What Size Truck Do I Need??

[Juan Grande]

I'm looking at getting a 16-17 foot fishing boat (Crestliner Fishhawk or Lund Explorer) with maybe a 80 or 90 horse motor. Before I get that I need to get something to pull it with. Just wondering how much truck/suv I'd need to comfortably pull and launch a boat of this size?

What towing capacity should I look for? I guess I don't really need a full size truck so I'm looking at mid sized SUVs. Would a Ford Explorer work?

Any advice would be appreciated.

John

[gunflint]

Get the biggest truck you can afford. I've never herd anyone say "I wish I had a smaller truck"

[Paul Waldowski]

John,

A Ford Explorer will work just fine. If you can finangle it at all make sure that it has the towing package. I have the equivalent boat in my Lund and have over $55,000 miles on the trailer towing it behind a Dodge Durango.

No!!!! I don't have a Hemi

[Jeremy airjer W]

For comparisson, I pull an 18 ft lund with my Toyota Tacoma. It has the big 2.7 litre 4 cylinder and a five speed manuel transmission. The boat and trailer is about half of the towing capacity of the truck. I can barely tell its behind me and the 19 mpg when towing doesn't hurt either . the only problem I have is there isn't a hole lot of room for the wife and two kids. HMMMMM I think that a new 4 door Tundra Might do the trick!!

[fishlakeman]

I tow my 18 ft explorer with a 150 behind a 99' explorer with a 4.0 V6. I takes a while to get up to speed, and your gas mileage is terrible. I normally get 19-20mpg freeway, but towing that with overdrive off doing 70-75, I get 13 mpg. It's fine for towing short trips, but if your planning to take it on frequent longer trips (100+ miles) it's not the greatest. I'd highly reccomend going with something more powerful. An explorer with a V8 I would think would work well, as the breaking with my explorer is great, which is half the battle of towing.

[upnorth]

I have a 17 foot Crestliner deep V with a 70 on the back and towed it with a Ford Ranger with the 4.0 a towing package and 4.10 gears. Towed great, barely new it was there. Just got a new F150 and that tows even better

The one problem with larger boat and smaller tow vehicle is that when you look in your mirrors all you see is boat, you can't see cars etc behind the boat. That kinda sucks

[Doonbuggy]

Juan - Great minds think alike. I have a '99 Explorer with the 4.0 SOHC V6 and it is a good tow vehicle. Some more hp and torque would be even better, but it definitely gets the job done. Be sure to avoid the 4.0 OHV V6 - that's only 160hp and is a total dog.

With gas prices what they are, you might want to think heavily on getting a V8 - thirstier and a bit more on the insurance side as well.

Also - I too am looking at the fish hawks, love the lay out and a bit cheaper than the Lunds I believe. Maybe we go to the same dealer and tell them they'll either sell two boats to us or none and get the "package" discount!

I looked at the '04 Fish Hawk that Shane is selling on this HSOforum and that is a great deal on that boat. Note, too, that the '06 fish hawks are 4" longer and 4" wider than the '05s and they'll cost more too - cost of materials are going up. Plus it's next to impossible to get anything other than a Merc for '06.

DB

[luckey]

I have a 94 explorer and would not recommend it for towing a boat. I had a hard time towing two snowmobiles. I was lucky to get to 55 mph if I was going into a head wind and probably got about 10 mpg. This has the 4.0 six cylinder. On the other hand, by itself it isn't too bad, just don't put a trailer on it.

[Juan Grande]

Quote:

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Get the biggest truck you can afford. I've never herd anyone say "I wish I had a smaller truck"

---

Gunflint,

I'm sure some with full size pick ups wish they had a smaller truck every time they fill up at $2.40 a gallon. I have an Accord and Civic right now and don't pay over $23 to fill either. I just can't imagine paying $50-60 every time I need gas.

Sounds like mixed reviews on the Explorer and its ability to tow. I used to have a 2001 Ranger 4.0 and I really liked it except for the fact that it got about 16 MPG on the highway without pulling anything. I didn't really expect good mileage, but I could probably beat 16 with an F150 or Silverado.

[Juan Grande]

Doonbuggy,

I like the "package" idea. We could meet up at the boat show and negotiate as a pair.

Could we still buy the leftover 05's in 06?

[ChuckN]

I had a '92 Ranger 4.0 V6 for years and pulled an Alumacraft Tournament Pro 170 w/ 115hp motor. That truck pulled that boat around just fine, it may have been sluggish at times, but it did the job. 16 mpg towing that boat, 20 mpg highway empty.

I have an '93 Explorer now with the same 4.0L motor. I pulled a friend's 16 Alumacraft w/ 75 hp just fine last summer. I usually don't tow anything heavy (mostly a 12' boat a few times a year) with it. I'm actually about to put it up for sale here on FM soon. 19 mpg highway consistently. If you want a cheaper tow vehicle watch for it to go up for sale.

(I've also driven the newer Rangers and the gas mileage was terrible! I don't know why my older Fords got better mileage??)

[Doonbuggy]

Juan - Lots of great choices on a tow vehicle. (used/new Nissan Pathfinder is an example). Best vehicle for the money is a slightly used '05 Explorer XLT. Stickers for $30-34k new and they are already selling for $17k in the paper with only 10,000 miles on them.

As for the boat, I am looking to buy this month. I made a number of calls to dealers yesterday (metro and outstate) and there is quite a bit of inventory, depending on what you are looking for. For me, I have no problem going to Grand Rapids or Marshall to find the boat I'll have for the next ten years. I expect, though, that I'll buy somewhere in the metro.

