Largest boat that can be towed with a car

[agallant80]

Re: Largest boat that can be towed with a car

How about if we all just agree to stay within the specs the manufacturer sets. Extra points awarded to trailers that have breaks. Speaking of breaks I know when I was looking at a Range Rover there were two specs on it for towing. One for a trailer with no breaks and one for a trailer with breaks. Cars may be rated like that too, don't know but it may be worth looking in to.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Largest boat that can be towed with a car

2) It is quite possible to get a 13-16' skiff under 1000lbs including a 40hp motor, a dozen gallons of gas, and trailer. Something like that should be enough for a bunch of fun on a one person tube or two skis. Something like a J series Carolina Skiff, classic 13' Whaler, Gheenoe Classic, 1686 Bay Hawk, etc.

You sure about that? My Sylvan aluminum 16' fish and ski weighs in at 820 lbs dry. A friend with a 13' Whaler said, 'hmmm, my boat weighs about as much as yours.' My rig with 75 hp 2-stroke Yamaha and trailer weighs in at about 1800 lbs with 20 gallons of fuel. I bought it because it was the biggest rig I could find that fit the specs for my Mitsubishi Outlander (2000 lbs. towing capacity).

Figure 175 lbs for a 40-hp motor.
500 lbs for the trailer
100 lbs for 12 gallons of fuel
50 lbs of stuff (anchor, etc)

A hull weight of 175 lbs makes it a 1000 lb. rig. Should be easy to find

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Largest boat that can be towed with a car

I will have a car with a 1,000lb towing capacity and I'll have to drive about 30 miles or so to get it in the water

sounds like an inflatable would be the best if you want something to tube with adults and be under that weight. Id say a 4.3m sib with a 30hp or 40 if the boat is rated for a 40.

We skied and tubed behind this one with the 30. Boat was 250 lbs., motor 180ish. Trailer will be 500 pounds. (inflatables like this need a huge trailer - I used the one for my 17.5 foot runabout and it was perfect.)

The con for us was the boarding of skiers and tubers - there are ladders, but we never had one.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Largest boat that can be towed with a car

(and yes, it is 1000 'legal' for the car)

I don't understand that- there's no chance that boat and trailer weigh less than 1500 pounds. probably 2000.

 

[lrak]

Re: Largest boat that can be towed with a car

You sure about that?

Fairly. I have a 1992 13' Sport with optional side rails, nav lights, group 24 battery, two full 6 gallon Duratanks, and a Johnson 28SPL (30 without power trim) on a Caulkins trailer (now Carnai Tuffy line) with spare tire. The only time I weighed it it came in at 900 lbs. Towed it many thousand miles with a '94 Corolla full of people as a teenager. Still use it as a beater car. Only transmission issue to date (205k miles) has been the line between the transmission and the cooler integrated into the radiator rusting out.

The hull is supposedly 360lbs. The trailer is ~235lbs. I regularly parallel park that trailer after launching by pulling the truck in, getting out, picking up the back end of the trailer, and carrying it 3-4' sideways. Motor is 118. I bet a modern 40 with power trim and tilt is twice that. It might be necessary to carry the trailer spare in the trunk to keep it under 1000lbs these days.

 

[airshot]

Re: Largest boat that can be towed with a car

To answer you original question, a 14-16 ft aluminium runabout with a 35-40 hp outboard will probably fall in at the 1000 lbs. And yes you can ski with that size boat and have a friend or two along. I had a 16' starcraft/40 hp jonny/trailer with a 12 gal fuel tank rated for4/5 people that just made the 1000 lb mark, had a lot of fun with it.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Largest boat that can be towed with a car

I am taking odds on this being a one-post-and-out drive-by...