Does Anyone Use Small SUV's to Tow Boat?

[Brett's_daddy]

I have a 2014 Honda CR-V and it's rated for a max towing capacity of 1500lbs. I just wondered if other people out there are towing their boats with smaller SUV's like CR-V's and Rav4's etc.? Do you have any problems with it?

[tiredbobmarley]

I tow my 14 ft alumacraft jon boat with a 4-cyl Mitsubishi outlander.  Probably weighs around 800lbs with boat/motor/trailer/gear.  It doesn't get up very fast but it still gets me to the lake.  Just be easy on that transmission and don't get yourself into any steep/slippery ramps if possible.  Other than that....no big deal.  But I definitely would not want to haul a bigger boat than my jon. 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

All depends on the size of the boat. I towed a 14 jon boat with 88 Escort for 5 years no issues.

[Brett's_daddy]

Well, the biggest boats I'm looking at are 16ft. aluminum boats like Trackers, Lund, Lowe etc. My CR-V is all-wheel drive and not sure if that would help or not?

[tiredbobmarley]

awd will help you to pull the boat up the ramp and I cant see it being a bad thing with a trailer weighing down the rear

 

[FluffChucker]

I tow a 17' fiberglass V-hull w/ a 2013 Ford Escape AWD with the 4cyl turbo. Pulls it like a champ. If I had to guess at loaded weight, I'd say somewhere in the ballpark of 1600lbs. Take that with a grain of salt though, because I really don't know for sure. I believe dry weight of my boat is ~900lbs, plus motor, 3 batteries, trolling motor, gear... etc. 

[Brett's_daddy]

Does 700lbs. sound right to you for a 1986 Lowe 16ft. aluminum boat with a 40hp motor and trailer? That's what the guy selling it says it weighs. I looked on Bass Trackers web site and the smallest boat they sell is the Pro Team 160 and that with trailer and 20hp motor lists at 1450lbs.

[tiredbobmarley]

no way is that only 700lbs.  My trailer alone is 350lbs (had to have it weighed in FL).  And I only have a 14 ft with a 25 hp.  I would assume somewhere around 1000lbs for everything.   Unless newer boats/trailers have the technology to weigh less?

[Robeng]

16 foot Lund with 40hp is 800 dry weight.  Plus steel trailer at 1000 pounds. Tow with Hyundai sante fe rated at 1600 pounds.  Has rating of towing 3500 pounds if trailer has brakes which mine doesnt.  Add in200 pounds of gear for around 2000 lbs.   No issues. 

[Brett's_daddy]

I looked it up and according to NADA the boat itself weighs 484lbs. plus a 35hp Johnson motor and trailer...what do you think we're looking at total?

I have a guy trying to sell me a 14ft. Glasstream fiberglass boat with a 40hp Johnson motor and trailer and he says he thinks the whol package weighs around 800lbs., said that he can easily pick it up and move it by hand in his yard.

[sage]

I pull a 17 1/2 ft aluminum Lowe 170w with my 2009 Honda CR-V with zero issues. Many 100 plus mile trips. 

[desmobob]

I've been pulling a Tracker Pro170/40HP with my Subaru Forester going on three years now.  The Forester is an older one (2009) with a conventional automatic tranny; the new ones have CV transmissions and a lot less towing capacity.  My boat/motor/trailer is right around one ton.  The Subie has no trouble with it.

Tight lines,

Bob

Edit to add: I forgot to mention that my most-used launch is about three miles from my house and the furthest I trailer the boat is an occasional 11-mile run to another nearby lake.

[Further North]

5 hours ago, FluffChucker said:

I tow a 17' fiberglass V-hull w/ a 2013 Ford Escape AWD with the 4cyl turbo. Pulls it like a champ. If I had to guess at loaded weight, I'd say somewhere in the ballpark of 1600lbs. Take that with a grain of salt though, because I really don't know for sure. I believe dry weight of my boat is ~900lbs, plus motor, 3 batteries, trolling motor, gear... etc. 

I tow an '05 Crestliner CMV with the same vehicle...it's probably closer to 2800 lbs. most of the time.  Zero problems.

That said, I wouldn't exceed the Mfr's tow rating, so per the original post; no way I'd go past 1500 lbs...and I'd probably try to stay at least 10% short of the rating.

