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Pontoon boat weight is one of the biggest factors many people overlook when purchasing a pontoon. When searching for the best pontoon boat for you, there is more to it than a fancy deck and a nice speed. As a buyer, you should consider boat weight every time.
How much does a pontoon boat weigh?
On average, pontoon boat weight is around 2,600 pounds (1180 kg), including the motor, and can hold another 2000 pounds (900kg) of gear and guests. A pontoon trailer is about 1,200 pounds of weight. In short, total pontoon weight averages well over 5,000 pounds.
Add all that up and boat’s weight increases rapidly.
Ever since I was a child, I wanted to have a boat. So, once I got the opportunity to buy my own boat, I took it. However, much research and learning took part in the process before signing on the dotted line. Many different factors that I had to consider included:
- Style of the pontoon boat.
- Length of the pontoon.
- How many people will be on the pontoon?
- The speed of the pontoon boat.
- Year of the pontoon boat.
- Price of the pontoon boat.
And lastly, I had to consider the overall weight of the pontoon boat. The reason being, shortly after you purchase a pontoon, you are going to want to add some additions. One of these additions was a pontoon boat trailer.
The reality is, if you plan to take your boat from your driveway to the water, you will need a trailer! With that in mind, it is important to look at the weight when buying your pontoon, so you are better prepared for handling it later down the line.
Before we take a look at some important aspects of pontoon boat weight let’s look at some examples.
Pontoon Boat Weight Capacity (In Pounds)
|
Lowe Boats |
Basic Hull Dry Weight (pounds) | Max Person Capacity (pounds) | Max Weight Capacity (lbs) |
Total Weight (lbs) |
| Retreat 270 Extended WT | 3530 | 1949 | 2763 | 6293 |
| Retreat 250 WT | 2715 | 1701 | 2363 | 5078 |
| SS270 Extended Walk Thru | 3281 | 2063 | 2877 | 6158 |
| SS250 Extended Walk Thru | 2336 | 1881 | 2543 | 4879 |
| SF234 | 1840 | 1746 | 2408 | 4248 |
| SF232 | 2136 | 1635 | 2297 | 4433 |
| Ultra 202 Fish & Cruise | 1792 | 1491 | 2214 | 4006 |
| Ultra 200 Cruise | 1780 | 1496 | 2219 | 3999 |
| Ultra 162 Fish & Cruise | 1629 | 1181 | 1640 | 3269 |
| SD224 | 2180 | 1660 | 2404 | 4584 |
|
Sun Tracker Boats | Basic Hull Dry Weight | Max Person Capacity | Max Weight Capacity | Total Weight |
| Party Barge 18 DLX | 1495 | 1220 | 1750 | 3245 |
| Party Barge 20 DLX | 1695 | 1370 | 1900 | 3595 |
| Party Barge 22 XP3 | 2885 | 1600 | 2400 | 5285 |
| Party Barge 22 RF DLX | 2000 | 1500 | 2200 | 4200 |
| Party Barge 24 XP3 | 3159 | 1900 | 2800 | 5959 |
| Bass Buggy 16 DLX | 1175 | 1150 | 1600 | 2775 |
| Bass Buggy 18 DLX | 1420 | 1200 | 1775 | 3195 |
| Fishing Barge 22 XP3 | 2680 | 1575 | 2350 | 5030 |
| SportFish 22 XP3 | 3250 | 1500 | 2300 | 5550 |
|
Avalon Boats | Basic Hull Dry Weight | Max Person Capacity | Max Weight Capacity | Total Weight |
| Excalibur | 5000 | 2230 | 3190 | 8190 |
| Ambassador Windshiels | 4600 | 1950 | 2900 | 7500 |
| Catalina Platinum Cruise | 2450 | 1770 | 2430 | 4880 |
| Catalina Entertainer | 2650 | 2015 | 2675 | 5325 |
| LSZ Cruize/Elite | 2250 | 1845 | 2505 | 4755 |
| LSZ Fish | 2050 | 1600 | 2260 | 4310 |
| LS Quad Lounge | 2000 | 1450 | 2000 | 4000 |
| GS Cruize | 2450 | 1770 | 2430 | 4880 |
| Venture CRB/QL | 1750 | 1250 | 1805 | 3555 |
