CONTINUOUSWAVE

What is the true weight of a 13-foot Boston Whaler boat?

My lift is rated at 800-lbs. I see the hull on most 13-footers will weigh under 400-lbs.

An outboard engine will weight 150-lbs or so.

If my memory is correct , a few years my 13-foot Boston Whaler with 40-HP two-stroke-power-cycle outboard engine on its trailer, fully loaded with gear weighed 1,300-lbs.

Subtract out the trailer weight for your situation; I believe you boat will weigh over 800-lbs.

Realrez wrote:What is the true weight of a 13-foot Boston Whaler boat?

A boat's "true" weight is whatever a certified scale says it weighs. The notion of "true weight" is a function of the scale, not a function of a boat brand, boat model, or boat length. A scale that gives a "true weight" is a scale whose accuracy has been attested to by some certifying organization.

A common scale used to measure boat weight with a boat on a trailer is a CAT CERTIFIED SCALE. For more information about CAT CERTIFIED SCALES see

https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/

For how to use the information about axle weights from a CAT SCALE, read

Boat Weight From Certified Scale
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/016667.html

Is your lift a 4, 2 or single post lift?

Yeah I know about certified scales. I don't want to buy a boat, then weigh it to find it's [heavier than the capacity of my lift].

I have a single pole lift rated 800-lbs maximum.

Realrez wrote:I have a single pole lift rated 800-lbs maximum.

[Your plan to use a single-pole lift rated for 800-lbs capacity to hoist a Boston Whaler 13-foot boat is] [n]ot going to work. [My experience with the inability of a single-pole lift to handle a 13-foot Boston Whaler boat] is why I asked the type of lift.

I had a 1,200-lb single-post lift. It was very slow and would stop at a certain spot. I changed the pulley to make it faster, but the width of the Boston Whaler 13-foot boat causes the problem. Also, my Boston Whaler boat fell off the lift two times in heavy winds.

My single-post 1,200-lbs capacity lift was a great for a jet ski, but not good for a Boston Whaler 13-foot boat.

I would not let it hang suspended. If you can lift it and put it down in the yard or on the dock, that's another story. You will need a very good bridle set up. Depending on engine, you will be roughly 600-750lbs with gas, battery, anchor, steering, controls, misc. gear etc. Bare hull on classic(not 130) is roughly 340lbs. I have an 11' sport that would be ideal for a single davit as it was a tender to a yacht and has the bridal, etc.

Jim is correct though on true weight.

On YouTube there are many presentations showing boats—usually rather large yachts—being lifted by a single point lift, and then falling off the lift into the sea, usually with catastrophic outcomes.

We have davits on the back of one of our boats that are rated for 500-lbs and lift an AB RIB with an aluminum bottom with either a 15 or 25 Yamaha (depending on what the dingy is being used for). Personally, I'm on the side of caution and would only go with 80% of what the system is rated for. There's also the consideration of what that system bolts into and if that has also been tested. The most stress is when you lift the dingy (whaler in your case) in rough water the the boat drops into a wave an puts a large jerk on the lift.

With any boat, it's the sum of all the parts that really add up in weight.

D-