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Towing a Pontoon with SUV

kcman

kcman

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My wife and I have decided to tow our boat to some local lakes next year.  We have our boat at a local marina (which is 2 miles from our house) but we want to take advantage of some other very nice lakes which are within a 50 mile radius of our home.  We would be driving up some hills but the incline is not too steep (up or down) and most of the driving would be highway/country road.  When we purchased the boat we did not get a trailer since our current vehicle is not one that could tow a pontoon boat.  We plan on replacing the vehicle next Spring and are looking at various SUV options.  Two SUV's we are currently looking at are the Toyota Highlander and Ford Explorer.  Both equiped with 3.5L V-6 engines and they are both rated to tow up to 5,000 lbs.  We have a 22 SLX that has a listed hull weight of 2,196 lbs.  With the motor and fuel/gear, I figure the boat weight will be in the 2,700 lbs range.  Not exactly sure what we should figure for the trailer but I was thinking somewhere along the line of about 800 lbs which would bring the total up to about 3,500 lbs.  I am leaning towards getting the AWD option with either vehicle.  Would appreciate some input from others who have had experience towing their pontoon boats with similar size SUV's or anyone who has towed a pontoon boat with a Highlander or Explorer. 
 
5000lb towing rating will pull your 22.  Be very careful on your estimate on weight.  I don't know what motor you have but you have only given 500lbs of extra gear from the weight of the hull.   Fuel is 7lbs per gallon.  A standard 150hp 2 stroke motor is 430lbs.  Batteries are another 30-40lbs each. Any coolers, life vest, towells, tool boxes, ski tow pylons, fenders, etc add up quickly. 

For example, my old 25" wellcraft center console had a "dry weight" of 5000lbs from the manufacture.  150 gallon tank if full was another 1050lbs.  The engines were 800lbs.  8 gallon fresh water tank was another 50lbs.  3 batteries were 150, aluminum trailer was 1000.  And then all the fishing tackle, rods, reels, cushions etc.  Boy was I shocked when it went to  truck scale and topped over 8000lbs.  Where did it all come from?  Anchor with 300' feet of rope and chain another 50lbs.  The list goes on and on.

I tow my 2275 RCW with a Jeep Cherokee which has a max tow of 4500lbs.  While I wouldn't be happy going cross country with it in tow, I am very comfortable and confident for trips around the state of Michigan.  Make sure you either get surge or better yet, electronic brakes and if you do electric, get them on both axles.

A wet steep slippery ramp can be no fun.  Even worse if you hit some small lakes that have dirt ramps.  AWD is great.  Make sure your vehicle has the factory tow package.  Don't just install a hitch and wiring and think you're good to go.  There is a reason why factory tow packages cost money.  Upgraded radiators, trans coolers, oil coolers, lower ring and pinion gears in the differentials.   That may hurt fuel mileage when not towing but your engine will be in its power band while you're boat is following behind you.

Hope this helps

Todd
 
There was a thread about tow vehicles very recently. You may want to search for that - we bantered around some thoughts and beat them pretty hard.

From me...knowing that we typed all of that information recently, I won't bore anyone with the same info twice...

Just a couple of points. Trailers are heavier than you think. If you are going to put miles on the trailer, there are differences between good trailers and trailers that get the job done.

Supporting Todd's post - weight adds up faster than you ever imagine.

And finally - the wind profile of a pontoon boat is something to consider. The shape of the boat at highway speeds on a trailer, make it tow like a much heavier boat.

We tow thousands of miles a year. Totally different rig with completely different needs and requirements...none of which apply to you. But I do have a lot of good and bad experiences on the road that I can share.
 
I TOW WITH AN EXPLORER 4.0 L  IT GETS THE JOB DONE BUT IF YOUR GOING TO DO ANY DISTANCE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE I'D GO TO THE EXPADITION V8. IT'S NOT MUCH BIGGER THAN THE EXPLORER BUT HAS THE PUNCH TO DO A BETTER JOB. I GET 10 MPH TOWING THE BOAT AND 18 AROUND TOWN. HIGHWAY NO BOAT 21 MPH. I HAVE A 20' BENNY AND 4 WHEEL TRAILER. THE BENNY IS LIKE PULLING A BILLBOARD AND THE CAR KNOWS IT'S THERE
 
Why are you yelling?      :p
 
I didn't realize it until I went to the next sentence  Too late to go back and correct it all  Sorry, I hope I didn't hurt your ears. 
 
