Re: Hurricane deck boat weight
Does anybody know what the general weight of an 18 foot Hurricane deck boat with a 135 Merc would be? I don't know much else, I'm waiting for more info from the seller. I need to be able to tow it with my minivan.
Thanks!
Alright, this is dated but I figured others may be scanning the archives for information. I am looking at the Hurricane 170 OB. I can find the weight of the boat by going to nada.com. The 170 I am looking at is just under 1300lbs.
You can also find the weight of the outboard at NADA. I found this a bit trickier because they usually do not list the exact model in a classified ad. The outboard I am looking at is just under 350lbs.
I gave up on the trailer. NADA lists them but getting the exact model is tough. But a fair guestimate would be between 500 and 800lbs for the boat I am looking at.
You also wish to account for fuel. Roughly 6.25 lbs per gallon. The boat I am looking at holds 26 gallons. This is something I learned from this site (thanks people!) For a long trip I might run with an empty or almost empty gas tank. No use hauling something you can pick up at your destination. It is less than 150lbs, but so is my daughter.
I was not sure where to look up the weight of a 10lb anchor ;<)
I do not think this matters as much with a boat, but with an RV trailer wind comes into play as well. Towing a flat faced brick of a trailer into a 65mph headwind is actually increasing the strain on the vehicle. I think the deckboats should not have a problem. Most are probably not taller than the tow vehicle.
My minivan is rated for 3500lbs. I believe that includes driver only so I think I have about 1000lbs to spare for passengers and luggage.
I also am looking into brakes. The boat is relatively lightweight, so brakes are not required by law. They can be a maintenance headache too. But I am comfortable getting slowed down going uphill towing a load. I am less comfortable getting pushed by the boat downhill so the brakes are attractive to me. The surge ones can be installed on a trailer for not a lot of money.
Just my thoughts. My experience is towing sailboats, I am looking forward to a tow that does not involve 30 minutes at the ramp setting up or a bunch of rigging flapping around.
Oh, one more thing. If you are ok with the tow weight AND the tongue weight we got a lot of use out of stuffing stuff in the boat. Using it as a utility trailer on long trips. Bikes, coolers, luggage - what have you. I also got in the practice of pulling over at the first rest stop on the highway to double check straps and bearing temperature. I am hoping this is not needed with a power boat, but with the sail boat there always seemed to be one piece of rigging that had a mind of its own. It would not be a problem in the neighborhood, but after 20 minutes on the highway I'd get a good idea of what was loose and what was not and I'd be good for the next 6 hours.
My son theorized that if we inflated the tubing tube it might lesson the weight of the rig. We are looking into that :<)
John