Ease of towing larger boat

[ryno1234]

This is a bit of an open ended question, but hoping to find some loose guidance and direction.

My wife and I own a 19ft ~4000 lbs boat. I tow it with my 2007 Lincoln Navigator without issue and I'm comfortable with it.

We're looking at selling our boat and we have our eyes on something larger. We're thinking in the 25-28 ft range. One we almost bought came in around 8000lbs with the trailer - twice what we're used to towing, plus much longer as well.

From what I gather, to start, I'd need a better truck to tow something like this because it is beyond my trucks towing capability.

Aside from a bigger truck, how reasonable is it to tow a boat like this to and from a lake or the river on a somewhat regular basis? We live 30 minutes away from both. I want to make sure I'm not getting myself in a situation where the boat is so large that it is unreasonable to not have it in a slip on the water.

During the summer, we find ourselves boating 2 - 3 times a month which would mean 2 - 3 times of towing it back and forth. Again, I have no issue with doing this with our 19ft boat.

Thoughts?

 

[Earl Cordova]

With a 3/4 ton truck you could tow weekly with no issues.
That is what we do and that is through mountains and temps over 110 degrees.

 

[alldodge]

Getting a truck with enough capacity is easy enough, the only issue which could be of concern is width. If your over 8'6" and your state is strict then there is a problem. A few are most are not.

I tow a 11K boat with 9'6" beam and have no issue in KY or TN

 

[dwco5051]

What are the ramps like where you launch? Look around next time you are there and see if others are putting in boats of that size without difficulty. Agree that a 3/4 ton pickup would fill your needs preferably 4wd. That slip rental may seem pretty reasonable once you find out the price and availability of new 3/4T's.

 

[dingbat]

It can be done but to what end.... Its a lot of work getting a 25-28' boat on and off a trailer on a regular basis.

Add up the cost of a new truck, maintenance on both the truck and trailer and time and effort spent muscling a boat, the economics of a slip start to look like a viable option.

On top of that you'll use the boat more. There is nothing like the ease and convince of walking to the boat, turning the key and driving off

 

[hugh g]

A slip is the way to go with a boat that size, imho. End of season have the marina pull the boat out & store it until spring.

I use to rent a slip for my 19ftr & gave it up which I regretted because towing it 25 miles one way to the lake & back got to be a real chore & also meant more maintenance on the trailer & replacing tires more often.

Nothing like at the end of day pulling up to a slip, tie off, unload gear, cover the boat & you're done.

 

[alldodge]

Nothing like at the end of day pulling up to a slip, tie off, unload gear, cover the boat & you're done.

Agree with caveat
With boat in the water you need to paint the boat. Every few years need to repaint. OR get a boat lift

And many slips have electric meters and the owner of the dock can change more then what they are being charged.

I got tired of repainting the boat, so I now have a lift

 

[hugh g]

Agree with caveat
With boat in the water you need to paint the boat. Every few years need to repaint. OR get a boat lift

And many slips have electric meters and the owner of the dock can change more then what they are being charged.

I got tired of repainting the boat, so I now have a lift

I never painted mine. End of season I would clean the bottom with Slimy Grimy. Only used in freshwater.

 

[dingbat]

OR get a boat lift

 

[alldodge]

That's rolling the dice. What will make it thru the Gel, its just a matter of when. Some boat manufacturers apply Gel better then others, and how well they do then will depend how long it will take.

 

[mike_i]

besides getting a truck capable of towing a larger boat make sure it can stop the boat when that a hole cuts in front of you for no reason.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I currently tow my boat only about 15 miles at most. however have no problem towing it 250 miles if we want to head to the keys.

using a 1/2 ton GMC (9600# towing cap)

buddy used to tow his 28' carver all over the place with a similar truck without issues.

some ramps you need 4 wheel drive as the rear wheels may just spin if there is algae on the ramp.

as AD pointed out the width may be an issue.

 

[ahicks]

I was going to say the ramps that I planned on using would play a big part, as would the roads leading to them. Width would also be a concern.

