[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Boat Towing Question (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/20/2015 2:11:33 PM EDT
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I bought a boat. A Pursuit 2550 WA. Yeah yeah, I know but Im happy.
Anyway. I have a 09 Sierra with the tow package, 3:73 gears Max towing capacity is listed in the owners manual as 7000lbs. The boat is 3300lbs dry, the twin outboards are 470lbs each and the trailer is an aluminum frame at 1500lbs with twin axles and surge brakes. I figure another 500lbs for miscellaneous gear. That's about 6300lbs. What say you? I have a 200 mile tow up I95. |
| I am debating a slip for the season also or parking in a dry lot at a marina and trailering in and out for the weekends, not really interested in scraping barnacles off every winter. The bottom is painted but I know that very crustacean in the water will still make their home. Taking it in an out isnt a long tow, a couple hundred yards at worst but just trying to figure the logistics. I have towed two tons of lime on a trailer with no brakes and another ton in the bed several times. Didnt really have a tough time with that. I know, apples and oranges. |
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Don't try to guess, manufacturer's listed weights can be WAY off on boats and trailers. Load it up and take it to your local scale. Remember, gear added to the tow vehicle counts too. Yep, add in water in tank, fuel, t-top, electronics. You are going to be pushing it, hope it's flat ground. Test the surge brakes, and hook up the breakaway cable. |
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I bought a boat. A Pursuit 2550 WA. Yeah yeah, I know but Im happy. Anyway. I have a 09 Sierra with the tow package, 3:73 gears Max towing capacity is listed in the owners manual as 7000lbs. The boat is 3300lbs dry, the twin outboards are 470lbs each and the trailer is an aluminum frame at 1500lbs with twin axles and surge brakes. I figure another 500lbs for miscellaneous gear. That's about 6300lbs. What say you? I have a 200 mile tow up I95. Make sure that's correct. I have a 2500 HD that's listed as 9100 in the owner's manual, but it's actually 10500 
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I don't see any reason to worry.. Don't be in a hurry. Neighbor has a 26' CC don't recall the make, similar to a Sailfish 2660 with twin 250 Yamaha on it, he took up to Lake Ontario this past spring with his Tundra. That is normally about 3-1/2 hours, he did it in about 5hrs with the boat. Like others said, brakes are a must. enough weight on the ass of the truck is imperative. If we want to go about planning wight to the pound, I have a 2door Jeep JK 6sp with a 2000lb tow rating and a 17' bass boat. Most of the lakes I go to are 30m to 2hrs from here  |
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You should be ok but you have a 7 year old truck.
Make sure the tires are ok and at least the capacity of the factory tires . Air them up at least to the max on the doorjamb or higher but never exceed the sidewall max. Make sure the trailer tires are aired up also. Service the trailer bearings before the trip . Check all the fluids in the truck along with the belts and hoses . If the belts and hoses are the 7 year old factory originals it might be best to swap them out before the trip. Boat U.S. used to have a add on insurance rider to cover trailers , if your rig craps out on the highway the tow could be super expensive. Lots of rigs out there running on a wing and a prayer but I always found piece of mind to prep a bit and have stuff up to snuff . It is supposed to be pleasure boating! |
| Desert-bound boater here. I tow my boat dry many miles more than she travels wet. Before you hit the road with a new boat trailer, make sure you have one spare for each axle on your trailer. Also if your spares are trailer mounted, make sure you can get them off with the boat on the trailer. Lots of slick factory trailers have the spares located (and air-wrenched on) before the boat goes on the trailer. It takes a handyman jack, smashed knuckles and much blue language to remove the spares when you run into stuff like a loose batch of 1' construction staples out in the middle of nowhere. |
| what year pursuit? boats are way heavier than what the manufacture lists loaded with gear, fuel an water. My 27 carrera with twin 200 hpdis was put on a 7000 trailer and it went 158 miles before wiping out the bearings. they had to put it on a trailer with twin 6000 pound axles, with electric hydraulic brakes. |
