Loading and unloading at a boat ramp with a small car

[bigdee]

In Europe though they don't seem to think twice about towing a large "caravan" with an average subcompact cross country...

..

Most European countries do not have civil legal system based upon torts. That is, you cannot simply sue people, manufactures etc., for every perceived wrong. Most of the safety rules developed by manufactures are not developed by engineers, but rather by lawyers in the US. In other words, they look at perceived danger, not actual danger.
In Germany the tow ratings for vehicles are typically almost DOUBLE of what they are in the U.S. I have seen far more trailer accidents and misuse over here. Drivers over there have to be highly trained before getting a license.

 

[kjsAZ]

Only for European vehicles and not really double but higher.... That's mainly because in the US they have to hold the crazy tongue weight due to the different design targets. Only very few US cars (if they are even able to be sold in Europe, lousy gas mileage) have the same tow rating as in the US. My Equinox is one of the few, same tow rating but a completely different tongue weight spec. 350lbs in the US and 165lbs in Europe. And with 350lbs it handles like crap....
Oh, and all trailers above 450kg gross weight spec are required to have brakes. All vehicles and trailers need a real type approval and are not self certified like here. Ton's of stability calculations and tests to be shown. Only Ford and Opel (GM) failed it for the past 40 years (one time each)...... High tongue weight is one of the main causes of vehicles losing control and have problems in emergency brake situations and cause trailer to "pump" on uneven surfaces but unfortunately all the trailers here are designed for high tongue loads...
Plus all cars and trailers have to have a really tough and complete technical inspection every two years. Even the tests in MA are a joke compared to these..... You don't see real junk cars on the road. With trailer max speed is 80kph and with selected and even tighter checked models it's 100kph. Get caught speeding in one of the very many speed traps and it gets expensive. And that's only more then 5kph over limit....

I have a German license and know what you talk about...... Today it's over $2800 for all the mandatory training classes (including a First Aid Class) you need to pass.

 

[lrak]

IMO you will likely never be happy if you choose a boat you settle for due to your tow vehicle limitations

OTOH, my family has always chosen our boat based on our tow vehicle limitations and couldn't be happier with the choices we made. Still regularly using the first one chosen for that reason after 22 years - a 13' Whaler chosen for its ability to go long distances behind 4-cyl compact sedans.

 

[ronboonville]

I'm with bigdee, I use an old grand Cherokee with the 4.0 six. works great with a 24' pontoon. No insurance, no license, no fear! Only 4 miles to ramp.

 

[oldjeep]

I'm with bigdee, I use an old grand Cherokee with the 4.0 six. works great with a 24' pontoon. No insurance, no license, no fear! Only 4 miles to ramp.

I wouldn't want to drive that setup on the highway due to the squishy GC rear suspension, but the 4.0L certainly has enough torque to do the job.

 

[ronboonville]

I wouldn't want to drive that setup on the highway due to the squishy GC rear suspension, but the 4.0L certainly has enough torque to do the job.

You are right about that! I would be afraid to drive on a hiway.

 

[nola mike]

I have towed my ~1800# dry weight boat (+trailer) for 6 years in a similar setup to yours, 1/4 mile to the ramp. I've used a Porsche boxster, BMW 330i, Mazda6 wagon, and Ford Ranger 4.0L. The ranger has by far the least HP. I never put it in 4wd. The mazda is hardest due to traction, rwd is definitely easier. None have issues with power. Also, none of the cars are rated to tow anything.

 

[midcarolina]

I would love to see a pic of your 1800lb boat being towed by your boxster.......... that would be a hoot.:whoo:

 

[jkust]

The reality is that it takes very little HP or TQ to tow and retrieve even a much heavier boat than what the op is suggesting. Even in the steepest ramp around, a low tq vehicle pulls it out with relative ease and very little pedal. I've lived towing 4000 plus lbs with a 180hp, fwd vehicle pulling all over and in the worst ramp conditions around for a season before buying true tow vehicles. It wasn't always pretty at the slimy ramps until I put better tires on it and it wouldn't have faired good in emergency avoidance maneuvers but it would 'tow' and had a tow package of 3000lbs. Even my 77hp 4 wheeler is rated to 'tow' 1500lbs and it weighs only 795lb dry.

 

[bigdee]

The reality is that it takes very little HP or TQ to tow and retrieve even a much heavier boat than what the op is suggesting. Even in the steepest ramp around, a low tq vehicle pulls it out with relative ease and very little pedal. I've lived towing 4000 plus lbs with a 180hp, fwd vehicle pulling all over and in the worst ramp conditions around for a season before buying true tow vehicles.

Very true and the law of physics is on your side, e.i. rolling load,incline and flotation. Young people are unaware of the days when we pulled boats with cars and pickups that had less than 100hp and 3 speed manual transmissions.

 

[jestor68]

You should be able to launch and retrieve that boat with your garden tracker on a shallow ramp 1/4 mile from your house.

 

[jayhanig]

Sorry. It wouldn't accept the link so it made the text superfluous. This new forum software isn't all it could be. Teething problems....

 

[jayhanig]

I vote for buying an old truck. It doesn't have to be pretty. Look on craigslist. I just found a 1995 truck that didn't look dated, the owner claims it's solid mechanically, and I know it would meet your needs for only $1800. You ought to be able to find these bargains any day of the week if you'd just consider them.

 

[oldjeep]

I vote for buying an old truck. It doesn't have to be pretty. Look on craigslist. I just found a 1995 truck that didn't look dated, the owner claims it's solid mechanically, and I know it would meet your needs for only $1800. You ought to be able to find these bargains any day of the week if you'd just consider them.

That $1800 for the truck is only a down payment