Had quite the ordeal getting my 4800 # O'day 25 home with my four cylinder jeep pick up. With trailer, it was probably 6000# and change. I think I can get it around the boat yard no problem but the hiway top speed seems to be around 38 mph. How big a rig U figure I'll have to get??
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Ray Bowles
Tom, I haul my 95 H26 with a 93 ford 1/2 ton 4x4.
It has a 300 cu. in. 6 cyl engine and a 5 speed manual gear box. She hauls Speedy with no problem. The boat weighs 3000# dry and the trailer is another 1600#. You will get all kinds of different answers about 3 zillion different SUV's and what they will do and not do. After farming for 30 years and pulling about 3 zillion different trailers I think any standard size 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton pickup will do very nicely. One very important item is having enough truck weigth to be able to stop your wagon train. Most current SUV's are short wheelbase rigs and that is not a positive factor when towing. Having 4 wheel drive makes no difference when towing but can be helpful when launching or retrieving, although I've never found the need to lock the hubs on "Truckie". A 2 wheel drive truck will do everything you need to do and cost a LOT less. Us older farmers are cheap about equipment and somewhat weird about naming these pieces of equipment. We gained most of our knowledge from watching "Bob the Builder" shows during the winter. Find something to very cheaply haul your boat and fanny to the water and then just doit! Ray S/V Speedy and h/t Truckie
It has a 300 cu. in. 6 cyl engine and a 5 speed manual gear box. She hauls Speedy with no problem. The boat weighs 3000# dry and the trailer is another 1600#. You will get all kinds of different answers about 3 zillion different SUV's and what they will do and not do. After farming for 30 years and pulling about 3 zillion different trailers I think any standard size 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton pickup will do very nicely. One very important item is having enough truck weigth to be able to stop your wagon train. Most current SUV's are short wheelbase rigs and that is not a positive factor when towing. Having 4 wheel drive makes no difference when towing but can be helpful when launching or retrieving, although I've never found the need to lock the hubs on "Truckie". A 2 wheel drive truck will do everything you need to do and cost a LOT less. Us older farmers are cheap about equipment and somewhat weird about naming these pieces of equipment. We gained most of our knowledge from watching "Bob the Builder" shows during the winter. Find something to very cheaply haul your boat and fanny to the water and then just doit! Ray S/V Speedy and h/t Truckie
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Peter Meyer
Bad combinations
Check gross combined vehicle weight rating(GVCW =truck+boat+trailer) of your tow vehicle. Exceding that is asking for trouble. Your average riding lawnmower could pull your boat over a mountain pass, but would you want to be strapped to it? (esp. on the downhill) Think about it. When you look in the rear-view mirror, you want to know you have control of it; not he other way. Safest bet is heaviest possible tow vehicle.
Check gross combined vehicle weight rating(GVCW =truck+boat+trailer) of your tow vehicle. Exceding that is asking for trouble. Your average riding lawnmower could pull your boat over a mountain pass, but would you want to be strapped to it? (esp. on the downhill) Think about it. When you look in the rear-view mirror, you want to know you have control of it; not he other way. Safest bet is heaviest possible tow vehicle.
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Charlie on "Kestrel"
small truck towing
I keep my c22 on a mooring, so I only tow twice Once in and once out, about 15 miles each way. I use a "93 Chevy S10, 2 wheel drive with a 4.3 v-6. I use a single axle trailer with 10" surge brakes (functioning) set up with a good distance from tongue to axle. This combination with moderate speed over the roads along with a very nice ramp to launch and retrieve have given me no problems. I've had the rear wheels wet and on the "green" part of the ramp and hauled out without spining the tires. I would tow to other locations with this combination and would only worry about the condition of an unknown ramp. If I was to go long distance at higher speed I would only add a tranny cooler to the truck. good luck
I keep my c22 on a mooring, so I only tow twice Once in and once out, about 15 miles each way. I use a "93 Chevy S10, 2 wheel drive with a 4.3 v-6. I use a single axle trailer with 10" surge brakes (functioning) set up with a good distance from tongue to axle. This combination with moderate speed over the roads along with a very nice ramp to launch and retrieve have given me no problems. I've had the rear wheels wet and on the "green" part of the ramp and hauled out without spining the tires. I would tow to other locations with this combination and would only worry about the condition of an unknown ramp. If I was to go long distance at higher speed I would only add a tranny cooler to the truck. good luck
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Keith Wolfe
I wouldn't want to sit next to you...
