How Much Does a Bowrider Weigh? [Weight Chart with Trailer]

As a rule of thumb, you can expect the dry weight of a bowrider motorboat to be anywhere from 1,300 to 26,000 pounds depending on its size and features. The trailerable models typically weigh 1,300-7,500 pounds dry, while their largest relatives of over 30 feet can be as heavy as 8,000-26,000 pounds.

Let’s drill into the details and talk about the different size classes in detail!

Average Bowrider Weights

The dry weight of a bowrider depends on countless factors including how the hull and deck are designed, materials, quality, features, engine package, and more.

Going further, its curb weight is also affected by its fuel and water capacities and the number of batteries.

When it comes to the bowrider’s gross trailering weight, it would be influenced by the trailer’s features and the material It’s made of (aluminum vs. steel), as well as the number of axles.

As you can see, it is impossible to determine the exact weight of bowriders based on just their hull length.

Nevertheless, our team conducted extensive research and collected the weight specifications for many bowriders from various manufacturers.

Since these figures vary greatly, we can only give you ballpark ranges, which apply to most production and many older bowriders.

Of course, there are always exceptions, but the vast majority of models are more than likely to fall into these ranges.

Entry-Level Bowriders (16-20 ft.)

If you are looking for a lightweight bowrider, you may want to consider a model between 16 and 20 feet with an outboard power source.

(As a rule of thumb, sterndrive variants are 20-25 percent heavier than the outboard versions in this size range.)

Hence, if you are looking for the lightest rig, an outboard power package is the only way to go.

Besides their lightweight construction, another key advantage of 16-20 footers is that they typically fit on a simpler and lighter single-axle boat trailer.

The gross trailering weight of these lightweight runabouts typically remains under 5,000 pounds, which is the typical towing capacity of many modern SUVs and midsize crossovers.

What’s more, due to their small storage dimensions, they usually fit in most garages (with a swing-away trailer tongue, of course).

The lightest bowriders available are arguably the 16-foot models since they only weigh 1,300-1,700 pounds dry and 1,500-2,000 pounds fully loaded.

Paired with a small single-axle trailer (500-700 lbs.), their trailering weight average in the ballpark of 2,000-2,800 pounds.

As an example, the Tahoe T16 weighs only 1,500 pounds fitted with a standard 60hp Mercury, and her trailering weight is as low as 2,200 pounds.

Due to their spacious decks and grater capacities 17-18-foot bowriders are extremely popular, especially among beginner boaters.

These runabouts weigh roughly 1,500-2,600 pounds dry and 1,700-2,800 pounds with fuel and batteries.

Loaded on a matching single-axle trailer, they remain under 3,500 pounds.

The most spacious “easy-to-tow” bowriders are built on 19–20-foot fiberglass platforms.

Based on our research, the average weight in this size class ranges from 3,000 to 3,600 pounds dry and 3,300-3,900 fully loaded.

Many of these are still light enough to pair with a larger single-axle trailer, which adds roughly 700-1,000 pounds to the overall weight of the rig.

Mid-Size Bowriders (21-30 ft.)

If you are looking for something larger but want to stick with trailerable boats, you may want to take a look at 21-30 feet bowriders.

Despite their impressive overall length, most of them have an 8.5-foot beam, which can be towed without a permit in most states.

(Note that a bowrider over this limit needs a permit every time you want to tow it.)

Their curb weight can be anywhere from 3,500 to 9,000 pounds alone and 5,000-11,000 pounds with a matching trailer.

Unfortunately, boats over 20 feet typically need a tandem-axle boat trailer, while those approaching 30 feet already require a triple-axle trailer.

Sure, it depends on the weight of the complete rig as well.

The lightest bowriders with an 8.5 foot beam typically measure 21-22 feet in length and weigh 3,500-5,000 pounds with liquids.

An entry-level tandem-axle trailer with this capacity adds another 1,000-1,200 pounds to the total weight.

