weight capacity for Minifish?

oceanview21

New Member
Manuf. specs rate the minifish at 300lbs....how accurate is this? Can we go heavier?...considering buying a minifish for me & girlfreind ...total weight 375LBS.
Thank You!
 
You will be going nowhere fast :)

Seriously, a Minifish wasn't designed to be sailed by two folks weighing 375 lbs. Consider getting the real thing, a Sunfish. But even a Sunfish isn't exactly comfortable for two big people.
 
I'm hearing the contrary...the spec is 300lbs...several people have told me we'll be fine...

Attention -Voorep, grow up, get a life...then maybe you can have a girlfreind too! (but I doubt it)
 
After sailing Hobbie's (14's & 16's) I feel the Sunfish is too small for 2 normal sized adults. A minifish? Depends on the size of the girlfriend. :)
 
There’s capacity in the physical sense and then there’s capacity in the legal sense. The boat will float quite a bit more than its rating. It just won’t sail at its best. Beyond that it’s your call for the comfort issues. State regulations based on Coast Guard guidelines use the manufacturer’s published capacity to judge a boat’s carrying capacity from a perspective of safe piloting and the number of passengers, crew, and gear that can be kept afloat by the backup flotation in the event of a boat sinking mishap. For this the Coast Guard came up with the number 150 lbs. to represent one adult. (take issue with them not me if you disagree with the number) In the event a boat is checked by the water constables they ask the routine question of capacity and count heads for compliance. If the head count fits they usually don’t take it any further unless something looks unsafe. You might look cozy, but hardly like an overloaded party boat so I wouldn’t worry about it.
 
Manuf. specs rate the minifish at 300lbs....how accurate is this? Can we go heavier?...considering buying a minifish for me & girlfreind ...total weight 375LBS.
Thank You!


Mine has had roughly the same weight in it and the entire hull up to where the deck rolls was under water.
Either get two Minifish or one Sunfish. With that weight on the Minifish, you will be able to travel, but it won't be with all the fun characteristics.
 
What is the Maximum Weight for a Sunfish? I'm almost 300lbs and want to get a beginner's sailboat.. I was told Sunfish is the best but I want something that can support 500lbs maximum if I take another adult, but most of the time it will just be me.

thanks,
Steve
 
I'm just over 200 (202.6 according to my bathroom scale), and I find my sunfish reasonable for me and one of my kids, but a touch on the cozy side for me and my wife. Since you have a few pounds on me, if you had a crew my size, roughly, you would find a sunfish to be too small.

There are a lot of other small boats to consider, but the only one I am really familiar with is a Club 420, which is not a beginners boat. Some of the catamarans might be worth looking at - hard to cartop, but the trampoline provides a lot of rom for a couple of people.
 

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