Appoximate towing weight of a C-Dory 25

Weigh the trailer as you did, then weigh the trailer with the truck hooked up to the truck.

The LoadRite trailer: LR-AB26T8400102LTB2 which most are using is a 8400 lb trailer. This is just for reference of those who pick up this thread and want to see what capacity trailer is being used. There are 9600# and 10,000# trailers for the C Dory 25.
 
We have a 2007 25' C-Dory, twin 90 hp outboards, on a Road Runner 6500 model trailer and a 1995 Ford F350 RWD one ton long box crew cab dually 7.3 litre turbo diesel.
When I worked out the towing capability of The Truck from the owner's manual, it appeared that we were exceeding its capacity (manual has gone missing (stolen) so I can't duplicate it; my message is to ignore what appears on the Internet and work out the specifics for your vehicle, using factory information. And I'll be trying to source a manual so I can redo the calculations). We're also exceeding the capacity of our trailer.
C-Dory's information showed the bare weight as 3602 in 2012; it now shows 3950. I calculate ours as weighing 5008 pounds (sans motors etc. etc. etc.)
They cited the average towing weight as 4800 lb (all in: trailer, motors, etc.) in 2012; in 2023 they show a more realistic 6340 pounds.
Based on a truck weigh scale in 2021 (and I have no idea how precise the scales are), with motors, fuel, dinghy, batteries, water etc. (but no personal supplies like food etc. etc.etc.) we're at 6556 pounds. This exceeds the trailer limit, but is only a bit more than 200 pounds above C-Dory's web-site estimate.
Our visually hairy-chested Truck gets remarkably limp-wristed with this load: we're over with the 18 wheelers with our 4-ways on, going up the steep hills along the TransCanada highway through the mountains of British Columbia.
Our tongue weight appears to be 1200 pounds.
The above seems consistent with the experience of others.
 
Doug & Fran":3d2xby5j said:
We have a 2007 25' C-Dory, twin 90 hp outboards, on a Road Runner 6500 model trailer and a 1995 Ford F350 RWD one ton long box crew cab dually 7.3 litre turbo diesel.
When I worked out the towing capability of The Truck from the owner's manual, it appeared that we were exceeding its capacity (manual has gone missing (stolen) so I can't duplicate it; my message is to ignore what appears on the Internet and work out the specifics for your vehicle, using factory information. And I'll be trying to source a manual so I can redo the calculations). We're also exceeding the capacity of our trailer.
C-Dory's information showed the bare weight as 3602 in 2012; it now shows 3950. I calculate ours as weighing 5008 pounds (sans motors etc. etc. etc.)
They cited the average towing weight as 4800 lb (all in: trailer, motors, etc.) in 2012; in 2023 they show a more realistic 6340 pounds.
Based on a truck weigh scale in 2021 (and I have no idea how precise the scales are), with motors, fuel, dinghy, batteries, water etc. (but no personal supplies like food etc. etc.etc.) we're at 6556 pounds. This exceeds the trailer limit, but is only a bit more than 200 pounds above C-Dory's web-site estimate.
Our visually hairy-chested Truck gets remarkably limp-wristed with this load: we're over with the 18 wheelers with our 4-ways on, going up the steep hills along the TransCanada highway through the mountains of British Columbia.
Our tongue weight appears to be 1200 pounds.
The above seems consistent with the experience of others.
Click to expand...

Compare to my scaled weights above. Your tongue weight seems exceptionally high. For boat and trailer weights, it's best to get actual scale weights at a truck CAT scale. Or pull across one of the truck weigh stations. Both are fairly accurate. While the gouge for camping and utility trailer tongue weights is 10% of total trailer weight, for a boat it's 5-7%. On your 6500 lbs, did that include the trailer? As it seems a little light. You can figure about 1500 lbs for the trailer alone. If you didn't include the trailer, that would bring you up to a total of 8000 lbs, which seems more realistic for your "wet" (with fuel and water) 25. (My new Loadrite tandem axle aluminum trailer, with spare tire, scaled at 1600 lbs.) Colby
 
Our first C Dory 25 (2003) was only on about a 6500 lb cap. trailer. We also had a Ford 7.3 Liter on a Ford Excursion. (3/4 Ton SUV). It was wearing out tires, and not a good match up--also had the surge brakes (actually not legal in some Canadian provinces). You have to be able to apply the trailer brakes from the truck cab. Only electric, air, or electric over hydraulic brakes.

Independent braking system is required where gross weight of load and vehicle exceeds 1,800kg (3,969lbs). Breakaway brakes are required on all trailers with a registered weight of over 1,350kg (2,977lbs).
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We put a weight distribution hitch on the rig and it towed better. However that did not resolved any legal brake issues. We used that rig to tow up to Prince Rupert, as well as over the southern route across the USA.

We did fine with that rig--I don't remember any real issues on grades, but I was towing also behind a motor home, with a 10,000 lb capacity (reworked the transmission and frame hitch attachments by trailer shop.).

Definately more than "factory" specs. Much of this is probably what we put on the boats...Every lb. counts...
 
The trailer is 1500 pounds, so our total load is a bit over 8000 pounds (sans all the stuff humans need, like food and a good book). Tongue weight of 1200 pounds is as calculated (front axle; rear axle; trailer axles; etc.). The jack (if that is the proper term) is rated at 1500 pounds, but it sure looks a wee bit spindly.
We also have the good electric hydraulic brakes with the separate controller under the dash of the Truck - I gotta fish out the manual and have a read to make sure I understand how to use it, and also to ensure it's properly adjusted.
Story: the plan was to bring Squirt II back from charter service out of Comox in Sept. 2020 and have her in Calgary and explore (primarily) some of the lakes in BC for a couple of years. We left the Truck in the adjacent city of Courtenay at a diesel shop so they could make sure the trailer was suitable for highway travel (it needed work!) and to check the Truck - which they advised had turned into a six cylinder as the rings on two of the pistons were no longer sealing. Dang! They had a used 7.3 litre power stroke that they were confident in, so we headed home sans boat sans Truck, and the shop pulled the full body off and swapped the engines out - an approach I hadn't thought about. I flew out in the Spring when the shop had this all done, and brought the Truck home, and Fran and I and Rolo the dog went out in late June and brought Squirt II back.
Didn't get her into the water until late summer, and the cooling water wasn't flowing when we fired the motors up. Took her into a shop and they identified the problems and ordered the parts that fall/winter, but didn't get the work done, and their sole marine mechanic quit that Spring. Well, he came back this past winter and we just got Squirt back at the beginning of July, and have been chasing where all the rain water is getting in etc. etc. etc. Pardon me for babbling on!
 
I should have commented that our tongue weight is calculated, not measured: Weighed the front, rear, and trailer axles separately; came back with the Truck only and weighed the front & rear axles sans trailer; and calculated the tongue weight.
The scale is pretty busy, and I surely don't like chances of being able to disconnect and get a reading on the trailer jack (and not a hope in heck of being able to lower the hitch end onto a jackstand to get a really accurate read) but I'd like to.
 
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