[Question Answered - not going to risk it] Seafarer 228 w/ 7,000 lb towing capacity?

[mkslug]

I also tow a 228 with a Tundra 5.7 4x4 with no problems. I would be hesitant to go less than a 1/2 ton truck or full size SUV unless it's just short distances. I am also towing often over a mountainous highway (CA 17) so my perspective is more conservative perhaps.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

For another data point, my Seafarer and trailer weighed in at just over 5,500 pounds at certified truck scales when I had it shipped from East Coast to West Coast:

• 2007 Seafarer 228 with hard top
• Yamaha 250HP 4.2L (2018)
• Aluminum trailer
• Next to zero gas, water, or gear

View attachment 25199

I just don't see how it could only weigh the 5,520 lb figure that they quoted you at. My 2004 GW 228 Seafarer with a hardtop, 2004 Yamaha F225 and half a tank of fuel weighed 5,300 lbs just for the boat itself when they launched it last October. Our boats both have a 92 gallon fuel tank, which if my boat was only half full then that would be 46 gallons multiplied by 6 lbs / gallon of fuel, which is 276 lbs. Which means yours should weigh right around 5k lbs just for the boat itself. The 10 gallon water tank on my boat had been drained and the only gear that my boat had on it when launched were two downriggers and four fishing poles, which two Scotty downriggers are around 50 lbs total and the poles probably 25 lbs total? Either way, less than 100 lbs for all of my gear. Your trailer has to weigh close to 1k lbs as I've got an aluminum I-beam trailer and it says the shipping weight on it is 975 lbs, and it seems pretty light to me. I'm not sure how wrxhoon's setup could weigh 6,820 lbs while on the trailer yet yours weighs exactly 1,300 lbs less, even with next to no fuel in your tank. I have a 2004, you have a 2007 and wrxhoon has a 2013 of which your boat and mine both have a 92 gallon fuel tank and wrxhoon's boat has a 125 gallon standard fuel tank. So he's got another 30 gallons of fuel, or 180 lbs more, but the dry weight of the boats are all the same at 3,510 lbs. All other things being equal, even if you had a completely empty tank and wrxhoon had a full tank that's only 750 lbs worth of fuel, which is almost 600 lbs off. But more closely would be the comparison between your boat and mine as I don't see how your boat including the trailer weight could only weigh 200 lbs more than my boat by itself when it's only at half of a tank of fuel.

 

[wrxhoon]

I think I know why his boat/trailer is only 5520 lb. That's the boat/trailer weight hitched on the towbar he probably has 500+lb on the towbar. The vehicles weight 6480 lb, I'm not familiar with the Canyon's weight but it should be a lot less than that unless he had a big load .
The weight I specified was off the towbar. Hooked up on the LC she was only 6300 lb ( approximately ). I had the combo weighed on a public weighbridge, they are very accurate. They are very strict with weights here, sometimes they set up near a boat ramp and weigh all the boat/trailers that's the reason I weigh mine so I know I will not go over. My trailer is rated 7000 lb, at times I'm very close to that.
EOH brakes are not optional here, they are a must to register any trailer over 2000kg (4400lb).

Mustang, the later model boats, with the full aluminum rear swim platform and longer bracket weigh a bit more, the transom has more reinforcement probably to cater for the extra HP rating. I know GW say the same on their website . I don't think you will find any two 228's that will weigh exactly the same, there are a lot of variables on boats.
The older 3.3 engines are a bit heavier as well.
I think KY has the best tug!

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I think I know why his boat/trailer is only 5520 lb. That's the boat/trailer weight hitched on the towbar he probably has 500+lb on the towbar. The vehicles weight 6480 lb, I'm not familiar with the Canyon's weight but it should be a lot less than that unless he had a big load .
The weight I specified was off the towbar. Hooked up on the LC she was only 6300 lb ( approximately ). I had the combo weighed on a public weighbridge, they are very accurate. They are very strict with weights here, sometimes they set up near a boat ramp and weigh all the boat/trailers that's the reason I weigh mine so I know I will not go over. My trailer is rated 7000 lb, at times I'm very close to that.
EOH brakes are not optional here, they are a must to register any trailer over 2000kg (4400lb).

Mustang, the later model boats, with the full aluminum rear swim platform and longer bracket weigh a bit more, the transom has more reinforcement probably to cater for the extra HP rating. I know GW say the same on their website . I don't think you will find any two 228's that will weigh exactly the same, there are a lot of variables on boats.
The older 3.3 engines are a bit heavier as well.
I think KY has the best tug!

I understand that even two of the exact same boats on the exact same trailers are going to be slightly different with regards to their total overall weight. That being said, they should be fairly close, or at least in the same ballpark. If my boat was 5,300 lbs just for the boat itself, with a half tank of fuel and maybe 100 lbs worth of fishing gear on the lift when I launched it back in October, then another 50 gallons of fuel would be an extra 300 lbs. Which would bring the boat up to around 5,600 lbs with a full tank of fuel and minimal fishing gear, or 5,500 lbs with no fishing gear. Throw my trailer into the equation which weighs 975 lbs per the title and registration, which will put the total of the boat and trailer at around 6,500 - 6,600 lbs. Of which you said earlier that your boat and trailer weighed in at 6,820 lbs, which is a difference of approximately 220 - 320 lbs, and is what I'd consider as being pretty close or in the ballpark for comparable boats. That being said, with your boat and mine being roughly 200 - 300 lbs apart from one another, I can't for the life of me think that BRO-CAL's boat could possibly be anywhere near 5,500 lbs including the trailer weight, and 1,100 lbs or more lighter overall... even with next to no fuel in the tank. As stated before, if my boat fully loaded weighs 5,500 - 5,600 lbs by itself, I don't see how his could weigh 5,520 on the trailer without any fuel in the tank.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

I like you guys . Y'all get into the nitty gritty of boat weights and stuff. I admire your attention to detail .

In the big picture of it all a couple hundred pounds one way or the other doesn't make a difference here . His Chevy can tow the boat and it should stop it too. Would towing in the mountains be a good fit for that truck ? Likely not ,but towing on the flats would be ok. Is it the best tow vehicle , maybe Perfectly fine for short distance stuff. I don't know about it's transmission and if it has an external cooler on it. I also don't know about his trailer. A low end trailer with crappy brakes can be a difference maker on that trucks stopping ability.

There are variables unknown here in his question like where and how far he is going, the terrain , the trailer set up and so forth . I tend to think those are as important as the guy's boat weight in answering his question.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

If the OP had an appropriately sized tow rig, or even one that was oversized then it wouldn't be an issue and I wouldn't have even replied to the thread. Considering that his tow rig has a maximum tow rating of 7k lbs though, and he's getting within a couple hundred pounds of that max tow rating, would be my biggest concern. Especially when someone is telling him that with an empty fuel tank that their boat/trailer setup is only at 5,520 lbs. That could put them in for a very rude awakening, very quickly.

To the OP, I'm not sure if you mentioned where you live but you can settle this debate rather quickly by taking your boat/trailer to a certified scale and see what it adds up to? I think that would be the most accurate means of figuring out exactly what your boat/trailer setup weighs, as opposed to just adding up numbers on paper. Either way, good luck and be safe!

 

[wrxhoon]

To the OP, I'm not sure if you mentioned where you live but you can settle this debate rather quickly by taking your boat/trailer to a certified scale and see what it adds up to? I think that would be the most accurate means of figuring out exactly what your boat/trailer setup weighs, as opposed to just adding up numbers on paper. Either way, good luck and be safe!

When he does he should unhook it from the ball-mount, the only way that he will know the actual boat/trailer weight.
Mustang I agree with you in saying the difference between his 228 and any other 228 both with or without hardtop and similar fuel and gear would be very close weight. There is no way a 228 with hardtop on a suitable trailer will only weigh 5500 lbs.
The old 3.3 lt Yamahas are at least 50 lbs heavier than my 4.2 lt as well.

Smoky ,
As stated before the authorities here are very strict with overloading so I have to know the actual weight of my trailer . When they pull you over to weigh you sometimes they will even weigh your tow vehicle's rear axle to insure that is not over the manufactures specifications.

 

[Shamgar]

If the OP had an appropriately sized tow rig, or even one that was oversized then it wouldn't be an issue and I wouldn't have even replied to the thread. Considering that his tow rig has a maximum tow rating of 7k lbs though, and he's getting within a couple hundred pounds of that max tow rating, would be my biggest concern. Especially when someone is telling him that with an empty fuel tank that their boat/trailer setup is only at 5,520 lbs. That could put them in for a very rude awakening, very quickly.

To the OP, I'm not sure if you mentioned where you live but you can settle this debate rather quickly by taking your boat/trailer to a certified scale and see what it adds up to? I think that would be the most accurate means of figuring out exactly what your boat/trailer setup weighs, as opposed to just adding up numbers on paper. Either way, good luck and be safe!

She'd be towed in FL. Short hauls <10 miles to launch on the regular, but a long maiden tow from Ft. Laud / Miami to home.

Yet, the inconsistent response here has given me enough pause to sideline this purchase until I upgrade my tow vehicle some year. Back to looking at BW Montauks....

 

[Punchline Cap]

Trailering weight charts are fine if you are towing a camper or a utility trailer, but a boat is a little different. I would worry more about the lack of 4 wheel drive. A slippery boat ramp is chore for even 4 wheel drive trucks let alone a 2 wheel drive that is close to its capacity. I’ve seen too many of those boat ramp videos on YouTube with vehicles in the water. Good luck and be careful.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

She'd be towed in FL. Short hauls <10 miles to launch on the regular, but a long maiden tow from Ft. Laud / Miami to home.

Yet, the inconsistent response here has given me enough pause to sideline this purchase until I upgrade my tow vehicle some year. Back to looking at BW Montauks....

Fort Lauderdale to Miami is a long maiden voyage back home at 29 miles away? Florida is pretty flat, if you checked out the brakes on the trailer, your tow vehicle and took it nice and easy all the way back home then I think you'd be ok. I just wouldn't be taking it hundreds and hundreds of miles up and down mountain passes or in areas with steep elevation gains and so forth. I'm guessing you're looking at the 2003 GW 228 Seafarer on the Boat Trader website that has a "pending offer" flag on it from Florida? You could always pay to have a shipping company come out and ship it to your house for you, if you don't feel comfortable doing it on your own. If you're 100-200 miles at most away, I don't think it'd cost you very much to do so. Good luck

 

[nuclear]

Fort Lauderdale to Miami is a long maiden voyage back home at 29 miles away? Florida is pretty flat, if you checked out the brakes on the trailer, your tow vehicle and took it nice and easy all the way back home then I think you'd be ok. I just wouldn't be taking it hundreds and hundreds of miles up and down mountain passes or in areas with steep elevation gains and so forth. I'm guessing you're looking at the 2003 GW 228 Seafarer on the Boat Trader website that has a "pending offer" flag on it from Florida? You could always pay to have a shipping company come out and ship it to your house for you, if you don't feel comfortable doing it on your own. If you're 100-200 miles at most away, I don't think it'd cost you very much to do so. Good luck

If it's just a matter of bringing it home he could also just rent a truck.

 

[Ky Grady]

She'd be towed in FL. Short hauls <10 miles to launch on the regular, but a long maiden tow from Ft. Laud / Miami to home.

Yet, the inconsistent response here has given me enough pause to sideline this purchase until I upgrade my tow vehicle some year. Back to looking at BW Montauks....

If uncomfortable with current vehicle. Find a buddy with a bigger truck, buy his lunch or fuel bill and go get it. If I was in the area, be glad to do it.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Yep, either of those ideas work too