Help How heavy is my 70ft boat

Hi,
I am looking at a project boat that is part of a deceased estate. Essentially this boat was built to about 90% complete, but the guy died before it was finished. It was his second boat (other 54' Cat, similar looking) that was a labour of love. The guy was an engineer that built mining gear and boats for a living. He was obsessed with quality and did most of the work himself and he was 85.

There is very little information on the boat, but fortunatly all the structural work is complete, so it is mainly F&F to be installed, trimming, flooring, lighting and painting.

A major issue has arisen because the boat will need to be moved from its current location to the water about 1km away. This will require a crane(s) and low loader, in addition to several electricians removing power lines due to the height and a police escort !!!
The crane company has asked me how heavy the boat is and I guesstimated at about 25ton, but really I have no idea.

I am hoping that someone here can give me a better idea on how heavy this boat can be.

What I do know about the boat:
Length 68-70ft
Width 21ft
Height 21ft

All fiberglass construction, but it is built using these very light structural panels. I can lift a large panel with one hand so it is light.

There are 2 x 700hp Series 60 Detroit, gearboxes, shafts, props and rudders. 2 x 8KVA Sea Wasp Gen sets. 4 large Utek fridges and 2 utek freeezers.

I have put some pictures up to give you an idea of the bulk of this vessel.
I hope you can give me some idea as to how heavy this thing is.
Also I am open to comments regarding anything you see that you do not like, as I have not purchased this yet, I am working on a budget and the moving costs may be substantial.

Thanks

 

It is quite easy. Measure the hull below the waterline and calculate the volume. Multiply that volume by the density of water- 1ton per cubic meter for fresh or 1,027 ton for salt water.

 

Hi Gonzo,
Thanks for the reply.
The only problem with that calculation is I do not know what the waterline is, as the boat has never been in the water. The darker marks on the hull look to be where they have roughed up the gelcoat to prepare for the antifoul.

I hope there is a better way to get a more accurate weight or I may have to get a 100ton crane to be on the safe side, but the crane people really need this info.
Anyone got any other ideas on how to get this info ?

 

You dont need a crane. A good boat mover will have a hydraulic trailer that can get under it and take it. Your biggest problem is height and width down the road. I have 72 footer and they put it on a trailer no problem.

 

A crane is required as no trailer can get into the area. There is no swing room and it is also too wide to fit between the buildings. The builder apparently had always planned to crane the boat into a field next to it and then lift it onto a trailer.
This has been checked by 2 heavy haulage contractors.

 

This may well be a "bargain" boat, but given that a 70' vessel will end up a fair investment you need to check weights against the proposed waterline as Gonzo has suggested, you could hire or engage some one to jack the boat up & sit it on some kind of load cells, using this info & calculating the "moments" against the projected submerged volumes will both confirm the weight of the vessel & whether or not the boat will "SIT ON HER LINES". To me she looks like the superstructure(cabins) & wing decks etc has evolved during construction so checking this out would be prudent, a local Naval Architect could supervise this for you I suppose. Jeff.

 

I tend to agree and appreciate your advice. Several of my mates have expressed their concerns as to its stability and sea worthiness, due to the very low free board on the hulls. This came about after we sat down and went through the list of jobs and also the list of problems that can occur.
We are having doubts on what is under the skin, as we could be buying a complete lemon and would have no recourse if we put in in the water and it sinks, rolls or whatever.

 

From the pictures it seems to be a reasonable design. Perhaps a bit top heavy for my taste, but I wouldn't be scared of it. For measuring purposes I would measure the volume below the lower rub rail, and assume that as my worst case. When the range come to pick it up, they should be able to give you a pretty accurate measure of its current weight for future issues.

 

The travel lift at launch will also provide a reasonable weight, though after the fact. A 100 ton crane isn't all that expensive to rent for a half day, so I'd just opt for it. The reach you need to snatch this puppy up and over whatever is likely going to be the big issue.

 

I don't know about you but last time I rented a 100ton crane it cost $5000 a day that was 10 years ago. IF you know a cheaper one, let me know. I kind of need one too.

 

The last time I rented one it was $500 for 3 hours. It was a self propelled rig. Lousy image and you can't see much of the crane, but I had to snatch this over a big set of trees to deposit on the trailer. Took about 30 minutes. It was a 100 ton crane.

 

I would appreciate their number, I would gladly pay 3 times that. I need to lift 50 tons, but with reach and all I need a 100 tonner.

 

That is also a problem, there is NOWHERE to drop it into the water easily. The small boat ramp nearby is too narrow for a trailer to back it in, and anywhere else will be difficult due to many overhead wires, trees and other roadside issues. The only way I have found is to crane it from a road over mangrove trees (6ft) and into a river, this location is also close by. The location is a small country town with very little infrastructure for handling a large vessel.

The amount of reach on the crane appears to be the major problem as the crane cannot extend a boom or rotate with such a large weight without being a massive crane (100t+), and then access becomes a problem for such a large crane.

The closest 100t crane is 50mi away, so the cost is more to rent. Apparently the boat builder got a quote 5 years ago when he started building the boat and the cost was $32,500. This is mainly due to all the overhead power/phone lines that need to be disconnected to allow the boat through and then reconnected. This is in addition to all the permits that are needed, as the boat occupies 2 lanes of a road. We also require 2 police cars to escort the load.

I knew the moving was most likely to be the biggest obstacle in this whole project when I first inspected the boat and it appears to be the case. The idea of jacking the boat and weighing it may be the only way to find out the weight as it looks like the crane people will not consider the lift without a confirmed weight. They said it is because they need to swing and reach the load to get it out of its current location and over the estimated weight will cause damage/disaster for the lift. They also need special straps that have enough length to go around the hub and clear the gunnel's, as they need to be 24' long and rated for the boats weight.

The list of problems just keeps increasing the price and that is before the boat is even in the water !!!

The more I think of all of this, the more I am getting scared off this project.

 

Your boat reminds of me of one that I wanted to buy but the guy made an 85' boat, 24' beam , 100 miles from the ocean, on a mountain with no road capable of handling it down. I guess he was waiting for the next global flood. He died and daughter didn't know what to do with boat. It was a very nice boat and she was giving it away, but no one could figure what to do with it.

 

Enforcer,

I don't know what the offer on the boat is, but assuming it is well below market (which it should be) remember ou still have a lot of good equipment on board that would help offset the costs some.

When I bought my 60' powerboat I spent $5,000 delivering it from Pensacola Florida to New Orleans, most of which was fuel. I just spent $3,000 moving a 38' sailboat from Panama City to New Orleans. The reality is large boats cost a lot to move, and while this may just be a mile, it is part of it.

Personally i would look at the numbers, and compare what a comparable boat finished in a slip would cost you. To what this would cost after finishing the build, moving, and commissioning. I would think this project should come out at about half the cost of a comparable vessel.