4 hours ago, Robeng said:

16 foot Lund with 40hp is 800 dry weight.  Plus steel trailer at 1000 pounds. Tow with Hyundai sante fe rated at 1600 pounds.  Has rating of towing 3500 pounds if trailer has brakes which mine doesnt.  Add in200 pounds of gear for around 2000 lbs.   No issues. 

1000 lbs seems heavy for that trailer - the trailer for my 1850 Crestliner is about 800.

[gim]

I would try to stay under 1000 pounds is your using a really small SUV like a CRV, Rav4, etc.  All wheel drive will certainly help going up and down the ramp towing a boat.  Depending on how far you have to go, anything heavier will require your vehicle to "labor" when its towing.  You'll notice that on the fuel gauge!  Simply put, go with a bigger SUV/truck, or pull a smaller boat.  I use a V6 Ford Escape to pull around my Ranger RT178 and it gets the job done but I'd like to have a bigger vehicle to do it.

[Brett's_daddy]

The largest boat I'm looking at would ben 16ft. aluminum. Like i said, that Lowe I'm looking at lists at a dry weight of 484lbs. and I can't expect a 35hp older motor would weigh more than 150lbs. so you're looking at 634lbs. with boat and motor and I'm guessing the trailer probably isn't more than 350lbs. so all totaled that's 984lbs. Am I guesstimating this correctly?

[gim]

Yes that's a fair assessment.

[RFSims]

2016 tracker Pro 160 with a 20 horse motor package weight is 1415 pounds.  Add fuel and fishing gear you are at or above the max towing for the CR-V.  Any boat heavier than this and you will shorten the transmission's and brake systems' life. Personally I would hate to panic stop a CR-V with a 1500 lb rig behind it.

[Allen Der]

you gotta take into account fuel, starting battery, trolling motor batteries, seats, gear and everything else inside the boat.  my 16.5ft lund is about 2,000lbs fully loaded.  i think your best bet is going to be a utility boat or small tiller.

[RFSims]

1 hour ago, Brett's_daddy said:

The largest boat I'm looking at would ben 16ft. aluminum. Like i said, that Lowe I'm looking at lists at a dry weight of 484lbs. and I can't expect a 35hp older motor would weigh more than 150lbs. so you're looking at 634lbs. with boat and motor and I'm guessing the trailer probably isn't more than 350lbs. so all totaled that's 984lbs. Am I guesstimating this correctly?

Trolling Motor, fuel, 2 batteries, fishing gear adds 200-300 lbs? Do you carry fish home in the livewell? 20 gallon livewell adds 160 lbs.

In the mid 80's I had a 1980 Ford F100 with 302 V8/ C4 transmission and I added a transmission cooler. I towed a 23' camper in tandem with a 17' Glasstron bass boat with 115 Merc. The truck did pull the weight and the camper had electric brakes so no problem stopping. The truck did have it's tongue hanging out on long steep hills. However at 80K miles on the odometer I need an engine, transmission, had replaced both front brake calipers and drive shaft ujoints.

I'm probably within 10 years till the end of my fishing career and have done more dumb stuff than I can remember or care to admit in the 46 years of boat ownership. I would not tow any boat larger than a 14' aluminum with a 20 horse motor with a small 4 cylinder SUV. 

[Brett's_daddy]

I'll try to find a 14 - 15ft. boat. I don't want a jon boat...I'd rather fish from shore. If I'm getting a boat it';s going to have decks, side console and a livewell...I'll just try to find something smaller.

[Brett's_daddy]

How about this...

http://nh.craigslist.org/boa/5510986441.html

[ww2farmer]

I pull my Tracker PT170 with a Jeep Cherokee.........it handles it fine. But that's as big a boat as I would feel comfortable towing behind it. 

[RFSims]

7 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

How about this...

http://nh.craigslist.org/boa/5510986441.html

I think the CR-V could handle it just fine. Looks well within a 1500 lb tow rating. Not a bad looking boat either.

[Slade House]

my advice to you is to get a transmission cooler 

 

[Brett's_daddy]

If I am well under my max towing capacity...lets say around 1,100lbs. for the heck of it...why the need for a transmission cooler? Most of my trips would be under a 1 hour drive.