Headed down to the coast this weekend and our group is a little bigger than I'd like. 6 grown men.

We have a 21' shallow sport. I called shallow sport and they wouldn't answer the question directly as far as max capacity, which seems a little weird to me. They did tell me that I won't get a ticket or anything for having a bunch of guys in the boat.

But I'm just thinking safety here. I know 6 people will be crowded as hell. But is it dangerous?

1 guy is pretty light
2 normal size
3 Are pretty big guys

Plan on taking your full compliment of firearms, that way, when it sinks, you wont have to register them in the National registry

what does the coast guard label say?

Architelico said:

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what does the coast guard label say?

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The boat is down at the house so I won't be able to read it till we get down there. That's why I called Shallow a sport. But like I said, they were kind of answering the question with out answering it.

On the shallow sport website, it shows a 2019 21' boat has a capacity of 7.

But ours is a 2013

Lots of fishing guides won't take 6 people simply because it's too crowded. You have to cast overhead, not from the side. If someone forgets ...could be a hook in the wrong place.

If you're wading then you only need to worry about the ride back and forth.

Look on your sticker and it'll tell you a number of people or total weight. Divide it out

I would rethink 6 guys if you're not wading. I've done it more than most and it was never fun.

You could do two trips. Morning and afternoon etc. just an idea.

Have fun and be safe. Hope you get him.

Doubt the boats would have changed so much in that time that it would be under 6.

But don't expect much in the way of speed or fuel efficiency with that weight. And you won't be hitting the skinny water in the back lakes either.

bdgol07 said:

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Plan on taking your full compliment of firearms, that way, when it sinks, you wont have to register them in the National registry

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Depends on your definition of bigger guys.
I've ran 6 folks on our 21' shallow sport several times but weights ranged from 185-250. If the 3 big guys are 300 plus then it gonna be unpleasant running.

I def would be wadefishing...

If all 6 of us do go, only 4 will be fishing at a time and we'll trade out.

I'm hoping I can talk a couple of the less avid fishermen into staying behind and going into Rockport and doing stuff.

The water will likely be somewhat crowded with the Babes on the Bay ladies tournament going on in addition to the usual traffic. Y'all have fun and be safe.

Ifishandlie said:

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Lots of fishing guides won't take 6 people simply because it's too crowded. You have to cast overhead, not from the side. If someone forgets ...could be a hook in the wrong place.

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While true, I always though it had more to do with the fact that many guides hold an OUPV Captain's License (AKA '6-pack') which limits the max number of passengers to 6.

lotsofhp said:

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If all 6 of us do go, only 4 will be fishing at a time and we'll trade out.

I'm hoping I can talk a couple of the less avid fishermen into staying behind and going into Rockport and doing stuff.

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When we had our Shallow Sport '21 we had 6 guys on it once. It was not very pleasurable as we could get on plane, but only crank out about 20 knots. That was with an 150 TRP which was not known for its speed anyway. Went to Baffin and the chop beat the hell out of us crossing the mouth.

I would advise against it because your are going to have hell going that slow with all the Babes on the Bay traffic that is tearing through there and passing you.

I would estimate our weights at that time as:

275
255
250
185
175
140

Good luck

No. That's 6 people not including captain or deckhand.

An offshore boat could have 6 passengers, 2 deckhands and the captain.

You can't exceed the boat rating though.
Problem with most of those laws is it's coast guard
Regulated. They aren't around much anymore.

Since 911 they focus more on security etc

Meh, balance the weight distribution and don't take too much gear, you'll be fine. You won't safely be doing much casting though. Draft more, lower speeds, take longer to get on plane.

I've had 4 adults in my 16 foot skiff with only 60hp.

Have to cross any big water that gets rough?

Throwing artificials would be miserable unless you offload some waders. Even if just 4 are fishing at a time, it's still cramped casting and they'll be tripping over the two along for the ride.

Are you anywhere near a beach (by truck or boat)? Fishing the surf would let you spread out, and a box full of whiting is good eating if you're trying to send your guests home with some fillets.

140 lbs, full grown man?

Fishing is going to be tight as others have said. Other than that no other real issues I see unless you're concerned with speed.

