New to boating with towing questions...

[boatingbetty75]

Hi all! My family and I have decided we are yearning to join the boating population. This was brought on by a recent trip to PA where we vacationed on my dad's 38 foot Hunter for 5 days and loved every minute of it. After coming home to Texas we made a beeline for Bass Pro Shop and found the Sun Tracker 18' Bass Buggy. We currently have two vehicles, my 2011 Kia Soul+ and my husband's paid for 03' Hyundai Elantra. After researching on the internet I found that my Kia is rated for 2000lbs. The Bass Buggy with trailer was quoted at 2200 So then while looking at vendors for the upcoming boat show I found this:

http://www.g3boats.com/Sun_Catcher_LV_168_FC_Electric

The package weight says 1730lbs. My concern is not getting the boat to the water but getting it out. My dad would disown me if I was "that girl" who couldn't get her boat out of the water. My husband has taken this as an opportunity to push getting rid of his Hyundai and buying a late model pickup. Every time he wants to do a home improvement project he has to find a buddy with a truck to haul stuff and it's starting to get on his nerves. Should we just trade the Hyundai and buy a pick up (he works primarily from home with once a week trips into Dallas about 30 minutes down the road) and get a bigger pontoon or try hauling a smaller one with the Kia?

Thanks for any advice...really glad I found this forum!

 

[Jetwash]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

The Kia is a grocery getter and thats it. Most vehicle towing specs are over rated. You won't maintain the speed limit going over any long grades or mountain passes. More important is the braking capacity of the towing vehicle.
You would tow a trailer that weighs as much as the car. Underated vehicles will overheat and also blow transmissions. When the brakes fade badly, you will either hit another vehicle or run off the road. People forget about fuel and gear that also adds to the gross vehicle capacity. If you buy a used truck, spend the money and have the brake system flush. Unless the old man is a certified technician he will cost himself more money. Brake fluid is water soluable. No matter what state you live, break fluild has a shelf life. When it picked up 2% water the fluid will boil quickly and boiling creates air pockets and air pockets will cause you to crash.

Get at least a F150 with a towing package and the towing capacity should be at least 6000 and a little ranger is not a true 5000 tow machine. I had one. Im told some new six cylinder motors are putting out some bigger power, as long as you dont push the upper limit of the truck you should be ok. You dont need a stick shift, get the auto. A small v-8 will not have to work as hard.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Get at least a F150 with a towing package and the towing capacity should be at least 6000 and a little ranger is not a true 5000 tow machine. I had one. Im told some new six cylinder motors are putting out some bigger power, as long as you dont push the upper limit of the truck you should be ok. You dont need a stick shift, get the auto. A small v-8 will not have to work as hard.

You don't NEED an f150 to tow 1730 pounds!!! I'm surprised people aren't on here already recommending at least a 3/4 ton diesel... From the specs, package weight is 1730, which makes me believe that is the weight going down the road, trailer and all. And as far as V6 vs V8, that isn't always true anymore. Here are a couple specs for an F150... Figure out which is the v8 (hint, it isn't A)

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/engine/

engine A) 365 hp @ 5000 rpm & 420 ft/lb at 2500 rpm
engine B) 360 hp @ 5500 rpm & 380 ft/lb at 4250 rpm

The V6 manages not only more horsepower at lower RPM, but also substantially more torque almost 2000 rpm lower! As far as rated towing capacity, the v6 is substantially ahead of even the largest v8 in the f150...


anyway, rant over!

All that said, that soul won't make a good tow vehicle. Even if you are only towing shorting distances, it is FWD and relatively light. It will probably sit on the ramp and spin when trying to pull it out. If you are wanting to stay with Hyundai/kia, take a look at the borrego's if you can find one, otherwise a light duty truck.

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Welcome to iboats Betty! I will second the opinion/suggestion that you get the F150 (or its equivalent). There really is no substitute for the weight and length of a tow vehicle when it comes to safety/driveability. You stated that your hubby would like a "home improvement" vehicle; so I think you already have your answer. With a pickup, you will have a multi purpose machine that is far better suited to pulling your boat now, and even a much larger one in the future. If you really like boating, you WILL buy a bigger one eventually! Good luck!

 

[boatingbetty75]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Thank you for your responses! A better tow vehicle is definitely the way to go! Before I had even finished writing my first post he had already looked up three trucks he liked on Autotrader I get my boat, he gets a truck...
Hey maybe we can get that 18' Bass Buggy after all...

 

[Jetwash]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

The Bass Buggy with trailer was quoted at 2200

Plus gear, kids, fuel, fresh water. Add another grand in weight. I recall mentioning the v-6 option. Just make sure the transmission is the same for both motor options.

 

[superbenk]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

I'm not sure a 1/2 ton is really necessary for this person. A Frontier or Tacoma is rated at towing 6500 lbs and is going to do better on gas than a F150. They are really nice trucks. I towed around 3000 lbs with my 03 Frontier which was rated for 5000 lbs for awhile and it did fine. Yes, my Titan tows much nicer, but the Frontier did fine. For a 3000 lbs load or less, I think a modern compact truck would do fine.

As others have already said, you need to add fuel & gear to the advertised package weight PLUS take into account passengers & gear IN THE TRUCK. It all adds up & it'll be more than what the dealer/manufacturer is advertising as the DRY WEIGHT of the boat package.

 

[americaneagler77]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

You don't NEED an f150 to tow 1730 pounds!!! I'm surprised people aren't on here already recommending at least a 3/4 ton diesel... From the specs, package weight is 1730, which makes me believe that is the weight going down the road, trailer and all. And as far as V6 vs V8, that isn't always true anymore. Here are a couple specs for an F150... Figure out which is the v8 (hint, it isn't A)

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/engine/



engine A) 365 hp @ 5000 rpm & 420 ft/lb at 2500 rpm
engine B) 360 hp @ 5500 rpm & 380 ft/lb at 4250 rpm

The V6 manages not only more horsepower at lower RPM, but also substantially more torque almost 2000 rpm lower! As far as rated towing capacity, the v6 is substantially ahead of even the largest v8 in the f150...


anyway, rant over!

