Honda Civic for Towing?

[NewBoaterGuy]

VERY new to boating and towing. I recently bought a 16' Duo Aluminum Fishing Boat with a Johnson 50 HP motor, along with the associated trailer.

Now, the problem. My only vehicle is a 2003 Honda Civic. So far, I've heard a 50/50 split on whether or not I should install a tow hitch and tow the boat myself (lest I be at the mercy of a tow-hitch-having friend). My car's owner's manual explicitly says it should NOT have a tow hitch installed, yet, I see they are available, and have seen them on the road.

I'm not so worried about the excessive wear and tear on the transmission or engine, as I live less than a mile from the boat launch, and would not exceed 25 mph. I've been told my main problem would be retrieving the boat from the launch ramp....that perhaps my car (1.7 liter, 115 hp) wouldn't be able to pull the trailer, boat, and motor up the 10 degree incline (just measured tonight) of the ramp.

Other's I have talked to have said that I shouldn't have a problem, that the boat is light enough, that they've used minivans to do the same thing, and that the ramp is quite shallow and shouldn't present a problem.

My question, therefore is, should I go ahead and have a hitch installed, and attempt to launch/retrieve the boat myself?

Any suggestions or insights would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

Welcome to iboats.

Your car has a few strike against it for towing.

You really do not have a frame to bolt the hitch to......so it needs to be a professional job.

Your capacity is down around 1100 lbs which you must include the boat, motor, trailer and gear....... all that stuff adds up quickly.

It also depends on the transmission......

I really hate to be raining on your parade but....... towing a boat is really not in the design of your car. What does your owner's manual say? Along with the car having a low capacity there is also the question of insurance...... if something should go wrong.....you might be automatically liable.

So, add up the following weights. Boat, Trailer, Motor, fuel, gear and toys....... if you come in under you capacity you will be okay (exercise the proper cautions)....... if it is boarderline or over I would be looking around for towing help (ie another vehicle)

 

[JB]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

Your manual says do not tow with it. Don't.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

I'm with Bob on this one. The Civic's are not designed or recommended for towing and that's all there is to it. You can find someone that will put a hitch on a ten speed bicycle if you want them to but it does not make it a tow vehicle. Manufacturers rate their vehicles for a reason.
My 2 cents.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

I'm with Bob on this one. The Civic's are not designed or recommended for towing and that's all there is to it. You can find someone that will put a hitch on a ten speed bicycle if you want them to but it does not make it a tow vehicle. Manufacturers rate their vehicles for a reason.
My 2 cents.

Of course. If the car's manufacturer states that it's not to be used for towing, why is there any question?

If you want to tow a boat, get a vehicle that's capable of towing that boat. They are out there.

 

[Chris-R]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

I'm with Bob on this. Don't do it. Even though the boat ramp isn't very far away, you may find your car in the water. If I remember right, your Civic is a front wheel drive vehicle. Too much weight on the back of you car (i.e. the boat and trailer) will reduce traction to the front wheels when trying to pull the boat out of the water. You may find yourself spinning out or worse. Click this link to see what happened to a Ford Mustang.

http://www.wmur.com/news/24728797/detail.html

 

[NewBoaterGuy]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

Hello again.

Thanks to all who've posted. I didn't expect so many responses so quickly. It seems pretty unanimous here.

I was recommended to this site by the co-worker I bought the boat from, and I have to say, he understated the usefulness and friendliness of the boards.

Thanks again!

 

[poohbear2170]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

I agree with Chris-R ! sorry

 

[Kaplooi]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

Do you know the overall total weight of your boat? From what I'm reading a Civic's tow rating is 1000lbs which includes the load inside the vehicle (i.e. you the driver subtracts whatever you weigh from that) so figure around 800lbs of towable capacity. Given that I wouldn't pull anything bigger than a 14ft aluminum row boat with a small outboard with that setup (~500lbs loaded). I had a Geo tracker with a 1.6 that made 20hp less than your car but was rated for 1500lbs. I'm guessing that's because despite its size it had a fully boxed frame as well as a 4WD drivetrain setup like bigger trucks.

The bottom line is that owning a trailerable boat requires a capable tow vehicle. You might be able to scrape by in your situation going to your local ramp but you'll probably find yourself wanting to take it somewhere else at some point in which case you're back to needing a different vehicle any ways.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

For a short distance tow, look for a small well used vehicle that can handle light towing. Like a small pickup- the ones that just need a ball bolted right to the bumper of the truck. Or for a car, a big old Crown Vic, Buick Roadmaster Wagon, etc...
Those vehicles can easily handle light towing and should be relativley cheap and easy to find. Doesn't need to be mint, just a good frame and runs.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

A civic COULD make a perfect boat hauler but the conversion process is a bit involved.... do you have a garage door with an opener?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQWZUPH5JMI


I'd suggest picking up an old s-10 for a few hundred bucks and using it for boat duties

 

[SNye45]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

Don't do it !!!!! The Handbook says so

When I bought my first boat (16ft Aluminum with 25hp 4 stroke) all I had was a Civic, and I didn't even consider towing the boat with it. I went shopping for a used truck, and found an old 2.9 Ranger. Perfect for towing the boat.

