America’s expanding waist lines have prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to adopt new rules for the first time in half a century because they now assume that the average passenger aboard vessels is a good 25 pounds heavier.

 

The new regulation states the Assumed Average Weight per Person for ships inspected by the Coast Guard is 185 pounds, up from 160. The previous weight was established during the middle of the 20th century. The average American male weighs 195 pounds, unclothed, and the average female 165 pounds.

 

With the new weight rule in effect, commercial boat owners are reducing the maximum number of passengers allowed onboard. For instance, some ferries in Washington State will now be limited to only 1,700 people. The same vessels used to carry 2,000. In addition to ferries, charter boats are also covered by the ruling.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Bulk’s Not Just in Bulkhead, So Coast Guard Steps In (by William Yardley, New York Times)