What towing capacity would you need to tow a boat with a listed weight of 7500lbs?

[Alex_c]

Could probably get a few rentals for the cost of one monthly payment for a new 3/4 ton capable of towing 12k lbs over the Coq in the summer

 

[zurk]

about 10,000 lbs tow rating would do it. wet weight on a 7500lb boat is likely 8500-9000 lbs.
hire a commercial truck from a construction rental company if you need it a few times. penske/enterprise/uhaul/driving force. make sure towing is included in your rental contract.

 

[Sir Reel]

I rented a Dodge diesel truck to tow my 2700 SeaSport back to the Okanagan in 2016. It was about 10,000 pounds on a triple axle trailer EOH.
Got the truck in Kelowna and drove down to Vancouver and trailered it back over the Coq. Got a 24 hour weekend rate and think did it for around $200 plus fuel. Truck pulled it easily.

Saw a New Cruiser Yachts 42 footer on the lake the other day. Twin Volvo Diesel IPS drives. Worth about $1.85 Mil new. You can't even get diesel on the lake. Might have to haul it out to fill up.

 

[pescador]

I’ve had a few towable boats and 3 tow vehicles. I’ve made lots of mistakes and learned the hard way after driving the road from Victoria-Campbell River to Gold River 50+ times.

1.0. Figure out total combined weight; boat, motors, fluids, gear and trailer. Usually it’s about 2 x boat dry weight. My 3510 lb Grady 228G dry weight= 7500 lbs total combined weight.

2.0. Buy a tow vehicle with 25% more capacity than total combined weight. My 2013 Suburban 2500 gasser has a 9200 lb tow cap and handles my boat perfectly with a 6.0 L small block.

3.0 Make sure your trailer length from hitch ball to Center of rear axle isn’t more than 2.5 x your tow vehicle wheel base. You need leverage over your trailer and tow vehicle wheelbase is King. Everyone worries about tow weight capacity when this metric is just as critical.

4.0. Small tweaks like weight distribution hitches and ideal tongue weight (10-15% normally) will make things safer and and more pleasant driving experience.

Theres more to it but get this right and the rest will be easy.

 

[Buckethead905]

You guys are just the best...

I don't really want lake adventures. I had a fake wakeboarding boat in my 20s and towed it all over the place looking for party girls. Being that guy at this age, weight, income, marital and family status, would be pretty pathetic lol.

A man that knows his lane… respect.

 

[Aces]

I’ve had a few towable boats and 3 tow vehicles. I’ve made lots of mistakes and learned the hard way after driving the road from Victoria-Campbell River to Gold River 50+ times.

1.0. Figure out total combined weight; boat, motors, fluids, gear and trailer. Usually it’s about 2 x boat dry weight. My 3510 lb Grady 228G dry weight= 7500 lbs total combined weight.

2.0. Buy a tow vehicle with 25% more capacity than total combined weight. My 2013 Suburban 2500 gasser has a 9200 lb tow cap and handles my boat perfectly with a 6.0 L small block.

3.0 Make sure your trailer length from hitch ball to Center of rear axle isn’t more than 2.5 x your tow vehicle wheel base. You need leverage over your trailer and tow vehicle wheelbase is King. Everyone worries about tow weight capacity when this metric is just as critical.

4.0. Small tweaks like weight distribution hitches and ideal tongue weight (10-15% normally) will make things safer and and more pleasant driving experience.

Theres more to it but get this right and the rest will be easy.

3.0 seems to be overlooked by many but is super important. Just because the vehicle has enough power to pull doesn’t mean it can handle turning, absorbing uneven roads or stop quickly

 

[pescador]

3.0 seems to be overlooked by many but is super important. Just because the vehicle has enough power to pull doesn’t mean it can handle turning, absorbing uneven roads or stop quickly

And most importantly “sway”. I can’t count how many times I’ve felt the bow wave of a semi passing me pull my trailer into there lane. It’s a thing and if your wheel base is too short you’ll lose control of your trailer. A longer wheelbase helps you control sway. That and of course riding just the trailers brakes sometimes at high speeds …..which is bit counter intuitive.

 

[Skins88]

We weighed our Grady this summer. Dry weight without motors is listed at 6800lbs. With only a 1/4 tank of fuel, the whole load was just over 11,000lbs. One thing to note, if towing over 10,200 lbs, you need to upgrade your drivers license. I think it's called a heavy trailer endorsement.

 

[salmonkiller01]

I tow my seasport with my ford raptor, my max towing is 7000lb. I am sure I am at 6999lb going to the westcoast. EOH brakes ensures I will stop! Yes the little v-6 has plenty of power but we cruise at or just under the speed limit and give people room. All our cooler ride in the box of the truck. Air bags make a world of difference

 

[ryanb]

My f150 3.5 EcoBoost is a great tow vehicle. It's rated for 11,200 I believe. My boat weighs 6700lbs on the trailer (scaled), and I've towed an 8500lb travel trailer. The 1/2 tons are fine on power, and with good EOH brakes are fine for stopping too. Where you run into problems is hitch weight. A 10,000lb trailer is going to have over 1000lbs sitting on the hitch, and not many 1/2 tons are going to be happy about that.

 

[kaelc]

This!!! I think a lot of loaded boats are double the manufactures dry weight when fully loaded and way more than wet weight.

