Boat + trailer weight question

[HATH]

We're looking to get a Honda Pilot here pretty soon, but the only stipulation I had was whatever we got, it had to be able to tow a boat. I don't have a boat yet, but I'm leaning towards say a 19' bayliner with a one axle trailer. What would something like that weigh? Could a Pilot handle it? The rated tow capacity for the Pilot is 3,500 lbs. I'm trying to avoid a great big gas guzzlers like a Seqoia or something like that. What do you recommend/think?
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[WaveWolf]

[#502800]Don't think about towing capacity ........ Think about long steep, wet, or frozen boat ramps ........ Spend some time at Lucerne Marina and watch guys smoke tires on big 4 wheel drive outfits, as they launch, or pickup ......... I don't mean to make you nervous, but towing capacity is only a minor part of the equation .......... I tow an 18 foot bass boat with a 4 wheel drive 2500, and I could probably tow it with my Jeep Liberty, but i'm not sure i would not want to launch it, some places that I have been.[/#502800]
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[WET1]

I think you'd be pushing it very close with that weight. Easy thing to do is go to a couple manufacture's websites of boats you're interested in and look at the specs. They all give you the dry weight of the boat and the trailer weight. You then would need to add a few hundred pounds for average fuel load you'll have and gear.
One thing to consider is that as you get close to the upper end of the max reccomended towing weight you are not only taxing the power train but you'll see people going donw the highway with a boat whipping them all over. This is because the suspension of the tow vehicle is not beefy enough for the job they are doing with it.
I have an 18 foot aluminum Tundra with a dry weight for the boat only of about 1700. I'd imagine a similar size fiberglass boat would be significantly heavier.
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[wiperhunter2]

I know one guy on the site that pulls a boat with a Honda Pilot. He has a 16 ft tracker but it is a wide style so I'm guessing it weights more than most 16 footers. Is the Bayliner fiberglass? If so, that will make it weigh more. I agree with WW, you will likely need a bigger tow vehicle than a Pilot to pull a 19 ft Bayliner, IMO.
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[fishinfool]

+1 I pull my 17' open bow with my 2003 4runner 4.0 liter it pulls it just fine and launches fine. wet weight of 2850 lbs I filled it up and took it to the dump and weighed it on the scale. The whipping action that some people have with there boats is not enough weight and to much weight behind the trailers tires. Find a boat with a good trailer and you wont have that problem no matter how much your taxing your tow vehicle with your trailer.But the bottoming out on every little bump will drive you crazy.
I would go with an aluminum boat in the 16' foot range to tow behind that, you only have a 4 cylinder in that right?
just my opinion.
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[HATH]

Thanks for the info. The boat is fiberglass, and the Pilot is a V6 3.5 Liter, four wheel drive.
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[joshomaru]

Something else to keep in mind, especially with a one axle trailer, is the length of the vehicle. I've heard of guys towing with a jeep and it lifting the front end up.
too bad you don't have one or the other right now to try the other one out with! [:/]
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[Troll]

My 1995 19' Bayliner Capri BR with the 4 cyl Mercruiser weighs in at 3200 empty. Add for 6 or 8 cylinder boat.

I towed it all over with a 3.9 liter V-6, but that was in a Dakota mid size truck, long wheelbase with 3.9 gears in the rear end.

Towing is a tricky thing. If you are not going far or fast you can get away with alot. When it's Sunday evening and your coming down Parleys surrounded by other tired boaters and RV's at 75mph through the S's is no time to be trying to get away with anything.
Then there is the other consideration, braking. A VW Bug will get it rolling, but it will stop about as well as accelerate, not a comfortable feeling to be getting pushed into an intersection with the wife and kids in the car.
I, myself, would want something bigger than a Pilot to tow a boat like that. I considered my Dakota to be the minimum for towing that boat.
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[dubob]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Hath,[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]As far as the Honda line goes, here is a little more information for you. The 2WD Pilot does in fact have a 3,500 tow capability. However, the 4WD models have 4,500. And as has been stated, 4WD is way better at some of the boat launches in our state. And if you want the highest tow rating with a Honda, consider the Ridgeline which has a 5,000 tow rating.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]I have a Ridgeline and pull a Tracker Targa V16 w/ a 75 hp Merc. The package with trailer weighs in at just under 2,500 lbs and the Ridgeline handles it very well. We really love the Ridgeline for long trips and have driven it to the east coast and back several times. Towing the Tracker around Utah is a breeze and getting in and out of any boat launch has never been a problem for me.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]The year before we bought the Ridgeline, I saw a young couple at Pineview's Port Ramp pulling a 21/22 foot Cuddy Cabin boat on a two axle trailer with a Ridgeline. He said it handled it just fine and he didn't feel like he needed anything bigger.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]But if you have your heart set on a Pilot, go with the 4WD model and I'm sure you'll be just fine when you do get your boat. Good luck.[/#800000][/font]
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[HATH]

It looks like the towing capacity also depends on the year, it looks like some of the newest ones are rated at 4,500 lbs, but the older ones at 3,500. We might need to look at something bigger, but with the way gas prices are going up I'm hesitant to buy a big rig.
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[submoa]

I would agree with everyone's comments of going bigger. Gas prices are always cheaper then a wrecked vehicle and hospital bills for your family and the other families if your boat takes over your vehicle. I actually added a second axle with brakes to my single axle trailer. It drives much much better now and the surge brakes are very helpful in UT. I drive a duramax and pull an 18.5 ft glass starcraft. I've had to put it in 4 hi to get traction at lucerne more than once as it's slippery or icy down there during certain months. I also would more than likely not be here as I was coming down the Mtn and some idiot with a travel trailer cut me off where I had to hammer the brakes down hard, if I were in a small vehicle I'm confident that boat would have passed me. It's also one of the things which prompted me to add an axel so it tows easier and has surge brakes.
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[flygoddess]

We had an 18'6" Rinker with a double axle trailer (I would never settle for less on a trailer). I pulled it with a 350 Blazer. That boat did take me for a ride a couple of times.
My cousin is no longer with us from trying to pull too big of boat for his vehicle.

I do agree the trailer is a big KEY to the equation.

I later pulled a 16' Monarch with V6 Nissan Pick-up. As mentioned, a little slipping on the ramps, but was able to top the summit at 60.
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[dubob]

[quote HATH]It looks like the towing capacity also depends on the year, it looks like some of the newest ones are rated at 4,500 lbs, but the older ones at 3,500. We might need to look at something bigger, but with the way gas prices are going up I'm hesitant to buy a big rig.[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]My figures for the Pilot are for the 2011 model year. My 2006 Ridgeline is rated at 5,000. The measured mileage on the Ridgeline sans trailer always runs between 20 and 22 when doing posted speed limits on the Interstates. I can live with that. [][/#800000][/font]
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