USCG case closed

"Mr. Kreutz-

These photos satisfy our compliance requirements and so your case is closed.

Respectfully, Louis Novak

USCG

Subject: case number 13R5134"

This short note brought to a close a long process of getting the Mississippi River Skiff legal in the eyes of the USCG.

Most of the delays were on my end, getting the initial tank test of the skiff and doing the proper calculations.

Additional delays had to do with getting an acceptable capacities label.

The next project will be to talk to the State of Missouri and figure out how to get Manufacturers Title so the boat can be legally sold.

Stay tuned...

USCG certified capacities for the MRS

After a few back and forth e emails with the Coast Guard clarifying the formulas, we have the certified Maximum Capacity numbers for the Mississippi River Skiff.
They are as follows:

MWC  717 pounds
MPC    497 pounds (calculated with a 20 HP motor)  This is Person Capacity
 Number of Persons  4
 Maximum Horse Power  20

As we ran through the numbers we found the size and width of the skiff could handle up to a 35 hp motor.  But through our testing we felt it should be limited to a 20hp to keep the stern from squatting too much.
So if we limited the HP to 20 the formula allows for more person capacity.  This brought us up to 3.75 persons.  With the addition of 3.15 cubic feet of flotation, the skiff is certified for these numbers.  We will be adding floatation this week.
The USCG has tables for calculating engine. battery and fuel tank weights.  To see them, follow this link:
uscgboating.org/regulations
Or This one:
Gov Printing Office How you arrive at these figure is as follows: