boat weight/persons capacity question

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chuter

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Is it illegal to exceed the boats weight or person capacity in OK?
I can't find any regs that mention it.

I know it's a safety thing, but how do manufacturers arrive at that?

I saw a tracker that's slightly smaller than mine with max 60hp rated for 4 people, while mine is slightly longer rated at 75hp and only rated for 3 people.

The only difference of any consequence I can see is mine has a 21 gallon tank and the smaller one has a 12 gallon tank.

I'm thinking of taking my brother and our wives, not in rough water, life jackets, and not doing stupid crazy boat stuff so not to attract the attention of the law dogs.

So, would I be illegal with 4 people, or just over the guidelines?
 

KOPBET

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Although I can't find the statues involved, the Handbook of Oklahoma Boating Laws and Responsibilities states it is illegal to exceed stated capacities on the plate. I would also check with your insurance carrier as well. If there is an accident and you were found to have been exceeding the capacities of the vessel then you might be denied coverage. IANAL so this is only my opinion.
 

chuter

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Although I can't find the statues involved, the Handbook of Oklahoma Boating Laws and Responsibilities states it is illegal to exceed stated capacities on the plate. I would also check with your insurance carrier as well. If there is an accident and you were found to have been exceeding the capacities of the vessel then you might be denied coverage. IANAL so this is only my opinion.

Ahh, ok, found it there now, I missed it before:
upload_2021-4-9_14-54-31.png


Thanks for that.
 

dlbleak

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I had a 20 foot Bryant with a v6. It was rated for 8. The exact same boat with a v8 was rated for 10. Never made sense to me.
 

p238shooter

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You might check with the manufacturer, they also change their ratings. My pontoon boat I purchased was used has a sticker with details of what boat it is on like most boats. Looking at it I noticed another sticker under it. That sticker had reduced values. I called the manufacturer and they explained there had been an upgrade or change to their testing regulations and new stickers were issued to previous owners. Guess my previous owner was too lazy to remove the old sticker. Also there might be exceptions because of the actual motor weight you have mounted and you might offset that also some with a half tank of fuel. Just some thoughts to check out. .
 

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