If you’ve ever taken the time to inspect your boat all around (and you probably have), you might have noticed a little plate or decal with a bunch of weights and horsepower measures written on it. This is your capacity plate, and most states will require by law that your pontoon boat have one.
But what happens when it gets lost? Well, you could always just write it down yourself based on what you remember was written. Right? Actually, not exactly. If you’ve lost or damaged your capacity plate beyond legibility, then it’s important that you know how to get a replacement capacity plate for a pontoon boat.
How to Replace a Pontoon Boat Capacity Plate
In most places, it’s required by law to have a capacity plate affixed to your boat. This plate - although seemingly unimportant - bears vital information about how much weight your boat can take. Without one, you could potentially forget the number of people you can have onboard, and thus overburden your boat with weight that it can’t sustain.
As you boat along, your watercraft can overwork its engine and motor, and becomes more prone to capsizing since you’ve loaded more weight than it can handle. Plus, having a capacity plate on your boat also means that you deflect the often scrutinizing gaze of local law enforcement.
Thus, if you’ve lost your capacity plate, it’s important that you find a suitable replacement. Check out Stickerzon Decals who does just that. All you have to do is supply them with the information for your plate, which should be found in your boat’s manual.
This information includes:
Can You Estimate the Figures?
Maybe you weren’t able to get a good look at the numbers, and now that your capacity plate is gone, you just can’t seem to remember what they were. The worst part is that you also lost your pontoon boat manual so your only option would be to give a ballpark figure.
Before you go ahead and do that, remember that false or incorrect information on your capacity plate can be considered a federal offense. If the USCG manages to take a peek into your capacity plate and finds out that it’s not accurate, you could be heavily penalized for it.
The information written on a capacity plate is proof that the manufacturer guarantees that its boat and its components comply with Federal standards. If your boat ends up in an accident, you could set yourself up for expensive lawsuits on top of voiding your warranty and your insurance coverage.
Thus, if you’re not sure what the precise numbers are, make sure you give the manufacturer a call or send them an email so you can get exact information to place on your replacement plate.
Don’t Play Around with Capacity Plates
It’s important that you know how to get a replacement capacity plate for a pontoon boat. Those capacity plates serve a serious purpose and are even required by law. So if you’re not sure what the numbers should be, don’t hesitate to ask the manufacturer and have a new plate made before your next boating trip.
