How much load will a Pirogue carry?
My Pirogue is 14′ long and according to the USCG formula will safely carry a load of 336 pounds. The Coast Guard formula to compute the safe load of a home built boat is as follows. Determine the amount of weight it takes to “sink” your boat. Put the boat in the water and fill it with water counting the number of gallons it takes for the gunwales to be even with the water. Water weighs eight pounds per gallon. Multiply the number of gallons by eight and you will know the total amount of weight it takes to “sink” your boat. The boat will not actually sink because wood is buoyant. The Coast Guard then recommends multiplying the total weight by a factor of .3 to determine the “maximum safe load”. My boat is 14′ long, it takes 140 gallons of water to reach the gunwales, 140 gallons x 8 (pounds per gallon) = 1120 pounds x .3 = 336 pounds “safe load”. The safe load of your boat will be determined by the length you build.
