Ballast weight exceeds boat safety weight?

I have a 18ft sea ray and the safety regulations for the boat are 6 persons or 850lbs. I have close to 1200lbs ballast alone. Im sure other people have more weight in ballast alone than is allowed for passengers + equipment. What are some of the peoples ballast weight compared to the allowed weight in the boat? Also, is it bad to be way over the rating? I know i can get a ticket from a cop, but it is very rare to see a cop on our lake

You should be fine... From my experiences in WA as long as you have the proper number of Costgaurd approved vests you should be fine. I run about 3000 lbs extra over stock ballast in my boat and have never been questioned by the cops.

I have been pulled over before for the total number of people in my boat but I had the "proper number of vests" as they believe in the boat so no ticket.

The weight rating has to do with how far into the water your boat sits. If the load is balanced and you are at the maximum you should be safe in most situations. When you overload or unbalance the load, like in surfing, you run an increased risk of swamping, sinking, or very poor handling. It's your choice, but you should also read your insurance policy so the decision you make is fully informed.
People constantly overload canoes, small dingys, and wakeboats. It's only really big news when it's an overloaded third world ferry that sinks.

The only time I was ever harassed by the cops for being overweight we were riding in navigable waters on the Columbia at the hydro races. The Coast Guard didn't like seeing all that water ballast in the boat & made us drain it. So now we use lead instead...... same effect & out of sight!

And look at the bright side, if it ever sinks, it'll never be 1/2 sunk, it'll go straight to the bottom!!

(Message edited by bill_airjunky on January 17, 2008)

....I have the same as weight rating as your boat.....and have had 1200 lbs water and the 6 people in it. (thats in my older 17.6 crestliner)

(Message edited by absoluteboarder on January 18, 2008)

i usually have 4 people in the boat so im way over the rating. the boat sits pretty low and if im not careful i will take a wave over the bow but thats only when its pretty choppy out, but we never take the boat out unless the water is calm

I have gotten into wakesurfing recently (too many injuries and too many birthdays), but the way the boat is weighted scares me. Anyone hear about anyone sinking their boat waksurfing?

the rollers you throw at 11 mph can be gnarlish, especially if you turn slightly. never heard of anyone sinking it, but you could get into trouble pretty quick if you don't know how to drive them. just slow the boat down and let the rollers pass. cirlce back the opposite you were driving.

A friend taught me a better way to handle the surf wakes last summer- when the surfer goes down, slow the boat down going in a staight line until you're at a dead stop then back up a few feet. You should then be able to turn sharply back to your rider without having to cross the MASSIVE waves you've been creating. It's saved me a few hundred gallons over the bow last summer!

It depends on the boat and how much freeboard you have. I have a 22ve tige rated at 1900 or 14 people. I had seven sacs two 440's two 200's and a 550 all full and I had two 400's part full so that I could even out the wake so people could sit where they wanted. I also had 11 people on board. Other than being very slugish coming out of the water I did not have any problem taking on rollers. We even got pulled over but all sacs were hidden except for the 550 and we did not have any questions asked. The wake was huge.

It been said on these boards in the past, and I tend to agree. The weight/coast guard plate, is a recommendation of what weight to start with when working out your new ballast system.