Catalina 22 Towing Vehicle

[lestersails]

Hi all -
Looking for some advice here. Will be purchasing a new car soon. I currently have a 2021 RAV4 plug-in hybrid. My towing is limited to moving my Catalina 22 sport on a trailer within the boatyard (I don't have any planned needs to go out on roads at all) and back her down the ramp and launch the boat. And, when we are done boating, pull her out on the trailer and park it in the boat yard. With the hybrid drive this car has PLENTY of torque and the gas engine doesn't even kick in to pull the boat out - the electric does the job.
For other reasons, it might be nicer to have a more comfy car (i.e., Lexus) for long road trips (no trailer) and we will be getting along with just one car. We do 90% of our driving in town on the electric range of the RAV4 - I only buy gas three or four times a year.
Here are my options
2026 RAV4 plug-in hybrid. Towing rating 3,500# Peak system output 304 hp (=226.693 kW)
2026 Lexus NX plug-in hybrid. Towing rating 2,000# Peak system output 225KW
2026 Lexus RX plug-in hybrid. Towing rating 3,500# Peak system output 302 hp (=225.201 kW)
I really don't need the size of the RX, but I am just baffled by the much reduced towing capacity of the NX, compared to the RAV4 and RX. My understanding is that all three of these vehicles have essentially the same powertrain. So what gives?
My C22 on a trailer, with a motor, etc. is clearly more than 2,000#. But if the NX has the same power - it might be fine for my needs. I would NOT take a >2,000# boat on a trailer on the road with a car rated for only 2,000#.
But just to put it up and down the ramp?
Would welcome your thoughts!

 

[AaronD]

...all three of these vehicles have essentially the same powertrain. So what gives?...

What gives is that the powertrain is not the limiting factor for these vehicles' towing capacity.

My GMC 2500's 6.0 liter also has 300 HP - and the truck is engine-limited to ~11k towing capacity (the 8.1 and the Diesel are both rated higher on the same frame). So the NX's 300 HP is far more than enough to tow a C-22, but the frame isn't designed for it.

Would an NX be safe to pull up and down the ramp? I honestly don't know. The RX's slightly-heavier frame is rated for roughly the weight of your C-22

And I know you're only launching and retrieving for dry-sailing, but I'll say that - after having tried - I wouldn't advise towing a C-22 on the road with an RX either. I found our RX's to tow 3500 comfortably in our short garden trailer (e.g. a yard of sand or gravel), but the wheelbase is too short to tow the much longer C-22 safely. A GX470 towed our C-22 smoothly.

 

[sailme88]

Were I you, I'd be buying the vehicle that most fits my daily driving needs. THEN I'd get a tow vehicle ( used pu or suv). An older vehicle that is NOT full time 4wd and allows you to select the 4wd range is the perfect boat ramp vehicle. Then you just back into your yard and leave'em hooked together.

 

[Gene Neill]

None of those vehicles can tow a C22 safely, and it has nothing to do with power.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I don't see short wheel bases being an issue if your just towing it around the yard. I have an Xterra and have towed much heavier trailers than a C22 with it.

 

[rgranger]

Your probably okay with the Rav4. If your frame and engine are strong enough then just pulling the boat out of the water and parking it 100 feet away is probably not going to hurt your car.

The frame, the transmission and the engine are all factors in towing capacity. If your frame is strong enough to handle the weight on the tow bar, the next barrier is usually the transmission. I purchased the heavy duty version of a Ford Escape for this exact reason. My little escape has a 3,500 lbs tow rating. There are some differences in size of the transmission but I think the main adjustment made was to add an additional set of cooling coils for the transmission fluid. But since you won't be driving long enough to get the tranny hot, you don't need to worry about this... and if you are in an all electric car... you don't have a traditional transmission. Most electric cars have a single-speed reduction tranny (gearbox). I don't know how tolerant they are if I had to guess I would guess they are a little more robust than a traditional tranny.

With all of that said, I don't know how I feel about electric cars as tow vehicles. Sometimes (on shallow ramps) you need to get your tailpipe wet to launch. How will an all-electric car tollerate having its back wheels submerged is a question mark in my mind.

I think I would go with @sailme88 advice and find an old beat up 4-wheel drive vehicle and just leave it at the boat yard hooked to the boat.

 

[PEBI]

You guys the Lexus NX is AWD right? And electric drive gives instant torque correct? Smeg it! I think Lester has it right. Pick the Luxary SUV, the Lexus.