We weighed our Grady this summer. Dry weight without motors is listed at 6800lbs. With only a 1/4 tank of fuel, the whole load was just over 11,000lbs. One thing to note, if towing over 10,200 lbs, you need to upgrade your drivers license. I think it's called a heavy trailer endorsement.

 

[Pineapple Express]

My f150 3.5 EcoBoost is a great tow vehicle. It's rated for 11,200 I believe. My boat weighs 6700lbs on the trailer (scaled), and I've towed an 8500lb travel trailer. The 1/2 tons are fine on power, and with good EOH brakes are fine for stopping too. Where you run into problems is hitch weight. A 10,000lb trailer is going to have over 1000lbs sitting on the hitch, and not many 1/2 tons are going to be happy about that.

Yes, the allowable payload of a half-ton is going to be maxed out long before the max trailer weight is reached.

Payload for the truck includes:
- passengers
- fuel
- gear
- trailer tongue weight

Note that heavier wheels/tires affect the GCWR of the vehicle (not payload as previously described)

Everybody focuses on the max tow rating because that's what manufacturers broadcast in their marketing for half-tons. But it's the payload that is going to restrict what you can tow (in addition to the other factors listed here - wheelbase length, condition of brakes, etc)

 

[kaelc]

Yes, the allowable payload of a half-ton is going to be maxed out long before the max trailer weight is reached.

Payload for the truck includes:
- passengers
- fuel
- gear
- heavier wheels/tires
- trailer tongue weight

Everybody focuses on the max tow rating because that's what manufacturers broadcast in their marketing for half-tons. But it's the payload that is going to restrict what you can tow (in addition to the other factors listed here - wheelbase length, condition of brakes, etc)

#1 ton or #2500hd for the win.

 

[Irishwolf]

How often do you need to tow? Is renting a truck a reasonable option?

Read the fine print before getting too excited with this one. Enterprise rental won't let you tow with a truck. When I pushed back the guy said all rental companies have the same policy. Don't know how true that is tho.

 

[Sir Reel]

Read the fine print before getting too excited with this one. Enterprise rental won't let you tow with a truck. When I pushed back the guy said all rental companies have the same policy. Don't know how true that is tho.

I didn’t have a problem with renting and towing but this was back in 2016.
Also rented through Budget Truck Rentals

 

[Ringo]

Read the fine print before getting too excited with this one. Enterprise rental won't let you tow with a truck. When I pushed back the guy said all rental companies have the same policy. Don't know how true that is tho.

Not true. I’ve used Budget to tow in the States and here in BC in my truck-less days. For the size that RC is thinking, he’d need to rent from the construction fleet companies and will likely need the special DL for towing the heavy loads.

 

[Irishwolf]

Not true. I’ve used Budget to tow in the States and here in BC in my truck-less days. For the size that RC is thinking, he’d need to rent from the construction fleet companies and will likely need the special DL for towing the heavy loads.

Good to know! I had thought I saw my neighbor tow a small boat with a budget truck but I wasn't sure so didn't want to mention.

 

[Max123]

Lets not forget that even if you can rent the truck, you will need to buy a trailer, maintain/insure the trailer, and pay for somewhere to store it.

Anyway, I thought you were done with the cokeanagan? I don't think Fatsac makes an option that fits a Jeanneau...

 

[wolf]

3.0 seems to be overlooked by many but is super important. Just because the vehicle has enough power to pull doesn’t mean it can handle turning, absorbing uneven roads or stop quickly

Reminds me of the guy who was towing his boat back from renny about 20 plus years ago using truck that was listed to tow 11,000 lbs basically a 1500 towing this (28 foot grady) well he hit that nasty switch back at sombrio YOU al know that one before they fixed the road. he apperantly slammed on the brakes and boat pushing the lil truck sideways back and forth . Bot went up and over the passenger side cab and over the embankment smashing .
It was sitting at sunny shores back on trailer but pretty mangled. I said to the people sitting on picnic table are you ok?? they were still in shock... the driver brushed it off and said they should mark that road better!!!! I said it is it says go slow to 20 km....

Same clown next year brand new boat ran to sooke ... guys at dock said ill go with you to show you the area... I KNOW what im doing well first day out he runs right over jackass rock out of sooke harbour took the leg right off the boat... I looked at te GPS and he didnt even pay attention drove right over it...
Just cause a truck says it can tow it doesnt mean it can you need stopping power and HP to move these boats .. also if DOT pull you over and your whole rig including truck is heavy they will ground you... seen it many a time on guys hunting rigs . also if you dont have 10 ply tires and they stop you they will definalty stop you from carrying on

 

[Rain City]

Lets not forget that even if you can rent the truck, you will need to buy a trailer, maintain/insure the trailer, and pay for somewhere to store it.

Anyway, I thought you were done with the cokeanagan? I don't think Fatsac makes an option that fits a Jeanneau...

haha nooo. It'll always have a place in my heart. I used to own a unit at the Safari Bach in Osoyoos and my dad had a cabin in Canoe right on the water. I always loved having the little bowrider up there but when I sold it and got hard into the ocean life, the enjoyment faded. I think I was just jealous of everyone else that had boats. And now since having little ones around, the smokey summers are an absolute no go for us. Having friends commit to renting a place on the water with a huge dock sounds pretty ideal though.