The weight of a bass boat can vary widely, mainly depending on the length of the boat, the material used in the hull, and the size and amount of engines, gear, and fuel on board. Below I’ve given some averages, but continue reading to get a much more specific answer to this question depending on those factors.
On average, fiberglass bass boats weigh around 1,400-2,200 pounds. Aluminum bass boats weigh around 700-2,000 pounds. Their gear, fuel, and engines generally add another 400-700 pounds and their trailers generally weigh around 500-1,200 pounds.
This means the average Gross Trailer Weight (Weight of everything on your trailer including the trailer when towing a boat) for a fiberglass bass boat is about 2,300 pounds for a small 16-foot one and 4,100 pounds for a large 21-foot one. For aluminum bass boats of the same length’s, it would be 1,600 to 3,850 pounds.
Related Article: How Much Do Boats Weigh? (Ultimate Data Chart)
Factors that go into how much bass boats weigh
Besides length and hull material, some other factors that go into how much your bass boat will weigh include:
- The number of engines
- Size of engines
- Amount of equipment
- Amount of batteries
- Size of the fuel tank
- Amount of fuel in fuel tank
- Amount of water within the boat
- Amount of gear you have on-board
These are accounted for in the averages I’ve provided, but if you are trying to estimate the weight of your boat and you know you have an abnormally heavy or high quantity of these things, make sure to account for it.
Average bass boat weight based on length
In order to do this properly, I had to make two tables. One for fiberglass bass boats and one for aluminum bass boats. Fiberglass weighs more, so it would be difficult to make accurate estimates without splitting them up into two groups. Within these groups, I used 3 examples of each at each length, I then averaged the weights out and rounded.
To understand the tables better, know that dry weight means an empty boat without an engine, fuel, water, or equipment. GTW means Gross Trailer Weight or basically the weight of everything combined. GTW is what you need to know for towing.
Average fiberglass bass boat weights
Length (ft) | Dry Weight (lbs) | Engine, Gear, & Fuel Weight (lbs) | Trailer Weight (lbs) | GTW (lbs) |
---|---|---|---|---|
16 | 1,400 | 400 | 500 | 2,300 |
17 | 1,500 | 450 | 600 | 2,550 |
18 | 1,650 | 500 | 800 | 2,950 |
19 | 1,900 | 600 | 900 | 3,400 |
20 | 2,000 | 700 | 1,100 | 3,800 |
21 | 2,200 | 700 | 1,200 | 4,100 |
Average aluminum bass boat weights
Length (ft) | Dry Weight (lbs) | Engine, Gear, & Fuel Weight (lbs) | Trailer Weight (lbs) | GTW (lbs) |
---|---|---|---|---|
16 | 700 | 400 | 500 | 1,600 |
17 | 850 | 450 | 600 | 1,900 |
18 | 1,200 | 500 | 800 | 2,500 |
19 | 1,500 | 550 | 900 | 2,950 |
20 | 1,800 | 600 | 1,100 | 3,500 |
21 | 2,000 | 650 | 1,200 | 3,850 |
Related article: What is a Bass Boat? (What makes them Unique)
How to weigh a bass boat
The most accurate way to weigh a bass boat is to take it to a truck scale. Make sure your boat has all the gear and equipment in it that you need to have on the boat and weigh it. You can then subtract out the weight of the trailer (which can be found by either weighing the trailer separately or just estimating using my averages).
Here’s what a truck scale looks like:
You can find these by just searching truck scale near me. Then try to contact them in advance or just show up at a location and they will most likely be happy to assist you if it’s within working hours.
If you’re unable to do that, most manufacturers will have the weights listed on their website; however, you may still have to do some estimating for engine, gear, & fuel weight as well as trailer weight. The averages I provided above should help you out with that.