Maybe bigger guy up front, 2 standing to the sides of the console and 2 smaller at the stern while underway.

HtownAg2000 said:

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140 lbs, full grown man?

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Mr Dubi is 130 lbs dripping wet. Some folks aren't fat!

dubi said:

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HtownAg2000 said:

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140 lbs, full grown man?

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Mr Dubi is 130 lbs dripping wet. Some folks aren't fat!

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How tall is Mr. Dubi? 5'2"?

HtownAg2000 said:

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dubi said:

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HtownAg2000 said:

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140 lbs, full grown man?

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Mr Dubi is 130 lbs dripping wet. Some folks aren't fat!

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How tall is Mr. Dubi? 5'2"?

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My middle brother is 6' tall has weighed 140 most of his adult life. Now that he's in his mid 40's he has developed a pooch but I bet he might go 155-160 max. Me on the other hand, I haven't been 140 since Reagan's first term.

Quote:

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How tall is Mr. Dubi? 5'2"?

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5'6"

Skinny!

Current shallow sport specs say 7

https://www.shallowsportboats.com/boat/21-sport/

I am 6' and got down to ~170lbs when I was running marathons. I am sure it's possible but I just can't picture a 6' man in a 140 lb body. Something like this I suppose

HtownAg2000 said:

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I am 6' and got down to ~170lbs when I was running marathons. I am sure it's possible but I just can't picture a 6' man in a 140 lb body. Something like this I suppose

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You wouldn't be too far off only my brother wasn't quite that sickly looking. Maybe he was closer to 150, but he maintained his cross-country build for quite some time.

JB!98 said:

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lotsofhp said:

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If all 6 of us do go, only 4 will be fishing at a time and we'll trade out.

I'm hoping I can talk a couple of the less avid fishermen into staying behind and going into Rockport and doing stuff.

---

When we had our Shallow Sport '21 we had 6 guys on it once. It was not very pleasurable as we could get on plane, but only crank out about 20 knots. That was with an 150 TRP which was not known for its speed anyway. Went to Baffin and the chop beat the hell out of us crossing the mouth.

I would advise against it because your are going to have hell going that slow with all the Babes on the Bay traffic that is tearing through there and passing you.

I would estimate our weights at that time as:

275
255
250
185
175
140

Good luck

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Yeah our guys trip happened to land on the same weekend as babes on the bay. Would have been great a few years ago before we all got married haha.

We're all taking Friday off and getting in Thursday night. So our main fishing day is actually going to be Friday when hopefully the bay isn't too loaded down.

We're fishing Copano

Yeah, I think he posts here so I will not discolse. He is skinny little fellow. My dad, brother, and I tend towards the top of that list.

I was 6'3 leaving high school at 135. It is not a good look

Around 180 now

lotsofhp said:

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If all 6 of us do go, only 4 will be fishing at a time and we'll trade out.

I'm hoping I can talk a couple of the less avid fishermen into staying behind and going into Rockport and doing stuff.

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Will anyone wade? Drop 3 guys to wade a spot and let the other fishermen drift. I don't like more than 3 poles going at once if I'm fishing out of the boat and that's with a 23' boat and a front casting platform. The wind is gonna be pumping this weekend too. Friday forecast is 19mph

Another option would be to hire a guide, have all 6 split the cost, and use the Shallow Sport as a chase boat. The guide will probably charge extra, but, would be better for everyone.

F I was hoping the wind would cooperate

Every time I try to take my fiends from A&M out and put them on fish everything goes wrong

I have learned the hard way that if someone isn't willing to bail out of the boat and wade fish, I'm not taking them fishing. It's not that I hate boat fishing, it's just that I rarely fish from the boat and therefore don't have the same level of experience.

My guess is that it's less to do with "everything going wrong" and more to do with inexperienced fishermen changing things up for you and then not being as successful as you are used to.

When we do a "guys weekend" with my non-fishing buddies, we get a guide every time. I'm guessing since it isn't summer and your main day is Friday, you can probably still find a 2-boat guide trip. Then take your SS Sport out on Saturday with the guys who want to go a second time.

If I took 6 of my friends in my boat, hell, the beer alone we would have to take would over load the boat!