Boat: 1994 21' Chaparral inboard/outboard with 5.7L merc. Dual axle trailer with surge brakes. I have found posted weights for the boat in the 3500# range, add in the trailer, people and miscellaneous stuff, and I am leaning towards 5k-6k pounds (probably closer to 5k, but I would rather be safer than sorrier).<br /><br />Current tow vehicle: 2001 Toyota 4Runner, 6 cyl auto 4wd, has 4.10 gears (they are available stock)<br /><br />4Runner does ok around town. We have successfully towed it around, taken it out for our first ride last weekend. No problems. It worked great. However, I feel like the 4Runner is working pretty hard and is near its limit. I drive pretty slow, and around town is under 40mph and less than 5 miles from my house. We want to be able to take the boat from Nashville to Knoxville easily (about 200ish miles) not to mention I want a truck.<br /><br />So I am looking at:<br />'01-'02 Chevy/GMC 1500 ext cab, short bed with the 5.3L engine and z71 offroad package (comes with 3.73s and towing setup).<br /><br />I did my searching, and it seems like many people use this vehicle (or the tahoe/yukon) for towing. I just dont want to regret having looked for the 3/4 ton diesel. I mean, who doesnt want a 300 hp 550 ft-lbs of torque to tow with, but do I really need it? <br /><br />The vehicle will be my daily driver (about 50-60 miles a day). I want to be able to pack my wife and dogs in and head out to go camping, or take a vacation to the beach. I want to be able to go get mulch or gravel or ... whenever I feel like it. I want to be able to tow my boat up to a couple hundred miles away with no problems?<br /><br />I think it should work nicely, but you guys have been doing this much longer than I have, so I appreciate your input. Thanks