Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

Hello all.... I'm new to these Forums as well as Boating/Towing.

My wife and I are looking at buying a 2003 Chaparral 235 SSi (I will soon post another thread in "Boat Topics & Questions" asking questions about this boat and it's manufacturer). The Dry Weight of this boat is 4,510#, it has a 72 gallon Fuel Tank which would add another 443#, it also has a 13 gallon Water Tank which would add another 109#, and the Trailer weighs no more than 1,000#. So this gives me a total of 6,062# (I'm not sure how much extra to add for gear and all, but if I had to guess I would say 500#).

The vehicle we have is a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali (6.0L; V-8; 320HP) AWD. It came with a factory installed Class III Reese Towing Package. According to Edmunds.com, our vehicle is rated to tow a maximum of 8,400# being properly equipped (which I'm hoping since the tow package was factory installed; it should be "properly equipped"). Also, the boat trailer comes with Surge Brakes.

We live in Florida (so it would be towed on mostly flat land). I'm assuming we shouldn't have much of an issue towing it from Point A to Point B, but what I am concerned about is launching and recovering the boat from the ramp (slipping/sliding, etc). Do you think I'll have any problems pulling the boat out of the water since our vehicle is only AWD and not technically a true4WD vehicle? Do you think I'll be putting excessive wear on the engine and transmission by periodically towing the boat approx. 50 miles (one-way) to the coast?

Thank you all in advance for all your comments and help. They are truly appreciated.

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

I've pulled a boat of similar dimensions with a 2001 5.3L Tahoe for the last 5 years. No problems pulling the boat down the road and no problems pulling it out of the water either. I've never had a need to use 4WD at the ramp.

I pull 62 miles each way to the ramp and my wife pulls her tandem axle horse trailer with the truck as well so it does get a good workout towing.

The truck now has 105K on it. The spark plugs where changed for the first time at 100K miles and it still has the original brake pads on it. The only thing that I'm religious about is flushing the trans every 40K

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

Thank you for the speedy reply, dingbat. I just wanted to make sure that our vehicle could handle a boat of this size before actually making the boat purchase.

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

You should not have any problems towing that particular boat with the YD XL. I have friends that tow a 24' Regal bowrider with their YD and they don't have any problems.

As for the AWD and being on the ramp, you will love having AWD. The power is split something like 40-60 front-rear so you'll be able to pull your boat out without any slippage.

Phil

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

Yeap, the AWD is more gooder than 4wd in all but the most slipperiest conditions where you would need locking front and rear diff's......if you're into those conditions with a boat trailer you've got bigger problems. The 6.0L is plenty strong to pull that weight.

Couple of hints to help your GM live a bit longer.

1. Make sure you have a good sized transmission fluid cooler. Towing will stress the trans significantly, and the fluid loses it's lubricity quickly over ~240* or so.

2. Make sure to ALWAYS use the Tow/Haul mode. This mode will change the shifts points of the transmission to make better use of the torque available. It also keeps the torque convertor locked much more often, which helps keep temps under control. Finally it increases the line pressure a good bit to help the clutches grab and keep from slipping.

3. Change the trans fluid regularly. It's worth a once a year flush IMO. Take it to a shop and drop $100 to have the fluid run through a machine where they flush ALL of the old out and put all new in. Changing just the fluid in the pan only gets about 40% of total fluid in the trans changed. While better than nothing, a good yearly flush will keep you out in front of problems.

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

2kwik4u said:

Yeap, the AWD is more gooder than 4wd in all but the most slipperiest conditions where you would need locking front and rear diff's......if you're into those conditions with a boat trailer you've got bigger problems. The 6.0L is plenty strong to pull that weight.

Couple of hints to help your GM live a bit longer.

1. Make sure you have a good sized transmission fluid cooler. Towing will stress the trans significantly, and the fluid loses it's lubricity quickly over ~240* or so.

2. Make sure to ALWAYS use the Tow/Haul mode. This mode will change the shifts points of the transmission to make better use of the torque available. It also keeps the torque convertor locked much more often, which helps keep temps under control. Finally it increases the line pressure a good bit to help the clutches grab and keep from slipping.

3. Change the trans fluid regularly. It's worth a once a year flush IMO. Take it to a shop and drop $100 to have the fluid run through a machine where they flush ALL of the old out and put all new in. Changing just the fluid in the pan only gets about 40% of total fluid in the trans changed. While better than nothing, a good yearly flush will keep you out in front of problems.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info!!

