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

[Samnjoe]

New Ecoboost F150 rated at 14000 pound towing.
My boat is 5500 pounds dry including motor. Weighed at the scales at 8700 including gear and 80 gallons fuel (1/2 tank) and 30 gallons fresh water water. I tow with an F250 gas. No problem. My sons Ecoboost tows it much better than my truck.

 

[Pineapple Express]

New Ecoboost F150 rated at 14000 pound towing.
My boat is 5500 pounds dry including motor. Weighed at the scales at 8700 including gear and 80 gallons fuel (1/2 tank) and 30 gallons fresh water water. I tow with an F250 gas. No problem. My sons Ecoboost tows it much better than my truck.

Not quite...

Maximum rating is 13,500lbs trailer if you've got the 157" wheelbase truck, 3.5L ecoboost with the tow/haul package AND the max towing axle. Look here:

https://www.vdm.ford.com/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/towing/pdf/2024-Ford-F-150-Towing-Guide.pdf

 

[JWS]

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.

What enterprise? I’ve dealt with them before (Nanaimo) and they were fine with towing, an extra $25/day charge.

 

[Max123]

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.

Our family has a cabin on the lake on the US side (Oroville). Definitely hear you on the smoke (and actual fire risk). We've found its hard to get friends with kids to come up now - the 4-5hr drive is bad enough, and then everyone is super sensitive to the fire risk and potential poor air quality. That said, my son loves the warm lake water, tubing, kneeboarding and (hopefully one day) slalom skiing. We've got an old Mastercraft (old school slalom boat, zero wake), and its phenomenal - I shake my fist at every wakesurf boat ruining my glassy smooth lake. If you are heading up to the okanagan, best bet is just to rent a boat - I know its pricey - but its the right tool for the job.

This summer was amazing - very few smokey days and no notable fires in the Osoyoos area. The best part of the Okanagan is May/June & Sept/October anyway.

 

[Rain City]

Our family has a cabin on the lake on the US side (Oroville). Definitely hear you on the smoke (and actual fire risk). We've found its hard to get friends with kids to come up now - the 4-5hr drive is bad enough, and then everyone is super sensitive to the fire risk and potential poor air quality. That said, my son loves the warm lake water, tubing, kneeboarding and (hopefully one day) slalom skiing. We've got an old Mastercraft (old school slalom boat, zero wake), and its phenomenal - I shake my fist at every wakesurf boat ruining my glassy smooth lake. If you are heading up to the okanagan, best bet is just to rent a boat - I know its pricey - but its the right tool for the job.

This summer was amazing - very few smokey days and no notable fires in the Osoyoos area. The best part of the Okanagan is May/June & Sept/October anyway.

I agree! Shoulder season is so much more relaxing.

 

[Irishwolf]

What enterprise? I’ve dealt with them before (Nanaimo) and they were fine with towing, an extra $25/day charge.

Victoria Cruise Port at government and Bay in Victoria. Rented a Ram 1500 from them just about 2 years ago. Perhaps policy has changed since then which would be great.

 

[Samnjoe]

Not quite...

Maximum rating is 13,500lbs trailer if you've got the 157" wheelbase truck, 3.5L ecoboost with the tow/haul package AND the max towing axle. Look here:

https://www.vdm.ford.com/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/towing/pdf/2024-Ford-F-150-Towing-Guide.pdf

Yes I stand corrected. 500 pounds less. Still amazing for a 1/2 ton. Brakes on trucks are way better these days with disc's all 4 wheels. My boat at 8700 pounds on the tailer is fine with newer 1/2 tons.
Towing with a one ton won't save anyone from driving like a fool.

 

[Tips Up]

If you are pushing limits you are not only putting yourself at risk but everyone else on the road. Best to rent or pay for the service.

 

[turbomack]

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

All good until your insurance company is trying to weasel out of the deal after an incident.

 

[salmonkiller01]

All good until your insurance company is trying to weasel out of the deal after an incident.

I know but 100k plus for a new diesel 1 ton

 

[Flounder_pounder]

I’ve had good luck with older 6.0L gas chevys 2500HD or 3500. Own a 2012 & 14 with my company. Rated for ~13000#. Good payload and Brakes are solid. Little gutless pulling steep grades if you’re used to a diesel but they’re cheap to buy and bullet proof. Horrible on gas, but pretty ideal for a toy hauler if you’ve got something else to daily.

