Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

[Polished 2007]

Hello Forum,
I have an '07 Saturn Vue (FWD) which comes with the Honda V6 3.5 ltr & 5-speed automatic transmission. I have a Class III hitch with a 2" receiver. The boat I want to tow weighs 3300 lbs with the trailer. The trailer has brakes. The front suspension of my Vue is lowered by 1 1/2" which shifts more weight to the front wheels.

I would only be doing this 2 to 3 times a year. Those are the times that the Dodge Ram 1500 would not be available. I don't think I would have a problem around town but will I have an issue with pulling this boat out of the boat ramp? The ramp is clean but will most likely be wet.

P.S. The Vue has traction Control, if that makes any difference.

Thanks

 

[642mx]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Welcome to iboats!

Whats your towing capacity? I'm guessing its no more than 3500 lbs. If that is correct, you'll be over capacity once you add fuel, coolers, etc...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

read your owners manual and weigh the boat..... heck that car is nearly new... ask the dealer
my gut says no way

 

[4mattd]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

I've got a 06 Saturn with the same engine and FWD. Towing capacity is 3500 lbs.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

"Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat? "

Wouldn't be my first choice.

I also find it hard to belive that a 21' boat and the trailer together only weigh 3300lbs! What is the boat made of, cardboard? For reference, my 1997 Chaparral 2135 cuddy cabin was only 20'6 long and it weighed 3300lbs all by itself.

Weigh the boat/trailer combo, that's the ONLY way to know what it truly weighs.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

I have the 2003 version of that motor and tranny in my Honda Odyssey and it tows great. I added a tranny cooler, though. Keep it in D3.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Same engine in my Saturn Aura....Never knew it was a Honda engine..
Plenty of power for the car but as a tow vehicle i would not use it.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Its the same engine/tranny if it requires the Z1 transmission fluid. They bought the honda 3.5, but also used a GM 3.5 and 3.6.

Its also the same engine if the Pilot and Ridgeline. It all depends on the tranny gearing. The good news, is Honda supposedly worked out their tranny problems late 2004, so if you have the newer version, you are in luck. My 2003 may or may not have such a bullet proof tranny, so I do extra maintenance and tow away!

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Same engine in my Saturn Aura....Never knew it was a Honda engine.....

No it's not the same engine, and no the one in your Aura is NOT a Honda engine.

The 3.5 in the Vue IS a Honda engine.

 

[captkevin]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

You might want to have your boat & trailer weighed to see the actual weight. My guess would be your 3300# is low.

 

[jkust]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

In line with the above, my 18 foot Chaparral weighs almost 3,000 lbs bone dry with only a v6. Your boat would likely have a heavier v8, double axle trailer, larger gas tank, etc. Even at 3300 lbs you are over doing it. I think we are going to see a whole lot more of these questions as capable, midsized, v8 equipped suv's fade away.

 

[SS Flasher]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

I believe a Saturn Vue weights somewhere around 3850 lbs and the GVWR is around 4700 lbs. When we add the hitch weigh which on a 3300 lb boat and trailer would be around 330 lbs, with the weight of the vehicle, the fuel, passengers and baggage we would be very close or more likely over the GVWR of the Saturn. I know there are people with a lot more knowledge on this subject so I would be interested in knowing if I have this correct. I got my weights from the internet and may not be exact.

 

[kaferhaus]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

You're biggest issue as you know will be the ability to pull the boat out of the water.

On a perfectly dry shallow angle ramp I believe it would be iffy. Anything more I think it'd be almost impossible.

The weight of the boat and trailer will lighten your front end when backed down a ramp.... lightweight vehicle to begin with and front wheel drive to add to the problem.

Take a friend that owns a truck on those days that yours isn't available.