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You should be ok but you have a 7 year old truck. Make sure the tires are ok and at least the capacity of the factory tires . Air them up at least to the max on the doorjamb or higher but never exceed the sidewall max. Make sure the trailer tires are aired up also. Service the trailer bearings before the trip . Check all the fluids in the truck along with the belts and hoses . If the belts and hoses are the 7 year old factory originals it might be best to swap them out before the trip. Boat U.S. used to have a add on insurance rider to cover trailers , if your rig craps out on the highway the tow could be super expensive. Lots of rigs out there running on a wing and a prayer but I always found piece of mind to prep a bit and have stuff up to snuff . It is supposed to be pleasure boating! My truck is low mileage (70k) has brand new tires, brakes are less than a year old and have plenty of pad. I keep all the fluids and periodic maintenance on schedule. Have the spares for each axle. Will be adding the boat to my insurance before I take it anywhere. The trip will be from the DC area to Manasquan NJ. Hoping there is an epic striper run this spring. The fall has been incredible with the warm weather and The lat time the bass hung around so late, the following spring was unreal. |
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Most boats are surge brakes. Quoted:
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Get a brake controller for your truck. Hopefully this doesn't need to be mentioned. Most boats are surge brakes. If he has surge brakes then he doesn't need anything in the truck. The surge brakes are automatic, provided they are functional. OP if I were you I wouldn't run 65-70 like the speed limits say. At that speed you can start fish tailing fast, in fact I would stick to surface roads if practical. |
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If he has surge brakes then he doesn't need anything in the truck. The surge brakes are automatic, provided they are functional. OP if I were you I wouldn't run 65-70 like the speed limits say. At that speed you can start fish tailing fast, in fact I would stick to surface roads if practical. Quoted:
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Get a brake controller for your truck. Hopefully this doesn't need to be mentioned. Most boats are surge brakes. If he has surge brakes then he doesn't need anything in the truck. The surge brakes are automatic, provided they are functional. OP if I were you I wouldn't run 65-70 like the speed limits say. At that speed you can start fish tailing fast, in fact I would stick to surface roads if practical. I would keep it well blow that. Its all level roads. |
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I would keep it well blow that. Its all level roads. Quoted:
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Get a brake controller for your truck. Hopefully this doesn't need to be mentioned. Most boats are surge brakes. If he has surge brakes then he doesn't need anything in the truck. The surge brakes are automatic, provided they are functional. OP if I were you I wouldn't run 65-70 like the speed limits say. At that speed you can start fish tailing fast, in fact I would stick to surface roads if practical. I would keep it well blow that. Its all level roads. Wet roads might be a big issue stopping. Dry roads you should be gtg. |
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Hit up the nearest truckstop and hit the scale. It can be the best 10.50 you have spent. As long as you park on the scale correctly you will get a break down of weight for each axle. You can then verify you aren't overloading the truck or trailer by axle. The truck should have a plate in the driver door jamb for the towing capacity. My 13 3500 Silverado did. |
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Play with the hitch height until the trailer rides level when hooked up to the truck. This keeps the trailer from swaying or bucking up and down on the road.
Keep trailer tire air pressure topped off. Soft trailer tires heat up and explode at highway speed due to excessive sidewall flex and heat. The condition of the trailer hubs? Want to make sure the hubs are up to snuff always. Check the brake system. Open up the master cylinder and make sure it's got fluid and not empty / not working because a hard brake line rusted through. |
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Looking around the web, it seems I will be okay as long as I dont drive stupidly and monitor the transmission temps and mind my speed. Crazy how I see guys with 30' boats on an F150 or Sierra 1500 doing 75mph down the road. Crazy.
My father was the king of hauling boat trailers and RV's He had a 36' fifth wheel he towed all over the country after he retired but he had an F350 duelly 7.3 on an 8' bed wth a quad cab Super Duty with every option in the book. |
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Hydraulic inertia brake built into the tongue hitch. Quoted:
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Get a brake controller for your truck. Hopefully this doesn't need to be mentioned. Hydraulic inertia brake built into the tongue hitch. Lol @ Dougherty. Ever trip over your own dick so hard it goes up your ass? That comment approached that level. "I dont know shit about this topic in reality, but in my mind Im a towing spec guru, and Ima gonna chime all up in herrrr with mah knowledge" ETA: I would already have towed it, and would be sitting in a chair looking at my new boat at its new location, and thinking, GM builds a pretty damn good rig. Today was a good day. |
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your only fun will be at the slimy boat ramps .....
