Help!!! I have found a wonderful 87 Catalina 22 in great shape, but drive an 87 Volvo 240 station wagon. I'm afraid my car is too small to pull the boat and I really don't want to buy a new car. Has anyone ever pulled a 22 with a 240 wagon? Thanks.
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pulling a 22
I pulled my neighbors 22 (1976) with my fourunner. I pulled it through heavy traffic, on the freeway and up over some moderate hills. The forunner is a 1993, six cylinder.( around 160 h.p.) There wasn't any problem towing OR stopping at all!
I pulled my neighbors 22 (1976) with my fourunner. I pulled it through heavy traffic, on the freeway and up over some moderate hills. The forunner is a 1993, six cylinder.( around 160 h.p.) There wasn't any problem towing OR stopping at all!
smaller engine
Unfortunately, the Volvo only has a 4 cylinder (although it weighs over 4000 lbs). It's supposed to be able to pull 3300 lbs, but the 22 with swing keel is 2250 and the trailer with the boat is 1000 lbs, so I'm right at the limit even without motor etc. I'd love to hear that someone else has tried this (hopefully successfully).
Unfortunately, the Volvo only has a 4 cylinder (although it weighs over 4000 lbs). It's supposed to be able to pull 3300 lbs, but the 22 with swing keel is 2250 and the trailer with the boat is 1000 lbs, so I'm right at the limit even without motor etc. I'd love to hear that someone else has tried this (hopefully successfully).
Towing your C22
I tow my C22 with a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 six cylinder. Towing on the freeway or any other flat roads is no sweat, hills are another matter. Unless your Volvo is set up with a tow package of some sort I think you'll find it way undersized especially after you've loaded the boat and car with goodies and the wife and kids.
I tow my C22 with a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 six cylinder. Towing on the freeway or any other flat roads is no sweat, hills are another matter. Unless your Volvo is set up with a tow package of some sort I think you'll find it way undersized especially after you've loaded the boat and car with goodies and the wife and kids.
Other towing issues
I think that you have additional things to consider beyond simply whether you have the power to tow a C22. My perspective comes from towing a 3000 lb camper, a 16' powerboat and a Capri 22 with a Jeep Cherokee. As important as the power to tow, if not more important to my mind is the power to stop, and the ability to not lose control due to the trailer (or boat and trailer here) being heavy enough to over-power the tow vehicle. I would be seriously concerned about whether a volvo wagon has enough braking power to handle the load you are talking about, and whether in an emergency situation whether it has a long enough wheelbase and enough weight to control the trailer and boat, or whether they will in essense overrun it. Having sat behind the wheel a time or two when the vehicle I was towing with was too small, and having lost a certain amount of control as the momentum of the trailer just continued to push the tow vehicle despite my efforts to the contrary, its not an experience that I would want to repeat. I consider myself lucky to have gotten out of those events without any accident or injury. If you are simply looking to tow the C22 home with your car and then will have it at the marina all the time, you might want to consider renting a U-Haul or Ryder truck for the high speed highway driving portion of getting the boat home. At the low speed in a marina or in launching the boat on a ramp, the worst that can probably happen if the trailer and boat overpower the Volvo is when your Volvo becomes a submarine after its dragged into the water down the ramp. If on the other hand you want to tow the C22 all over the place, I think you will need a bigger vehicle. Good luck George
I think that you have additional things to consider beyond simply whether you have the power to tow a C22. My perspective comes from towing a 3000 lb camper, a 16' powerboat and a Capri 22 with a Jeep Cherokee. As important as the power to tow, if not more important to my mind is the power to stop, and the ability to not lose control due to the trailer (or boat and trailer here) being heavy enough to over-power the tow vehicle. I would be seriously concerned about whether a volvo wagon has enough braking power to handle the load you are talking about, and whether in an emergency situation whether it has a long enough wheelbase and enough weight to control the trailer and boat, or whether they will in essense overrun it. Having sat behind the wheel a time or two when the vehicle I was towing with was too small, and having lost a certain amount of control as the momentum of the trailer just continued to push the tow vehicle despite my efforts to the contrary, its not an experience that I would want to repeat. I consider myself lucky to have gotten out of those events without any accident or injury. If you are simply looking to tow the C22 home with your car and then will have it at the marina all the time, you might want to consider renting a U-Haul or Ryder truck for the high speed highway driving portion of getting the boat home. At the low speed in a marina or in launching the boat on a ramp, the worst that can probably happen if the trailer and boat overpower the Volvo is when your Volvo becomes a submarine after its dragged into the water down the ramp. If on the other hand you want to tow the C22 all over the place, I think you will need a bigger vehicle. Good luck George
Borderline
Hi There, After reading your question and also reading all of the replies, my comments may not give you the stress relief you are experiencing right now but here is my suggestion. You are over your manufacture's limit by 250 lbs. I would like to know if that is the gross vehicle max towing capacity or just the maximum gross vehicle weight? There is a big difference. In either case. My first question is the trailer itself and the conditions of the surge or electric brakes that are on the trailer, how good of shape they are in? Second Maximum tongue weight for your hitch on your Volvo ? As someone else mentioned earlier it's not so much the horse power but the the ability to control both the vehicle and boat plus trailer. If you want to possibly tow with the Volvo the tongue weight for the rear axle of your car must be within the limits set by manufacture, unless you beef up the rear suspension with overloads or air shocks. Using a weight dispersing type hitch will spread the weight forward more so then just a bolt on hitch, that in itself will give you better driving characterisitcs. If the station wagon is a standard transmission you stand a much better chance to keep control of movement of all 3 boat trailer and car. Not knowing what type of roads you have to travel or launching facilities at your disposal it is difficult to be more precise here, but if you live in fairly level country and you are launching from a fairly modern facility then doing the above should take care of your situation at least temporarily until you can do something different. Remember Hitch, Brakes both on trailer and car, overloads for at least an additional 500 lb rating, that gives you your 250 lbs and another 250 for the driver and maybe one addtional person. an overload that will give you a buffer of more say 8-900 lbs would be best, but don't sell your Volvo short. Here in California you can see 22' sailboats pulled with everything from a Model A Ford to a Pinto to Big Full sized trucks. Let us know how you made out. Happy sailing
