The empty weight of a light varieze with an O-200 engine is around 700#, many are closer to 800# with equipment, building materials, and extras; so I'll say 750# for calculation purposes. The gross weight of a varieze is 1050#, from my understanding; to provide some off runway landing safety.
1050# - 750# = 300#
25 gal of fuel is about 150#
This leaves only 150# for the pilot.
So based on safety specifications, not even one of you could fly in a Varieze with an O-200 engine and full fuel.
Even if the plane has no fuel, two of you would exceed the published gross weight of the aircraft.
I would check for airplanes that have a useful load published in excess of 750#.
Also, with the aircraft loaded with 25 gallons of fuel and two 250# people, the flying weight would be around 750 + 500 + 150 = 1400#. The pitch of the aircraft at a normal landing speed of 70 knots would be quite high. Since the prop is behind the aircraft, this would significantly increase the likelihood of a prop strike when landing on a paved surface. The wheel struts would flex and you would hear a brrrp and find the ends of the prop taken off.
James
Varieze N16ND, O-200, Warp Drive 3-blade prop (sold)
