Towing 1990 18' Yar-Craft Fiberglass with 90HP Merc on 300C

[JB007Rules]

First time poster, but have been reading stuff here for the last 3 hours, and have found A TON of usefull info THANKS EVERYONE!

So I'm wondering what you all think about towing my newly aquired 1990 18' Yar-Craft deep v-hull fiberglass boat with a 1978 90HP Mercury 6 cylinder engine. My understanding is that the Engine it's self is 400LBs and the boat dry is supposedly 1600LBs. So, combined weight of boat and engine dry = 2000LBS + fuel, which it has a 20 gallon tank and I try to pull at half full so thats 80lbs + 2 deep cycle batteries + starter battery + the trailer which I think is around 300 or so pounds = roughly 2600LBs.

Now, I've checked with Chrysler and they DO sell hitches DESIGNED for my car (2007 Chrsysler 300C with the HEMI (350HP), 5 speed automatic with autostik (can put it into 4th gear to keep it out of overdrive). It is rear wheel drive with a POSI. Chrysler says its 2000lbs max, however they make hitches that are designed to haul 3300lbs for my car

Now I know that pulling it up and down and around will be no problem at all (I towed it with my buddie's commander with the HEMI and it was like the boat wasn't even their). What I'm concerned about is retrieveing it from the water (not launching, because I'm sure that won't be a problem either).

What do you all think about retrieving it on the wet/steep ramp with a posi with rear wheel drive? I think I can do it no problem, but I want to know what you all think.

Thanks

 

[BaileysBoat]

Re: Towing 1990 18' Yar-Craft Fiberglass with 90HP Merc on 300C

I wouldn't do it. Not enough tow vehicle.

 

[rndn]

Re: Towing 1990 18' Yar-Craft Fiberglass with 90HP Merc on 300C

You may be able to pull it just fine, however braking and being in control of it are out of the question for your 300C.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Towing 1990 18' Yar-Craft Fiberglass with 90HP Merc on 300C

plus you don't have enough suspension in the rear to handle the load from the trailer tounge.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: Towing 1990 18' Yar-Craft Fiberglass with 90HP Merc on 300C

The 300C is a large, 4000 lb RWD car, and this one has a LSD. Why does everyone think it will have such a problem with a 2600 lb boat?
Power isn't an issue. Traction won't be a problem with the LSD. Stability is unlikely to be a problem with the boat weighing less than 2/3 of the curb weight and 1/2 of the car's GVWR - some vehicles are rated to tow things that exceed their GVWR. 250 lb of tongue weight will only be a problem if the trunk and back seat are stuffed to capacity.
Braking ability might be marginal if the trailer doesn't have brakes, but that deficiency can easily be rectified.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Towing 1990 18' Yar-Craft Fiberglass with 90HP Merc on 300C

you are pushing the limits.

 

[jevery]

Re: Towing 1990 18' Yar-Craft Fiberglass with 90HP Merc on 300C

You are likely underestimating the weight of your trailer. I have an 18-1/2 ft Ranger bass boat with published dry weight of 1780 lbs plus a 470 lb outboard. Ranger states my trailer weighs 950 lbs equipped with brakes and a spare. Total package ready for the water tips the scales at about 3600 lbs. My van is rated at 3500 lb tow capacity. I had to add air bags to control rear sag. If any amount of gear is in the van I can feel that the suspension is at it's limit to handle directional changes such as an emergency lane change. Previous boat I pulled with the van, (about 2500 lbs), did not have brakes and I had a few close calls trying to get stopped.

 

[69seabreeze]

Re: Towing 1990 18' Yar-Craft Fiberglass with 90HP Merc on 300C

IMHO, I wouldn't. Your car is meant to drive, not tow a boat. The problem won't be towing, but handling will be affected and if the trailer doesn't have brakes then the brakes will most likely have a problem. Deffinately wouldn't tow more than 2k, 3300 is too much for the car. The posi will help with traction, but if you have the same amount of traction on both wheels with a posi they will still spin if it is slick enough.

 

[109jb]

Re: Towing 1990 18' Yar-Craft Fiberglass with 90HP Merc on 300C

Just because a hitch manufacturer says that a hitch can handle 3300 pounds doesn't mean that the car it is hooked to can as well. Tow ratings on cars are based on many factors ranging from suspension, braking, drivetrain, engine cooling system, transmission cooling system, frame/unibody strength, tire capacity... Some will tell you that your car can handle towing past what Chrysler says it can. Problem is that the people that tell you that aren't the ones that built the car and don't know for sure what the limiting factor was that set the rating. I'm not one of those people. In my opinion, if you want to tow a 2,600 pound boat you need to get a car/truck rated by the manufacturer to tow 2,600 pounds or more.