Party Boat Ergonomics

We have a lot of folk here asking about boats for Sunset Cruises and Party Venues.
Personally I sail to get away from all that.
However, I have done a Google search but came up with nothing with regards to a floating venue.
In your professional opinion, what is the minimum required space, per passenger and crew (in ft or m sq) for a party boat, for both comfort and safety?


Photo credit: crosalsafestival.com

 

In my opinion the required space for people to party comfortly might be smaller than the space required by authorities for safety/stability issues.
The latter would be determinant.

I don't have specific numbers which also depend on properties of the boat and number of people etc.

 

My father ran 65 foot catamaran headboats (party boats) for off-shore fishing. The coast guard licensed them to run 100 people each, but for comfort, my father limited ticket sales to 50 people. In part, the rail space for fishing dictated the 50 person limit, but also cabin layout and other factors related to getting safely out of inclement weather 80 miles off- shore.

I always thought the density of passengers was livable, from a commercial enterprise stand point. Much of the answer to the OP question has to do with where and what the exact nature of the party is expected to be.

Is it a near-coast beach hopping party or is it an off-shore fishing venture, or are you taking parties of divers out to a reef, or just sight-seeing around the bay?

-Will

 

The boat will be a multihull, but the size is totally depending on the client and his business plan and the capacity he needs to turn a profit.
I can see online there is 'x' amount of space needed for dining tables and chairs etc. for a restaurant but nothing for stand-up parties.
The party boats I see online are anywhere between 78-100+ ft for 100 pax. But I was looking for an area per person similar to the abundant information available for restaurateurs.

 

Hi Will,

Thanks for your input. Just more or less a sunset cruise around the bay serving drinks. Dancefloor, DJ Stage Bar and WC, maybe a VIP area. No accommodation or island hopping.

 

We have complete designs of 24m party boat, also can be 20m option. Bar zone, photo session zone, seating area, bow ladder for beach landing, bow net, bathrooms. Option with electrical propulsion. The design got Muse Design Award on 2021.

 

Depends how drunk they are but 4 square feet per person should cover it for comfort.
As for safety, that depends on many, many variables but you could start by asking your insurance company and the local authorities.

Party barges I've been involved with participants were required to wear PFD's (done up) when on board.
It was a two level barge with about 100 people on board and all the required safety gear.