Just to add. After a couple of years, I found that I wasn't using the truck enough, as I only used it just for the odd errand, and towing the boat. Once you get used to the great gas mileage of a Civic it's hard to give it up.

Anyway, the trucks battery kept discharging (not being driven enough) and things started going wrong with it. So eventually I bit the bullet and traded both my trusty Civic, and truck in for a new Toyota Tacoma. Although I miss the Civic's gas mieage, I now have a reliable daily driver and do it all vehicle.

 

[Hoser59]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

I towed my 14' aluminum and 15HP motor with a 2007 Acura CSX (basically a Civic with a 2L motor rather then a 1.6L).

The manual said it was rated for 1000lbs and my set up came in around 600 fully loaded. I called Acura before installing it and they said there was the possibility that warranty work could be refused if they thought damage was caused by towing. I went ahead and the car seemed to handle it just fine. That being said I used it less then a month before a I decided to upgrade to something better. I would certainly weigh all your options before you proceed.

 

['96 Charger]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

For the boat in question I'd do at least an s-10 with the 4.3 v6. I have a buddy who is using his father-in-laws s-10 with 2.2 and stick shift (owner told him to use it while he was in Germany) as a daily driver/tow vehicle for his 17' Cajun with 150hp Merc and it won't hardly cut it a lot of times. Ironically the rest of us drive Rams and when possible it gets hooked up to the bigger truck. Makes for a much easier tow at high speeds and longer distances.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

I was passed on the highway by a Toyota Prius towing about a 15 ft aluminum boat....Talk about insane! I could not believe they actually made a receiver type hitch for that car.
A Civic i would not consider either.It may pull it ok but retrieving the boat out of the water could be a big problem.

 

['96 Charger]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

On the retrieving issue right now the lake I frequent is several feet low because they're drawing it down to work on the dam. You have a have a MINIMUM of a positrac rearend to pull most boats out of there because the ramp just drops off at the end. My posi rear on stock Badyear street tires strains and kicks a little. I'd hate to see a car or a traditional slip diff try to pull my rig out.

 

[kellmike626]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

A honda civic for towing is looking for trouble. A small utility trailer carrying some lawn equipment and tools would be about the most you can ask for towing. Technically, manufacturers don't recommend towing with the honda civic, but in reality, their max towing capacity is about 1000 pounds tops, if not less. You'd have to go aftermarket for a hitch, because the dealer won't even consider installing one. There's a purpose behind every vehicle, and a civic is meant to commute, that's it.
For towing on a very flat road all the way to the ramp, you should be okay, MAYBE. BUT, going uphill and downhill will be sure to leave you in trouble. No different at the ramp. The boat might drag you down, and good luck getting it out of the water too.

 

[dave11]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

I have a similar size Alumaweld boat 15ft 7in. with a 60hp Yahama motor. I have weighed it on a platform scale at a truck stop. 2460# total weight with the gas tank full and misc equipment. The tongue weight alone was 320#. Your boat, motor, trailer, and equipment may weigh nearly as much as the car. No way in the world would I tow my boat with a little car.

 

[starcraftkid]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

Years ago I had a 16' grumman aluminum bass boat, it weighed in at about 1100lbs total on the trailer with a 35hp motor and it's tubular steel bunk trailer. I towed it with a small pickup for years, then the old lady wrecked my truck and I was without a tow vehicle for several months. I had just picked up a used, high miles VW Rabbit, that happened to have a hitch on it. I had to take the boat in for some warranty work at the time so I used the VW, it did just fine, on the way back from the dealer a few days later I decided to give it a shot on the ramp. I was able to back up and down the ramp with no issues so I launched the boat and did some fishing. I used that car and boat for 7 more years. The car was a beater that I didn't care much about, so I could leave it without worry at the boat ramp with no concerns. That alone was worth the $100 I spent for the car back then.

Since I often launched in saltwater, I was reluctant to take my then new truck, so the car kept up doing boat launch duty till it just got too rusty to drive. It towed the boat fine, stopped fine, and did just fine on the ramp, even when it was wet. It did better on the ramp than my new 2 wheel drive truck did since it's drive wheels were further from the wet part of the ramp.

I only towed about 15 miles each way to the ramp, and mostly all on 2 lane roads which kept speeds under 50mph, so I never had any issues with the car. I drove that car for 240K, it spent it's last 155k towing the boat and being a general spare car and beater.
When I first got it, a guy at the auto parts store told me that those cars and those automatic transmissions weren't built for towing and that I'd ruin the car. It did just fine and did so for years.

A little common sense and your Honda should do the job for such a light boat. If you have doubts, back down the ramp with no trailer and see how it feels. Chances are it'll be fine. We're not talking about launching a cabin cruiser here, it's an aluminum boat.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Honda Civic for Towing?

No matter how many people post a common sense post, someone always seems to come along and post that they did something different and nothing bad happened to them.

The manufacturer of the vehicle in question specifically states that the vehicle is not to be used for towing. I don't understand why the OP would even ask a bunch of boaters if the people who designed and built the vehicle specifically stated not to use it for towing. If you saw a sign that said "Wet Paint" would you have to touch it to see?