Americans Are Now Fat Enough to Require Lower Passenger Limits on Boats

We told you before that Americans are now fat enough to require larger buses, ambulances, and crash test dummies. Now we need bigger boats, too.

Hot on the heels of the Federal Transit Administration increasing its average passenger weight for buses to 175 pounds, the U.S. Coast Guard has itself begun planning for heavier boating enthusiasts. Noting a need (pdf) to update safety regulations "to more accurately reflect today's average weight per person," the Coast Guard is kicking up its "Assumed Average Weight per Person" (AAWP), which has been 160 pounds for years. As of December 1, 2011, the AAWP will go to 185 pounds, meaning an eight-ton capacity boat will now only be allowed to hold 86 people instead of 100.

---

With endless food and alcohol cruises taking hold in the travel market, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

photo (cc) via Flickr user Let Ideas Compete