Tow Vehicle

[slider99]

I was wondering what everyone uses to tow their boat with. Last year we had a 17' aluminum boat that we towed with a forester with no problems. It's about 15 miles to the lake we go to and it's mostly a level drive. Over the winter we sold that boat and got a new 19 F&S with a 150 Yamaha. It could have been the last new one available, we were very lucky to get it. The forester is rated to tow about 2,500 lbs, and I figure the boat / trailer is around 2,800. The trailer has the disk slide brakes. I towed it yesterday - it was the second time we've used the boat and I have to say it's quite a ride, can't wait for the engine to get broken in. The car handled 60 mph pretty good. I didn't use it to pull it out of the water, we also have a F150 4wd, full tow package, that I pulled it out with. We camp at the lake and have a 25' camper and use the truck to pull it. All I want to do is get the boat to the camp sites ramp. I can use the truck to put it in and take it out.
The hitch on the forester is a bit low, but we are going to put some spring spacer's to hold it up a bit, as well as a transmission cooler.
So I was wondering if anyone uses something besides a truck.
Thanks

 

[Swamp_Bear]

nope; bought a truck specifically for towing and launching. need 4x4 for salt water ramps round these parts.

 

[OspreyVic]

Slider99, I personally would not use the Forester to tow your boat. Using your figures, you are at least 300 pounds over capacity. Anything or anyone in the Forester while towing, or supplies in your boat such as fishing gear or life jackets, makes your Forester even more over capacity.

Towing is also about stopping. Trailer brakes are not the most reliable, and you are asking your Forester to be able to stop more weight than it was designed for. Any accident that happens while towing with your Forester will probably be your fault in the eyes of the court. One of our members on this site that is also a law enforcement officer has recommended in the past to not get closer than 80% of a vehicles tow rating for safety concerns.

 

[rdc]

Hi Slider99,

I have a 2008 191FS. I towed it with a Ford Escape for the first 2 years, but at the end of last season I upgraded to a Nissian Pathfinder. I didn't have a problem launching or retriving the boat with the Escape. When towing longer distances, the trasmission would always want to downshift to a lower gear. I traded up to a larger vehicle with more towing capacity, before doing damage to the trasmission. Escape had a towing capacity of 3500 lbs, and the Pathfinder is 6000 lbs. Now when towing it is a lot eaiser on the towing vehicle. Hope this helps. Good luck with your new boat.

rdc

 

[RoryWainer]

Before buying a tow vehicle I wrote to the factory about tow weights for a 190 Bay (which is a bit lighter than a 191F&S):

You need a vehicle with a tow rating of at least 5,000 lbs. The trailer for a 190 bay is approximately 800 lbs. The factory T-Top is around 70 lbs. By the time you add fuel, gear, options you wind up pulling a pretty substantial load. I have seen fully loaded 190 bays BMT packages exceed 4,000 lbs.

You do not want to be real close to the maximum trailering capacity of your vechicle.

The tongue weight can be adjusted and is dependent on the motor, weight distribution, etc. In general tongue weight should be 10% of the total load. So on a 190 bay is should be 300 - 400 lbs. You can go on the lighter side, but I would not use less than 250 lbs. Light tongue weight can make trailers misbehave and prone to jack knife.

 

[boostjunkie1]

Sorry to say this but you are looking at a large lawsuit if you have a accident. Take the camper to the lake and have the wife and kids get it set up while you go back and get the boat with the F-150.....

 

[Harper]

I was thinking about a new Tundra, but it came down to a choice between the boat and the truck. Thought I needed the truck for the boat, but without the boat, didn't need a new truck, so......I pull the 195CC, which I figure fully fueled, weighs close to 4000# total, with my 20 yr old Jeep Comanche 4X4 P/U (4.0L straight six), that I've owned since new. It's rated to pull 5000# on a regular hitch. The truck itself weighs about 3600# with the shell on it. But to be honest, it pulls really well. I pull from the hill country of south central Texas to the gulf coast, 250 miles, drive around 65, and get 11-12 mpg. I am absolutely sure that it would not pull the boat out of the water on the slick ramp if it were a two wheel drive. My only real problem, and the reason I really wanted a bigger truck, was that I can only carry one other person with me in the other bucket seat. If more than one want to join me, they have to drive themselves. But the other guys are right....I drove an 18 wheeler for the last few years, and saw an awful lot of small SUV/trailer combos that were in the median as a result of loss of control, and the sight is pretty ugly.

 

[fridaysoff]

Slider99,
I'm with some of the others.You need to add up the weight again.You did not include the motor weight,fuel, gear, etc. in your figures. You may be surprised that it weighs 3500-4000 lbs. That is way over the 2500 lb. capacity. Towing is one thing but stopping and not losing control is the greatest safety factor that needs to be considered. Good luck. Be safe.
JD