18 more examples of popular bass boats and their weights
Fiberglass bass boat examples
Boat | Length | Dry Weight (lbs) | Engine, Gear, & Fuel Weight (lbs) | Trailer Weight (lbs) | GTW (lbs) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranger Z185 | 18′ 8″ | 1,575 | 500 | 800 | 2,875 |
Nitro Z19 | 19′ 4″ | 1,850 | 600 | 900 | 3,350 |
Triton 19 TRX | 19′ 9″ | 1,765 | 650 | 1,000 | 3,415 |
Skeeter FXR20 | 20′ 4″ | 2,175 | 700 | 1,100 | 3,975 |
Triton 20 TRX Patriot | 20′ 5″ | 1,790 | 700 | 1,100 | 3,590 |
Triton 21 XRT | 21′ | 2,050 | 700 | 1,200 | 3,950 |
Nitro Z21 XL Pro | 21′ 2″ | 2,150 | 700 | 1,200 | 4,050 |
Ranger Z521R | 21′ 9″ | 2,300 | 700 | 1,250 | 4,250 |
Bass Cat Jaguar | 22′ | 2,220 | 700 | 1,400 | 4,320 |
Aluminum bass boat examples
Boat | Length | Dry Weight (lbs) | Engine, Gear, & Fuel Weight (lbs) | Trailer Weight (lbs) | GTW (lbs) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crestliner 1600 Storm | 16′ | 610 | 400 | 500 | 1,510 |
Lowe’s Stinger 178 | 17′ 8″ | 1,210 | 450 | 650 | 2,310 |
Lund renegade 1875 | 18′ 9″ | 1,255 | 500 | 800 | 2,555 |
Xpress Boats X19 Pro | 19′ | 1,390 | 550 | 900 | 2,840 |
Crestliner MX19 | 19′ 5″ | 1,834 | 550 | 900 | 3,284 |
Lund Renegade 1975 | 19′ 9″ | 1,520 | 550 | 1,000 | 3,070 |
Lund Pro V Bass 2075 | 20′ 10″ | 1,850 | 600 | 1,250 | 3,700 |
Xpress Boats X21 Pro | 21′ | 1,580 | 650 | 1,200 | 3,480 |
Crestliner MX21 | 21′ 5″ | 2,012 | 650 | 1,200 | 3,962 |
What are the best vehicles for towing a bass boat?
Making sure you are using a capable towing vehicle is crucial for the safety of you and others on the road when you are towing a bass boat. You can see a vehicle’s towing capacity by searching the make and model of the vehicle and then typing “towing capacity” after in the search bar.
It’s generally recommended to have a vehicle that is capable of towing 1,000 more pounds than the total weight of what you are towing. So in this case, the GTW would be the total weight.
Bass boats are light enough that you can get away with mid-tier towing vehicles.
Here are some popular SUVs used for towing bass boats:
Midsize:
- Toyota 4Runner (V6)
- Can tow up to 5,000 pounds.
- 2- or 4-wheel options.
- Dodge Durango (V6 or V8)
- Can tow up to 7,800 pounds (V8), or 6,200 pounds (V6).
- All-wheel drive.
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Can tow up to 7,400 pounds.
- Turbodiesel option available.
Fullsize:
- Chevrolet Suburban
- Can tow up to 8,000+ pounds depending on the model.
- Ford Expedition
- Can tow up to 9,300 pounds.
- Chevrolet Tahoe
- Can tow up to 8,300 pounds.
And here are some popular trucks:
- Toyota Tacoma
- Can tow up to 6,700 pounds.
- Chevrolet Colorado
- Can tow up to 7,000 pounds with the gas engine, and the diesel model adds around 700 more pounds of towing capacity.
- Ram 1500
- Can tow anywhere from 8,000 to 9,000 pounds.
- Nissan Titan XD
- Can tow anywhere from 9,700 to 10,900 pounds.
Related Article: The Best Vehicles for Towing Bass Boats
Final Words
As you read above, fiberglass bass boats weigh around 1,400-2,200 pounds. Aluminum bass boats weigh around 700-2,000 pounds. Their gear, fuel, and engines generally add another 400-700 pounds and their trailers generally weigh around 500-1,200 pounds.
Bass boats are generally not very well suited for rough water, but larger heavier ones will handle rough sees much better. Along with that, light boats get tossed around a lot more during high winds, making it harder to stay on your fishing spot and causing the trolling motor to work harder.
However, all in all, bass boats are one of the most popular freshwater boats for a reason. Not only do they make fishing a whole lot easier, but they are also very fast, and reliable.
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