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Boat Weight - actual

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Nan Marie
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Boat Weight - actual

Post by Nan Marie » Fri Jun 10, 2011 3:53 pm

Hi,

I am a new member. We recently purchased a 1936 31' Enclosed Bridge Cruiser. We used "The Essential Guide" by Jerry Conrad as a resource in our search. According to his book our boat was to weigh 6200 - 6400 lbs. I weighed the boat by taking my complete rig - truck, trailer and boat to a set of CAT Scales. I had previously weighed my empty trailer and my truck. I subtracted those weights from the total. My boat weighs 10,800 lbs. This is a considerable difference. The boat has been hanging in a boathouse for somewhere around 10 years, it is safe to say she is dry. While I have not checked the water and fuel tank, I was told they were empty or near so. These are original tanks, no additions.

I contacted the Mariner's Museum with a request to forward my investigation into weight differences to Jerry Conrad to get his take on the issue. I have since learned he no longer works at the museum.

I am interested in knowing if others have weighed their boats and how they compare to the reported weight of either their boat CARDS or from the book "The Essential Guide".

Thanks,

Pat
1936 31' Enclosed Bridge Cruiser - NAN MARIE

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Post by mfine » Fri Jun 10, 2011 4:05 pm

Every boat I have weighed so far has been substantially heavier than the shipping weight on factory documents. 4400 lbs seems a bit high for a totally dry boat, but not far enough out of the range to be shocking.

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Post by farupp » Fri Jun 10, 2011 4:13 pm

Pat: I think the weights Jerry Conrad put in the book may have been from Chris Craft factory data, and that you should not consider them exactly accurate. If you look at the 1938 31 foot Enclosed Cruiser, the book indicates a weight of 8700 to 10,400 pounds. That is the range you came up with for your boat.

The weight also depends on the engines installed, accessories added, etc.

If your calculations show your boat weighs 10,800 pounds then that is what it weighs.
Frank Rupp
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Post by Nan Marie » Fri Jun 10, 2011 4:29 pm

Thanks Frank, I had not thought of checking out other boats of the same length and in the same decade, that makes me feel much better. She has H model, straight 6's Chris engines.

I had planned on the 6400lbs for towing and when the crane operator lifted her he said he thought she "felt" more like 8500lbs, he did not have a way to verify the weight on his crane. When I called and told him the actual weight even he was surprised.

Thanks Again,

Pat
1936 31' Enclosed Bridge Cruiser - NAN MARIE

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Nan Marie
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Post by Nan Marie » Fri Jun 10, 2011 5:04 pm

mfine wrote:Every boat I have weighed so far has been substantially heavier than the shipping weight on factory documents. 4400 lbs seems a bit high for a totally dry boat, but not far enough out of the range to be shocking.
It is helpful to get this feedback, thanks. The previous owner, now deceased, used lead below the waterline to fill seams between planks. Here is a photo of the lead. You can also see us working on the trailer to set her up for the boat.

Image



He also added A/C and she has tools and other paraphalia on board. I suspect this could make up at least 400lbs. Fortunately the trailer I used was good for 10K lbs.



Pat
1936 31' Enclosed Bridge Cruiser - NAN MARIE

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Post by farupp » Fri Jun 10, 2011 6:25 pm

Thanks for the picture, Pat. Wow. That is a lot of lead. I have never seen that done on a boat before. No wonder it weighs as much as it does, but at least lead won't rot!

What vehicle are you planning on towing the boat with? A diesel something I presume.

The trailer needs brakes but a 10,000 lb trailer should have them already.

Frank
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Post by Nan Marie » Fri Jun 10, 2011 6:45 pm

She is home. The trip was almost 2 weeks ago. I could only travel 42mph to handle the load safely, it was long trip from Texas to Florida, 538 miles according to GPS. The trailer has brakes on all 4 wheels, I had purchased it for hauling her home we used our own GMC 3/4 ton gas fueled truck, thinking we would be towing 6400 lbs, plus trailer weight, expecting 8400lbs total. Fortunately flat lands for the most part, little to no hill climbing or descending. We did not know her actual weight till we got her home and I weighed at a local truck stop with CAT Scales. Here is a photo of the trailer, truck and boat starting to be loaded. We had to make many adjustments to the trailer bunks adding lumber to the rear bunks to support the hull and keel correctly. Fortunately we had an experienced crew helping us set her up.

