Weight of a Hustler 30?

[Seajet]

I know very little about Hiabs, but we did recently have our 'new' old boat moved by a lorry with a Hiab. From what I was told then I would think there would be no trouble lifting your boat.

The driver told me that the Hiab could actually lift 8 tons on the lorry bed itself, but that he couldn't lift a boat of that weight as the Hiab couldn't take amount of weight at the extent needed to place a boat that size on the ground and clear of the lorry. He said that 5 tons was manageable, and 4 tons was easy. He demonstrated this by lowering our 'new' old boat (design weight 3.4 tons, assumed maybe really up to 4 tons) at right angles to the lorry.

Little Sister,

not so sure about that; most cranes have a strain guage / load cell nowadays, and owners of supposedly modest 20-26' boats are often astonished at the weight reading.

There is the story of Uffa Fox having loads of heavy kit removed before racing a boat, and every year I vow then fail to 'keep her light' resulting in an amazing number of carloads to get all the kit backwards and forwards.

My boat is meant to displace 2,500lbs, and while weight can be a good thing to windward I've always thought it a suspiciously round 1970's sort of figure !

 

[LittleSister]

Little Sister,

not so sure about that;

I'm not sure about what you're not sure about!

 

[Judders]

Were there not three keel arrangements for the Hustler 30? Shoal, deep and XM?

It would explain the different figures being bandied around.

She certainly isn't going to be six tons.

Great boat though; enjoy.

 

[Seajet]

I'm not sure about what you're not sure about!

Little Sister,

I was alluding to the fact claimed brochure displacements, especially for older designs weighed by less calibrated instruments - if at all - are not too trustworthy.

Boats which have had decades to put on weight by water from above and below, let alone all the junk we accumulate, will seldom be as svelte as when first launched.

One way to check is to get the boat to a weighbridge, having weighed the trailer alone first; the snag with that is if the police intercept one on the way and the figures don't suit the trailer & towing vehicle.

If trusting to a harbour crane's guage, give the operator a steely eyed glare while asking how and when it was last calibrated, a reply such as " well we know the bosses' boat is three tons as it says so on the files " may not cut it.