Why are Haines Signatures so heavy?

[Swordfish56]

Hi guys I'm a bit late to this discussion. However I thought I might share my experience involving my 2010 632F Sig powered by a 200hp Zuk. Before I bought it I did do some research including the weight of the rig. BMT ( boat, motor, trailer) should be1860kg dry. I thought ok, with 100lts of fuel, Bimini and safety gear towable weight might be pretty close to 2000kg. Imagine my surprise when I put it over the weigh bridge and it weighed in at 2400kg. I did contact the manufacturer to see if my rig had been layed up to commercial survey. They told me no, and was I sure it wasn't full of water? Don't worry I did check, opened all hatched and bungs. parked it on a steep slope. I am now facing the prospect of further expense of buying a trailer with electric override/brake away brakes or having them fitted to the existing trailer. I did speak to a trailer manufacturer about my situation. He suggested that some manufacturers may understate the weight of there boats to keep the towable weight under the 2000kg and avoiding the need for the towing/braking requirements. Oh the joys of owning a boat! the take home message for me is if you are looking at buying a boat in the six metre range. put it over the weigh bridge at the local tip to be sure of the towable weight.

[inveratta]

I guess Im the same..if you dont know the boats themselves ....and this sort of analysis is important to you....then I would say ..trust the manufacturers but verify....weigh the boats as supplied..then talk to the manufacturer...I dont think they would mind..in fact they might be very helpful as you have shown yourself to be resistant to sales hype. I have an old HH built in another era..and it wasnt that well built then..but it is a tank by modern day standards.Lets see where this goes...could be informative for the modern buyer.

[gazza2006au]

Hi guys I'm a bit late to this discussion. However I thought I might share my experience involving my 2010 632F Sig powered by a 200hp Zuk. Before I bought it I did do some research including the weight of the rig. BMT ( boat, motor, trailer) should be1860kg dry. I thought ok, with 100lts of fuel, Bimini and safety gear towable weight might be pretty close to 2000kg. Imagine my surprise when I put it over the weigh bridge and it weighed in at 2400kg. I did contact the manufacturer to see if my rig had been layed up to commercial survey. They told me no, and was I sure it wasn't full of water? Don't worry I did check, opened all hatched and bungs. parked it on a steep slope. I am now facing the prospect of further expense of buying a trailer with electric override/brake away brakes or having them fitted to the existing trailer. I did speak to a trailer manufacturer about my situation. He suggested that some manufacturers may understate the weight of there boats to keep the towable weight under the 2000kg and avoiding the need for the towing/braking requirements. Oh the joys of owning a boat! the take home message for me is if you are looking at buying a boat in the six metre range. put it over the weigh bridge at the local tip to be sure of the towable weight.

From what i have seen a lot of boat manuf dont install drain holes in to the bulkheads and stringers because the floors are sealed in, its when people go drilling holes in the floor for seats that leaks water into those compartments that make up the stringer and bulkhead sections the water literally has no where to exit but 400 kilos is a huge amount did u perhaps weigh your boat on the way into the tip and on the way out so see if it weighed the same? i have never seen a honest business when it comes to extra money in the owners pocket maybe their scale on the way in weighed less than that on the way out?

[Swordfish56]

Thanks guys, weighed it on two separate weigh bridges with the boat and trailer disconnected from my car. And yes, one of them was at the local tip. due to the construction of the signature its nigh on impossible to get a look into the foam filled flotation chambers. the extra weight is great if you are looking for a softer ride, which I was. however was expecting the tow-able weight to be closer to the two tone limit for over ride brakes. I'm now tossing up weather to buy another trailer or have the current one modified.

[scottar]

I have seen similar situations with caravans and am convinced that when manufacturers state these weights, it is an absolute bare bones format. Even with engines stated weights regularly do not include fluids, props or control mechanisms - none of which weigh nothing so to speak. I suspect the weights do not include anything besides possibly a windscreen, cable steering and the fuel tank...…….possibly. Anything that is then optional - bow rails, hand rails, cockpit paddings, targas, biminis, batteries, electronics, electrical and a whole host of other bits are not included. My oldies purchased a second hand van a while back. With things like spare wheel carriers, a battery, charger, microwave and annex the van was over it's posted ATM with no personal gear on board at all. Thank fully the chassis was independently rated for an extra 500 kilos so wit the addition of a breakaway system getting it re-rated by an engineer wasn't ridiculous but it would have been very easy to get caught out if things weren't checked. The dealerships in my opinion should be held accountable for basically supplying a trailer that isn't up to the job.

[catshark]

Owned a offroad caravan once, Gvm was 2000kg, tare was like 1850kg , allowing .150kg of personal items clothes ,gear,rods, cutlery and so on, in the real world loaded up i was always 2500kg minimum, is impossible to adhere to the wieght, and i will dare say 90 percent of other caravans are overloaded, same with boats i will say easy 95 percent of boats are towed heavier than legally allowed. If your concerned, upgrading your breaks would be cheaper than a new trailer or just do what most of us do and plead not guilty your honor. Thats if you ever get pulled over and weighed on the spot and the chances of that are slim.