I have a few guests joining me next weekend. I have had six adults and one toddler sail last time, and we found it quite comfortable.
How many adults can saail a Nonsuch 26 at a time?
Although official calculations assume 150 lbs for adults and 75 for children, these are outdated. A more realistic assumption would be 180 lbs. for adults and 90 lbs. for children. When you add clothes and equipment, you can probably round up to 200 lbs. for adults and 100 for kids.
That makes your passenger load in the neighborhood of 1300+ lbs. I can’t tell you the official capacity, but 1300 lbs is a lot of extra weight and will definitely affect safety whether or not it’s legal.
Ergonomics suggests 24" minimum width for seating, with 28-30" preferable. Because of the wheel and pedestal, you don’t have the full length or width of the seats actually available. So, independent of safety, six adults and a toddler doesn’t sound like a very comfortable experience.
Do you have lifevests for everyone, and are they either worn or easily accessible?
– Bob
The only 26’ sailboat for which I’ve seen the manufacturer’s recommended load capacity is the MacGregor 26.
The MacGregor doesn’t have a fixed keel. It depends on a swing keel with water ballast. With keel down and full ballast, its capacity is 960 lbs.
Between limited on-deck mobility and a load 30% higher, the passenger loads you’re describing sound seriously ill-advised.
– Bob
According to sailboatdata.com:
Displacement: 8,500.00 lb / 3,856 kg
Ballast: 2,750.00 lb / 1,247 kg
Pounds/Inch Immersion: 914.68 pounds/inch
So 1300 pounds of people will settle it about 1.5 inches lower in the water. That doesn’t seem unsafe to me in reasonable weather unless everyone runs to one side or something and even then the biggest risk is probably that the boat will heel more than expected and someone will fall in. It does sound very crowded! And you probably will notice a difference in handling and performance.
Are you planning on more than the six adults you had last time? That might be pushing it too far.
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Not planning to take more than six people. I was just trying to get an assessment of what will be the right number.
I do feel that a max group of five adults makes it more comfortable.
The immersion stuff I quoted is one thing, but there are other factors that I didn’t really consider. Where you put the 1300 pounds is one. If everyone is in the cockpit, then you’re going to be heavy in the stern, etc. And I’ve never been on a 26, while you and Bob both have, so I really should have kept out of this. The immersion figure suggests that you’re probably safe in normal conditions with 6 people, but if you’ve had six and feel more comfortable with a max of five, then that is probably a much better maximum.
The thing I find sailing – as opposed to motoring – is that more than 2 people in the cockpit means you’re constantly stepping over (or on) someone to make any adjustments to the lines leading to the cockpit. At 3-4, there’s no room for people to get out of the way. Above 4, even the mainsheet gets problematic for the helmsman to handle.
When you have that many people, I’d want to make sure that everyone knows how to operate the equipment they’re sitting near because no one will be able to get past them to do the job for them.
It strikes me as hard to have a great sailing experience that way. But it’s always nice to get out on the water, and that’s certainly one use for the boats.
Brian, the only thing you miss from not having seen a 26 is understanding how much the wheel obstructs cockpit movement compared to the larger boats.
– Bob
I’m not allowed to go by myself 
so I’m always happy to get anyone to come with me and I am rarely bothered if I am not sailing the boat optimally. Just so everyone is having a good time - and therefore more likely to come back. That said, I agree with you 100% that any more than 2 people start getting in each others’ way and contributing stress even in my 33. (It is not a gigantic boat.) I always attributed that to Asperger’s, but maybe it isn’t that unusual. I’ve had six on a couple of occasions and found it stressful until a couple of them (on both occasions) went forward to sit on the bow pulpit or cabintop. But the boat did not sail appreciably different with six aboard. In fact, on one occasion I hit 8kts (GPS) because one of them was sitting in front of the sheet winch and jabbering with her father when we passed Point Loma where the wind really speeds up for a few minutes! Thankfully it is a forgiving rig. Since then I’ve tried to ask someone competent to sit next to that winch whenever possible. And sometimes I just ask them to move for a second and I do it myself. They have to figure out how to move - I’m busy.
Bob, you just need a bigger boat.
Don⛵
Here’s what I did when I took 5 people for a sale in New York Harbor.
I had one person handle the wheel when I switched over to handle the sail. I ensured that there is no one sitting between the winch and me so that I can handle the main sheet.
That said, I had two folks to my right and two to my left.
The crew, including me, were between 23 and 42 age-wise. So, we were able to move around quickly when required.
What intrigues me is the J-24s I see here in the harbor. It’s smaller and probably much lighter than a Nonsuch 26.
And I see 5-6 adults every time they go out. I myself learned sailing in a J-24 where we were five people.
So if J-24 can handle five adults, can a Nonsuch handle eight adults who all can move quickly when required?
Siva, based on the immersion data it seems like there’s no reason you shouldn’t try 8 adults in pleasant conditions and report back. My assumption is as an attentive helmsman familiar with your boat, you’ll feel the extra weight and start to understand how it affects the boat’s responsiveness and safety.
I agree with Brian that the immersion math suggests 6, 8, 10, probably even 12 would be fine sitting at the dock or sailing in calm seas. But accidental weight distribution issues & swamping in heavy seas would concern me at 8, or even at 6 in heavy wind if those 6 couldn’t be counted on to get to the high side quickly.
This is all very theoretical though I admit. I think you should get out there and do some science for the community. 
I’m flexible on wearing lifejackets when out with a small number of people, but I would absolutely insist on it with the number of people being talked about here.
If you wait until they might be needed, there will be absolutely no room to move around for getting them out and putting them on.
– Bob