That's ok, I have tinnitus so it wasn't that loud.     :D
 
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My 24SSL weighs 5100 lbs. I took it to a truck stop and used their scale. That includes trailer, full tank of gas, and all the usual gear.
 
Thanks to all for the good info.  After reading the responses I figure I probably did figure a little low in the weight but figure I still should be at or under 4,000 lbs.   On the motor -- I only have a 25HP so it is only about 200 lbs so the boat comes in around 2,400 lbs.  I figure I am probably somewhere between 3,800 and 4,000 lbs with fuel and gear.  The heaviest part of my gear will probably be the necessary cold ones that come in 12 oz bottles/cans.  If need be, I can always dump the fuel to ensure the important liquid gets on board.  :D   By the way, the vehicle we plan on getting will certainly have a factory installed tow package (upgraded cooling system, etc.).  The trailer I am looking at now is a tandem with 13 inch wheels and brakes.  The price I am getting on this trailer is $2,800 which I assume is a decent price for a quality trailer.  Any input from others on the price of the trailer would be appreciated.  Again, thanks to all for all the great info -- this is a great site.
 
I have no problem pulling mine with a Ram 2500  Quadcab diesel with long bed and 4WD.  It's so easy, my wife can do it. :)
 
Please remember that the 12 ounce vessels are volume not weight.

That is all. ;-)
 
We towed our 22sslx with a gmc Acadia.
 
I have a new Explorer, and the 3.5 V-6 most of them have is pushing 300 horsepower.  It's capable of towing your boat if you get the towing package. 

AWD would also be a worthwhile addition if your boat ramps are steep, mossy, etc.  AWD is a very good option if you live north of Indianapolis.

Pontoon boats are not at all aerodynamic, and they tow heavier than they are.  If you'll be towing in the mountains or really long distances, you might be better with a 1/2 ton pickup truck with more weight and a V-8 or EcoBoost engine.

I probably only tow my boat once or twice per year locally, but even my 3/4 ton diesel pickup knows it's back there. 
 
Hi All,

New to the forum with our new 24SSLX. We bought an'08 Escalade, 6.2L, class V capability for our tow vehicle. We twice encountered a stalling when hot problem after driving and coming to an idle. Would not restart but when it cools after an hour or so would start and run great. Never a problem when not towing. Two dealers cannot find the problem. Escalade forum shows this is an '06-about '08 model problem that GM does not acknowledge.

Question to the forum: What SUV tow vehicles have been performing good for long distance towing? Please reply as we are about ready to dump this one.
 
Our 6L Suburbans have never given me a problem.  2004 and 2009
 
My 2010 Escalade tows great with the 6.2. The Yukon Denali is the same motor, here is a video that shows some towing comparisons in real world, steep grade towing.

They also test a Lexus and an Infinity QX80, which is what I thought would be my next vehicle, but not so sure after watching their reviews.  Granted this is far harsher towing than I would probably ever be doing, but it's worth noting.
 
I would stick with a FULL SIZED SUV WITH the towing package.  Moving here last month I towed my car on a rented car hauler and the total was probably around 6k pounds.  The tow vehicle a 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 with the tow package.  It was great and I got 14 mpg.  Just after that I towed my 2275 RLCP here and only got 11 mpg and I "felt" it back there a LOT more than I did the car.  Supposed weights were similar with the car combo being heavier.  I attribute the lower MPGs and "feelings" to the wind aspect discussed above.  There's no way I'd even consider towing that pontoon with anything less.

If you visit RV forums the first thing they'll tell ya is they take 75% of the MFG tow rating and consider THAT the real maximum safe weight.  Most limits you run across in daily life fine print are padded for safety.  When it comes to vehicle to ratings, this is not the case.  Here it's "who's is bigger" competition between rival automakers who dance on the hairy edge of reality to sell vehicles.  I'm not sure about boats but coming from the RV crowd the lie on that side is the other way . . . the RV trailer manufacturers want their vehicle to seem as light as possible for their marketing purposes.  Put the two together and you have a potentially deadly highway scenario.
 
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