If you are looking for a larger trailerable bowrider, 24-26 footers give you the best of both worlds.

Many of them have a beam of 8.5 feet, meaning that you can still tow them regularly. At the same time, they provide much larger capacities and more comfort than their smaller relatives.

These models typically have a dry weight of 3,700-6,000 pounds, which converts to a gross trailering weight of 5,600-8,500 pounds.

When it comes to the 28-29 feet class, most of them are wider than 8.5 feet and have a gross trailering weight of 8,000-12,000 pounds.

Besides their significantly heavier weight (which requires a huge towing vehicle), many problems arise when it’s time to tow them.

The most common issue includes a large turning radius, which can cause a headache around ramps and at gas stations as well.

Note that launching and retrieving a boat of this size is not only tricky but also requires at least two people.

On top of that, many boat ramps are too short for these sizeable triple-axle trailers.

The Heaviest Bowriders (31-40 ft.)

Due to the aforementioned reasons, large bowriders measuring 31-40 feet in lenght are not considered trailerboats.

Many of them are designed and marketed as overnighter bowriders, meaning that they look much more like cabin cruisers with a recessed forward lounge than traditional bowriders.

They house spacious cabins, an abundance of convenience features, and great capacities, each of which adds significant weight.

This is why the dry weight of overnighter bowriders typically starts at around 8,000 pounds and goes all the way up to the north of 25,000 pounds.

For example, the advertised dry weight of the Chris-Craft Launch 30 is 8,700 pounds, while the Formula 330 Crossover weighs 13,200 pounds dry.

The largest and most luxurious models in this class are labeled King Size bowriders.

They are built on 35-40 feet platforms and have a dry weight of 15,000-25,000 pounds depending on the model.

Some of the heaviest bowriders in the marketplace include the Sea Ray 400 SLX (18,000 lbs.), Formula 380 SSC (21,200 lbs.), and Cruiser Yachts 38 GLS (24,000 lbs.).

As reported by BoatingMag, the heaviest production bowrider is the Formula Boats 500 SSC.

Fitted with four Mercury Marine 600 Verados, she weighs a whopping 41,400 pounds!

Bowrider Weight Charts

For a better comparison, we’ve listed the average weight of bowriders by their length class in one chart:

Length (ft.)	Avg. Dry Weight (lb.)	Avg. Curb Weight (lb.)	Avg. Gross Trailering Weight (lb.)
16’	1300-1600	1500-2000	2000-2800
18’	1800-2600	2000-2800	2700-3500
20’	3000-3600	3300-4000	4000-4800
22’	3300-4200	3800-4700	4800-6000
24’	3700-5000	4500-6200	5600-7500
26’	4500-6000	5500-7000	6700-8500
28’	5300-7500	6500-9000	8000-11000
30’-34’	8000-14000	–	–
35’-40’	15000-25000	–	–

Disclaimer: Ballpark figures in this chart are provided for informational purposes only. For specific capacity information, please refer to your boat’s operator’s manual.

Takeaways

As a rule of thumb, a bowrider motorboat can weigh anywhere from 1,300 to 26,000 pounds depending on its size and features.

Easy to trailer and handle on the ramp, entry-level bowriders measure 16-20 feet in length and weigh up to 4,000 pounds fully loaded.

These tiny vessels fit on a single-axle trailer, so their gross trailering weight remains under the 5,000-pound boundary.

If you are looking for a versatile beginner motorboat that is easy to trailer, you may want to stay under this limit.

In contrast, mid-sized bowriders with 21-28 feet hulls can weigh from 5,000 to 11,000 pounds on the trailer.

Even though most of them have a trailerable beam of 8.5 feet, their massive weight and large dimensions make the larger models over 25 feet hard to maneuver and handle on boat ramps.

Amazing and luxurious, large bowriders are typically built on 30-40 feet platforms and can be as heavy as 8,000-25,000 pounds.

As one may expect, these are not intended to be trailered on a regular basis!