I just had a tow hitch installed by U-Haul and yes, it blocks the kick or hands free rear door sensor on my Nx-450H. My dealer should have warned me

Make note if you get the kick sensor.

Mind you I'm good at searching. I don't own a lexus.

 

[LLoyd B]

Buy a used F350 that some guy bought new 7 years ago with all the bells whistles and has decided to pack it up and just wants out now that his needs have been completed.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

The

Buy a used F350 that some guy bought new 7 years ago with all the bells whistles and has decided to pack it up and just wants out now that his needs have been completed.

F350 and F250 have the same towing capacity IIRC. Both vehicles are overkill for a C22 but would work amazingly well.

 

[Lazy1]

Towed mine over the Appalachians with my Tundra, a 1/2 ton is plenty. It is a 5.7

 

[Gene Neill]

Towed mine over the Appalachians with my Tundra, a 1/2 ton is plenty. It is a 5.7

A Tundra could tow THREE C22's. I own two of them.

@lestersails, Forgive me, I'm an idiot.

You clearly said you're only talking about tuggin your boat up the ramp and around the parking lot. Somehow I missed it.

Whole different set of rules for that. I'm sure a Rav4 or Lexus LX can pull your boat up the ramp just fine, provided there are no traction issues.

Torque becomes an important value here, I would think.

 

[lestersails]

Thanks those with the thoughtful responses to my original post. Indeed, when I need to tow the boat on the road, I just rent that small u-haul box truck. But this is a rare need for me. Rare enough that I don’t even have license plates on the trailer.

My follow-up is more of a worry than a question. As raised by rgranger, I do worry about dunking the back end of the vehicle in brackish (Chesapeake) water. As opposed to a good old fashioned differential filled with heavy gear oil, all these vehicles have electric motors integrated into the rear ‘axle’. I am sure they are claimed to be sealed, but even a small amount of brackish water could easily ruin an electric motor. My solution to this worry is to trade it in at 3-4 years and not push my luck.

 

[Lazy1]

As opposed to a good old fashioned differential filled with heavy gear oil, all these vehicles have electric motors integrated into the rear ‘axle’. I am sure they are claimed to be sealed, but even a small amount of brackish water could easily ruin an electric motor.

Good reason to buy an older truck. Mine will be for sale next summer if you're interested!
2016 Tundra with 102k at the moment

 

[lestersails]

A Tundra could tow THREE C22's. I own two of them.

@lestersails, Forgive me, I'm an idiot.

You clearly said you're only talking about tuggin your boat up the ramp and around the parking lot. Somehow I missed it.

Whole different set of rules for that. I'm sure a Rav4 or Lexus LX can pull your boat up the ramp just fine, provided there are no traction issues.

Torque becomes an important value here, I would think.

Nah, no need for the self criticism. So yeah, torque and traction are the thing, which is why I focused on the power train - for my very specific needs and application. I do have a nagging worry about the NX 2,000 pound rating. That is if the underbody configuration is such that the receiver just isn’t robustly attached to the frame* to support a pull of more than a ton or the structural components available for bolting the receiver to are just not robust. Am imagining that the initial tug up the ramp is a pretty high application of force. Would be a real bummer if that deformed the receiver or frame, then I would be left with a structurally damaged car! I am tempted to write an actual letter to Toyota engineering and ask them the basis for the reduced rating, but I doubt I would get a satisfying answer. Probably just have to go with the RAV4 PHEV or the LX 450H+.
*and yes, I do know that this is a unibody and not a real frame.

 

[lestersails]

Good reason to buy an older truck. Mine will be for sale next summer if you're interested!
2016 Tundra with 102k at the moment

Appreciate the suggestion and the potential offer. I am leaning against a yard truck for several reasons. It would still have to be insured and registered. There would be maintenance costs. And I expect the marina would charge me a pretty penny to leave it there. I have to pay about $1,600 a year for the c22 on a trailer.

 

[PEBI]

I grew up in Alberta and a lot of trucks either had head on collisions on Sundays. Or they rolled over and the occupants were crushed to death in multiple roll overs. The only selling point for trucks and SUV is they stand tall and can drive over sedans in head on collisions, and their low center of gravity makes them a lot of fun to drive around town. Maybe where you live it's different but in England you pay $20.00 for a tractor to tow your boat out and into the water. I've seen little tractors tow huge boats.