Hauling your boat

[Malibu88]

Hi I'm a newbie here, about to get on board and finally buy a boat. Buying an AR250. Also looking to buy an SUV to haul it. Currently have a 2016 Sahara Jeep Wrangler.
What does everyone have to pull there boats?

 

[Dave burke]

I have a 212x and pull it with a BMW X5 which is rated for 7200 lbs. it pulls it fine. Not sure I’d want to pull an AR250 though.

Not sure if the exact weight of the boat you’re looking at but with trailer and gear I’d guess you’re 6000 lbs or more. So you’d likely need a full size SUV or a pickup. Based on what I’ve read on this forum for the last 5 years or so, my guess is the majority of people use pickups.

 

[Dennis P]

 

[212s]

Hi I'm a newbie here, about to get on board and finally buy a boat. Buying an AR250. Also looking to buy an SUV to haul it. Currently have a 2016 Sahara Jeep Wrangler.
What does everyone have to pull there boats?

It depends on your needs. If you're just taking it to the ramp or marina a few miles away, anything that can tow 5500 lbs will do (I think your Jeep is rated at 3500?). If you want to tow from California to Nevada, I'd recommend a full size pickup or SUV like the Yukon or similar for the hills. I tow my 212s at 5000 lbs with an SUV with a 5000 lbs towing capacity and it does just fine for going to the lake and back and that's mostly flat terrain. But I wouldn't tow long distances with the SUV.

 

[RightStuff]

My opinion is to not under buy when looking for a tow vehicle.

Yamahas (in general) are lighter than other brands in the same size category so that helps. I started out towing with a GMC Acadia (5500 lb capacity) and moved to a GMC Sierra (9200 lb capacity) and the towing experience was night/day different.

Outside of vehicle tow capacity as compared to the weight of the boat/gear on board/people/gas/etc., but also think about the wheel base length of the tow vehicle. The longer the better help with towing. The theory is the less tail wagging the dog when you have a longer wheel base and provides a smoother tow.

 

[MrBubbaGump]

Another thing to note is if you get in an accident with an overloaded vehicle you insurance doesn't have to cover you.

 

[OB WI]

I would suggest something that can tow at least 8K or more. We have a 2021 AR250 and dry weight on trailer is 5,224. Add basic gear, batteries and a full tank of gas and you’re over 6K without adding coolers, toys, and other stuff. You'll want the extra capacity when fully loaded. Good luck on the search.

 

[BlkGS]

The Durango RT was at one point a popular pick around here for a tow vehicle. The new Grand Cherokee is probably a little nicer option now, but Durango is still a strong competitor. Outside of that, expensive German SUV, fullsize truck, or a fullsize suv... and the domestics are the only fullsizes SUVs worth looking at. Oh and pathfinder, it somehow tows way more than it's class.

Explorer might just sneak you by, but it's really at the ragged edge of capability. We have an expedition and it's 1000x the vehicle that explorer is.

Caveat: This is for newer stuff. If you're willing to go older, the older body on frame SUVs can all handle it. My Trailblazer SS tows almost 7000 pounds. Late 00s Explorers have similar numbers, as do old pathfinders. VW Toaregs tow well too

 

[MrBubbaGump]

I would say the mid size suv's are out I used to pull my SeaDoo 200 with my 2017 Explorer Sport... It had zero issues pulling it, the problem was when you wanted to stop. One day with slick roads I got pushed straight through an intersection. Luckily no one was coming but that was from about 55 mph and I could not stop. I did end up putting slotted and cross drilled rotors and new pads on and didn't have a problem since then. But if you are going for a bigger boat I'd say full size SUV or Pickup.

 

[BlkGS]

I would say the mid size suv's are out I used to pull my SeaDoo 200 with my 2017 Explorer Sport... It had zero issues pulling it, the problem was when you wanted to stop. One day with slick roads I got pushed straight through an intersection. Luckily no one was coming but that was from about 55 mph and I could not stop. I did end up putting slotted and cross drilled rotors and new pads on and didn't have a problem since then. But if you are going for a bigger boat I'd say full size SUV or Pickup.

Does that trailer have trailer brakes? That's pretty scary, but a lot of people will use ceramic pads and then be surprised by poor braking performance.

 

[Ronnie]

I recommend that you check out new or used ford expeditions. The rear wheel drive versions can tow 9,200 lbs and the AWD versions 8,800 lbs. most have 8 seats, some 7. The mileage sucks but that’s pretty much true for all suvs and trucks of this size. The limited versions come with nice additional features like retracting side steps, sun roofs, etc.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Another thing to note is if you get in an accident with an overloaded vehicle you insurance doesn't have to cover you.

