Cited for too large of an outboard?

[mikevr007]

Has anyone in Florida been... (see subject)

[mr fun]

could't resist. never herd of it, know plenty of folks guilty of it. most marine cop types seem okay with everything but reckless operation, but i'm sure Barney Fife goes on shift at some point. :rolleyes: fun out.

[Racemore]

That is a Coast Guard recomended HP rating.Is that who cited you?I don't think it will hold up unless there is a state law that has been made recently.:cool:

[bulldogdaddy]

i thought i read somewhere where they can actually confiscate your boat if it is above the hp rating.not sure where i saw it though

[baja200merk]

all the fuzz around here have 13' whalers on the back of their launchs and the whalers are rated for a 25 and have 40hp:eek: mercs on em i dont get it lol:eek:

[VectorPat]

I have never heard of it..Its mostly a liability issue.. My boat has no max horsepower limit...

[baja200merk]

yea neither does mine i cant read the capacity plate

[blkmtrfan]

mikevr007 tell us the rest of the story, I can't believe they could get a ticket like that to stick :eek: WTF :confused:

[STV_Keith]

My plate doesn't say anything. :)

[Instigator]

They used to be pricks around here years back but have'nt heard anything recently.
Believe it is still law that any boat produced afetr around '74 I believe, must have a cpacity plate which lists max HP's, and weight capacity as well.
Almost all insurance companies go by this as well.
Once the boat is above 20' in length it is not a requirement.
Hence the 20' Vegas and 21' Rapid Craft Riot.

Ultimately almost always comes down to common sence behind the wheel.
What I have heard though is if you are involved in an accident and they see you have a 200HP motor on a boat rated for 170, you will be found guilty reguardless!

STVKeith, some of those plates say "for racing only".

BajaMerc, the 13' Whaler is rated for a 40. I just sold one.

My Vector is rated for 170 and has a 200 with 150 stickers :)
Gary

[RONNIE]

how about a viper rated for 120hp hahahaha try 290 plus!! F1 powerhead!!!

[mikevr007]

I have not been cited.
I was just reading through a florida boating laws book and it said that it is illegal for any boat under 20' to go over the plaquered h.p. rating for the boat. I was just wondering if it was common for that law to be enforced.
My '85 Checkmate Enticer is rated at 125hp. Now, my '75 1500 is rated at 150hp but that's not at the prop. Would they take that into consideration?

[mikevr007]

Here is the exact wording..

Maximum Loading and Horsepower
"No person may operate a monohull boat of less than 20-feet in length while exceeding the maximum weight, persons, or horsepower capacity as displayed on the manufacturer's capacity plate."

Taken from the "Florida's Guide to Recreational Boating", page 7.

I REALLY don't want to get out on a Saturday with my family and/or friends and get stopped and ticketed and have the day ruined when all I would have to have done is trade or sell my 150 for a 125...you get the idea.

I was just wondering if anyone has had any personal experience with this.

[Fish]

I have a close frined who used to prosecute (state attorney) all the marine related cases for a county in west central, FL (life jacket, no wake, undersized/out of season fish, boating under the influence, ... anything related to water). He said he has never seen one of these or heard of anyone being cited. Not that there might not be a law or ordinance against it, but it does not seem to get too much attnetion round these parts.

interesting thought though.

[halveb]

mikevr007,

That sounds like a quote from a Dept. of Natural Resources pamphlet or something. I work for a state government and am a little familiar with the laws but am in no way an attorney.

Often times these regulations as stated in pamphlets are administrative rules and don't have the weight of law (since there is no law to back them up). Generally, a state may give authority to the DNR to create and maintain rules and that may be what you are dealing with in that case.

You may be hassled for it and may even be fined but I don't think any criminal action would be sought. I was stopped by the WI DNR last summer and they asked about my boat since I had an aftermarket cowl with no markings except for "Mercury". I was sitting at my campsite on the river and they stopped and asked about the boat. I told them the true stated horsepower (260) and also told them that even though there was a coast guard plate the boat was over 20 feet and as a result wasn't subject to the coast guard regulations. I also reminded him that the Mercury sticker is one that I put on and I could have easily put on any hp rating I felt like. They scratched their heads, checked me for PFDs, fire extinguisher, battery enclosure, etc. but couldn't find anything wrong (glad they didn't ask about a horn...which I don't have) so they went on their way reluctantly.

They were very calm about it and I remained calm and didn't get heated and eventually nothing happened. I suspect if they had seen me hot rodding around recklessly that weekend they would surely have pulled me over. Anyway, thats my rambling story and what may likely happen to you and a little advice about how best to handle it.

