1990 Mac26S Reese hitch pulling question

Justin_NSA · Oct 13, 2017

I think you want a Class III 2" X 2" receiver hitch. The Class I/II hitch is pretty wimpy. The Aerostar I towed my 26S with was a Class III. I am not familiar with a 3" X 3".

walt · Oct 13, 2017

If the boat hasnt been modified a huge amount and doesnt have a lot of junk in it, it possibly is under 3000 pounds (boat and trailer). That 1.5 inch hitch (1.25 is more likely?) is not really what you want for something this size but it its rated for 3500.. well.. that is marginal but possibly in spec. The trailer ball is likely 2 inch. Trailer brakes become way more important when towing with a marginally rated vehicle. A caution.. often someone does not get the boat all the way forward on the trailer and it leaves the trailer tongue light and the boat will not tow well.. might even be dangerous. Since its a new boat, you may even want to try and weigh the tongue. If its under 100 pounds.. danger. Over 150.. much better. Standards say it should be 250 to 300. Mine tows well and I think its just under 200 pnds (single axle). Old tires and bearings etc.. scary.. However if you have adequate tongue weight, you can have a blowout and the trailer should handle at least somewhat safely coming to a stop. FYI, I also have a 1990 26S and think that is a nice boat.

Sumner · Oct 13, 2017

As Walt mentioned if the boat is empty and no outboard on it you are probably going to be fine, but if you are going to continue to tow with this vehicle maybe now is a good time to update the hitch.

Check the wheel bearings often, at least every hour, for heat. I had a wheel bearing failure on a box trailer coming home from Florida this past spring and I'd been checking the bearings every 4-5 hours (not often enough).

If the tires are more than 5 years old I'd consider having them changed before the trip, especially if it is a stock one axle trailer. They can look to have a lot of tread on them and still come apart once on the trip. For sure have a spare and a small floor jack or bottle jack if you need to change on the way home.

Good luck and a S is a great boat,

Sumner
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1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas

Justin_NSA · Oct 13, 2017

PS: post some pics of your 'new' Mac.

jeepbluetj · Oct 13, 2017

According to specs, a 26s and trailer weighs around 3100lbs. So you're within the limits of the stock hitch on your Explorer. But I'd chime in with the others and say if you plan to tow quite a bit I'd upgrade to the more typical 2" square receiver. You can get a new hitch for just a bit over $100 (that's installing it yourself).

Meriachee · Oct 13, 2017

It's not about weight as much as it's about rating. The Mac wants to change lanes when a semi goes by, and that puts a far bigger load on the hitch than you'd expect. This hitch is too small for this job under most circumstances, and if theres a lot of hills, or mountain passes at all, then you're too small.

Gene Neill · Oct 13, 2017

Congratulations on being sailors again!

kappykaplan · Oct 16, 2017

Mike Harvey said:
hope it will be sorta like riding a bike... will come back I hope

It will be - I went 10 years without setting foot on a sailboat. Once you know where all the controls are, it's a piece of cake!