Dave LaPere
Hi There, After reading your question and also reading all of the replies, my comments may not give you the stress relief you are experiencing right now but here is my suggestion. You are over your manufacture's limit by 250 lbs. I would like to know if that is the gross vehicle max towing capacity or just the maximum gross vehicle weight? There is a big difference. In either case. My first question is the trailer itself and the conditions of the surge or electric brakes that are on the trailer, how good of shape they are in? Second Maximum tongue weight for your hitch on your Volvo ? As someone else mentioned earlier it's not so much the horse power but the the ability to control both the vehicle and boat plus trailer. If you want to possibly tow with the Volvo the tongue weight for the rear axle of your car must be within the limits set by manufacture, unless you beef up the rear suspension with overloads or air shocks. Using a weight dispersing type hitch will spread the weight forward more so then just a bolt on hitch, that in itself will give you better driving characterisitcs. If the station wagon is a standard transmission you stand a much better chance to keep control of movement of all 3 boat trailer and car. Not knowing what type of roads you have to travel or launching facilities at your disposal it is difficult to be more precise here, but if you live in fairly level country and you are launching from a fairly modern facility then doing the above should take care of your situation at least temporarily until you can do something different. Remember Hitch, Brakes both on trailer and car, overloads for at least an additional 500 lb rating, that gives you your 250 lbs and another 250 for the driver and maybe one addtional person. an overload that will give you a buffer of more say 8-900 lbs would be best, but don't sell your Volvo short. Here in California you can see 22' sailboats pulled with everything from a Model A Ford to a Pinto to Big Full sized trucks. Let us know how you made out. Happy sailing
Dave LaPereI'd go for it!
Anthony, It depends. Are you a patient person? If so, then definitely go for it. I say that because some people's test of an adequate tow vehicle is one that does not slow down AT ALL when towing a boat. They are the ones with a jet ski hitched to a suburban! I remember seeing a post on the C22 list from someone pulling their C22 with a Volvo, and they never used the qualifier "don't try this at home kids". I also have a sailing buddy that just pulled his C22 out of the water with one of the newer volvos; I think his is a four cylinder model. He told me it worked pretty well. So, there actually are some people doing this. As for my own experience, I have towed 2 different boats (my current C22 as well as the one mentioned above) between Denver and Portland, Or, where I used to live. I recently towed my C22 back with a Ford Expedition, which is generally overkill for this boat except when going over the Rockies. For this kind of trip I would not recommend the Volvo, but for everything else it will work fine. Unless you are in a hurry. Of course, I would recommend that you make sure the trailer has brakes and check that they work properly. Depending on the ramps you use, you might also find a limited slip defferential useful (some volvos have this option). I find putting the tow vehicle in 4wd reassuring when pulling the boat out of the water, but I think the effect is mostly psychological. I hope that this helps, Dave in Denver
Anthony, It depends. Are you a patient person? If so, then definitely go for it. I say that because some people's test of an adequate tow vehicle is one that does not slow down AT ALL when towing a boat. They are the ones with a jet ski hitched to a suburban! I remember seeing a post on the C22 list from someone pulling their C22 with a Volvo, and they never used the qualifier "don't try this at home kids". I also have a sailing buddy that just pulled his C22 out of the water with one of the newer volvos; I think his is a four cylinder model. He told me it worked pretty well. So, there actually are some people doing this. As for my own experience, I have towed 2 different boats (my current C22 as well as the one mentioned above) between Denver and Portland, Or, where I used to live. I recently towed my C22 back with a Ford Expedition, which is generally overkill for this boat except when going over the Rockies. For this kind of trip I would not recommend the Volvo, but for everything else it will work fine. Unless you are in a hurry. Of course, I would recommend that you make sure the trailer has brakes and check that they work properly. Depending on the ramps you use, you might also find a limited slip defferential useful (some volvos have this option). I find putting the tow vehicle in 4wd reassuring when pulling the boat out of the water, but I think the effect is mostly psychological. I hope that this helps, Dave in Denver
Your call
The GM light truck web site has an interesting statement about weight limits when towing. They state that the weight limits are based on long-term use; the towing anything up to that weight will not damage the vehicle "over the long term". Since your Volvo is 13 or 14 years old, a new (or newer) vehicle isn't that far into the future. Look at all your options. You have an older vehicle. Are you worried about "long term" damage if you tow something heavier than its rated? An excellent point was made in an earlier post: you do need to calculate the TOTAL weight you're towing: kids, coolers, water, etc. etc. etc. A good rule of thumb is that the additional gear (motor, sails, baggage, food, etc.) will add 10% to 15% to the basic boat weight.
The GM light truck web site has an interesting statement about weight limits when towing. They state that the weight limits are based on long-term use; the towing anything up to that weight will not damage the vehicle "over the long term". Since your Volvo is 13 or 14 years old, a new (or newer) vehicle isn't that far into the future. Look at all your options. You have an older vehicle. Are you worried about "long term" damage if you tow something heavier than its rated? An excellent point was made in an earlier post: you do need to calculate the TOTAL weight you're towing: kids, coolers, water, etc. etc. etc. A good rule of thumb is that the additional gear (motor, sails, baggage, food, etc.) will add 10% to 15% to the basic boat weight.
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