same situations. Paranoid Jim
Brian7son	posted 07-03-2007 12:53 PM ET (US) Jim, Paranoid Jim, You are partially correct. I know that it's legal, etc. It's just not relaxing/enjoyable for the Captain of a Conquest boat to cruise with 14 people on board. Everybody's relaxing and having fun, but you as Captain must remain ever vigilant to make sure that all of the passengers are safe at all times. Especially when cruising with kids on board. You can sometimes come across as Capt. Ahab, when you're giving orders as you drive to many people. If I'm rafted off with a group or at anchor with a max cap crew, it's all good. However, being underway with that many can be challenging. As anticipated, I haven't seen anyone chime in and say "oh yeah, I take 13-14 people on cruises on my Conquest all the time." So, Freboat had 7 men and JTC had 8-10 with some kids. With 7 men, you're not telling a 7 year old: "no, you cant climb on top of the t-top while I'm under way....etc." Anyway, thanks for the feedback guys. My point really was to confirm my theory that most folks wouldnt load up 13-14 people on a larger Conquest for a day of cruising. Even though you are legal, it's too many people to have on board if you (as Capt.) want to enjoy yourself. I won't show this post to my wife to prove my point, I just wanted to see what you guys did as far as the number of crew. Thanks and have a great 4th of July!!
JTC	posted 07-03-2007 01:01 PM ET (US) I should have mentioned that when I'm going out with 8 people, 7 of them are my kids! I've spent a lot of time educating them on boating safety and everyone (including me) wears a PFD at all times. My teenagers are capable of operating the boat and the younger ones know how to handle the radio and EPIRB. They wouldn't dream of climbing the T-top underway! :)
Brian7son	posted 07-03-2007 02:56 PM ET (US) JTC, Sorry of it came across wrong. I wasn't implying anything. My 2 kids know the drill, but friends of my kids try all sorts of stuff when they are onboard.
JTC	posted 07-03-2007 11:23 PM ET (US) no no - you raise a totally valid point and I agree with you! I was trying to say that the larger numbers work for me because all my passengers are well versed at boating and (generally speaking) do what they're told! Well, at least on the water they do!