From what I understand only boats under 20' are required to have capacity plates but many builders put them on all sizes boats they build.

Question is in Texas is it illegal to Texas to be over the limit? I remember being told by a game warden that it wasn't. Just make sure you have enough life vests and the other required gear. A discussion came up last weekend with a guy telling me it is illegal.

Bored ramblings and looking for what y'all know.

I think it's more a liability issue for the boat manufacturer than anything. I repowered my 21' boat and wanted to go with a 200 or 225 but the plate said max 150hp. Shop I went to said they wouldn't go above 150 since that's what was on the plate.

I would suspect boat person limits are very much the same in that the manufacturer is covering their butts by putting a max. Can the boat carry more weight, probably, but if crap hits the fan you're on your own if you're over their prescribed limit.

I honestly don't think GW or even coast guard cares what the plate says as long as you're boating safely. More people probably get popped for drunk boating than having too many people on board or an overpowered boat.

Work for a boat manufacturer. The rating is required and governed by the Coast Guard. However to be certified by the NMMA (National Marine Manufacturing Association) the boats must have that rating and pass flotation reguirements that exceed the Coast Guard requirements. Boats that are NMMA certified will have a tag or label showing it. It is also a liability issue. Not all manufactures are NMMA certified.
Horsepower Rating is also governed by the Coast Guard by a formula of hull weight- length and width.
Coast Guard can enforce the rating but that is usually in coastal waters.
Game wardens can enforce the rating of capacity IF they feel the vessel is grossly overloaded and unsafe.
So if you have a 14 ft John Boat with 12 people in it they can stop you.
As was said in another post a reasonable capacity and required flotation devices is What gets looked at. Especially kids wearing life jackets.

I read through TPWD regulations looking for this a while back and never found anything stating it was illegal. I do think the coast guard will enforce it though.

Thanks y'all. Pretty much lined up with what I thought.