Reply With QuoteIt must have been in heavy trailer if they can make it 400kg lighter. I would imagine that there are a lot of single axle unbraked trailers pushing the friendship.
Over the weekend I mentioned to my wife that I wanted to look at getting a bigger boat. I got a most unusual response from her - "Just make sure that it is not overweight." This is unusual from her as the normal response is "As long as it has a toilet".
She had seen a story on ACA last week about an overweight boat. I give that show a wide berth as most stories on it I have seen are very light on facts. I therefore did a quick google search and found the story - link below.
http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article/9082072/boat-bungle
As I suspected, it was pretty light on facts but did highlight how easily boats can be sold that are overweight. They had it on a weighbridge at 3.9t but there was no mention of whether or not it was full of fuel, water, eskies and other gear.
The rollers breaking down was interesting. I'm not aware if rollers are load rated but I suspect it may be that there is not enough of them or the trailer is not setup correctly.
I would have thought that the selling dealer would have some sort of responsibility to ensure that the boat is legally towable for the intended use when it left the yard. Again, not enough facts to be sure what really happened here.
Apparently the dealer and manufacturer have come to the party, after the story was aired, to help the owner buy a new "light weight" trailer. Would this alone make enough difference - 400kg?
Ultimately I know it is the purchaser's responsibility to ensure that the boat is towed legally. Has anyone demanded a weighbridge certificate when buying a new boat to confirm weight?
Cheers, Phil
It must have been in heavy trailer if they can make it 400kg lighter. I would imagine that there are a lot of single axle unbraked trailers pushing the friendship.
I believe the dealer only has to ensure that the BMT is legal until it leaves their driveway.... After that it is the responsibility of the owner to ensure they comply with the regulations.
Remember to always log on before heading offshore.
Yes, up to a point that is correct, however it would be a pretty dodgy dealer that sold a package that was "just" legal as it left the shop.
Cutting 400kg out of a trailer that weighs 690kg is going to be interesting, considering there alloy equivalent has a tare weight of 550kg
It used to be a fairly common practice at boat shows for the "special deals" to, amongst other shortcuts, be on a trailer that barely covered the BMT weight as it left the dealer's yard. Add anchors, chain, fuel and all the other stuff that gets shoved in there, and you will easily end up well over the limit of the trailer and/or towing vehicle.
It is a case of "buyer beware" of these sorts of things, I always alert people I know who are buying new boats for the first time of this item, and suggest they get it run over a weighbridge if they have any doubts at all. But many people simply are not aware of this issue as they have no experience, or have no idea what a used BMT combo might actually weigh.
The last 2 boats I bought new came with decent trailers with some margin for gear etc, but I got them both down to the local weighbridge at the tip and weighed them straight after i got them set up with all my gear. They were OK but I uprated anyway to add a couple hundred KG extra to the ATM to give me what i felt was a more comfortable margin on the days when i have a couple of eskies full of ice and fish (wishful thinking!)
Every now and then, Transport runs a blitz on this issue of trailer complaince and we see them set up with their portable scales near boat ramp entrances and exits, pulling people over and weighing them, checking towball downweight is within limits of the car and towbar, checking couplings for compliance, checking tyres for compliance and checking ATM and GTM ratings and actual weights all are within limits as per the trailer compliance plate and the car's towing limits.
They catch lots of people out, even allowing a bit of leeway, which they usually do if the driver behaves sensibly towards them. Ignorance is no excuse,mas they say. I do see some rediculous sized boats at times behind vehciles that wouldnt come anywhere close to having the cabability to tow them. And i regularly see big boats on puny thin trailers that cant possibly be either safe or legal.
In the case being discussed, getting a 3.9t BMT down to 3.5t is going to be a decent "challenge".......
Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....
that current affair was pointless... poor fellow could get 100% refund easy.. for started dealer lied about the weight which is required for registration any misleading info is a criminal offense lol, if the consumer failed to see 3.9T then later revisit the specs.. he always protected by consumer guarantees act shrine lawyer should of crewed them up easy lol no point gettin ligther weight trailer and no 2.4 beam would be legal, as a trailer takes it 2.5, if it was 2.5, trailer be 2.6 making ilegal already
"Every now and then, Transport runs a blitz on this issue of trailer complaince and we see them set up with their portable scales near boat ramp entrances and exits, pulling people over and weighing them, checking towball downweight is within limits of the car and towbar, checking couplings for compliance, checking tyres for compliance and checking ATM and GTM ratings and actual weights all are within limits as per the trailer compliance plate and the car's towing limits"
EVERY NOW AND THEN BEING NOT VERY OFTEN. I PERSONALLY HAVE NEVER SEEN TRANSPORT WEIGHING BOATS. HOW OFTEN DOES THIS OCCUR FUTHER SOUTH IE. BRIS, SYDNEY ETC. I THINK GREY NOMADS ARE A FAR GREATER RISK THAN BOATIES, VIRTUALLY EVERY GREY NOMAD WITH TINNIE ON TOP OF THERE 4X4 IS OVERWEIGHT!!!!! BUT YES BOATIES NEED TO CHECK FOR THEMSELVES AT WEIGH BRIDGES, THE LOCAL TIP USUALLY WONT EVEN CHARGE YOU TO RUN YOUR RIG OVER QUICKLY.
I'm sure there are plenty of new boats running around being towed illegally. I can understand how an older boat can gain weight over time as things get slowly added to it but there should be some responsibility on the part of the selling dealer to at least make the purchaser aware. When I bought my last new boat there was no such information forthcoming from the dealer. When I asked he went and looked at the compliance plate on the trailer and simply read that out to me.I'd already done that myself so could have saved him the time.
They were in the boat ramp carpark at Noosaville about 6 months ago. We were out early returning 12 hours later so we missed them, but a few got pinged I hear.Originally Posted by KEMEL K
I've seen them twice at the barge entry at inskip weighing everybody heading to the island.
nil carborundum illegitimi
i've ran into them between townsville and cairns, they tend to do alot around 10pm and twice in gladstone region, and once at port of brisbane last yr, it more like how often you go out to get checked i guess.. i go out upto 3-5x a wk in the afternoon so im bound to run into them here n there
if u tow boat that look over weighted on hwy you'll have good chance gettin caught, it not hard to tell from the range... but everyone tow with a ute or ford/holden so it easy to dismiss
It happens. Its usually a combined Qld Transport and Qld Police effort. We get told about them at the VMR committee meetings in case they need on water assistance, but we are also sworn to secrecy about dates and times on the odd occasions that they actually tell us when and where its happening. Often they say its coming, and let you know on the actually day.
Given the particular size model of this particular brand… maybe it’s a new ballast system … 1/2 tonne of lead under the floor maybe …!!!Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Boat can’t be new, as I believe they stopped making this model a few years ago. Trailer definitely looks like it has some age on it too. I suppose the owner could have only just found out, ‘some years’ after taking delivery. Some more details would be nice, like what was in it at the time of weighing, as that is an awfully heavy 6.5m GRP boat, even with the twins. However I guess this is not unusual from ACA or the likes.
Cheers
for staters.. australian tv is rubbish
and .. ACA is ... one of the worstlol
but yep i thought this might draw some comments this segment. of cause they skipped out most of the conversation they have with everybody.
from what ive been made aware of "not sure if there is truth in it. disclaimer there". the customer opted for extra glass. extra fuel capacity etc and was made aware the boat would be heavier.
anyway.. interesting little video.
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