How heavy a boat can you lift

[stuartyboy]

Struggling to find anywhere local (time precious due to 4 kids!) that has sibs or Fribs to handle.
So my question to you knowledgeable folk is... What is the maximum weight of folded sib that you can comfortably lift yourself?
Appreciate you can fit wheels to help move any inflated boat, but looking for guidance in what's acceptable to be lifting in/out car boots etc?
I appreciate its the bulkiness that is an issue as well as weight, hence asking for peoples personal experiences.
As always, thanks for any help!

[stuartyboy]

A sack trolley is handy to move things around with. My boat lives "in" a trailer and inflated for each launch. Sometimes I can get the trailer near and sometimes I can't, so I use the sack trolley to assist me and the missus.

[stuartyboy]

The main problem that I, and I suspect many others, find is that packed boats are awkward to handle rather than outright heavy. I have a Honwave T38ie and while it is very heavy it is hard to move on my own because it is awkward.
As Andy Hobbit says, use a sack truck. I have found that I can handle very heavy items by careful planning and never having to lift the entire weight of the object. For example, I bring the outboard to the car on a sack truck so I only have to lift it a short way. I then take the empty sack truck back and use it to bring the boat. Because the boat is very heavy (about 45kg) I bring it to the car in the sack truck and then rest the boat against the sill of the boot. I can then lift the bottom of the boat and slide it into the car, with the car always taking at least part of the weight of the boat.

I would say the the max weight you can handle is dependent more on environmental factors than the absolute weight. If you have a level path between the place where you store the boat and your vehicle, a level load space (no lip on the boot, or a way of negating it) and a sack truck you can move even a very heavy boat singlehandedly. However, if you have to carry the boat up some stairs and load it onto a roof rack you would be limited to perhaps 35kg.

Hope this helps!

[stuartyboy]

My old Honwave was 48kg, my Frib 375 is 55kg.
I can carry them both no problem. However, lifting that dead body bag of a boat from the floor to a carrying height is bloody hard- if not nigh on impossible.
A sack cart makes light work of it, upend the boat onto the sack cart, wheel it to where your going and then upend it into the boot.

Some outboards can be difficult too, I found my old 15hp suzukinwas easy to handle, but the newer 20efi Suzuki has different holding points and it makes it bloody awkward to walk with in my opinion.

[chris moody]

I used to just about manage my Honwave T32ie on my own at 39kg, I can't even imagine moving the T35's at 73kg and T40's at 86kg single handed.

I'm now looking at the Takacat as it's lighter, and is transported in two separate bags not one bulky item. I'm talking to the importer and I'm arranging a sea trial in one towards the end of September. I'll let you all know how I get on. If it's as good as the website makes out I'll be buying one at the end of the year.

https://www.takacat.com/inflatable-catamaran/lx-series/

[Alan]

Chris
I move a 57kg F-Rib 375 every weekend and a 45 kg Mercury outboard.

I use a dolly to move the boat out onto open ground for assembly and a motor trolley to get the motor to the boat. Then I use beach rollers to get the boat and motor combination through soft sand to the water,

[chris moody]

A sack truck is definitely a must have item for moving a boat. Luckily my outboard is only 27kg and it's easy to walk along carrying that one handed Beach rollers sound like a great idea.

Chris
I move a 57kg F-Rib 375 every weekend and a 45 kg Mercury outboard.

I use a dolly to move the boat out onto open ground for assembly and a motor trolley to get the motor to the boat. Then I use beach rollers to get the boat and motor combination through soft sand to the water,

[9-R]

I think this is a tough question.

I don't think it's as simple as 'what can I lift' but the sum of the whole procedure to get the boat launched/loaded and what you are able to physically safely manage.

We had a 15-foot, 4.6m boat that weighed 258lbs with the aluminum floor. Using a dolly, with just the boat and not the floor, folded up, I'd roll it to the back of our van and then flip it end over end into the back by myself. I'd unload the same. Picking it up by myself was too much because of the awkward shape. It never fit back into it's carry bag that had handles and straps.

I also lifted our 20hp 4s by myself onto a rack attached to the hitch or onto the boat. Using transom wheels and a shoulder harness attached to the front of the boat, I could maneuver the boat up and down the ramp about 25-50m max before I grew too winded.

Now, even though I could do all of those things individually by myself, there is no way I went solo until I had a trailer. Unloading the boat, building the floor, installing the engine, launching, and then doing it in reverse at the end of the day/trip was way too much for me alone. I was very dependent on the family helping. Even though I'm in good shape and workout, it would have been very strenuous even in my younger days. Add in that we have 90-100 degree days and just looking for trouble.

I'm not familiar with the other boats mentioned but there are quite a few on here that launch their own. I'd be mindful of their procedures and how they make it work when they are on their own. We were a family of 5 but even the larger boat wasn't enough when they got older.