| Venture Fish | 1600 | 1050 | 1575 | 3175 |
|
Tahoe Boats | Basic Hull Dry Weight | Max Person Capacity | Max Weight Capacity | Total Weight |
| Cascade Platinum Cruise | 2450 | 1770 | 2430 | 4880 |
| Cascade Platinum Quad Lounge | 2650 | 2015 | 2675 | 5325 |
| LTZ Cruise | 2250 | 1845 | 2505 | 4755 |
| LTZ Quad Lounge | 2250 | 1845 | 2505 | 4755 |
| Cascade Rear J Lounge | 2650 | 2015 | 2675 | 5325 |
| Cascade Entertainer | 2650 | 2015 | 2675 | 5325 |
| GT Quad Lounge | 2450 | 1770 | 2430 | 4880 |
| Vision Funship | 4830 | 2220 | 3290 | 8120 |
| Sport CRB / QL | 1750 | 1250 | 1805 | 3555 |
| Cascade Fish | 2450 | 1770 | 2430 | 4880 |
|
Starcraft Boats | Basic Hull Dry Weight | Max Person Capacity | Max Weight Capacity | Total Weight |
| MX 23 C DC | 2425 | 2145 | 1775 | 4200 |
| MX 25 L | 2542 | 2310 | 1940 | 4482 |
| SLS 1 | 2055 | 1815 | 1500 | 3555 |
| SLS 5 DC | 2971 | 2310 | 2590 | 5561 |
| CX 21 C | 1850 | 1650 | 1410 | 3260 |
| CX 23 CP | 2100 | 1980 | 1650 | 3750 |
| FX Fish 21 FD4 | 1850 | 1650 | 1410 | 3260 |
| EX 22 C SG | 2100 | 1815 | 1500 | 3600 |
| EXS 5 | 2471 | 2145 | 1775 | 4246 |
| EX 22 CF | 2100 | 1815 | 1500 | 3600 |
|
Ranger Boats | Basic Hull Dry Weight | Max Person Capacity | Max Weight Capacity | Total Weight |
| 223FC | 3104 | 1537 | 2300 | 5404 |
| 220FC | 2120 | 1460 | 2130 | 4250 |
| 223F | 2639 | 1545 | 2300 | 4939 |
| 220F | 2320 | 1388 | 2050 | 4370 |
| 200C | 2380 | 1350 | 1890 | 4270 |
| 220C | 2360 | 1438 | 2100 | 4460 |
| 223C | 2360 | 1500 | 2300 | 4660 |
| 243C | 3106 | 1950 | 2800 | 5906 |
|
Harris Boats | Basic Hull Dry Weight | Max Person Capacity | Max Weight Capacity | Total Weight |
| Crowne DL 250 | 4294 | 3021 | 3721 | 8015 |
| Crowne SL 250 Twin Engine | 4640 | 3021 | 3721 | 8361 |
| V270 | 5590 | 2964 | 3664 | 9254 |
| Grand Mariner 230 | 3906 | 2676 | 3376 | 7282 |
| Grand Mariner SEL 250 | 5580 | 2935 | 3635 | 9215 |
| Solstice DC 230 | 3675 | 2834 | 3534 | 7209 |
| Solstice RD 260 | 4986 | 2902 | 3602 | 8588 |
| Sunliner 210 | 2503 | 2463 | 3163 | 5666 |
| Sunliner 250 | 3316 | 2953 | 3653 | 6969 |
| Cruiser LX 200 | 1780 | 1496 | 2196 | 3976 |
The Importance of Pontoon Weight
I knew from the start that weight was important to me! Considering that I wanted to bring my wife and daughter on board, I knew I had to keep that in mind.
If it’s a relaxing Saturday evening, we tend to invite friends as well. Therefore, I had to consider weight if I also planned on bringing food, a slide, and other items.
To begin the process, you have to become familiar with the three primary capacities:
- Dry weight – this is the amount of the total weight with an empty fuel tank.
- Full Weight – The total weight of the pontoon with a full fuel tank, people, items, and furniture.
- Tow Weight – The boat and trailer weight combined.
NOTE: The tow weight is primarily important for you to know for the sake of your car. Towing a 2,200-pound boat and a trailer with a Honda Civic with a 4-cylinder four-door is not too promising.
Other than this, there are a few reasons why a pontoon weight is important to know. Considering that you will be towing it, you want to know if your truck can safely handle towing a 2,000-pound machine and a trailer.
Another reason why it is vital to know your pontoon’s boat weight is for performance and safety. Knowing the total capacity that your pontoon can handle can average out how much your pontoon can tow and how much fuel it will drink in the process.
