Boat weight

[Jakuzi1]

Hello all, I’m new to this forum and boating. We are searching for our first boat and hope to purchase in the fall or spring when the prices are more favorable according to our research. Anyway my question is regarding boat weights. As we look up boats we are trying to stay under the rated weight of our SUV so we don’t have to buy a truck yet and thus can get more boat. We research the weight of the boats we see and like but we are unsure if that weight is the weight of the boat and trailer or just the boat? I have asked at dealers where we have looked at boats and some tell me the weight of the boat is the package weight yet others say it’s only the boat. The stated weight from the dealers is often the same as what we find on the internet and a couple of dealers even looked it up on the internet right in front of us. If I look up a weight on a particular boat am I seeing the total weight or not. I understand that if the used boat has a different trailer than the boat came with originally it would only be an estimate and you would need to physically weight them to know exactly but If I look it up on NADA (for example) what weight am I seeing? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Scott Danforth]

And what is the towing capacity of your SUV?

What you normally see is dry weight (no fluids), and if it's a boat with an outboard, the weight is without motor

Typical single axle trailer is 600-800#, typical tandem axle trailer is 1200#

 

[Jakuzi1]

My SUV is rated for 5500#. So your saying the weights given online are for the boat only and does not include the trailer? Is there a place in the internet where one might go to get the exact information for a given boat and trailer or maybe a book or something. One dealer pulled out a book and looked up the weight but he would not let us see it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Your max towing is 5500#

So your looking for a 19 foot boat with an I/O or OB

Boat ~3000#
Trailer ~1200#
Fuel ~400#
Gear ~500#

 

[JASinIL2006]

And more than likely, the combined weight of passengers, gear and the trailer tongue on the hitch will exceed the vehicle’s maximum payload rating.

 

[tpenfield]

As mentioned, published weights are the boat itself. You can do the math of adding the other stuff together, but @Scott Danforth 's figures are spot on.

Often a boat purchase causes a tow vehicle purchase. BTDT.

You also want to be cognizant of your total vehicle weight capacity, which includes what you are towing, plus the tow vehicle and all the peeps and stuff in/on the vehicle.

A good rule of thumb is the 'dry weight' of the boat will be about 2/3 of the tow rating.

 

[briangcc]

Very few list a total package weight that includes boat, motor, and trailer. IF they do, its as mentioned above - dry....meaning no batteries, no gas/water, no safety gear, etc.

Trackerboats (the ones that you mainly buy at the big box sporting goods stores with a big old bass logo - you know who they are) is one that comes to mind that lists package weight.

My Chap in my signature has a dry rigged weight of 2600. I figure my actual towed weight - meaning trailer (steel, single axle with brakes), spare tire, gas (30 gallon tank), batteries (I have 2), all my safety gear, all my fishing gear, and whatever else may stumble its way in is in the neighborhood of 4k.

FWIW...I have towed this boat with the following:

2016 Tundra CrewCab 5.7L 4x4 - 10k towing
2017 4Runner SR5 Premium 4x4 - 5k towing
2019 Ram 1500 Classic v6 4x4 double cab - 7400 towing
2021 Ram 1500 Bighorn 5.7L etorque 4x4 crew cab - 8500 towing

All towed fine.

**The 2022 Durango in my sig has 6200 towing but I have yet to tow with it, wife's grocery getter I expect it will do just fine.

 

[harringtondav]

You also want to be cognizant of your total vehicle weight capacity, which includes what you are towing, plus the tow vehicle and all the peeps and stuff in/on the vehicle.

GVWR. Gross vehicle weight rating. Same as above except only the tongue weight of your loaded trailer...assume 10% of the boat and trailer weight. Max rated towing capacity refers to the fully loaded trailer weight. Scott Danforth's figures are a safe max. ....I never tow high speed/long distance with more than 5-10 gals of fuel in the boat to give the trailer tires and vehicle a little more safety margin. If you're splitting hairs....thinking you're close to the limit, refer to the boat mfgrs. web page if you're buying new. Dry weight is shown in the full specs. Else require the seller to allow you to weigh the boat/trailer with your SUV as a condition of sale. Two trips to the scale: SUV +Boat/trailer. Second reweigh with SUV only. You'll have all the data you need. I did a third with vehicle + empty trailer to get an accurate boat weight for my boat lift. Wet boat was 200# less than Regal's dry web spec. ....maybe they shorted me with resin + roving.