I have to get some things lined up before I am ready to go in and buy seriously, but salesmen have got to like selling two boats at once!

DB

[huntingislife]

I have a 2001 Mazda B3000 4x4 w/ 3.0 L and 5 spd. manual. I get 20 mpg going 75-85 empty and 15 mpg going 65-75 pulling our 16ft boat. I pulled a 19ft Pro-V last weekend and you had to put a little foot into it but it did alright and got about 13 mpg. You probably want to get something bigger but I thought I'd give you an example on the low side.

[hoggs222]

I pull my 17.5' lund w/115 with a Jeep Gr.Cherokee Laredo V8. Does the job, just fine.

[nthomps66]

I have a Fishhawk 1750 with a 90 hp motor that I was pulling with an '01 GMC Jimmy with a V6. It just wasn't enough vehicle to make me feel safe in regards to control and stopping ability. Acceleration was terrible too as far as passing or getting onto the freeway.

I traded the Jimmy in on a new F150 a couple weeks ago and the difference is amazing. The boat feels like a canoe behind me now instead of a yacht.

[Ole #1]

The new F-150 is a great truck, I love mine.

[Juan Grande]

Doonbuggy,

I've noticed that the market is flooded with used Explorers. That's why we're considering one because you can get one that's got 10K miles on it for almost 10,000 off the original sticker price.

There are very few used Tacomas/Tundras out there and the ones you do find want $20,000+ for a vehicle with 60,000 miles on it. I know they last longer, but still...

We've considered an F150 or Silverado, but the problem with that is the wife is claiming the truck (except for when I fish) and she wants something she can put kids in and out of easily. Adding the crew cab cuts down your selection of used vehicles and adds at least a few thousand to the price.

[bucketmouth64]

I have a '98 Explorer V-8. Not a problem with towing. Better to have too much power. My tranny guy says that the V-8 is a good tow vehicle. Not as many problems with it like the v-6. Just service the tranny and transfer case each year if you do lots of towing.

[fish2live]

no you can't beat 16 with a f150 i have a 05 and the best i have gotten is a lottle over 15 and when towing it is between 13-14 but, i love it it has all the room i need oh ya get the extended cab or crew if you can afford it you'll love the extra room. and opt for the bigger motor if you get a ford get the 5.7, i hear that the silveraldo's get a little better gas millage than the fords. if your worried about gas millage don't get the titan my buddy only gets 12mph and around 7 when towing his enclosed trailer hope this helps

[fish2live]

no you can't beat 16 with a f150 i have a 05 and the best i have gotten is a lottle over 15 and when towing it is between 13-14 but, i love it it has all the room i need oh ya get the extended cab or crew if you can afford it you'll love the extra room. and opt for the bigger motor if you get a ford get the 5.7, i hear that the silveraldo's get a little better gas millage than the fords. if your worried about gas millage don't get the titan my buddy only gets 12mph and around 7 when towing his enclosed trailer hope this helps

[Captain B.R.K]

ALSO factor in an increase for insurance premiums on a SUV or pick-up truck. My brother told me what he was paying for his house, and 2 cars( 1 that was 100% insured) insurance and I pay all that in one truck right now!

Pretty sick but it's reality........food for thought!

[JohnMickish]

I have a similar boat and used to pull it with a 2000 GMC Jimmy with the 4.3 liter. No problem pulling it, I just couldn't stop it. One set of rotors a year gets spendy. That is a problem with smaller vehicles, they have smaller brakes. I now use a full size Dodge, the MPG isn't as good but I can pull it up anything and stop when I need to.

[RobertELee]

You should seriously look at the chevy colorado with the inline 5 cylinder i've got one and its the best truck I have ever driven. It generates 220 hp and getting 18-19 mpg. If you get the regular cab or extended cab it would be even better on gas mileage, ive got the crew cab model and i love it.

[Jeremy airjer W]

mnfishinguy, Thats the problem with smaller "DOMESTIC VEHICLES". The Tacoma comes with large meaty rotors and four piston calipers and the rear drums are equally large. I would bet that it has better stopping ability than most full size trucks! Remember the Tacoma may be small but its still considered a half ton truck. Same with its SUV brother the 4Runner.

[upnorth]

If you are only getting 16 with a new F150 you should probably look at you driving habits. I get over 18 with my 05 F150 Supercab 4X4 and around 15 when towing with OD off.

[rundrave]

I have to give another vote for the Toyota Tacoma. I have one myself, and yeah it wont pull the big boats, but I have the 2.7L 4-banger and the thing is absolutely bullet proof. I drive my trucks hard, and the tacoma has held up to everything. Plus you cant go wrong with a 4x4 truck that gets 23-24 mpg going down the interstate, and around 20mpg in town. Thats why I didnt go with a large V8, with gas going up I dont want to pay anymore than I what I need, and its just not pratical for me to need a full size truck, and I still have plenty of room with the extended cab Tacoma.

I dont understand why people complain about the price of Toyota's. They hold their value just like a honda car does, and their reliability cannot be beat. The reason they are hard to find is that people buy them and dont get rid of them because they are great trucks.

They also offer features that others trucks dont like a limited slip locking rear differential, and I had a tough time finding a 5spd instead of an Automatic. When I bought mine, brand new, I also test drove the frontier, ranger, colorado's, explorer sport track and others. And overall the Toyota hands down is a better truck for what I use it for.

Some people dont like the way they ride, but its a truck not a car, and its stiff suspension was built for 4x4 driving.

Lastly some people frown that the Tacoma is not a domestic vehicle, but its actually made in the USA.

Just thought I would share my imput, good luck with the search.