I have the 07 Sierra 1500 6.0L 4x4. I traded away my v6 tundra to tow my new old boat. 26' with 454 I/O. No Problems with the heavy hills around my area. I'm in the same weight arena as you.... @ 6500lbs I just take it real easy on the heavy ascents and watch the transmission temp...I think 229 has been my highest so far... (heavy climb in 100degree weather) you'll need to drive for the tow...and not like yer late for work in the morning. oh, what's that? my boat? oh sure here it is :
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Lol @ Dougherty. Ever trip over your own dick so hard it goes up your ass? That comment approached that level. "I dont know shit about this topic in reality, but in my mind Im a towing spec guru, and Ima gonna chime all up in herrrr with mah knowledge" ETA: I would already have towed it, and would be sitting in a chair looking at my new boat at its new location, and thinking, GM builds a pretty damn good rig. Today was a good day. Quoted:
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Get a brake controller for your truck. Hopefully this doesn't need to be mentioned. Hydraulic inertia brake built into the tongue hitch. Lol @ Dougherty. Ever trip over your own dick so hard it goes up your ass? That comment approached that level. "I dont know shit about this topic in reality, but in my mind Im a towing spec guru, and Ima gonna chime all up in herrrr with mah knowledge" ETA: I would already have towed it, and would be sitting in a chair looking at my new boat at its new location, and thinking, GM builds a pretty damn good rig. Today was a good day. Winter sucks when you want to go fishing. At least for me. |
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I'd be more concerned with the tongue weight. .............snip...................... . This......... You will most likely run out of payload with the truck (see tire loading placard in the driver's door jamb which states payload) well before you reach that magical "towing limit".
i.e. - the tongue weight of the trailer is a deduct from the stated truck payload. But, usually with a boat / trailer, a lot of the weight is far back (engine(s)) and the axles of a boat trailer are set further back which is good for towing stability..............which also equates (usually) to a lighter tongue weight (though too light is BAD) . Boats are also usually more "aero" than a box / travel trailer as well. Don't guess - hit the CAT scales - and do the truck with no trailer attached on a separate pass. Verify all axles are within ratings (though your payload sticker will be less than the sum of the F&R axle ratings) and make sure your front axle is not unloaded with the trailer attached. Regarding the front axle with trailer attached - see your truck owner's manual - some call for a measurement approach (tape measure). But again - Hit the scales! |
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Lol @ Dougherty. Ever trip over your own dick so hard it goes up your ass? That comment approached that level. "I dont know shit about this topic in reality, but in my mind Im a towing spec guru, and Ima gonna chime all up in herrrr with mah knowledge" ETA: I would already have towed it, and would be sitting in a chair looking at my new boat at its new location, and thinking, GM builds a pretty damn good rig. Today was a good day. Quoted:
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Get a brake controller for your truck. Hopefully this doesn't need to be mentioned. Hydraulic inertia brake built into the tongue hitch. Lol @ Dougherty. Ever trip over your own dick so hard it goes up your ass? That comment approached that level. "I dont know shit about this topic in reality, but in my mind Im a towing spec guru, and Ima gonna chime all up in herrrr with mah knowledge" ETA: I would already have towed it, and would be sitting in a chair looking at my new boat at its new location, and thinking, GM builds a pretty damn good rig. Today was a good day. That's a little harsh There are electric over hydraulic setups out there that require a brake controller. They have benefits and are becoming more common |
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Keep an eye on your transmission temperature. The lower the better, but if it nears 240* you're nearing the smoke point for the fluid. 2,000 miles of total towing is my cue to flush my transmission and change the filter. +1 I'm not rereading the thread to seeif it was mentioned but turn off the overdrive. That is the whole purpose of that switch. |