What does my boat/trailer weigh?

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fly flinger

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Apr 29, 2011
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Location
Whitefish, MT
I'm looking at buying another vehicle, something that can still pull my boat but gets better mpg than my Jeep Wagoneer. I'd like to go back to a Subaru Outback, which can pull 1500 pounds, but a 1000 preferably, (but I'm open to any vehicle suggestions).
I have a 14' Alumaweld, plywood decks fore and aft, a 10 hp 2 stroke, trolling motor, one battery, 3 gallon gas tank, and an EZ loader trailer.
What do you think it weighs?
Thanks in advance.
 
Checkout your local area for a scale, this way you can get a accurate reading. Truckstops, Scrapyards, Local Moving companies, and public scales are common places that charge from $5 to $10 to scale your boat/trailer.
 
I have 13 1/2 foot Gregor on an old trailer. I think the trailer weighs around 300 pounds, the boat probably around 200 and the outboard a little less than 200 (15hp Honda). I was able to turn the hull over by myself when grinding it down and put it up on some wooden stands.
 
Rough estimate:
14' tinny: maybe 220 lbs
10 hp 2 stroke: maybe 70 lbs ( 15 hp merc weighs 77lbs)
3/4 " plywood 2 sheets: about 120 lbs
trolling motor: 40 pounds for a bow mount minnkota
battery: battery maybe 50 lbs
3 gal of gas: 18 lbs
EZ load trailer: Magic tilt is less than 300 lbs
other stuff: 100 lbs

This would add up to 918 lbs
So a towing weight of 1500lbs should be plenty.

My son tows his 1448 tinny with 25hp, trolling motor, two batteries, decks front and rear and 6 gals of gas with a honda accord, no sweat.
 
So....I've got a tow vehicle that you've probably overlooked....

I've got a '98 VW New Beetle TDI (turbodiesel) 5spd. Now, I've modded the heck out of the 1.9L diesel for power AND economy (chipped, intake, exhaust, injectors, clutch, custom downtube, emissions "stuff" ("stuff" is all I'm legally allowed to say :wink:). The nice thing about small diesels is that when you increase power output, you also increase fuel economy (if you keep you foot out of it 8) ).

In the winter (no a/c obviously), I consistently get 58/62 MPG city/highway :shock: . In our garish +110F summer temps (a/c running like mad, inter-cooler not really helping out the turbo that much, etc.) I only get about 52/56 MPG, sometimes dipping into the upper 40 MPGs if I have a lot of short trips or stop-n-go. My operating cost (fuel only) varies with the price of diesel, but I'm usually in the neighborhood of $0.04-$0.06/mile.

To give you some idea of power (and economy), stock, my NB put out 90HP @ 4000 RPM, and generated 150 lb-ft @ 1900 RPM....oh, ya....stock MPG was listed at 38MPG, maybe 45 after break-in (diesels get better economy with age....they're worse from 0-50K miles, and tend to level off around 50-85K miles). Now, it's in the neighborhood of 185HP and 265 lb-ft :shock: (with that kind of torque, not to mention the power-to-weight ratio, you can tow just about anything). To boot, I'll smoke a lot of things in the 1/4 mile that you wouldn't expect (I'll blow the doors off Mustang GTs and VW GTI's all day long)!

VW has put TDIs in several models over the years, so you have your choice of New Beetle, Jetta, Passat, or the Toureg. The downside is that (new) diesels cost more ($1500-2K surcharge), and since the last forever and are pricebusters at the pump, used ones are hard to come by and retain their value tremendously (the kbb on my NB TDI is $7500 while the same gasser is only $2000). You can find them, but the secondary market is brutal. :evil:

Anyway, I just wanted to chime in and hopefully turn another gas-user into a diesel-lover. :wink:

If you're interested, check out this TDI-specific forum (I'm on there too)...they do cater to VWs, but you'll find everything from Mercedes to Cummings enthusiasts 'lurking':

https://www.tdiclub.com/

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So sorry to not respond to my own thread. I got too busy fishing!
It look as though I will be going back to a Subaru.

azekologi, I went down that road of looking into TDI's. They are one of the best kept secrets in vehicles right now. But the drawback, for me anyways, is that they don't make an all-wheel drive (but Subaru is supposed to wheel out their first N. American diesel Outback next year). Living in Montana, with our unpredictable weathers and snowy winters, driving to the ski hill every Saturday and Sunday, and launching my boat at some sketchy, machete-made launches, I have no choice but to have to own an all-wheel drive vehicle. As much as I'd love to switch to diesel, I can't unless I wanna buy a Cummins truck. . .

So that brings me back to a Subaru, which was my next to last vehicle. I drove an 07 Outback and it towed my driftboat like a dream. I think I'm going to go with an Impreza wagon this time.

1000 pounds is what I am assuming my boat/trailer weighs. But I'm gonna have it measured tomorrow at the local landfill (which is about where my Wagoneer belongs soon. . .). I'm sure it will be fine behind an Impreza, which is rated to tow 2000 lbs. But considering they only make Class 1 hitches for the Impreza, I'd rather keep it to half that rating to stay safe.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.
Dave
 

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