 

[Jakuzi1]

Thank you all very much for your replies. I am fully aware of my need to upgrade to a truck or larger SUV but honestly I was hoping to get away with it for one season. I live in Illinois so it’s flat. The lake and river id be boating in are less than 30min away on flat ground. Driving two vehicles to the lake or river to save weight isn’t a problem. I work for a vehicle manufacturer and my job gives me access to some of the testing info so I know that vehicles are tested to much higher weights than they are rated for but things like warranty, gov’t standards and assumed vehicle condition greatly influence the actual ratings. Wether my vehicle can handle a short jaunt to the lake once in a while at its max towing capacity was not my concern. I really only need to know if there was a place I could go to research the actual weight of a particular boat and trailer package without having to email the manufacturer and wait forever for a response or physically taking them to a weigh station. Again thank you for the information provided. I believe I now have a little better idea of the size range I need to stay in to achieve my goal. I’m very impressed with the quick response on this forum. I’ve used other forums for various things and often it takes quite a bit of time to get someone to respond to a posted question.

 

[briangcc]

All depends on what you're looking at/for. If you're not opposed to it, look at aluminum boats as you're going to find that you can go larger since the boat itself weighs substantially less than a comparable fiberglass boat.

For ex: Lund's 2025 Impact XS has a boat weight (minus engine) of 1685 - published on their website. Gets you into a 20' boat. Their Baron 2275 gets you into nearly 23' of boat - 2450 (minus engine).

Otherwise, watch the weights carefully. The FourWinns in my signature lists dry weight at 3100lbs. It had a tandem trailer, 40gallons of gas, single battery. I tried towing it with my wife's 2016 GMC Acadia AWD SLE2 (with tow package) and it struggled mightily on hills. That boat needed more to lug it around in that terrain. On flat land, yeah the GMC did OK. No land/speed records but it pulled it.

 

[airshot]

Aluminum boat is the way to go, lighter to tow and they take less hp to push, saving on fuel. Yes they are a little harsher to ride in rough water, but when the water is rough we dont go boating!!! My 22' Starcraft Islander with a 140hp I/O and trailer, loaded with all our gear was under 3000 lbs. My Blazer was rated at 4400 lb capacity and it towed with no issues. That same boat in fiberglass would be over 5k lbs !!

 

[Drcoffee]

I called my nearby Pilot truck stop and they have a “CAT scale” where I can drag my boat to and get a full weight reading. They charge just $13 Which seems reasonable. Probably something every trailer owner should do at least once, to know what you are pulling vs what claims the dealers provide.

 

[harringtondav]

I called my nearby Pilot truck stop and they have a “CAT scale” where I can drag my boat to and get a full weight reading. They charge just $13 Which seems reasonable. Probably something every trailer owner should do at least once, to know what you are pulling vs what claims the dealers provide.

The CAT scale I used charges half for the re-weigh. Trucks check their tare and loaded weights. ...good for boaters wanting net boat weight.

 

[tpenfield]

It is a judgement call on your part (OP) if you are a bit over your weight rating to get the boat you want. Drive at or under the speed limit, but not over 55 mph regardless.

I towed 14,000 lbs with my F-150 on the back roads - only about 2 miles. Probably would need an F-250 w/ dual rear wheels to tow it for real.

 

[harringtondav]

Also trailer tire pressures are high, and critical. 50 psi for my previous small boat/trailer. 65 psi for the new heavier boat. Some new boat or trailer towers are used to mid-upper 30 psi on their passenger vehicles. Read the tire sidewall and keep the tires at that pressure. Lower pressures will cause a messy, dangerous failure. ...Also investing in a spare tire and bracket may save you some grief. Cheap insurance.