Approximate total weights for medium sized boats?

[Chubber]

I am interested in finding a 14 to 17 foot boat that I can tow easily behind my VW Jetta. I have been looking at the aluminum ones from the 1970s. What I can't really find is the approximate total weight of a boat, motor and trailer.

Assume:
16 foot Alumacraft or like V hull, side console but without a lot of plywood decking.
25-50 hp 2 stroke outboard
Galvanized steel trailer.

About how much is this package going to weigh? Have you weighed yours? How about loaded down on the way to the launching ramp with 6+ gallons fuel, cooler, batteries, etc.?

I am also curious about approximately the same platform, but in a fiberglass boat, like a tri hull or flats boat. Approximately the same weight as aluminum, or much more?

I never had a boat that I didn't just keep tied to the dock or used a friends big truck to tow.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Approximate total weights for medium sized boats?

Boat = 700#
Engine = 210# (Evinrude 40/50 HP)
Trailer = 350#
Don't forget battery, fuel, adult beverages, life jackets, fishing tackle, anchor and any other stuff you put in the boat. That must be included as well. All numbers are very approximate. That said, the difference between a 14 foot boat and a 17 foot boat can be well over 500# depending on make and model. Engine weights can vary by 50# and trailers can very by a couple hundred depending on manufacturer, age, and design.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: Approximate total weights for medium sized boats?

Fiberglass will generally be somewhat heavier than a similar size aluminum boat. I have a 14.5 foot glass boat with a 70 hp Evinrude from the same era you're looking at (1976). Altogether it is about 1500 lbs empty - 900 lb for the hull and fixed equipment (seats, etc.), 220 for the outboard, and close to 400 for the trailer. Food, fuel and gear adds another 200-300 lb.

If you're looking for something you can "easily" tow with a Jetta, you want to keep it under 1000-1200 lb. Towing a heavier boat is possible, however, if you're willing install additional transmission cooling (if automatic), use premium synthetic oil and transmission fluid, and accept a somewhat higher risk of premature failures. Trailer brakes are essential when towing anything over 1500 lb with a mid-size car and are a good idea over 1000 lb. You would most likely need to add them yourself, as trailers under 2000 lb GVW rarely come with brakes.

 

[marquette]

Re: Approximate total weights for medium sized boats?

i have a 16ft Lund rebel side console. i figure about 1400lbs ready to hit the road for a weekend. i tow it with a van with a 2000 lb (before you add the towing package which raises it to 3000lbs) tow rating. by the time i add in my wife, dog and gear i am pushing the 2000lb rating. i wouldn't want to use anything less than a 2000lb rating for a 16ft aluminum side console. i just aquired a 2001 tauris wagon that only has a 1200lb tow rating and the manual is very specfic about subtracting everything except the driver and a full tank of gas from the 1200lb rating. i would check your jetta and see what it can tow after you subtract any known weight (passengers, dog, trailer hitch, ect) before looking for a boat. as has often been said in other posts 70% of tow rating is your safe towing ability. don't forget you also have to be able to get the boat up a launch ramp. i know i am over cautious but i hate damaging a vehicle that it tow with only 2500 miles a a year but i have to drive 15000 miles a year without the trailer.

 

[KurtG]

Re: Approximate total weights for medium sized boats?

The numbers posted were pretty close for my 15' Henry O McKee (avatar).

The fiberglass hull is ~725, motor ~150, trailer ~440, ~75 lbs of fuel, and ~75 of gear = 1500 lbs.

If you are going fiberglass, some of the Boston whalers are on the light end and some of the older tri-hulls tend to be on the heavier end.

I looked at some AL boats, but they didn't tend to have the capacity ratings of the BWs or McKees.

NADA is a good place to get dry hull and motor weights. Just be aware, not all hulls are dry.

http://www.nadaguides.com/

 

[Titanium48]

Re: Approximate total weights for medium sized boats?

i just aquired a 2001 tauris wagon that only has a 1200lb tow rating and the manual is very specfic about subtracting everything except the driver and a full tank of gas from the 1200lb rating.

I'm guessing the manual said nothing about trailer brakes though. Setting the tow rating based on how much the vehicle brakes can safely stop seems to be a typical practice for vehicles not marketed for towing. You can pull more if you have a way of stopping what you started. You can buy a class II hitch (3500 lb rating) for a Taurus, although I wouldn't go over 2800 lb (85% of curb weight), and then only with electric or electric over hydraulic brakes and a good proportional controller.

as has often been said in other posts 70% of tow rating is your safe towing ability.

I'll buy that for full size trucks where marketing sets the tow rating as high as they can get away with. I'm sure you've seen the "our truck pulls more than their truck" commercials. SUVs and small trucks are rated more realistically and most cars are rated conservatively.

i would check your jetta and see what it can tow after you subtract any known weight (passengers, dog, trailer hitch, ect) before looking for a boat. don't forget you also have to be able to get the boat up a launch ramp.

Outside of North America, with trailer brakes, that rating is 1200 kg (2650 lb) or more, based on the ability to get moving up a 12% grade. Boat ramps can be steeper than 12%, but I don't think a Jetta would have too much difficulty with a 1500 lb boat unless the ramp was both slippery and steep. At 2500 lb you'd be limited to shallow, well maintained paved ramps though.

i know i am over cautious but i hate damaging a vehicle that it tow with only 2500 miles a a year but i have to drive 15000 miles a year without the trailer.

Most engine and transmission failures result from inadequate cooling and/or lubrication. Don't let that happen and you can run wide open all day long. Many boats do just that with what are basically automotive engines. The fuel systems and electrical parts are modified to prevent fires but the internals are the same.