 

[tubber]

No smoke this year. No crab, prawns or halibut either. Fisher dude has the trout figured out, but I don't try on the big lake.
Brew pubs, wineries, sitting on docks watching kids is better than boating here.

 

[Eden Island]

I’ve had good luck with older 6.0L gas chevys 2500HD or 3500. Own a 2012 & 14 with my company. Rated for ~13000#. Good payload and Brakes are solid. Little gutless pulling steep grades if you’re used to a diesel but they’re cheap to buy and bullet proof. Horrible on gas, but pretty ideal for a toy hauler if you’ve got something else to daily.

I bought a 2001 Dodge 2500 Cummins 6 spd in 2010 -- with 110k on it for $15K -- 13,000 lbs towing capacity. Other than normal maintenance, its needed nothing, and tows my 7700 lbs Hourston and trailer with no fuss. At 290k it goes up more hills in 5th than it used to, but it got me from Victoria to McNeill 4 times this summer. 2 more years and I can put it on collector plates and insure it for $300 a year!

During the 14 years I've had it, my BIL has spent $200K on new Ford diesels. Hmmm.

 

[Alex_c]

I bought a 2001 Dodge 2500 Cummins 6 spd in 2010 -- with 110k on it for $15K -- 13,000 lbs towing capacity. Other than normal maintenance, its needed nothing, and tows my 7700 lbs Hourston and trailer with no fuss. At 290k it goes up more hills in 5th than it used to, but it got me from Victoria to McNeill 4 times this summer. 2 more years and I can put it on collector plates and insure it for $300 a year!

During the 14 years I've had it, my BIL has spent $200K on new Ford diesels. Hmmm.

When I get a bigger boat, the Ford (currently has a 351 Windsor) is getting a 5.9 Cummins stuffed in it. Will cost $10-15k to do it right, but I’ll still be $75-80k ahead of a new diesel.

 

[Flounder_pounder]

I bought a 2001 Dodge 2500 Cummins 6 spd in 2010 -- with 110k on it for $15K -- 13,000 lbs towing capacity. Other than normal maintenance, its needed nothing, and tows my 7700 lbs Hourston and trailer with no fuss. At 290k it goes up more hills in 5th than it used to, but it got me from Victoria to McNeill 4 times this summer. 2 more years and I can put it on collector plates and insure it for $300 a year!

During the 14 years I've had it, my BIL has spent $200K on new Ford diesels. Hmmm.

Nothing beats the rumble of that straight 6. My 6.7L has 460k… finally rebuilt the tranny at 450…

 

[sly_karma]

No smoke this year. No crab, prawns or halibut either. Fisher dude has the trout figured out, but I don't try on the big lake.
Brew pubs, wineries, sitting on docks watching kids is better than boating here.

Yeah, I'm the same. My boat gets 80% of its annual hours down at the coast. The one important Okanagan outing is to take Mrs Sly for a nice boat ride that includes lunch and a glass of wine. Important becuase it renews the boat's social licence for another year.

 

[gksea]

To be safe and minimize sway you need 10-15% of the boat/trailer weight on the hitch. If your boat is 10,000 lbs that is around 1,200 lbs tongue weight, add on the weight of passengers, anything in the back of the truck and you are at or over 2,000 lbs. Few half tons have a payload that can accommodate this. We just got back from towing a 6500 lb trailer over the Okanagan Connector with a V8 half ton and 1700 lb payload and it is just enough truck to do it safely.

 

[Buckethead905]

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)

Wheels and tires will affect your towing weight as the rotating mass will affect HP and braking. They will not however affect payload, they’re touching the ground and anything payload related sits above the front and rear axle. The only thing would be the load range on the tires that would affect payload rating.

 

[Pineapple Express]

Wheels and tires will affect your towing weight as the rotating mass will affect HP and braking. They will not however affect payload, they’re touching the ground and anything payload related sits above the front and rear axle. The only thing would be the load range on the tires that would affect payload rating.

Yes, I stand corrected. The heavier wheels/tires do affect the GCWR but not the payload. And yes, your tires need to have a suitable weight rating for the axle loads being applied.

 

[Keith Brown]

Nothing beats the rumble of that straight 6. My 6.7L has 460k… finally rebuilt the tranny at 450…

Bought a 2005 Duramax new in 2004. Put 718,000 Km on it, lots of trailer miles to. Besides the warranty Injectors at 85,000km it had an alternator, water pump, one set of brakes and a set of Rims (they knife edged). In 05 it had no EGR from the factory