Why does overloading a small craft (too many people, too much gear, or both) matter more than it might on land?

A. Overloading has no real effect on a boat's handling or safety, unlike a car

B. Extra weight reduces freeboard and stability, changes how the boat responds to waves and manoeuvring, and can push a small craft dangerously close to (or below) its safe carrying capacity — the effect is proportionally much larger on a small boat than the same relative overload would be on a larger vessel or a road vehicle

C. Overloading only affects fuel consumption, not safety

D. Modern small craft have no meaningful maximum capacity to worry about

A. Preparing fenders and mooring lines too far in advance of arrival

B. Approaching at too high a speed for the conditions and available sea room, and not having fenders and lines rigged and ready before the final approach — both leave far less margin to react if wind, current, or another vessel changes the picture at the last moment

C. Using too many fenders rather than too few

D. There is no meaningful difference in risk between approach speeds when berthing

A. It is actually a rare occurrence and not a genuine concern for most skippers

B. It requires no planning to avoid — fuel gauges are always perfectly accurate on small craft

C. It is entirely preventable through basic passage planning (knowing your realistic range, keeping a genuine reserve, and not relying on a gauge alone), yet it remains common because those simple checks get skipped — and running out becomes far more dangerous the further from shore or the worse the conditions are when it happens

D. Fuel management is only a concern for vessels making ocean passages, never for coastal trips