I have an O'Day 23 which is almost 3100# plus the dual axle trailer which must be about 1000#. I pulled this combination about 400 miles from Port Huron when I bought the boat using my 1/2 ton, 2 wheel drive, 6 cyl, F150. My maximum speed was 55 mph and several times when I was on rough roads I had the distinct feeling that "the tail was waging the dog". The trailer brakes were dead and I had the standard 3.08 gear in the back of the truck. The truck manual said it, and my instincts told me this was not a safe rig. I could have gone faster and farther if I wanted to but if anything at all were to surprise me, like a flat tire, emergency stop or lane change it could have been ugly. The truck was able to pull the combination up the ramp without wheel spin IF I put extra weight in the back of the bed, but I was concerned about the clutch. I have since put a 3:55 gear in the rear and a positrac to help handle the weight at the ramp and I've upgraded the truck brakes but I won't go on the road again until I get the trailer brakes fixed. I'm still a little over the recommended trailer weight but I'm sure it will be much safer with the trailer brakes and easier on the truck with the better gearing. I recommend you read the manual for your tow vehicle and take note of the maximum trailer specs for the tow vehicle. If your way over the limit you could be heading down the road to trouble. My repairs and upgrades weren't cheap but I had to ask myself how much the health of my family and the other families on the road were worth. If I can't afford to tow the boat safely then I can't afford to tow the boat at all.
I have an O'Day 23 which is almost 3100# plus the dual axle trailer which must be about 1000#. I pulled this combination about 400 miles from Port Huron when I bought the boat using my 1/2 ton, 2 wheel drive, 6 cyl, F150. My maximum speed was 55 mph and several times when I was on rough roads I had the distinct feeling that "the tail was waging the dog". The trailer brakes were dead and I had the standard 3.08 gear in the back of the truck. The truck manual said it, and my instincts told me this was not a safe rig. I could have gone faster and farther if I wanted to but if anything at all were to surprise me, like a flat tire, emergency stop or lane change it could have been ugly. The truck was able to pull the combination up the ramp without wheel spin IF I put extra weight in the back of the bed, but I was concerned about the clutch. I have since put a 3:55 gear in the rear and a positrac to help handle the weight at the ramp and I've upgraded the truck brakes but I won't go on the road again until I get the trailer brakes fixed. I'm still a little over the recommended trailer weight but I'm sure it will be much safer with the trailer brakes and easier on the truck with the better gearing. I recommend you read the manual for your tow vehicle and take note of the maximum trailer specs for the tow vehicle. If your way over the limit you could be heading down the road to trouble. My repairs and upgrades weren't cheap but I had to ask myself how much the health of my family and the other families on the road were worth. If I can't afford to tow the boat safely then I can't afford to tow the boat at all.
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Tom Akin
You are right
Moveing that boat with that truck, was very poor judgement. Had anything gone wrong, anything at all, it would have been a mess. I enjoy adventure, challenges, but I'll never do that again! I only have to move it twice a year. I will rent or borrow a truck with enough capacity to jet the job done.
Moveing that boat with that truck, was very poor judgement. Had anything gone wrong, anything at all, it would have been a mess. I enjoy adventure, challenges, but I'll never do that again! I only have to move it twice a year. I will rent or borrow a truck with enough capacity to jet the job done.
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George Chamberlain
I came across this link in the forum...
...I asked a question along similar lines awhile back, then found this link in the forum archives. It's from an RV dealership, lists many types of vehicles with their towing capacities. Go to the "Tow Guides" link on the website.
...I asked a question along similar lines awhile back, then found this link in the forum archives. It's from an RV dealership, lists many types of vehicles with their towing capacities. Go to the "Tow Guides" link on the website.
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John renfro
tow
hello Tom, don't go into debt ( or blow your life savings ) for a truck. If you can keep your boat in the water, you will do more sailing. Think of the nuisance, moving stored stuff out of the way, hooking up, dragging it somewhere, stepping the mast, waiting in line to launch. And the reverse to get it home after a long day.after a few dozen times the excitement is diminished, ( sigh ), i use a '79 chev pickup with a 350 and automatic trans works well. john
hello Tom, don't go into debt ( or blow your life savings ) for a truck. If you can keep your boat in the water, you will do more sailing. Think of the nuisance, moving stored stuff out of the way, hooking up, dragging it somewhere, stepping the mast, waiting in line to launch. And the reverse to get it home after a long day.after a few dozen times the excitement is diminished, ( sigh ), i use a '79 chev pickup with a 350 and automatic trans works well. john
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tomD
Safety first.
Towing is more than the ability to move the trailer without cooking the transmission. Braking, lanechanging, acceleration, hills are all done in real traffic with real people trusting you are within your limits. I trailer a 2700# Catalina 22 behind a '94 Pathfinder 3.0 V6 and it is exactly at the wall. I can hold highway speed in 5th or 4th gear and that is all. Just got back from a 650 mile each way run with heat in the low 90's and the stick shift was too hot to hang on to. You need a new truck anyways--get one with a sailing future!
Towing is more than the ability to move the trailer without cooking the transmission. Braking, lanechanging, acceleration, hills are all done in real traffic with real people trusting you are within your limits. I trailer a 2700# Catalina 22 behind a '94 Pathfinder 3.0 V6 and it is exactly at the wall. I can hold highway speed in 5th or 4th gear and that is all. Just got back from a 650 mile each way run with heat in the low 90's and the stick shift was too hot to hang on to. You need a new truck anyways--get one with a sailing future!
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