How much does a ski or wakesurf boat weigh?

Darren Richman August 2, 2018

Often potential boat buyers want to know, how much that ski or wakesurf boat weighs. Will my sport utility pull it or do I need to go buy a truck?

Manufacturers will post the weight of each model of boat. Unfortunately, the weights they post are about as accurate as the weights on an online dating site. Lets just say that they are a bit understated.

Dry Weight

All boats reported weight from the manufacturer is dry weight. Dry weight means the weight of the boat without trailer, options, fuel, oil, and gear. This would be the lightest bare bones version of that boat they could possibly make. So what does that mean exactly and is it really that different?

Let’s just look at some of the more significant items not included in the dry weight. Gasoline in your ski or wakesurf boat weighs 6 lbs per gallon times say 60 gallons for many wake surf boats. That alone is an additional 360 pounds. Have you had to raise or lower that tower? Not as light as you may have thought? Towers add another 70 to 300 pounds. Would you like tower speakers, amps and a stereo with that? Marine batteries, oil, skis, wakeboards, surfboards, lifevests and that space consuming tube the kids love so much, well that stuff can all add up.

Trailers

The big consideration not included in dry weight for those that have to tow their boat, the trailer. A typical tandem axle trailer will weigh anywhere from 1,000 to 1,600 pounds. As you can see the actual weight your little SUV is about to pull is not even close to the dry weight in the boat owner’s manual.

Tow Weight and Vehicle Tow Ratings

Towing more weight than the vehicles rating can be hard on the vehicles mechanics. However, the most important consideration is safety. What goes up the grade to the lake must eventually come down, and stop. If you have a 6,000+ pound boat being towed by a 4,500 pound SUV, stopping quickly could present a problem. Vehicles were not designed to tow or stop more than their rating.

Always stay under the vehicle tow ratings. A good rule of thumb is to try to stay under 80% of the vehicles tow rating. So, if my wife’s midsize SUV was rated for 5,000 pounds and my competition ski boat with trailer and gear weighed in at a total tow weight of 3,960 pounds, then I should be fine. However, if I was hooking up that same midsize SUV to a larger boat, it may not go well.

we are going to need a bigger truck

A True Story

I was about to purchase a boat from a gentleman in a neighboring state. Before I started heading his way he asked me multiple times what kind of vehicle I was bringing to tow the boat. I kept assuring him that my 3/4 ton pickup would be sufficient to handle the job. When I arrived to check out the boat and purchase it, I discovered where his hesitations originated. His wife had a midsize SUV that was rated to tow 5,000 pounds. He took out the manual to find his boat only weighed 3,900 pounds. He thought, great, the wife’s SUV will pull it if they want to take that vehicle.

One trip to the lake they decided to take the wife’s SUV and hooked up their 3,900 pound boat. Reality quickly smacked the little SUV in the face or rather transmission in this case. Their 3,900 pound boat with fuel, tower, stereo equipment, gear, coolers and a very well built trailer actually weighs in around 6,800 pounds. The silver lining for these folks, the transmission died rather quickly. So they were still in town and close to the transmission shop.

How Do I Determine Actual Weight?

Determining actual weight may be more of an art than science. I cannot give you an accurate weight for your boat with your gear, tower type, fuel levels , trailer type and all the variables that go into that equation. So my disclaimer is your boat weight will vary depending on those variables. Also, when in doubt estimate high on your total boat weight to avoid possible towing disasters.

