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I test drove a new SUV yesterday with a 3500lb towing capacity (V6, 4WD). It was a good ride - the question is, will it have enough towing capacity to meet my boating requirements in the future?

Someday, and it won't be any time soon after a new vehicle purchase, but someday I'd like to own a decent boat. Say for example, and I'm showing my greenness here, a bass boat in the 17-19' range. Would 3500lb be enough when you include the boat, the trailer, motor, gear and everything else? Any thoughts, or examples of boats and vehicles used to tow them would be a big help.

Thanks!

I don't think so, by the time you ad all the goodies and equipment it's very eazy to surpass the 3500Lbs. And you certainly don't want to even get close to the maximum towing capacity, it would be much safer to have a 5000Lb towing capacity and toe much less.

You may also consider an 8 cylinder if you plan on towing such a big boat.

My last 18' boat was an alluminum and I'm sure I was close to 3000Lbs.

Mossman wrote:I test drove a new SUV yesterday with a 3500lb towing capacity (V6, 4WD). It was a good ride - the question is, will it have enough towing capacity to meet my boating requirements in the future?

Someday, and it won't be any time soon after a new vehicle purchase, but someday I'd like to own a decent boat. Say for example, and I'm showing my greenness here, a bass boat in the 17-19' range. Would 3500lb be enough when you include the boat, the trailer, motor, gear and everything else? Any thoughts, or examples of boats and vehicles used to tow them would be a big help.

Thanks!

Hey,Sounds like you were test driving a ford escape or Mazda tribute.Mikey who I fish with on a regular basis tows his ranger Bassboat with a ford escape.Maybe he can comment on how well it tows.

I towed my 16 foot legend Viper with my Caravan which had a 3500 pd towing capacity but I now have a Grand Cherokee with a 5000 pd.I can really feel the difference it's like I no longer have the boat back there.

Ron

Mossman,
I tow my Ranger with a Ford Escape XLT 4WD, V6, 3500 lbs. capacity. It has no problem pulling the boat anywhere from steep inclines on ramps to hills on the highway. You can see the backend of my truck in my signature pic. And to boot, it gets pretty good milage too. Good luck in your hunting!

Thanks for the input so far. It's good to know that it has been done. I think starting off I'm probably looking at a big aluminum and trying to retro fit it RJ style - but we'll see. I haven't even settled on the SUV yet.

The vehicle I test drove was a 2006 Toyota Rav 4 - this years model has grown considerably in size and brings a V6 option with a 269 HP engine.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pw/06rav4.htm

i tow my 17' bass boat with my Lumina car.

i see a truck/astro/safari in my future, unfortunately, not my near future....

its great to have a fishing partner with a Beefed up Suburban, lol.

I tow my 16 ft aluminium with my s10 i forgot what its rated for but it has a bit of a miss and it pulls it along just fine I do take it out overdrive though. I'm rather like the chevy equinox/pontiac torrent but i might be byast because we build them ( keep me working so i can afford to go fishin hahaha)

hi mossman......


DID you took a look at the nissan xterra........4/4......2005/2006.it as 265 hp...............and a capicity off 5000pound towing capicity......


i got a 2003,and i love it,,,,,,,,i tow my boat,,,,dont exacly no the weight off my boat..... i got to muctch stuff in it....a 17 foot,,a 80merc a 6 hp,,,3/5gallons 2 batterie and tons off fishing accesories,,,,,,,,and wen i tow it,dont feel mutch behind,,,,,,

its a great vehicule and dependable to,,,,,,

and the price is right for the vehicule you get,,,,,,,,,do your homework and you will see all is result,,,,,,,,it as a truck frame to,,,,


take care and good shoping..........always fun to go looking for a new ride.......

joco

Joco - you know what, I've admired the look of Xterra's for years.. they just scream outdoors lifestyle. So Saturday I went to take a look at them in the dealership. I loved the size, the wheels, the cargo area and the towing capacity...everything was going great - until I sat down inside. The interior just wasn't for me - and I think it must be a stlying preference because I had a hard time with all of the nissan interiors.

A great looking truck though - a big part of me is jealous that you have one! Good recommendation.

I tow a 17 legend with a 50hp merc...
fully loaded 50litres fuel, 2 batteries, trolling motor, rods, etc

and have no problems with my V6 Kia Sedona....
tows well, lots of power, lots of room,

MISS THE 4x4 though...hope its working good for you Zort

Most SUVs and Trucks with a V6 have enough power to tow a 17-19 foot bass boat as you see with some of the responses.

I would make sure you buy a tow vechile with a tranny cooler or have one installed after you but it. Even with a smaller boat, the tranny is still working harder and this will extend the life of the tranny.

In terms of 4x4, you might consider not getting 4x4. Basically it is a trade off, a truck/SUV with 4x4 is a lot heavier than a 4x2. Therefore a truck with 4x4 reduces your towing capacity. You have to determine what launches are you going to be using. Are they mostly going to be like the Rockland launch (well maintain concrete slabs) or like the Craig Reeves launch (gravel rough launch)? The reason you need to know this is if you are always going to be launching at a launch like Rockland you won't need 4x4 to get the boat in and out. For the record, I have a F150 4x4 and I have only used 4x4 once to get the boat (smaller boat - 1700 lbs) out (in 6 years).

Anyways those are some things to think about.

Cheers,

Mike

A couple of things you might want to consider is how long a boat/trailer you will be towing. If you have a vehicle with a short wheel base and planning on towing a heavy long trailer, you may end up with the butt end of the car/suv wagging when breaking. I know someone with a KIA Sportage and tows a 18ft Lund and he is having this problem.
Another thing to consider is that most vehicle have the power to pull a trailer, but many of them don't have the brake power to stop them. Make sure that the braking system is good for the weight you are pulling if your trailer is not equipped with brakes.
A good rule when buying a vehicle for towing, if it does not have a tow package as an option, then it wasn't ment to be used for towing .
Hope this helps

Mossman wrote:Thanks for the input so far. It's good to know that it has been done. I think starting off I'm probably looking at a big aluminum and trying to retro fit it RJ style - but we'll see. I haven't even settled on the SUV yet.

The vehicle I test drove was a 2006 Toyota Rav 4 - this years model has grown considerably in size and brings a V6 option with a 269 HP engine.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pw/06rav4.htm

A friend of mine has an SC xterra and it pulls his boat just fine but, it's very thursty!! My toyota tacoma has 190hp and pulls that same boat just fine also and drinks a lot less!!
Did you read the specs in that link??? 269HP??? are your 5lbers really 5 lbers??
P.S. The toyota will be a bit more $$ but you get what you pay for!! and not to mention the toyota will have a much higher resale value

In 2000 I spent about a good time looking for a tow vehicle for my trailer, and something that was big enough for a family of 4. After doing the math and checking prices I purchased an Astro AWD.
Basically this van is a truck, with not the fancy-smancy gismos that you will find in its Japanize cousins. The reason I bought it was for the drivetrain, its dependable, tough and "realtime"(kicking in when it notes any tire slippage). Good to last for a 1/4 of a million miles if treated properly, it pulls 5,000lbs and is prewired for towing and outfitted with tranie and oil coolers. The AWD pulls you out of any problems on snow and ice, so is great for icefishing, if you are so inclined.
You can buy them for a song right now, as the vehicle has been discontinued by GM ...
d-mo

A real 4X4 is worth its weight in gold for a trout fishermen
Being able to drive into places while everyone else is walking....priceless