The more weight in the boat, the lower the freeboard which increases the chances of swamping and lowers stability. Overpowering your vessel also causes overloading due to the increased weight. Overloading compromises the safety of everyone on board.
Know how to safely load your boat by:
- storing heavy items low and central in a place where they cannot move around
- distributing the weight, including passengers, evenly throughout the boat
- compensating for the weight of extra fuel