Here are some common items and estimated weight to add to the dry weight of your boat:

Trailer – anywhere from 1,000 to 1,600 pounds
Tower – anywhere from 70 to 300 pounds
Stereo – Amps, subs and especially tower speakers can be heavy – 50 to 250 pounds
Gear – This will vary so do your best to estimate – 100 to 600 pounds
Fuel – Remember 6 pounds times your fuel capacity – 240 to 450 pounds (40 to 75 gallons of fuel)
Options – Ballast tanks/bags, heaters, showers and plumbing or other options – 50 to 400 pounds

Remember these are estimates above of common items found on ski and wake surf boats. If you have uncommon items then you need to account for those in addition to the common items. For instance, I know some guys who like to take lead weights to move around the boat for wake surfing. That weight would need to be added in to the above estimates.

centurion boat on trailer

Examples of Ski and Wakesurf Boat Weights

Obviously I cannot list all boats with dry weights and what I will call their tow weight. However I will list a range of manufacturers and boats within their line so that you can get a general idea of your boats real tow weight.

Boat Dry Weight Tow Weight Range (Approximately)

2016 Axis A20 3,500 lbs. 5,010 to 7,100 lbs.

2016 Axis A24 4,500 lbs. 6,010 to 8,100 lbs.

2001 Centurion Elite 22 3,000 lbs. 4,510 to 6,600 lbs.

2017 Centurion Carbon Pro 20 2,100 lbs. 3,610 to 5,700 lbs.

2017 Centurion Ri 237 5,450 lbs. 6,960 to 9,050 lbs.

2001 Malibu Response 20 2,450 lbs. 3,960 to 6,050 lbs.

2001 Malibu Wakesetter LSV23 3,400 lbs. 4,910 to 7,000 lbs.

2017 Malibu Response 21 3,100 lbs. 4,610 to 6,700 lbs.

2017 Malibu Wakesetter 24MXZ 4,800 lbs. 6,310 to 8,400 lbs.

2001 Mastercraft Prostar 190 2,620 lbs. 4,130 to 6,220 lbs.

2001 Mastercraft X-30 3,300 lbs. 4,810 to 6,900 lbs.

2017 Mastercraft Prostar 20 3,000 lbs. 4,510 to 6,600 lbs.

2017 Mastercraft X-Star 24 5,400 lbs. 6,910 to 9,000 lbs.

2001 Ski Nautique 196 2,650 lbs. 4,160 to 6,250 lbs.

2001 Super Air Nautique 21 3,190 lbs. 4,700 to 6,790 lbs.

2017 Ski Nautique 200 2,850 lbs. 4,360 to 6,450 lbs.

2017 Super Air Nautique G25 6,400 lbs. 7,910 to 10,000 lbs.

2001 Supra Comp 20 2,500 lbs. 4,010 to 6,100 lbs.

2001 Supra Lauch SSV 22 3,250 lbs. 4,760 to 6,850 lbs.

2017 Supra SR400 (22ft) 4,300 lbs. 5,810 to 7,900 lbs.

2017 Supra SE550 (25ft) 5,300 lbs. 6,810 to 8,900 lbs.

2001 Tige 20i 2,800 lbs. 4,310 to 6,400 lbs.

2001 Tige 23v 3,700 lbs. 5,210 to 7,300 lbs.

2017 Tige RZR 20 3,100 lbs. 4,690 to 6,780 lbs.

2017 Tige RZX3 6,000 lbs. 7,510 to 9,600 lbs.

Most of the dry weight figures came from nadaguides.com.

Just a Sampling

This is just a sampling of the ski or wake surf boat weights that are out there. I wanted to give a general idea of what the weights of some of the lighter and heavier boats in these popular manufacturers lineups would range. Smaller boats will generally by on the lighter end of the range. The larger boats will more likely lean toward the heavier side of the tow weight range. Also of interest, you can see the massive weight gain of surf boats over the years.

Conclusion

If you are buying a some of the smaller, ski specific inboard boats, you may be OK pulling with a midsize SUV. However, if you are going to be pulling one of these modern, wake surf boats, you will probably need a bigger vehicle. Do a little research. Know your boats dry weight, fuel capacity and estimate where in the range your boat with its trailer, tower, gear, and options falls within the tow weight range. Do not push the limits of your tow vehicle so that your boat doesn’t push you through the stop light unexpectedly. We all want to get to and from the lake safely so we can enjoy this great sport.