Image

I sealed all the gaping holes in the hull with expanding insulating foam - this was in case the tarps sprung a leak. I wrapped the screws and rudders in moving blankets and secured that with Gorilla tape so they would not puncture the tarps. Then we wrapped her hull in two 48'X24' tarps and made a nerve racking trip to the crane that took 3 runs at the crane to finally get her close enough for him to grab her. We used the same slings she hung in the boathouse with to lift her out of the water with the crane.

Here are a couple photos of her wrapped up for the trip to the crane.





Image



Image


Pat
1936 31' Enclosed Bridge Cruiser - NAN MARIE

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Boat weight

Post by Wilson Wright » Sat Jun 11, 2011 8:54 am

Where in Florida ???
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Post by RRGadow » Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:29 am

Great boat! Looks like you have your work cut out for you!
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Nan Marie
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Post by Nan Marie » Mon Jun 13, 2011 7:18 pm

farupp wrote:Pat: I think the weights Jerry Conrad put in the book may have been from Chris Craft factory data, and that you should not consider them exactly accurate. If you look at the 1938 31 foot Enclosed Cruiser, the book indicates a weight of 8700 to 10,400 pounds. That is the range you came up with for your boat.

The weight also depends on the engines installed, accessories added, etc.

If your calculations show your boat weighs 10,800 pounds then that is what it weighs.
Frank,

We got the "Boat Equipment Record" from the Mariner's Museum today, I believe this is what is referred to as the "Hull Card". Our model is the heaviest the of 4 models available that year, she has the largest engines, 75HP each. Shipping weight according this information was 8750lbs.

This puts her right in line with what you said.

Pat
1936 31' Enclosed Bridge Cruiser - NAN MARIE

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Post by farupp » Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:38 am

Pat: the hull card is like a birth certificate as it describes everything, including optional items, that were included with the boat. It is an invaluable reference.

I'm glad the weight is resolved. I wonder what she will weigh with all the lead removed?

Please keep us all posted on your progress with Nan Marie.

Frank
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Nan Marie
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Post by Nan Marie » Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:56 am

Sure thing Frank I will. What is interesting to me is that some of the specifications in Jerry Conrad's book for the 1936 31' Enclosed Bridge Cruiser are very inaccurate. For example what I have learned from the Mariner's Museum is that there were 4 models of our boat, one of the difference was the size engine, all were beams of 10'3", where he reports beams of 9' and reports a weight that is well below what the records and brochures themselves report. I know he mentions that there is a "Hull Series" and within this series X models of boats were built so it is possible that he is taking these measurement from other models within the series and reporting them all the same.

I made the mistake of taking these numbers as gospel and getting my towing permits based on them; had I been stopped weighed or measured I would have been in a jam. My mistake for taking such information as accurate.


Pat
1936 31' Enclosed Bridge Cruiser - NAN MARIE

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Nan Marie

Post by Wilson Wright » Tue Jun 14, 2011 2:14 pm

Perhaps you will report your findings to the Mariners Museum, in the event corrections can be made if there is ever a reprint of Jerry's book.

Meantime I wonder if there is a way for Bill Basler to report them in the archives.

I will print your findings and insert them in my book.
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Post by Al Benton » Tue Jun 14, 2011 6:23 pm

There are many small glitches of this sort in several entries in The Essential Guide. These 31' cruisers are included in a brochure in the On-Line Archives, the specification page indeed shows the beam as being 10'-3" (not 9'-0") and the draft at 29" (not 26"). I think there may be a Price Schedule in the Archives that might show the engine choices for these models.

Jerry did an amazing job putting this book together along with a staff of volunteers. I'm sure that time restraints and sheer volume kept them from fine tuning and double checking every entry.

Al

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Post by Nan Marie » Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:03 pm

I see I made an error, there are 5 models, I had said 4. There are 3 singles and two twins, ours is the larger twin. The lowest weight displacement is 7750lbs. and the highest is 8740lbs.

See the chart below for all specifications and model descriptions and numbers. Ours in model 574


Image


Pat
1936 31' Enclosed Bridge Cruiser - NAN MARIE

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