Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

sure a BIG atv COULD do it but is not really ideal.... I launch my 10' jetboat (92 hot sports jet'n'cat) with my jeep wrangler all the time...... last summer I nearly lost it... I was in the boat and the back wheels of the jeep started sliding backwards on the mossy ramp..... I made it into the jeep just as the front wheels got into the water and yanked it into 4x4..... It chewed its way back up the ramp but I got water in the floorboards..... happened fast..... it's amazing what wave action can do when combined with a slick surface.

 

[Case450]

Re: Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

I've launched my 18' thundercraft fibreglass boat with my kawasaki 700cc twin four wheel drive atv. Would I do it again? No.
Nothing went wrong, the brakes couldnt hold the boat i had to feather the throttle to hold position.
It just felt very unstable. Better safe than sorry.

 

[mike343]

Re: Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

I agree with most of the advice, largely because bothethe boat trailer and ATV are on the same slippery ramp, which is a hill. Depending onn the ramp length, you might want to try a long tow bar with a couple of wheels so that the ATV is on flat land when you try to pull it out.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

tongue weight is gonna kill the atv.

 

[Jeepster04]

Re: Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

sure a BIG atv COULD do it but is not really ideal.... I launch my 10' jetboat (92 hot sports jet'n'cat) with my jeep wrangler all the time...... last summer I nearly lost it... I was in the boat and the back wheels of the jeep started sliding backwards on the mossy ramp..... I made it into the jeep just as the front wheels got into the water and yanked it into 4x4..... It chewed its way back up the ramp but I got water in the floorboards..... happened fast..... it's amazing what wave action can do when combined with a slick surface.

That sounds like some scary stuff. If the front wheels were almost in the lake then the whole back half of the jeep must of been under water. Personally paying upwards of 10k for a ATV seems like a insane idea to me in general. I can get an old tj wrangler for about that price and do a lot more with it. I wouldnt hesitate to back a boat like that down a ramp with it. Just keep it 4low.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

yup 4 low is your friend.... Mine is a yj and they have a vacuum operated front axle disconnect unlike the tj which has a solid axle.... my parking brake was out of adjustment so I killed the ign and put it in gear.... front disenguaged with eng off.... either way if a 10' jetbboat can drag a 4500 lb jeep into the drink then an 18' boat could certainly do a number on an atv

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

Do you think a 200cc 4 wheeler with a 4 speed tranny can safely launch a 400lb 750cc jet ski?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

read above..... about jeep and 500 lb jetboat..... it all depends on conditions

 

[northernmerc]

Re: Will a 4x4 ATV pull an 18" boat out of the water?

Hey, if you do try launching an 18 ' boat with an ATV, be sure to have a video camera running and post the results.