Internet rumors. Yet to see a signal instance of this. Not saying it is a good idea.

OP: We have a whole thread on this... 85 pages long lol.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/show-us-your-tow-rigs.4656/page-85#post-636206

 

[ripler]

Hi I'm a newbie here, about to get on board and finally buy a boat. Buying an AR250. Also looking to buy an SUV to haul it. Currently have a 2016 Sahara Jeep Wrangler.
What does everyone have to pull there boats?

Since you have a Wrangler, the only answer to your question is a Gladiator.

 

[BlkGS]

I recommend that you check out new or used ford expeditions. The rear wheel drive versions can tow 9,200 lbs and the AWD versions 8,800 lbs. most have 8 seats, some 7. The mileage sucks but that’s pretty much true for all suvs and trucks of this size. The limited versions come with nice additional features like retracting side steps, sun roofs, etc.

We have an expedition limited stealth and I LOVE it. Plenty of space, really nice inside, all the features one could want except a few things nobody has... Love it. The Ecoboost motor is adequate, plenty of power and efficient (we get like 17 city 20-21 highway at FL speeds), but I do sort of wish it had the 5.0L, but Ford never offered that.

We liked wagoneer a lot, but the 5.7 etorque was supposed to have issues, the Tahoe and Yukon had a very tall hood line that my wife felt she couldn't see past, and all the imports suck in this segment.

Big fans of it and would likely buy another one if we had to, though the wife really loves the wagoneer as time goes on. The hurricane wagoneer L with the carbide pack would be a top contender if we had to replace the expedition.

 

[BlkGS]

Since you have a Wrangler, the only answer to your question is a Gladiator.

Don't gladiators only tow like 5000 pounds or something silly?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Here’s a screen shot from Yamahas website…



With a full tank of fuel sitting on the trailer the boat and trailer weigh 5674#.

Tow ratings include people and cargo-in the vehicle and the hitch weight of the trailer, so depending on how many people are in the tow vehicle, let’s say 4 @ an average weight of 180# each add an additional 720# which brings it up to 6394#. Add in 500# of gear including and ice chest it’s up to 6894#. I’d say you need a tow vehicle with a 7500# tow rating minimum, 8000# would be better as it will provide extra cargo capacity in the tow vehicle for taking a trip, or more people.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Looks like the Ford Expedition is the best choice with its twin turbo 3.5 liter putting out a very respectable 470 ft lbs of torque @2250 rpm and 510 ft lbs in the timberline version, with a 10 speed transmission means that there is a gear that will keep the engine in the fat part of the power band.

You will also want all wheel drive for those boat ramps that are wet and slippery.

Dont skimp on the tow packages, get the best power, engine and transmission cooling packages etc you can get. If you are ever towing with a full load on a hot day you can stick your foot in the fan with AC on full and not have to worry about overheating the engine or transmission.

This is a good overview of all contenders.

https://www.kbb.com/best-cars/best-suvs-for-towing/

 

[ripler]

Don't gladiators only tow like 5000 pounds or something silly?

Depending on how it's equipped it can tow up to 7650lbs, I have the Rubicon and it's rated to tow 7000lbs.

 

[TimW451]

Re: Towing with a Gladiator

https://jetboaters.net/threads/towing-with-a-jeep-gladiator.23586/

 

[BlkGS]

Looks like the Ford Expedition is the best choice with its twin turbo 3.5 liter putting out a very respectable 470 ft lbs of torque @2250 rpm and 510 ft lbs in the timberline version, with a 10 speed transmission means that there is a gear that will keep the engine in the fat part of the power band.

You will also want all wheel drive for those boat ramps that are wet and slippery.

Dont skimp on the tow packages, get the best power, engine and transmission cooling packages etc you can get. If you are ever towing with a full load on a hot day you can stick your foot in the fan with AC on full and not have to worry about overheating the engine or transmission.

This is a good overview of all contenders.

https://www.kbb.com/best-cars/best-suvs-for-towing/

Expedition doesn't offer AWD, only 4x4. It has auto 4wd, which has a little delay in working. You have put it into 4x4 manually though.

All versions of the 3.5L Ecoboost are the same currently. The difference in ho and torque is purely tune. You can buy a tuner from several places that will give you more power than the raptor if needed. 500 crank HP out of just a tune is pretty easy, and "safe".