 

[MDJ1016]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Hi,

A quick read didn?t note the boat type you are pulling. Here is the concern- when I bought my boat I looked at two 21? boats. The Four Winns Liberator I bought and another (forgot specific name, see my old posts for it). My Liberator from the ground to top of boat on trailer is about 7?, yet the other boat I looked at (no cuddy cabin, open bow) was 2/3 of that. Also the weight difference and how the weight is proportioned makes a huge difference. My Liberator has a 350 Merc in back with the heavy Alpha I, as opposed to the other boat had a v6 vortec with a smaller outdrive. (Per the scale my boat, trailer and full of fuel and weight is about 6,000) Additionally the Liberator holds 44 gallons of fuel that the tank rests in the back ?1/2? of the boat. Thus my tongue weight with a full tank of fuel, dive gear, boat gear, etc. becomes an issue. If I pull the boat with my ? ton Chevy 4 door truck I can leave gear, trailer position, etc. as is. Yet if I use the wife?s H3 (used when we go local into tighter marina/boat docks) I have to move all the dive gear and other movable accessories to the front in the cuddy cabin. Also never gets pulled over 55 MPH.

My point being is that there are many variables, where you are going, and at what speed. Can you pull the boat- sure, is it safe- probably not. I managed an outside maintenance firm for seven years and saw many moronic feats with people pulling things with the wrong truck. The straw that broke the camel?s back was when an employee put an 8 x 20 enclosed trailer full of landscape equipment through the side of a building after it broke free from the truck. (Lady sitting on other side of wall had just gone home sick an hour earlier...)(Yes, chains and hitch lock were in place, the hitch broke from the truck being it was a 1500 series truck with bumper style hitch.)

So to be safe I always use/used the 75% rule for heavy travel. If you can haul 10,000 lbs. Gross trailer weight should be no more than 7500 lbs. Sure it was a large safety margin, but what is your life worth?

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

You can put a class IV hitch on a go-kart, but that doesn't mean it will do the job.

That said: For one season, I towed an 18 foot Renken, about 2500 lbs, with a Chevy Cavalier 4 cylinder. 17 miles each way, at speeds up to 50. It did the job, but luckily I did not need to do any rapid stops. I have no doubt that the boat would have taken over control in that situation. However, even on a muddy ramp, that little FWD coupe pulled out the boat and trailer with less problems than my S10.

So, for occasional use, and short trips, your Vue might be acceptable.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Don't do it !!!!

 

[bigb2008]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Just for a reference, I pulled my Searay 185 when I got it w/ a Saturn Vue. It was an AWD version, but same motor. My boat wet, w/ trailer weighed 3480 loaded and ready. So yea, that was real close to the limit, and it did pull it just fine. Didn't exactly love the hills, but the AWD has a factory tranny cooler(not sure about the fwd version) so it didn't have any serious problems. I would be VERY concerned pulling the boat OUT of the water w/ that car and just FWD, as the AWD did it, but I did have a little wheel spin on the front wheels when doing it(on somewhat wet pavement).

I would suggest getting the boat/trailer/gear weighed, then decide if it can pull it. 21' boat is not enough information. It's all about weight.

Turns out my wife traded in the Vue for an Audi A4 Conv, so I had to look to get another tow vehicle.

 

[Timothy's crestliner]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Dumbest thing i've seen is someone close to here pull a 22-25 foot pontoon boat, with a Chev Venture minivan, loaded with 7 grown adults! They were from ontario. I would bet their tranny would not last long!!

 

[captkevin]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Depending on the ramp conditions & distance involved you might be ok. I wouldn't tow it real far or at higher speeds. Actually saw a guy one day at the boat ramp launching a Rinker 232 with a Ford Escape. Escape has a max tow rating of 3500# & the 232 is 4200# dry + fuel, gear, passengers & tandem axle trailer. Actual towed weight was probably over 6000#. Escape was 4 wheel drive.

 

[jkust]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Just to comment on the fwd issue...like I mentioned above my rig is a similar weight to what you mentioned when wet and loaded. My real world experience is that I only had a problem at one heavily used ramp pulling out. Lots of ramps are wet but this particular one was also slippery. Power is just not the issue but a wet and slippery ramp will get you a lot of unwanted attention. In my case I had to shut off the traction control since that just applies the brakes to my wheels and basically do a burn out all the way up. That is the worst feeling not knowing if you will be able to retrieve your boat (one reason I upgraded tow rigs). I have used some of the steepest ramps around and my tiny v6 will pull out of the water and up a massive hill with just over idle rpm's. I can give you a lot more negatives than positives though.