How much weight is too much?

prowannabe

Recruit
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
1
I just bought a 15 ft. Alweld flat bottom boat to use for duck hunting. I'm going to put a 25 horse outboard on it. It's rated for 395 lbs., but I was wondering just how much weight this boat can handle before it gets unsafe. I mean I weight about 240 and would want to take a buddy and my dog, which would probably put our total around 500 lbs. Do they under rate the tag they put on these for their liability reasons or will this thing get close to sinking at the 400 lb mark? Please advise or share your experiences with boat weight limit ratings?<br />Thanks.
 

Drowned Rat

Captain
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
3,070
Re: How much weight is too much?

prowannabe. The boat should not get close to sinking at the 400 lb. mark. It's rated for 395 which means that is the weight it can handle safely. Anything over that and the boat can become dangerous for a number of different reasons. It may not have enough freeboard or it may not handle correctly when overloaded. It's a little late now, but I would suggest looking at a canoe as a cheap alternative to the duck boat. The same size canoe would be rated for nearly 1,000 lbs. although you couldn't put that big of a motor on a canoe.<br /><br />I'd stick very close to the boat's rated weight limit and never exceed the boat's rated hp.
 

John McFarlane

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jan 14, 2005
Messages
116
Re: How much weight is too much?

Sounds like you may have read the label incorrectly if that is all this 14 foot aluminium boat is rated for. Does that include the engine weight as well?<br /><br />Look again I would suggest.
 

rwidman

Lieutenant
Joined
May 27, 2004
Messages
1,396
Re: How much weight is too much?

I wouldn't suggest overloading the boat. It might not sink in a still pond but what happens when you hit a wave or another boat's wake? What happens when one of you shifts his weight or the dog starts jumping around? Go out by yourself and get an idea of how it handles and how shifting your weight affects the stability.
 

salty87

Commander
Joined
Aug 12, 2003
Messages
2,327
Re: How much weight is too much?

agree with rwidman....you'd probably be fine on a calm day and no one else around. start throwing in some other factors and you don't have much room left for comfort. your load will only get heavier too, how much would all of that weigh when everything like the dog and gear are wet and there's some water in the boat?
 
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