Overweight Boats

[The Silver Unicorn]

Now that just plain hurtful you little snot!!

I was talking about bannanna!


I joined "The Rebel Alliance"

[Dignity]

When i weighed my boat, i positioned the car off the weighbridge just so that the jockey wheel would still be on it when i wound it down. So i just asked them for the weight, that gave me the GTM, then jumped out of the car and without undoing chains or electrical plugs, just put the trailer brakes on, wound the jockey down and undid the coupling. As soon as the trailer was off the towball, i jumped off the weighbridge and they called me the ATM weight. Quickly wound the jockey wheel down again, deactivated the trailer brakes, and reattached the coupling to car, done! Whole process took a couple of minutes, tops.

Another stupid question, wouldn't you want to weigh the vehicle with the trailer on it to get the GCM, gross combined weight as this affects how much you can then also put in the vehicle including big passengers etc. Or can this be calculated using this method. I tried to follow a couple of threads on this issue and thought I was getting close to understanding it but it does appear to be an absolute minefield.

[Back In Black]

I was talking about bannanna!


I joined "The Rebel Alliance"

I know

[Moonlighter]

Another stupid question, wouldn't you want to weigh the vehicle with the trailer on it to get the GCM, gross combined weight as this affects how much you can then also put in the vehicle including big passengers etc. Or can this be calculated using this method. I tried to follow a couple of threads on this issue and thought I was getting close to understanding it but it does appear to be an absolute minefield.

The car owners manual tells you the empty weight of the car. From there you can estimate the weight of people and gear, and add that to the ATM of the boat, plus the weight of any gear beyond the "normal" when you weighed it.

Im my case, i know that my BMT, with all normal gear on board plus full tanks, is at least 600kg less than the towing limit for my car and thus also, even with family and reasonable gear, I am comfortably within the GCM.

If you were towing a rig that is right up there at the towing limit for your vehicle, then it wouldnt be a bad idea to do a GCM check to give yourself a starting point when you are loaded up, eg when going on a trip.

[bugman]

Bit off topic but on the big alloy cat trailer something went terribly wrong transferring it from Qld to NSW 3 years ago. Only found out this year.
Went for the annual inspection at a new mechanic and he said "your tare and GTM aren't right"
Tare on the trailer is 720kg and the GTM 4499. That's what the documents say and that's what the plate says
RTA in NSW had somehow registered it as Tare - 1270kg, GTM 1490kg. (yes the 8.5m twin outboard cat could only weigh 220kg)
So for three years I had been technically towing my 4.5tonne cat around illegally.
3 weeks of bullshit from everyone and it was finally re-registered with correct details - I can't tell you the paperwork bullshit that took.
Brett

[Linedropper]

4.5m tinny here, BMT ATM 905Kg on weigh bridge,
so even when on towball still way over 750Kg,
13 yr old with 50hp 4/s & normal fuel/boating/fishing gear and travel cover, no eskies,
Original 13 yrs old trailer, rated to 1000Kg.

Trailer tare is 300Kg,
equivalent new model probably has a tare closer to 220kg.

Plate or pressed hull? Just trying to work mine out for same sized plate boat.

[Moonlighter]

Plate or pressed hull? Just trying to work mine out for same sized plate boat.

Just take it to the weighbridge and get it weighed. Otherwise its just a guess.

[tjotter]

4.5m is pressed, actually a 4.55m Runabout.
I will have a look for it's hull weight when new.

update: a Jeff Webster review gives it a Hull Weight of 360Kg

[stang69]

towing weights get tricky at the lower weights too. Some of the smaller cars only have a manufacturer's towing weight of 500kg unbraked. Plenty of little tinnies being towed at risk if they ever have an accident as the insurance companies will wipe their hands.

[Nick H]

I picked my tub up from a service and after reading this last week thought I should weigh the thing. 2340kg with approx 150 litres of fuel, anchor,rope and chain.trailer is rated to 3500kg, but won't be towing it with the misses prado anymore as only has a 2500kg towing capacity. It's 6.75 from swim platform to bowsprit. I would say majority of production hulls around this size, once loaded would be well over there trailer weight.

[Dignity]

Moonlighter, was going to go across the weighbridge shortly to check it all but have just found a new tow vehicle which I have to resolve tomorrow so will delay this process. If it proceeds then I will do it immediately but in my current vehicle whenever I give it a clean out I am sure that I remove 100 kg plus of things that I carry, so compliance plates are only indicative. I do know what my towball weight is, but still not sure how to incorporate that into the method you prescribe. I probably should sit down and really or it through, could have done it this morning but took the yak for a fish on Baroon Pocket Dam. Maybe tomorrow, oh wait, promised to take my brother flattie fishing all before I check on my new truck.

I obviously need to make time to do this properly (not being flippant but this is probably most people, different circumstances) so I will put a day aside and do it and trust me being retired that is sometimes hard to do.

[tjotter]

.... thought I was getting close to understanding it
but it does appear to be an absolute minefield.

Below is a link to part 1 of 2 articles about towing and tow vehicle capacities.
Heaps of great info that may make the minefield look bigger but helps with navigation.

If you have a query re a particular vehicle, you can submit a comment/question.
https://practicalmotoring.com.au/car...kg-tow-rating/