The Coast Guard Thinks You've Put on a Few Pounds ("Assumed Average Weight Per Person")

Yahoo ^ | 1/02/12 | Dashiell Bennett

[Libloather]

The Coast Guard Thinks You've Put on a Few Pounds
By Dashiell Bennett | The Atlantic Wire – Mon, Jan 2, 2012

The Coast Guard recently raised its "Assumed Average Weight Per Person" standard to 185 pounds, reflecting the growing waistlines of the American populace. The number — which is 25 pounds higher than the previous average — is used to the determine the safe operating capacity of passenger boats around the country. The change may force tour operators, ferry services, and other charter companies to adjust the capacity of their vessels or risk failing their next Coast Guard inspection.

[HiTech RedNeck]

...
Can she fit in my coupe?
By herself she’s a group!
Can she possibly
Sit upon my knee?
No, no, no!
...

— Too Fat Polka

[Libloather]

Italy cruise ship death toll rises to 5 as search continues

[saganite]

The Coast Guard would be correct. The airlines have already added the extra pounds. The only alternative would be to weigh each passenger individually.

[Tailback]

This rule hit us at our workplace. I operate a ferry that holds up to 9 cars and has a 100,000 pound limit. Our previous limit was XX passengers, our new limit is XX passengers. This new limit has nothing to do with the weight capacity of the ferry, it is simply a beaurocratic interpretation based on the prior number of life jackets we carried.

Some government drone said “this vessel has XX life jackets which multiplied times 185 pounds equals this weight. Now divide by the new weight equals how many passengers you can carry.”

9 cars and XX passengers can never get over 100,000 pounds! It’s impossible on our ferry we tell the drones.

No problem they say, for the low price of $4,000 you can request a variance in your stability letter.

Do any of you still wonder why American jobs continue to go overseas?

[GAB-1955]

And I've seen situations as an Auxiliarist where people needed flares, and needed the correct number of life jackets. The regulations aren't there to annoy you; they're to make sure if things go wrong, you can help yourself.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Get rid of some of the life jackets? Sounds insane but it looks like that’s what the burro-crats are hinting at.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Oh. It struck a reef. This was not a situation of too many fatties on the starboard side.

[null and void]

Yeah? Why is the side with the big gash UP?

[null and void]

[Cicero]

I have the flares. And I usually have a number of extra life preservers on board, adult and child, in case someone shows up without one.

[dalereed]

Get a physical job you lardasses!

[Talisker]

And I've seen situations as an Auxiliarist where people needed flares, and needed the correct number of life jackets. The regulations aren't there to annoy you; they're to make sure if things go wrong, you can help yourself.

You actually believe "that's why the regulations are there" - "to make sure if things go wrong, you can help yourself"?

I stand speechless before such naivete'.

You might get a lot of mileage in front of Boy Scouts, but my advice is to stay out of political discussions.

Oh and please, just spare me the rock-obvious safety talk, m'kay?

[mojo114]

You are absolutely correct. Government regulations will put a whole lot of small fishing, sightseeing,ferry’s out of business by this ridiculous mandate.
I can imagine it will hurt larger vessels as well including aircraft.
As you said pay $$$ to get a variance.
Shameful.

[1010RD]

The War on Commerce continues.

[Cicero]

Yeah. Over the course of many years, I’ve broken down a few times, and the obvious thing is to get people to wave to a passing boat and have the kids jump up and down while you do it. Who wants to mess with flares in a boat? Conceivably there might be an occasion to use one, but I’ve never seen it.

There’s a coast guard academy not far from where we stay, and I’ve known a few people who went there. They start out with a genuine love of the sea and boats, but most of them seem to end up as bureaucrats. Like traffic policemen, their chief interest seems to be fining people—presumably because those are the boss’s orders.

[1010RD]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2833402/posts?page=34#34

[af_vet_rr]

You actually believe "that's why the regulations are there" - "to make sure if things go wrong, you can help yourself"?

I stand speechless before such naivete'.

Back when I was stationed in Alaska, I had a buddy who got in trouble and ended up in a life raft with his wife and in-laws. This was before everybody had GPS or personal locator beacons that could guide rescue folks to within a few hundred feet. He wasn't able to give them precise coordinates and they had a large area to search.

He, his wife, and her parents might not be alive if it weren't for flares.

This wasn't even at night, either.

[af_vet_rr]

185 lbs??? Really??

Come to Texas. With our Hispanic, Germanic and African American population mix, we are closer to 225 lbs for men!

Probably close to that for women too!!!

Visit just about any Wal-Mart in Texas and the average weight is probably around 200-225 pounds easy. It's ridiculous how fat this country is getting.

If you're in the healthcare industry and have anything to do with diabetes, you've got job security for decades to come.

[MrEdd]

Americans are also taller.

[GAB-1955]

I’ve also had to help in recoveries of bodies where people didn’t take care of those basic safety talks.

Those “naive” regulations helped save my brother and niece’s life in a boating accident.

Say all you want - the world is full of careless boaters and they need the regs.