The old adage was that a boat should "drink 6, dine 4, and sleep 2." I have found this to apply to boats up to 35 feet in length.... 
As to any concern about the stability of your 26 footer, you will find that your deep ballast keel will not let it "flip over"....
We once had a noisy happy hour with 20 people on our Ranger 20.... (Disp = 1550#) and all it did was allow a couple of inches of water to backfill into the floor of the cockpit! Another time I was there for a gathering of 24 adults (well, by age, anyway...) on a Ranger 24 (Disp = 3100#). Quite a nice evening with quite a bit of wine involved... But that was over 20 years ago and we were all younger and stronger...
Even if you were out sailing with a gang of six folks on the low side, they might get wet and decide to move up, but there would be no issue of ultimate stability, IMHO.
Having all that lead under you really makes a difference compared to an unballasted power boat, for instance. (If that is the comparison that concerns you.)
Happy sailing,
Loren in PDX
As to any concern about the stability of your 26 footer, you will find that your deep ballast keel will not let it "flip over"....
We once had a noisy happy hour with 20 people on our Ranger 20.... (Disp = 1550#) and all it did was allow a couple of inches of water to backfill into the floor of the cockpit! Another time I was there for a gathering of 24 adults (well, by age, anyway...) on a Ranger 24 (Disp = 3100#). Quite a nice evening with quite a bit of wine involved... But that was over 20 years ago and we were all younger and stronger...
Even if you were out sailing with a gang of six folks on the low side, they might get wet and decide to move up, but there would be no issue of ultimate stability, IMHO.
Having all that lead under you really makes a difference compared to an unballasted power boat, for instance. (If that is the comparison that concerns you.)
Happy sailing,
Loren in PDX
Doing some rough calculations your 26'er will sit an inch lower inthe water for each additional 800 pounds of load. And if the people on average weigh 160 ( guy and gal mix) you will get about 5 more people per inch lower in the water. So if you put 10 people on board you would sit 2 inches lower. It would be better to put that 1600 pounds low in the boat and near the centerline ;-)
Sea water weighs about 64 pounds per cubic foot or about 5.34 pounds per square foot (one inch deep).
The risk is not from the weight of the people but rather where their mass is. If for some reason they all ended up on the lee rail when wind and wave conspired to bring some water below you could have trouble.
Using a number of 120 sq ft for the area of your interior should you ship water a foot deep you would have an additional 7680 pounds. This would sit you 9.6 inches deeper inthe water and the next wave could have some very long lasting results.
Best to not overload and to keep the water out. Also the Coast Guard has some loading formulas. Exceed the capacity of the boat and you could be cited and required to return to shore.
Ah yes the Ranger 20. I saw one on the Columbia yesterday. A R20 was my first boat. The Unsinkable Molly Brown. I did sink mine (and drew quite a crowd too). It happened much the way I described. But rather than too many people I had too much sail. As we dropped into a trough a wave broke onto the genoa and pulled us over. the water poured into the boat and we went down fast. No if only I had the "hatch" covered with the canvas cover we would have popped right up. Skipper error.
Regards, Ethan
Sea water weighs about 64 pounds per cubic foot or about 5.34 pounds per square foot (one inch deep).
The risk is not from the weight of the people but rather where their mass is. If for some reason they all ended up on the lee rail when wind and wave conspired to bring some water below you could have trouble.
Using a number of 120 sq ft for the area of your interior should you ship water a foot deep you would have an additional 7680 pounds. This would sit you 9.6 inches deeper inthe water and the next wave could have some very long lasting results.
Best to not overload and to keep the water out. Also the Coast Guard has some loading formulas. Exceed the capacity of the boat and you could be cited and required to return to shore.
Ah yes the Ranger 20. I saw one on the Columbia yesterday. A R20 was my first boat. The Unsinkable Molly Brown. I did sink mine (and drew quite a crowd too). It happened much the way I described. But rather than too many people I had too much sail. As we dropped into a trough a wave broke onto the genoa and pulled us over. the water poured into the boat and we went down fast. No if only I had the "hatch" covered with the canvas cover we would have popped right up. Skipper error.
Regards, Ethan
I have sailed with 7 in my E23 many times. This is 4 adults and 3 kids. No problems. I wouldn't go offshore in this loading condition, but as far as stability and safety we had no difficulty. For efficiency and comfort about 5 in my 23 is just right for day sailing. With my Family we have overnighted with all 6 of us. The kids are now picking the next spot to go and anchor for the night. They love it. If it is just day sailing, load 'em up. The more the merrier. There is nothing more fun than getting a boat load of people out on the water. Enjoy, M.Gann