With that, you can also average out the speed of the pontoon. Of course, the fewer people and items on the boat the faster it will operate.
Lastly and most importantly, knowing your total pontoon’s boat weight means never going over the vessel’s safety rating!
Know General Rule of Boat Weight Capacity
This is only supposed to be used as an average weight scale. You must find out and memorize the ideal total weight capacity of your pontoon.
However, if you are struggling to find out the total weight, consider the general rule: most pontoons weigh 100 pounds for every foot. This is a good way to determine the weight of your pontoon boat with furniture.
Boats Fuel Weight is Important
Other than being costly for a pontoon boat, fuel also weighs a lot. In fact, your full tank of fuel weighs as much as a human. Fuel weighs about 6.2 pounds per gallon.
Therefore, if you have a 25-gallon fuel tank, the overall weight is 155 pounds added to your pontoon.
What Size Truck Do I Need for Towing a Pontoon Boat?
Like I said before, if you ever plan on getting in the water, unless your boat is docked, you will need a trailer.
Now that you know your overall pontoon’s weight, it is time to figure out how to tow it. This is not a hard process; only a bit of knowledge is required!
To begin, the overall weight of a pontoon boat trailer is 1,200 pounds. If you add that to your total pontoon’s weight of 2,200 pounds, your total is 3,600 pounds. This number is extremely important!
If you plan to tow your pontoon boat to a nearby lake or the ocean, it is imperative to know your vehicle’s towing capacity. If this is your first time, to be on the safe side, ensure that your vehicle can tow well above the pontoon’s total weight and trailer – 3,600 pounds in this case.
To be on the safe side I would recommend you use the following trucks and SUVs:
| Popular Trucks | Total Towing Capacity |
| Ford F-150 | 5,000 to 8,000 pounds |
| Ford F-250 | 12,300 to 13,300 lbs |
| Toyota Tacoma | 3,500 to 6,800 lbs |
| Toyota Tundra | 6,400 to 10,200 lbs |
| RAM 1500 | 6,280 to 7,520 lbs |
| Chevy Colorado | 3,500 to 7,000 lbs |
| Popular SUVs | Total Towing Capacity |
| Honda Pilot | 3,500 to 5,000 lbs |
| Subaru Outback | 2,700 lbs |
| Ford Explorer | 2,000 to 5,000 lbs |
| Toyota Highlander | 1,500 to 5,000 lbs |
| Jeep Wrangler | 2,000 to 3,500 lbs |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 3,500 to 7,200 lbs |
Maximize Safety When Towing Boats
For safety purposes make sure of the following when towing your boat:
- Overall great grip and traction on your truck’s tires.
- Healthy brakes on your truck.
- Great grip and traction on your pontoon’s trailer tires.
- Brake wire your trailer to your car.
- Use a vehicle that can pull on average 2,500 pounds more than you are towing.
- Drive slow and careful when towing boats.
- Take slow, wide turns, know the length of your tow
- Centralize the weight when possible, and keep any additional weight in the center of the pontoon boat.
- Match weight from side to side with passengers.
- Use a counterbalance from the bow of the pontoon to the stern. Adding an extra battery in the front means there should be equal weight in the back with another item.
Other Pontoon Boat Weight Aspects You Need to Understand
Keep in mind that the more additions you add to your boats, the more they will weigh. When I wanted to add a couple of specs to my pontoon boat, I had to consider the overall weight it was already at.
Adding a double Bimini top could mean another 100 pounds. Adding a barbeque, fishing equipment, more seats, a cooler full of food, and a potential pontoon bathroom adds to the overall weight of your pontoon boat.
If you know you will spec-out your pontoon, it is important to keep in mind you may be doing it at the cost of passenger weight.
Pontoon Weight Conclusion
When I first started this process, I knew it was like learning a new sport. I wanted to become knowledgeable about owning a pontoon. Everything from how to get your boating license to the many fun things you can do on a pontoon, and even pontoon events to join, I had a passion for it.
Therefore, it is important for anyone considering getting a pontoon to think of it as a major purchase goal. Ultimately, you are buying a watercraft that weighs thousands of pounds. Learning how to use it is important!
If you are considering getting a pontoon boat, knowing the pontoon weight is a must. The paperwork should have it, or the dealer you are buying it from should know. The 100 per foot rule is only an estimate, but eventually, you will have to know the main pontoon weight.
Knowing the main pontoon weight will remove a lot of guessing, minimize headaches, and help you understand how to tow your boat.
