Towing (well, launching) midsized aluminum boat with Rav 4?

timnfletcher

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Hello,

I have an old starcraft islander 22 so it's 1950 pounds. I keep it in dry storage, and the launch ramp is exactly .4 miles away from the lot. I use the boat maybe 3-5 times a year.

I currently use a 1994 f150 to pull it out and tow it down, but since my truck is ancient now and I have kids, I really only use it to pull my boat in or out and launch it. Then, a few weeks ago, I was trying to pull my boat out and the ramp was extra slimy for some reason, and I couldn't get it out as my truck is RWD. I was looking pretty stuck when this fellow came along in a 4-cylinder CRV and hooked himself up to my truck and, despite the slime, was able to pull my truck and my boat out simply because he had 4WD.

I've been thinking about a new vehicle, and I don't want to spend a ton on a 4wd truck that I'll never really use. My buddy is selling an old Rav4. It has a 2000 pound towing limit and almost 250k miles on it. I'm considering just buying that and using it exclusively as a boat-launcher vehicle because it has 4wd.

My question is, given that the towing capacity of a rav 4 is exactly the weight of the boat... is this a problem? I mean, if I ever had to go further than the .4 mile to the ramp, I would rent a truck, but that would be such a rare occurrence (last time it went further away than the ramp on a trailer was about 15 years ago) that I'm not really expecting that to happen basically ever. But if I have an old junker car, is there anything unsafe about using it to pull and launch a boat maybe 3-5 times a year? Is a rav4 with 4 wheel drive enough to get a 2000 pound boat out of the water? If I two it for a total of about 5 miles a year, will that cause significant damage to the rav4 to where it'll only last a year instead of the maybe 4-5 years that it should have left in it?

Again, I would never use the rav4 to haul this boat anywhere past the ramp, so .4 miles at a time every few months. Once the boat is up the ramp, it's flat with exactly one stop sign, and while I don't want to ruin the rav4, I'm also not super concerned with doing things that would normally be considered "bad" for a transmission or whatever.

Just looking for input—thanks!
 

flyingscott

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Is that weight just the boat? Or does it include the trailer,fuel and all misc gear? If it does not include the trailer and supplies and fuel it will be overweight. I would not choose a rav 4 to pull something as big as your boat.
 

SkaterRace

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Scott is right, you likely aren't adding everything up. Example my boat is ~2500 lbs but with trailer,gas and gear I am about ~3600 lbs

If you are looking for a good cheap SUV to tow your boat with I'd suggest a '08-12 they can tow 3500 lbs and I believe you can get AWD with them included in the tow package. I'd double check that though. I towed a boat weighing ~1500 lbs with 1000 lbs of trailer/gas/gear so about 2500 lbs total and it pulled it pretty good. I had the FWD version and never felt like I was fighting to get up the ramp even on slippery ones. I frequented a ramp at the time I owned that boat/SUV combo that I could not safely walk on the ramp itself and no issues so I doubt you will have issues with an AWD one
 

Scott Danforth

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Hello,

4-cylinder CRV and hooked himself up to my truck and, despite the slime, was able to pull my truck and my boat out simply because he had 4WD.

he only had to pull you a bit with about 300 or 400# of force to get you moving. dont confuse the additional force needed you to assist getting you rolling with the total tow force needed

Is a rav4 with 4 wheel drive enough to get a 2000 pound boat out of the water?

in short..... no

boat dry weight 1950#
trailer 1200#
fuel, gear, etc. 1000#

total towed weight 4150#

while it may do it once or twice, realistically if you dont blow the trans, one slight slip and your rav 4 will be pulled back into the water by the boat.
 

matt167

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Many years ago, my dad pulled his 21' Chieftan miles and miles hooked to a 1993 Nissan hardbody pickup. Was 2wd and 4cyl. The truck was technically legal to tow 3,000 lbs and according to the scales, the boat/ trailer was under that, but that was dry weight, empty with half the interior missing at that time. Fun times.
 

harringtondav

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I believe the 4 cyl Ravs are CVT. Meaning a variable pitch friction chain drive. Snowmobile drive. Not good for high torque applications like towing.

If you're looking for a low cost towing only vehicle, there are plenty of old 4WD 4 door pickups and SUVs available. I sold my '99 5.2L Durango at a family discount for $1000. Rough on the outside, solid engine and drive train. The key is knowing what you are buying. Good guts are more important than looks.

Take you current rig to a scale and get an accurate weight. Two times on the scale. Total rig, then truck only. I'd think any V6 4WD would be good enough, but research the towing rating.
 

briangcc

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The CRV pulled you out because he added to your overall tractive effort. You had (6) wheels between his vehicle and yours moving the trailer up the ramp.

I'd be looking at a mid-sized SUV or a mid-sized pickup with 4x4 or AWD. So Durango/Dakota, Highlander/Tacoma, Traverse/Colorado/S10, etc. Heck you might find a deal on an older Tahoe or Burb...provided some teenager hasn't gotten ahold of it and pimped it out.

A RAV4 is a short wheelbase vehicle...in my opinion, good for a snowmobile or jetski. A boat your size I wouldn't try.
 

ahicks

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For what you are talking about, I would ask around at the storage facility to see if there's an employee that would be willing to launch or retrieve your boat for a slight fee.

My bet is that slight fee, paid as often as you use your boat, would be much less than buying and maintaining a vehicle that would be used for nothing but that purpose.
 

JASinIL2006

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Personally, I'd be worried about braking quickly in something the size of a RAV4 with several thousand pounds of boat and trailer behind me.
 

mike_i

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Another option is to carry a couple pieces of old scrap carpet with you. I've done it for years, luckily never had to use it myself but saved a few other people that were spinning their tires in the slime. I carry two pieces approx. 2' by 6'. Place them in front of the rear tires if they start to spin, it helps if someone is standing on them and you have instant traction.
 

