capacity

[Megunticook]

I'm wondering how many people I can safely take aboard my Ty Senior before the weight becomes a safety issue. My guess is 6 adults, but is there an official recommendation on this?

Or is there a basic weight capacity that you should not exceed?

I remember hearing about that tragedy in Long Island Sound a few July Fourths ago--I think the guy had a couple dozen crammed aboard his boat, a wake flipped it, and 2 kids were trapped in the cabin and died.

[Steve Laume]

How many people do you really want on board?

Six adults is a large number of bodies to get in the way, if you are trying to sail. If you are just sitting at the dock or mooring, six adults will probably flood the cockpit drains. I don't think this is so much a matter of safety as much as a practical situation. If you were racing and people knew where their weight could be best utilized, then maybe six people would work out okay. For practical purposes I can't imagine having more than four on board.

Make sure there enough PFDs on board as well, Steve.

[Gary H]

On my CD22D (same hull and cockpit as a Ty Senior), I have had a very pleasant sail with 4 adults and a teenager.
No issues with the cockpit drains - and the weight of the diesel would be equivalent to another adult. Any more would, most likely, not be comfortable. (The size and agility of the adults does make a difference.)

When I had a Typhoon, 4 adults required closing the valves on the cockpit drains. The night after one of those sails, I woke up in the middle of the night during a torrential thunderstorm and remembered that I had forgotten to open the valves after we moored. I drove back to the lake in the middle of the night, rowed out to my mooring - all in the pouring rain - to find three inches of water in the cockpit. After that, I would tie one of my sail ties to my mooring hook as a reminder when I had 4 adults on board.

[Uffda]

I've had 6 adults on board with no problems.

[Megunticook]

Thanks for the info. We have 2 kids (7 and 12) plus a dog. Sounds like space/comfort is more the limiting factor than weight.

What about gear and provisions, though? Is there a recommended weight capacity for the boat?

[Maine_Buzzard]

Weight capacity is an interesting thing for sailboats. They are exempt from the placard requirement, and may or may not be marked. I really think it's a judgement call...

BTW, the accident you referred to was on Lake Champlain back in 2002. I'll avoid the MacGregor bashing, and encourage you to read about how it happened. It gives credence to Malcom Gladwell's observation

Then the errors start — and it’s not just one error. The typical accident involves seven consecutive human errors. One of the pilots does something wrong that by itself is not a problem. Then one of them makes another error on top of that, which combined with the first error still does not amount to catastrophe. But then they make a third error on top of that, and then another and another and another and another , and it is the combination of all those errors that leads to disaster.

(Outliers, 2008)

A few thousand pounds of lead down low is a mighty good thing to me. Situational Awareness is even better.

http://www.ne-ts.com/ar/ar-407capsize.html

[tjr818]

I've had 6 adults on board with no problems.

Really?

On our 27 three in the cockpit is about all that the tiller will allow and by then the stern is riding pretty low. I suppose I could put three or four more down below, in steerage, but I would consider that crowded. I know that if it was a Dunkirk situation she could safely transport a dozen or more, but for a daysail I'd say four is the limit.

[Dave H]

My experience with how many people is too many has everything to do with if they know what they're doing. I've found the cockpit to be "very crowded" with 4 if 2 are inexperienced. Conversely, it's amazing how smooth things can become if everyone has a job.

Megunticook, it sounds like your kids are the perfect age to be a great crew with you! As to total cruising weight, I think where you put it matters on a Senior. Can you get heavier items low and centered. Can you make good use of the compartments beneath the V berth?

Dave

[Megunticook]

BTW, the accident you referred to was on Lake Champlain back in 2002.l

I hadn't heard about that one. The incident I was referring to was on the Sound (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nat ... 56025494/1). Says there were 27 people on board 34-foot sailboat. I can't imagine how they would even fit.

I'll try 6 sometime and see how it works (maybe after everyone in the family has gotten familiar with the boat and learned what needs doing and what to watch out for). If the kids are forward, or below decks, I could see 4 in the cockpit maybe.

Just was curious if Cape Dory had any sort of official recommendation. Didn't see anything in the owner's manual.

[Maine_Buzzard]

Perhaps we should cancel the 4th of July....

27 people on a recently purchased Silverton yacht (a stinkboat) is incredibly stupid.

I've had 9 healthy guys on Guppy, and that required some discussion. We did have a great dinner at Diamond's Edge.

Six is normally as high as I want to count.