 

[ryno1234]

Thanks all for the feedback! This definitely gave me some things to think about that I hadn't before. While I still think that I want to tow it back and forth from my indoor storage location vs put it in a slip, I have more to chew on now.

 

[poconojoe]

Agree with what has been said.

Have you seen the insane prices of trucks these days? New or used.
The used ones are going for the price of new ones and the new ones are $60k-$70k on average last I looked. And that's the 1500's. The 2500's and 3500's are the price of a small home where I live.

You'd be out 10's of thousands buying a new truck. That alone would pay for a slip for several years. And that's after you paid big bucks for your bigger boat. If money is no matter, go for it.

No brainer for me. I'd do a slip, especially since it's in fresh water.
Don't get me wrong, fresh water will still cover your hull with all kinds of crap, but nowhere near as abundant and caustic as salt water.

A slip has it's advantages and disadvantages like anything else.
To name a few:
It's great to drive to the dock, uncover the boat and pull away. No worries about a crowded ramp with inexperienced or down right rude launchers.
A good bilge pump and batteries are needed, just in case.
A really good cover to keep every drop of rain out.
Availability of fuel. You may have to hassle with carrying fuel to the boat if there's no marinas with (expensive) fuel facilities.

In some States, you need a special road permit if your trailer is over a certain width.

 

[The John]

In my state (OR) boats in that range need oversize permits due to their width (as others have said). Not a big deal but there are restrictions on when you can legally tow your boat.

 

[25thmustang]

We had a 25' Regal last season that we towed to and from the ramp 2 times a week all summer. Wife watched the kids while I loaded and unloaded. Moved to a 26' Cruiser Inc this season which is trailered as well. I don't mind the loading and unloading, but may entertain a slip if I keep the boat.

 

[Searay205]

Its gets old pretty quick. First a F250 will ride like a **** brick house vs your Navigator. Only use truck for pulling boat no problem, if you are switching out you may very well be miserable driving a HD truck every day with limited turning radius and ASS beating ride. Towing sucks, idiots at ramps, idiots on road, you get in one wreck and you paid a couple years of slip fees. Hopefully you don't drink while boating, throw a DWI in with your towing.

I used to tow 20 times a year about 10 miles each way. Boat launch is always packed anymore, idiots everywhere. Its worth the $300 a month for a marina that loads boat in with fork truck when I call ahead. I store May, June, July, August and then pull back to regular storage for rest of year $90/month. Had a fling idiot run into boat at ramp and now I am suing CarFuck for diminished value on my truck since the idiots indicate truck was wreck when it was never touched. Even better sheriff can't find any damage to my boat, outdrive or truck. So who knows wtf happened. Again towing and trailer a PIA and you will get ticketed, hit, dwi eventually.....

 

[KD4UPL]

I tow a 23' boat to and from the lake every time I got. The closes lake is 50 miles each way. The lake we mostly go to is 100 miles each way. Sometimes we go to a lake that is about 150 miles each way. So yes, I see a lot of road time with the boat in tow. I use a 2500 Suburban and it handles it just fine. I like knowing my boat is home safely on my property when I'm not using it. Further, if I kept it in a slip I would always have to boat on that lake. I've boated in NY, PA, MD, WV, VA, and TN so far.
I could see towing something like a 25' boat around but I don't think I'd want to go much bigger. My 23' with swim platform and trailer tongue is nearly 30' long as it is. The next boat might be a 26' so I can be yacht certified. That's my limit I think.

 

[BillWilliams]

We tow our 26 foot Formula with a 2017 F-150. Before that, I was pulling a Sea Ray 268 Sundancer with the same truck. The only thing I had to add were air springs since those boats squat the truck pretty good.

We've always towed our boats mainly because we have a nice big pole barn to keep them in.

I have never had an issue towing the boats and my wife and I work as a team where I back the trailer in and she will take the boat off and drive it on so things are quick and efficient.

Now as poconojoe pointed out, truck prices are nuts.