chuck21401

Hi,

First thanks to everyone in my quest to find another boat.
The other part of this equation will be an appropriate tow vehicle. I did some searching...but didn't quite find the info I was looking for...what do these boats weigh with trailer, gear and fuel?

272 w/sbc
272 w/bbc
292
311

My plan is to keep the next boat at the marina on a trailer. I just need a truck to drop it in the water. My buddy has big truck that could haul it to the marina at the beginning of the season and them home in the fall. To me it's looking like I'll need at least a 3/4 ton truck? One idea is to replace the wife's Land Rover with a 2500 Avalanche...another is to buy an inexpensive early 90's pickup truck for boat ramp duty.

Chuck

Maritime_Eng

If all you are doing is droping the boat in the water a 1/2 ton truck will pull out any of the boats you have listed including people, gear, fuel ect...... Now if you are going any distance then you would need a 3/4 for the 311 and possibly the 292. I pulled my 311 all over the country with my 3/4 Dodge 4X4.

Hope this helps,
Don

Ted G

IF, and only if you are going to use it for "yard tractor" duty, the Land Rover would work with all of them. Those things pull stumps in 4 low and they are fairly heavy. But you will kill it in short order on the road.

Ted G

As long as it's not a Freelander.


311 fully loaded on trailer = 10,000 or so

chuck21401

Well I was thinking about the Rover to move the boat in the yard. It is a 1999 Discovery II. It's rated for 7500lbs in "LOW" range...and you're right it is heavy. Might be short term solution.

RiverRat311

I agree with Don, I have a 311 (thinking of selling) that I pull with a 1/2 ton Suburban. It tows fine (3.42 rear gear) but I only go a short distance. A friend tows a 32 Hustler with a 1/2 ton Blazer, again a short distance.
Good luck.

Brian

t500hps

I launched and retrieved a 7,500 cruiser with a Jeep Grand Cherokee in the mid 90's. I was only towing a couple 100 yards and it was fine all summer. A 1/2 ton will do that for all the boats mentioned, just don't get out on the open road without a 3/4 for any of those boats.


BTW: A buddy pulled his 10K cruiser (w/ trailer was around 12K) on several 75 mile trips with a Chevy 1/2 ton 4.8L V-8. I gave him chit, but he said he went slow and everything went fine!

Car Biz

272 SBC 9380 with triple axle steel trailer

formula1

I would NOT pull any of those boats with less than a 3/4 ton vehicle. And, just because it says 3/4 ton doesn't mean it's up to the task. You still have to make sure you have the right engine/trans/rear combo. Last, don't forget to make sure the hitch is rated to tow what you are towing, too. A hitch can say it can tow 10k lbs, but only if it is a "weight distributing" setup, which most boat trailers can't have. So really, then, you need a class IV or V to tow 10k+ lbs.

Ya'll might think I'm crazy, but I always try to make sure the setup is up to the task. There is too much at stake.

If you are only towing it around the marina, then, that is one thing. But, you'll get tired of paying marina fuel prices and other incidentals real quick and before you know it, you'll have that rig on the road going somewhere...

chuck21401

Funny that you say that....this may sound crazy...but I've been at the same marina for 30 years (well OK, my parents kept their boat there when I was a kid, and now I keep my boat in the same place) and it's never occurred to me to pull the boat and take it anywhere else. I guess I've been focused on the Ches. Bay for too long.