Boat + trailer weight comparison

Hey all!

So my sister is looking to get a small SUV now & possibly a boat + trailer combo later. The problem is she doesn't know exactly what she wants for either yet one. The boat could be anything from a fiberglass kayak to an '80s speedboat with onboard champagne cooler & coke storage for all I know.

Is there a site that lists what typical trailer AND BOAT combos weigh so she can figure out how much she needs to tow? Preferably with pictures? I've found this for trailers alone, but nothing that includes the boat too. Like *that's* useful.

I've been recommending something like a Mitsubishi Outlander with a mid-size V6; I think towing anything with a 4-cylinder where we both live (there be hills) would be a pretty miserable experience. (Full disclosure: I've towed '60s muscle cars on a dual-axle all-steel car trailer with a 2.7L Mercury Villager minivan, and thought it did the job Just Fine.)

No, she's not going to get an F-750 duallie super-diesel or anything branded "RAM". Settle down, Cletus.

Boats and trailers are manufactured by different companies the majority of the time.   It is kind of like buying a car on a trailer; there are hundreds of different trailers that you could put tht boat on.

If she doesn't have any idea what boat she wants,  it is silly to buy a SUV to pull said unknown boat.  My 19' 1975 Century Ski Fury weighed 3600lb, and the trailer added about 1,000lbs to that.  Hopefully she already knows how to drive with a trailer, as far too many people think it is just like driving a car, and get into trouble, or someone ends up dead.

And if you've towed over 5,000lbs of weight behind a vehicle that had a maximum towing capacity of 3,500, you should probably back away from calling anyone "Cletus".

This is apparently a very common dilemma.  I personally have no idea what my old 70's 16' fiberglass bass boat on a homemade trailer weighs, but then it doesn't really matter, since I pull it with a big ol' Chevy Duallie 1-ton truck (call me Cletus!).  It is a topic of interest to me, since the wife has suggested pulling it with the minivan, which is rated to pull 3500 pounds, which is pretty close to what I figure the "worst-case scenario" weight is for my boat-trailer combo.

Plenty of intelligent people will tell you not to try to launch a boat on a slippery wet ramp with anything that's front-wheel drive, so there's that if you're considering such a vehicle.

Either weigh the boat/trailer, or go big.

https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSmsqB2zJmc

Too many variables to the equation and generally too much "cart ahead of the horse". 

1988RedT2 said:

 

Plenty of intelligent people will tell you not to try to launch a boat on a slippery wet ramp with anything that's front-wheel drive, so there's that if you're considering such a vehicle.

 

 

 

 

Ive had trouble with RWD and a slippery ramp, never FWD. more likely to gain traction with the front wheels which will more likely be dry and not slimy.  

I would say figure out what boat, or else get a Pilot/Acadia/Explorer/other minivan pretending to be an SUV with a 5000lb towing capacity and make sure what ever boat you have is under that. 

Unless you are talking about really big boats,  the vast majority of boat trailers use some variation of the standard 3500# trailer axle. Conveniently,  3500# is a common cutoff point for tow ratings among smaller vehicles.  Take her to a place with lots of boats on trailers for sale. Point out all the ones on single axle trailers as different from those on double axle trailers and ask her if she thinks she seriously thinks the bigger ones are what she wants. 

If the smaller ones are what she is thinking then you should be safe with a 3500# rating, if not start looking at the bigger trucks. 

You should casually steer her towards a blown jet boat. 

You can usually find specs for any boat with a good google search.  Just type in the year, model, and the word "specs" and you should get your answers.  Same goes for the trailer, but you can guess and get pretty close.

Always add about 500 lbs to the boat.  For instance, my 18' Ebbtide I/O specs out at 2130 lbs dry.  That means basically once they build the boat, drop in the 4-banger and outdrive, and add all the electrical, that's how much it weighs when it shipped new.  But, add in oars, lifejackets, a full tank of gas, oil, fire extinguisher, stereo and speakers, battery(ies), fishing stuff, skis, ropes, etc, I just add 500 lbs to that.  So my boat's trailering weight when I hitch up is likely 2700 lbs.  My trailer is all aluminum and only weighs about 800 lbs.  I comparable steel trailer might be more like 1200.

So, to be safe, I have guessed that my whole rig maxes out at around 3500 lbs.  That would be the most it could really weigh if I load it for a summer of boating.

Go big.  Estimate high.  Then be realistic on tow rigs.  Factory tow ratings are a complete joke in some situations.  Full size trucks are relatively accurate, but smaller vehicle tow ratings are highly based on warranty, market use, etc.  Good example that I use a lot:  96 Caprice with 2.73 gears and a 4.3L baby LT1 is rated to tow 3500 lbs.  Impala SS with 3.08s, extra oil cooler, power steering cooler, stiffer suspension, posi rear, and a 5.7L LT1 is only rated to tow 2000.  GM figured people wouldn't buy Impalas for towing so derating the tow capacity was a calculated choice to save on liability and warranty claims.

My buddy bought a Rover Disco to tow because it said it could do something like 4500 lbs, but the floppy rear air suspension and short wheelbase made towing more than about 3000 a complete joke.  Then of course his Jatco transmission blew up at about 40k and the nikasil engine cylinder liners came loose shortly after, but that wasn't the trailer's fault.  That's just a Disco.

More wheelbase is always good.  Having a heavier vehicle is good to a point.  Towing 4500 lbs with a 3200-lb tow rig means that it controls you, not the other way around.  Don't stress about power, but do stress about a transmission with a track record of being up to the task.  I have loaded a 26,000 lb box truck to above capacity while towing a 10,000 lb trailer with a 180 hp Cummins ISB.  It did just fine.  A wee bit slow in the Rockies, but not like it was a danger.  I was still passing semis.  In that case I had a 6-speed Eaton Road Ranger box that probably could have towed a mountain.

Do give some consideration to brakes.  Most vehicles these days (now that 19" wheels are the new 15") have ample room for brakes and OEMs do a pretty good job of stuffing good sized rotors and calipers in there.  It doesn't hurt to give a nod to a vehicle with larger diameter rotors.

In reply to Curtis :

Nicely stated.