All that said, that soul won't make a good tow vehicle. Even if you are only towing shorting distances, it is FWD and relatively light. It will probably sit on the ramp and spin when trying to pull it out. If you are wanting to stay with Hyundai/kia, take a look at the borrego's if you can find one, otherwise a light duty truck.

you forgot to mention the v6 isnt naturally apirated. that should be the turbo ecoboost v6

 

[haley]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Can't go wrong with a full sized pick up.

I tow 1750lbs with a vehicle rated for 3500lbs. It tows comfortably enough but I would not go much heavier.

One other point - towing is two things: pulling and stopping. Trailer brakes can assist with the stopping.

But again, a full sized pu looks like it fits the bill here.

Jh

 

[superbenk]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Can't go wrong with a full sized pick up.

But again, a full sized pu looks like it fits the bill here.

Jh

Why? What about ~2500 lbs or less requires a full size pickup? I'm with smokingcrater on this one.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Why? What about ~2500 lbs or less requires a full size pickup? I'm with smokingcrater on this one.

Because this is iboats for chrissakes. You need a dually to tow a rowboat around here.

 

[Lindeman23]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

I wouldn't suggest using your Kia to tow the boat. As mentioned above the Kia isn't designed to towing and you could easily be put in a situation where the Kia cannot handle the load and not be able to maintain control. I tow with a Toyota Tacoma V6 and find it more than capable. If your dont need to haul/tow regularly then you dont need a V8 Full Size. My truck has a towing capacity of 6500lbs and my boat/trailer are right at about 5k. So with gear/fuel I'm probably close to 6500lbs. I find that my truck is more than capable of towing this load even with a V6. Only make 2-3 long tows a year with the truck as most of them are only about 3-5 miles down to the river. You dont need a full size truck and will be thanking yourself for getting a smaller truck when you have to put gas in it. You could even buy an 90's model truck/suv that is only used to tow/haul and keep your husbands car. Good Luck!

 

[lncoop]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Because this is iboats for chrissakes. You need a dually to tow a rowboat around here.

A dually??????!!!!!! ez, I expected better from you. Clearly Betty's hubby needs to search CL and ebay for a deuce and a half.

 

[superbenk]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Because this is iboats for chrissakes. You need a dually to tow a rowboat around here.

Heh. I guess I was just looking for the thought process when someone goes from a Kia which is just slightly underrated to requiring a full-size 1/2 ton

 

[lncoop]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

You guys do know betty's from Texas, right? I'm not even sure small and mid-sized trucks are legal in Texas, and even if they are, she'll open her husband up to incessant ridicule if she lets him buy anything smaller than a half ton. Joking aside, a half ton is of course by no means necessary, but since hubby doesn't commute gas isn't really an issue, and the greater payload would definitely come in handy for his projects.

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

my 95 f 150 with a 5.0l has a towing max gvwr at 6250 my boat/trailer weighs 6,300 with a full tank. it hulls it with no problem, you can get a later year model that still looks good for decent money and it will pul any pontoon or bass boat you want it to. i only have 2 wheel drive and its not a problem. i would "HIGHLY RECOMMEND" staying away from any small trucks dakota, s10, ranger, tacoma, ect.... i've used one for work a few years ago and it never really have the power to pull a trailer at higher speeds.

 

[Mike Zee]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Full size, ext cab, 2 wd with positive traction (or 4x4), V6 or Very small V8. I bet a small suv like an explorer, S10 blazer, something with a bigger V6 would work for your application. May be able to get into one for a fair price nowadays. I pull 6000 lbs with a F150 with the 4.6 V8. Truck has 3.55 gears, and is not the fastest, but when not pulling the boat around it will get 20 mpg all day. Best set up truck ever.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

You don't NEED an f150 to tow 1730 pounds!!! I'm surprised people aren't on here already recommending at least a 3/4 ton diesel... From the specs, package weight is 1730, which makes me believe that is the weight going down the road, trailer and all. And as far as V6 vs V8, that isn't always true anymore. Here are a couple specs for an F150... Figure out which is the v8 (hint, it isn't A)

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/engine/

engine A) 365 hp @ 5000 rpm & 420 ft/lb at 2500 rpm
engine B) 360 hp @ 5500 rpm & 380 ft/lb at 4250 rpm

The V6 manages not only more horsepower at lower RPM, but also substantially more torque almost 2000 rpm lower! As far as rated towing capacity, the v6 is substantially ahead of even the largest v8 in the f150...

Ahem, that isn't the largest V8 available. You were quoting the 5.0L V8. The 6.2L eeks out the V6 EcoBoost you were referring too. Just picking nits. They have the same tow ratings for the most part because tow ratings are primarily an issue of gearing, weight, and suspension which is about the same for each configuration.

 

[blifsey]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

Truck below *might* handle an 18' Bass Buggy

Best advise I saw in above replies is to buy a tow vehicle with boat upgrades in mind! After 2 or 3 years with an 18' Bass Buggy, you might want to move to a 24' pontoon or something

 

[americaneagler77]

Re: New to boating with towing questions...

in my opinion mid sized trucks are a waste, weve all had them, keyword had, the gas mileage isnt that much better and the prices arent that much different if you shop around....my cousin had a colorado he spent double than i did for my ram. his gas mileage was the same or worse, 5 foot box was usless. after a year he dumped it for a 1/2 ton.