[81hydrostream]

why dont you just pull the power rating off the motor thats what i did. Whenever i got pulled over they asked how much horsepower? I would just say what ever the plate said i should have. I have never had anyone question me

[halveb]

Of course, the reason they pulled me over in the first place was the fact there was no sticker identifying the model or hp rating. I could have lied and said it was a 2.4 200 horse. If you're gonna go that route and lie might as well put the lower rating stickers on and not even get stopped. ;)

[Techno]

I don't see how that law can be enforced. Is it engine power or shaft power?
Once your over 20' what physics magic happens that allows unlimited power.
Just because a law is on the books don't make it legal.
Besides its based on a 30 year old temperary guide.

[sho305]

When is someone going to change that? My '73 17' mate is rated at 150hp. So the '73 1500 inline is maybe 120hp and much the same as the later 115hp inline anyway. Now if I drop a new 2.5 150hp on it that was not even made back then what will it do? It even came with (according to the owner) and has a single cable steering on it. It runs over 50 this way and I would guess that it should have dual cable even with the inline. Seems like that would be important too.

[Checkmate1]

My 78 Checkmate has a plate defining max people and weigh, but it reads nothing about horsepower. Besides, being a big block I wouldn't mind at all if they wanted to pay for a dyno test.

[VectorPat]

Inboards and sterndrives do not have horsepower ratings...

[Gerben]

Vectorpat,

Sorry have to disagree.
Have seen many inboards and i/o with a h/p rating sticker close to the remote control lever.

Gerben

[stevek]

Originally posted by Checkmate1
My 78 Checkmate has a plate defining max people and weigh, but it reads nothing about horsepower. Besides, being a big block I wouldn't mind at all if they wanted to pay for a dyno test.

I had a V-MateI and it had the same plate (no max HP). My Valero has a plate with most of the information scratched out. It was like that when I bought it. Must have been a factory option ;)

[Techno]

I don't know if its a law to rate the engine but didn't mercury used to underate their engines to make them seem better than the competitions? So you put a 120 hp rated merc on and it actually is over the plate.

I think we should start e-mailing the USCG to finaly upgrade the stupid law that was a temporary thing to begin with. The boat builders have to put a formualed rating on their boat no matter how its designed or what its built out of. What does this have to do with safety or informing the buyer of anything? They could get around it by putting on a long probosis that made the boat long enough but why?

[mikevr007]

Ok. Ya'll have set my mind at ease.
Thanks for the info! It wouldn't have bothered me if it weren't for that pesky little word "illegal". And, actually, that wouldn't bother me either if I intended to always go out by myself. I just didn't want the hassle while I'm out with family and friends.
Thanks again!

[Morespeed4Me]

Why not go to a custom sign shop and have them make you identical stickers with the max HP rating for your motor. That is why my 225 PM says 200 on it. My boat I had at the time I purchased the 225 PM was only rated for a 200 remove 225 and add 200. Then no need to worry. Altho I now have a 20'3" Allison it still has 200 on it.

[mikevr007]

Morespeed...that is a great idea! I wanted to replace the '75 1500 with a newer 150 next year anyway!
Thanks!

[WATERWINGS]

My Vector says 140 HP Max, if I put a 150 would I be illegal?

Even though I had at least 240 HP when I ran 94.1 .

If I put 140 stickers on the cowl and was involved in an accident, would they tear down the motor and look for porting and take a compression check????

When I ran 150 heads, I always thought I would say, "look, its a 150, see the heads say 3-1/8"......not 3-3/8 (200 HP)

[FUJIMO]

That are 20' & over, are allowed to "recommend" a horsepower limit, but are not told what maximum should be, by the Coast Guard. This is the reason a lot of manufacturers don't build anything smaller than 20'. They are also not required to establish "level-flotation" specifications(with power on the transom) as boats that are shorter than 20' have to. The reason the Coast Guard & BIA(Boating Industry Association) governs the smaller size boats, is this is where the most volume of boats are produced and sold. Bill;)

[Ron V]

From what I understand, the B.S. about overpowering boats is just that.....B.S. A lot of do-gooders like to run their mouth about it and even the cops make threat and may even impound boats, but that doesn't mean they are right or that it will necessarily fly in court. There is NO federal law (unless things recently changed) against overpowering. Worst they can do is ask you to return to port if they think it's unsafe, and if you refuse, then you can get into trouble. Of course state and locals can make stricter laws.

Don't ever forget one important thing: MANY cops are excellent at making up a new law on the spot and victimizing an unsuspecting person.

[Ospreyproduction]

Overpowering is a matter of opinion just as underpowering may be to some. Coastguard rating plate is only a "reccomendation" to the general public. It is only a suggestion not a law. If it were the law, the would be a law witten for each and every boat made, and there is not.

Just with a car, the only law is the speed limit....not the HP.

[sho305]

I think it is 55mph for inland water here in MI. I wonder how many <20' boats go over that with stock power. I guess most all cars can exceed the limit too.