Is this guy yankin' my crank? mini van towing?

Stu Jackson · Jun 6, 2012

We towed our Catalina 22 with a six cylinder Ford Brougham in the early 80s. Didn't do the car any good!

fireman416 · Jun 6, 2012

towed my 22 celebrity cuddy cabin with a chev blazer with a 4.3. Boat weighed in at 3500lbs before gear was added. It was not a easy tow up and down hills, and ramps were a slippery slope some times but it was done. I would say the guy was lucky that everything went well for him casue it would not take much for his ship and van to sink if he got into trouble on the road or the ramp.....

Merlin Clark · Jun 6, 2012

At the Port Canaveral county ramps one day I watched a guy with an old, beat up, rusted, 4x4, bald tires Toyota truck hooking up a big powerboat, around 26' cabin cruiser (type that looks taller than wide) and thought "this is going to be funny".
It wasn't. He had a long tongue on the trailer, backed down far enough that the boat was floating over the trailer with the stem cranked tight to the bumper on the trailer post.
He climbed back up the trailer tongue, over the pick up bumper hopped down and pulled that boat right out without spinning a bald tire or abusing the engine.
When the truck moved forward it didn't have to take the full weight of the boat, just get it to move and build some inertia, and as the trailer came out of the water the boat settled on the bunks.
Brains over brawn.

Stu Jackson · Jun 6, 2012

And dry tires, too. That'd make it work.

Tsatzsue · Jun 6, 2012

I towed my V25 loaded with every one everywhere. Honda Odyssey. No problem. The new vans tow well and hav more than enough power.

cephius (Dave) · Jun 6, 2012

The MacGregor 26 is listed at 2,550 lbs dry with a trailer of 710 lbs. It is possible to have a bigger boat with close to your 22' weight.

Having said that, there are people who tow their boats without ever considering the manufacturer's published towing capacity for their vehicle. As long as nothing ever happens, they can brag about it.

Squidd · Jun 6, 2012

Having said that, there are people who tow their boats without ever considering the manufacturer's published towing capacity for their vehicle. As long as nothing ever happens, they can brag about it.

7,000# Half Ton Pickup with small v-8

Towed it half way cross country (thru Andriondacs)

Half way cross state and in and out at the landing...

Don't try this at home...only a few of us can get away with this on a regular basis..

Winkfish · Jun 6, 2012

When I first bought a boat and was wondering if my vehicle would handle it, my seller said something I thought was very wise: "It's not the pulling you need to worry about - it's the stopping."

Merlin Clark · Jun 6, 2012

joes new addiction said:
Maybe if he was doing this in Fla at Port Carnaveral where the ramp is a long easy slope he might (as well as the highway), (We just came back from a cruise that left outta there, marveled at the ramps, easy).
That being said, the one at the Palpac is easy 30-40 degrees slope, this is also in the shade 24/7.
I had locked my hubs, extended my tongue the 6', and dropped the transfer case into low, (just cuz I had all of that and didn't want a problem).
He told Chris the secret was little tongue weight), (I was told by a trailer maker here when I was asking about tires, that 1% of the weight be on the ball.
I saw a pic one time of a Honda Goldwing Motorcycle pulling a bassboat on a trailer pulled over on the interstate in Calf.
I sure as heck wouldn't pull that much weight with a van that weights less than what I'm pulling! I think he's asking for a swap @ or a break down on the ramp!
Joe
You know what Forrest Gump says!

When you think about a tractor trailer rig, a loaded trailer can outweigh the tractor and this combination does not rely on the truck brakes to stop the entire vehicle weight.
I'm just saying that the guy with the mini van might have a trick or 3 for doing what he needs to do with what he has to work with.
Personally? I like traction, horsepower and a good radio! And good trailer brakes!
And you're right, we do have some great ramps!

Jackdaw · Jun 6, 2012

As Americans we have bought in fully to the notion that only a huge SUV or pickup can tow safely. In Europe, where pickups are nonexistent and SUVs rare, people pull sailboats all over the continent behind V6 cars. In these cases a Beneteau First 235, well over 4000 lbs gross.

And a buddy in Canada. Front wheel drive minivan, in the snow.

Stu Jackson · Jun 6, 2012

Yeah, but they don't have automatic transmissions, either.

AirborneSF · Jun 6, 2012

J-D, lmao, pic#2, don't need towing mirrow's nothing blocking your view but the keel. Pic #3 how L O N G is that trailer tongue?

Benny17441 · Jun 6, 2012

Minivan V6's have adequate power to tow a 3,500-4000# load in flat roads. Where they are lacking is in structural integrity because of the lack of a chasis. You have the engine and the boat trailer pulling in opposite directions and in between a rather thin metal body holding the front and rear together. SUVs and trucks have a full chasis and as such are usually rated to trailer heavier loads. Engine power is really secondary to structural integrity. With the proper transmission and rear end ratios a small engine can pull a lot of weight.

Ray Bowles · Jun 6, 2012

Pulling is easy, it's the stopping or lack of that causes accidents. If you have 3500 to 5000 lbs. pushing a 3000 lb. car,truck or van it's difficult to keep it all in a straight line while stopping.
Surge brakes on trailers are one type of brake system and electric brakes another. These are very rarely looked at or serviced by anyone.
At the start of the season the brake drums should be removed, rust build-up on the drums and linings should be removed, cylinders inspected and the brakes adjusted. They should then be tested with the tow rig and should be tested hard.
I can honestly say that I know of no one that does this including me...in the past. As of 3 years ago I now do this as we trailer our boat fairly long distances.
It's a choice for some, a gamble for others and a very bad experience for the unaware.
Ray

finding41 · Jun 6, 2012

My buddy took my 2002 dodge caravan 3.3L to 700km to get my Mac 26D with all gear and turned around and came back 700km with the boat. I told him not to speed on the way back. The van is fine. I just changed the transmission filer and fluid and it was just like I expected. Nothing unusual for a minivan with 300000km on it. I use it as the work van and it is always loaded heavy with renovation tools etc. still has lots of pep and never noticed any transmission slipping. Many years ago I had a 89 Caravan that I put 3 transmissions in! In a year and a half! I am on my 4th (2002) and 5th (2003) Caravan. There cheap to buy and cheap to fix. I'm cheap all round. Perfect fit.
Picture is #3 minutes before its demise. (recycling) 376000km on it.

Jackdaw · Jun 6, 2012

AirborneSF said:
J-D, . Pic #3 how L O N G is that trailer tongue?

Its on a 10,000 lbs towing strap. We used the same thing to pull out BlueJ when we got her. You need to have a high quality jockey wheel for this to work. A good ramp also helps.

davenlynn · Jun 6, 2012

I tow my Mac 25 and launch it with a Toyota Tacoma 4 banger, auto trany. No problems.

rgranger · Jun 7, 2012

I met a guy who once told me that he sailed his Mac V21 to Bermuda with nothing more than a sextant and a chart. This guy was missing most of his teeth.

I figured he was either a liar or really lucky. Either way, didn't make me want to go sailing with him.

Is this guy yankin' my crank? mini van towing?

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