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

Maybe I have my math wrong, but isn't a class III hitch too small for that weight of a boat? I thought III maxed out at 6000#. With your math, you are over the max by a little but really, I'd bet that you are missing at least a couple hundred pounds. I don't think I've heard anyone say their boat came in weighing less than advertised.

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

Hi There

My boat motor, trailer and everything weighs about 7,000 Lbs. I had a 2003 Youkon xl Denali, AWD. Towed prettty good. On hilly roads you will need to turn of the overdrive. All in all it was good. Fuel mileage was 9 or 10. When I went up and down steep inclines the water temp and trans temp stayed very good.
Mine had the auto leveling suspension and that was a great help. The only thing bad was that in high winds or under certain times you would get a little sway going. My trucks do not do that. I think its because trucks use leafs and the Youkon uses coiles.

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

Dingbat.. those tahoes will tow anything.. my buddy has one(well his dad) but they towed a 24ft camper for 10 yrs or so.. now just traded it in for a 36footer.. still pulls it no problem

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

Not even a question... Until you get into the 27-28' range you shouldn't have to question that truck (unless an unusually heavy boat).

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

bhammer said:

Maybe I have my math wrong, but isn't a class III hitch too small for that weight of a boat? I thought III maxed out at 6000#. With your math, you are over the max by a little but really, I'd bet that you are missing at least a couple hundred pounds. I don't think I've heard anyone say their boat came in weighing less than advertised.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what it's max is? But if it is indeed 6,000#, then do you think I would need to upgrade it to a Class IV Hitch?

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

KETELS said:

Hi There

My boat motor, trailer and everything weighs about 7,000 Lbs. I had a 2003 Youkon xl Denali, AWD. Towed prettty good. On hilly roads you will need to turn of the overdrive. All in all it was good. Fuel mileage was 9 or 10. When I went up and down steep inclines the water temp and trans temp stayed very good.
Mine had the auto leveling suspension and that was a great help. The only thing bad was that in high winds or under certain times you would get a little sway going. My trucks do not do that. I think its because trucks use leafs and the Youkon uses coiles.

Click to expand...

Do you know what Class Hitch you had on your Denali?

Mine also has the Auto Leveling Suspension, so I'm sure that'll help out a lot. Thanks for the input.

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

Jrock_02 said:

I'm not sure what it's max is? But if it is indeed 6,000#, then do you think I would need to upgrade it to a Class IV Hitch?

Click to expand...

If it were me, and I was going to tow and not park it at the marina, I would get a hitch that is rated for more weight. You might also want to take the boat to the scales and have it weighed just to be sure.

I got board one time and decied to weight everything in my boat. FireX, several sets of skis, tubes, battery jump box, batteries, first aide, tool kit, cooler, towls, anchor, PFDs and ropes to name just a few. I was estimating 300# and I reached upward of 550# real quick.

I am sure you will be more than fine but it's better to be on the safer side when you are carrying around +6000#s at automobile speeds.

I also heard from my boat manf that when they "estimate" their weight, they do not account for additions like bimini tops, swim platforms, ladders, carpeting (on newer boats) and stuff that are options.

Oh, and some class III are rated max at 5000. I think the ASE sets the classes but not for sure. I would check with your dealer or manual to see what it says. A cusotm dealer hitch may be able to tow more and accept more toung weight.

Re: Newbie: Looking at getting a New Boat. Will a 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali tow it?

bhammer said:

If it were me, and I was going to tow and not park it at the marina, I would get a hitch that is rated for more weight. You might also want to take the boat to the scales and have it weighed just to be sure.

I got board one time and decied to weight everything in my boat. FireX, several sets of skis, tubes, battery jump box, batteries, first aide, tool kit, cooler, towls, anchor, PFDs and ropes to name just a few. I was estimating 300# and I reached upward of 550# real quick.

I am sure you will be more than fine but it's better to be on the safer side when you are carrying around +6000#s at automobile speeds.

I also heard from my boat manf that when they "estimate" their weight, they do not account for additions like bimini tops, swim platforms, ladders, carpeting (on newer boats) and stuff that are options.

Oh, and some class III are rated max at 5000. I think the ASE sets the classes but not for sure. I would check with your dealer or manual to see what it says. A cusotm dealer hitch may be able to tow more and accept more toung weight.

Click to expand...

I never thought about that the Manufaturers listed weight for this boat might be excluding the options (it does have an extended swim platform, bimini top, ladder and carpeting). I definitely don't want to tow more than the hitch can handle. It seems like the vehicle is capable of towing the weight that I want; as long as it's properly equipped (and that may mean having a Class IV Hitch). I think I'll take it to a company that specializes in Trailers and Hitches and see what they have to say. Thanks for all your help!!