Short Jeep Long boat

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greg crosby

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Mar 11, 2011
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Hi

I have an 88 221 Islander 4cyl and a tandem trailer with surge brakes on it. I believe the boat and TRAILER out weigh the Jeep Liberty I towed it home with. Never had surge brakes on anything. It seemed to handle it ok. Anybody got any info?
Thanks for help.:confused:
 
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agallant80

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

From a quick google it looks like the boat is about 2,200Lbs add in another 1,000 for trailer and gas. You should be fine. What is your jeep rated at for towing? What you are pulling out weighing the truck is not out of the normal. My boat and trailer are tipping the scales at 10K and my truck weighs in at 7K
 
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BRICH1260

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

The short wheel base on your Jeep could make any towing trip a white knuckle event. Weight wise the Jeep might handle it, but its more of a controlability factor for me. Guess it ultimately comes down to how far you have to go and what the roads were like.
 
idonthaveaname

idonthaveaname

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

You might want to look HERE before towing something of that size.

Towing with a Jeep Liberty seems "weigh" out of your league.
 
64osby

64osby

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

idonthaveaname said:
You might want to look HERE before towing something of that size.

Towing with a Jeep Liberty seems "weigh" out of your league.
Click to expand...

??? The 2012 Liberty shows a max of 5000 lbs OP's boat should max about 3500lbs. Wheel base is not the greatest but the capacity is there. If the surge breaks are working he should be able to tow the Islander.
 
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rallyart

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

Not a problem. Just make sure your tongue weight and hitch height are correct and tire pressures are up.
 
tazrig

tazrig

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

As others have pointed out you have the more than enough capacity. Just keep in mind that Jeeps have a reputation for being a little difficult to handle or at least to get used to because of their short wheel base, so take easy until you get totally comfortable in your set up.
 
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ricohman

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

I have a 221 Islander. There is no way I would tow it with a Jeep Liberty. Just driving into the wind with the boat is going to heat your trans.
My Islander 221 is over 5k full of fuel and gear. I've actually weighed it out of curiousity.
This will be like the tail wagging the dog.
 
blackhawk180

blackhawk180

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

Nice setup, ricohman. Everything looks shipshape.
If the weight is indeed >5k, it would be a tail wagging dog situation. Unless I was going a short distance with few hills, I would consider a bigger tow vehicle but I'm pretty cautious by nature.
 
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ricohman

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

tazrig said:
According to Boating magazine it has a dry weight of 2,023lbs. Even fully loaded and with a trailer I don't see how you can over the Jeeps 5,000lb. capacity.

Starcraft Islander 221 | Boating Magazine
Click to expand...

I was told the hull does indeed weigh about 2k. Then you add power and drive. Then a double axle trailer.
Then add 50 gallons of fuel and all your gear.
I believe my rig was 5100# and change sitting on the scale. Mine is a 4.3 so that may be a bit heavier than the OP's boat. But I would bet its very close to 4800lbs.
Then he has to take into consideration all of the people inside his car as max towing is calculated with an empty vehicle.
No way I would tow this with a Liberty.
 
NYBo

NYBo

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

I'm with ricohman. I'd tow my boat (see signature) with a Liberty, but not the OP's boat.
 
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airshot

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

I also have a 22" Islander with 3.0 on a single axle trailer (1983), with all gear on trailer total wt is 3350 lb with fuel and kicker motor.
I tow with a Chev Blazer 4.3 rated at 3500lb tow cap. I do not have the towing pkg so the std rating is 3500. I have no problem....however I do not travel crosscountry. My typical tow is about 25 miles each way, mostly back roads. Have had it on the E-way before without any problems even in strong crosswinds. Yes it does require extra caution, never go over 65, usually only 60 tops. I do keep my tow vehicle very well maintained and I am sure this makes a difference. One thing for sure is to never use your OD while towing, I have a friend in the transmission buisness and that is what keeps him in buisness. And oh ya....my blazer has 200,000 miles on her.
So with very carefull driving and proper maintainence you should not have a problem.

Airshot
 
izoomie

izoomie

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

You have the capacity but wheel base is an issue. Slower city driving should be ok if you are careful, you will run into trouble in high speed corners. If you have a winding 50mph back road and go into a corner at that speed, you're going to have a hard time. That boat will pull you right off the road. Add a cross wind and it gets worse. Go under the speed limit and be careful and you'll be ok. There is no room for error if you get cocky or loose concentration for a minute.
 
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Home Cookin'

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

izoomie said:
You have the capacity but wheel base is an issue. Slower city driving should be ok if you are careful, you will run into trouble in high speed corners. If you have a winding 50mph back road and go into a corner at that speed, you're going to have a hard time. That boat will pull you right off the road. Add a cross wind and it gets worse. Go under the speed limit and be careful and you'll be ok. There is no room for error if you get cocky or loose concentration for a minute.
Click to expand...

In addition, the issue with a big boat/short wheel base is when stopping/slowing suddenly, the boat will push the rear of the vehicle to one side or the other, creating major control issues.

You also have to watch the load; if the boat is tongue heavy and you have a lot of gear in the rear of the jeep, you lose front wheel traction, exacerbating the control issues, especially while stopping.

Towing specs and towing advice is not one size fits all. Short slow straight flat tows on empty roads can be done safely with just about anything, with no harm to vehicle or threat to others. But change any of those circumstances, the driver has to be aware of which factors will compromise control, and how, and then know whether the compromise is to such a degree as to make it too dangerous. How you find out is the scary part.
 
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Milemaker13

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Dec 24, 2006
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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

I tow my 14' deep v smoker craft with my Hyundai accent. Not nearly the weight you guys are talking about, but its bigger and longer than the car. I've towed much heavier loads on the utility trailer too. I start slow, shift a little later and start stopping a little earlier. Never a problem around town or on the expressway.

I say go for it. If you don't like the way it feels, listen to that.
 
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greg crosby

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Mar 11, 2011
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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

You guys are great, thank you. Great entertainment. Now do I add up the answers from the different ranks of replyers and average them out? Im 65 year old farm boy from Maine, the boat and trailer actually weigh out at 2650, I probably put 800lbs of cargo in, I don't go on freeways' I'm in no rush, have had lots of boats and trailers, just never happened to have surge brakes. handles good at 55mph, was just wondering about lateral thrust on short wheelbase. Took boat off and went for test drive and I MEAN TEST DRIVE! Brakes responded quickly in high speed turns with hard braking. So as long as brakes respond with load on I'm ok. The trailer tracts properly. Short wheelbase will always be a concern and lugging down on hills will be avoided. A little caution and I won't have to use my one ton(8mpg). Thats why I like aluminum.
 
oldjeep

oldjeep

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

Meh, it'll be fine. Your liberty is about the size of the Kia Sorrento that we used to tow with and your boat is lighter than ours.

Or you could go with the guys who think that you need a one ton to tow a snowmobile trailer ;)
 
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greg crosby

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Re: Short Jeep Long boat

thanks capt. my wife is from mound, mn. you know tonka toys! good people. good beer
 
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