Maped

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I wouldn't suggest using any suv with a towing capacity under 5000 lbs for traction sake. I use a mountaineer rated for 7500 lb towing and it gets questionable sometimes with my 25' pontoon. Another thing to look at is the distance from rear tire to hitch on a suv is shorter than a truck, meaning it has to back farther down the ramp, and the shorter wheelbase means occasionally the front tires are in the slime on the ramp. Also DO NOT use a Durango for this, their front Axel (at least from '98-'04) is a different gear ratio, crawl, solely for getting un stuck. If you use it with traction on all tires you will BLOW the front differential. Not sure what other vehicles are built this way but have seen it happen to 3 different Durango owners.
 

H20Rat

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I believe the 4 cyl Ravs are CVT. Meaning a variable pitch friction chain drive. Snowmobile drive. Not good for high torque applications like towing.

Although I don't have personal knowledge of Rav's CVT, i've done some moderate towing my my Subaru with a CVT. It is sort of a snowmobile drive, but the difference is there is no slipping, ever. The belt is a chain, and there is 4 tons of pressure on the pulleys driving against the pins of the chain. (standard torque converter in front of the CVT) Very few moving parts compared to a regular auto. The computer is constantly monitoring torque, it generally won't let the trans get past its safety envelope, it will just downshift and rev the engine.

Like any other vehicle/transmission, don't abuse it or use it past its specs, and it will most likely last.
 

H20Rat

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. Also DO NOT use a Durango for this, their front Axel (at least from '98-'04) is a different gear ratio, crawl, solely for getting un stuck. If you use it with traction on all tires you will BLOW the front differential. Not sure what other vehicles are built this way but have seen it happen to 3 different Durango owners.

Durango's (most dodges of that era) used vacuum actuated front locking hubs, which ironically are also used on Kia Sportages of that timeframe. (full size pickup sharing parts with a mini-suv, first mistake) Second problem is those vacuum hubs often developed leaks where the hubs would randomly kick in and out, especially in low-vacuum situations (high throttle) You can imagine the damage if it decides to kick out when you hit the gas in 4x4, and then randomly engages again. Goodbye hubs, axle, or diff.

(owned a kia sportage with vacuum hubs, replaced with Warn manual lockers)
 

matt167

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I wouldn't suggest using any suv with a towing capacity under 5000 lbs for traction sake. I use a mountaineer rated for 7500 lb towing and it gets questionable sometimes with my 25' pontoon. Another thing to look at is the distance from rear tire to hitch on a suv is shorter than a truck, meaning it has to back farther down the ramp, and the shorter wheelbase means occasionally the front tires are in the slime on the ramp. Also DO NOT use a Durango for this, their front Axel (at least from '98-'04) is a different gear ratio, crawl, solely for getting un stuck. If you use it with traction on all tires you will BLOW the front differential. Not sure what other vehicles are built this way but have seen it happen to 3 different Durango owners.

read above. The ratio is the same. Hubs are garbage. Ford's of that time also had Vac hubs but GM opted for an electronically shifted differential to do the same thing
 

Alumarine

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Vacuum hubs have been around for a long time. Certainly longer than "electronic".
Can't peak for Durango's but most use vacuum to both engage and disengage the actuator.
A loss of vacuum should not cause them to disengage.
All of my Toyota's have been vacuum.
 

QBhoy

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I can’t believe the difference in thought around towing, between Europe and North America. It’s simply night and day.
 

QBhoy

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Just hook up the boat to the Mini Cooper and you’re off, eh?

Haha. Not quite. Wasn’t having a go. Just that the thinking is so different between the two. I also think the vehicles must be rated differently too.
I had a 2006 rav 4 years ago and it was rated to tow 2200 kgs gross. Think that’s about 4800lbs nearly without checking.

I also know that my bmw 5 series 530dGT tows my boat and trailer (weighs over 4000lbs gross) very well. Very powerful car and huge brakes for stopping. Across there, the go to car for doing the same would generally be thought of as nothing less than a huge truck like an F150 or more, perhaps. Would an F150 stop in an emergency quicker than my 530d ? I wouldn’t think so.
 
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bigdee

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For what you need it for and if your not towing on highway it should do just fine. If the guy that has it for sale ask him to let you test launch your boat.....I bet my left eye it will do just fine.
 

Old Ironmaker

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Haha. Not quite. Wasn’t having a go. Just that the thinking is so different between the two. I also think the vehicles must be rated differently too.
I had a 2006 rav 4 years ago and it was rated to tow 2200 kgs gross. Think that’s about 4800lbs nearly without checking.

I also know that my bmw 5 series 530dGT tows my boat and trailer (weighs over 4000lbs gross) very well. Very powerful car and huge brakes for stopping. Across there, the go to car for doing the same would generally be thought of as nothing less than a huge truck like an F150 or more, perhaps. Would an F150 stop in an emergency quicker than my 530d ? I wouldn’t think so.

I once towed a 70's era Chevy Impala on a trailer with my TR6. We thought nothing of it as we were 19. Didn't even have a trailer ball. Man we were insane.

As far as the F-150 emergency stopping while towing, they usually stop when they hit another vehicle in the rear. I'm a Chevy Silverado owner.

I would love to know how anyone towed, launched and retrieved boats with all makes of rear wheel drive cars before everyone had to have at least a 1/2 ton 4X4 to get in and out of the water? I believe ramps were slippery in the 70's and earlier as well. I have an Uncle that towed an 18' cedar strip deep V with a massive Johnson on it all over the Great Lakes in the 60's. He towed it with a Rambler. I remember the huge extension side view mirrors bolted on the thing.
 
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