Big boat little truck

[barnyard]

And for crying out loud, use your flippin turn signals and do not forget to pretrip your vehicle and trailer.

Tom B

[deepportage01]

no the hole point is if you have a 1977 16ft boat with a 5 hp you can go down the road towing it with a ford pinto and be ok. but if you have a 20ft with a 225hp and you are trying to tow with a S10 at top speed of 45mph. so just match your truck to your boat or boat to truck you don't have to buy new. here are some nice combos. S10/16ftw50hp.f250/20ft w 225hp. 1979 f150/17ft100hp

[Gadgetman]

Here is some more food for thought, I recently had a blow out on I-94 while going 70mph. Got it fixed quickly, no big deal but a pain in the *&^. Brought the tire in to Mr. Goodyear and asked him what he thought made a brand new goodyear marathon tire blow like that. He asked me how fast I was going and then replied "hasn't anybody told you that you really shouldn't exceed 60mph when towing? Even if your vehicle can go way faster your trailer tires can only dissapate so much heat. On that particular day it was very wind also which helped generate even more heat. I for one will not be going over 60-65 mph from now on. I just cringe when I see people screaming by at 70+ while towing large rigs. Just my .02 cents. Incidentally I am a traveling sales guy and drive 40,000 or more miles a year for work so I can get as frustrated as the next guy by people not going the speed limit, my advice...get over it. You'll get there in just a few minutes more than it usually takes

[2dalake]

I see, so we could set up a size class for truck/boat combos, kinda like a rod and reel. There would be ultralight and light action and light medium, medium and heavy medium and so on. So the highway patrol could ticket you for matching a medium boat with an ultralight truck, or a light action truck with a heavy medium boat, and if you match an ultralight truck with a pontoon that's a felony.

Of course spinning outfits will get you an exhibition ticket and bait casters are used for cruising on weekends.

I'm just kidding, they are frustrating, but when I add up the things in life that I really need to be stressed about I realize that I need to be careful about dragging any more misery out of my weekend than necessary. Besides, my mother drives that way. I rode into town with her at the lake over opener (Mother's Day) weekend and I was constantly checking the mirror. It's embarrassing. I'm sure many of you were behind us. Look for a tuft of hair and a set of knuckles behind the wheel (I'm joking Mom...you're not really that bad!)

[gilby]

I have to kind of agree with the original poster on this. If you have a twenty foot bass boat with a big motor on it. Then pulling it with a vehicle maybe the size of a explorer or s-10 blazer. That vehicle will have enough power to pull that size of boat at posted speed limits or more. That's fine, but the problem I have with that combo is stopping, I always felt you should try to match your tow vehicle as good as possible. You just never know when something is going to happen in front of you.

[NICjockey]

Hey, what's the worry. Another couple years of gas price hikes, we'll all be on a choo-choo going North to enjoy our RENTED boats, for which the rates will have tripled because of the demand. See ya'all--who can still afford to fish-- at Maddens! (And I do mean, YOU ALL, because that's the only place the train is going.)

[TSCTSC]

Is that true???? I din know there was a speed rating of 60mph for trailer tires. So if it is radial belted 14", waht is the speed rating??

[NICjockey]

You drive to your cabin EVERY weekend, where you probably have your boat parked and waiting. And those of us who can only afford campers and mini-vans and occasional rented access to good fishing lakes are in YOUR way.....

I'd finish this thought, but I promised to be nice when I signed up here.

Good luck this weekend y'all, and may those of you who only get one or two breaks a summer find the R&R you need.

[BobT]

It must be nice to be able to just buy whatever turns your crank. I feel real happy for you. It's just too bad that you have such a need to degrade the rest of us that may not have had the same good fortune. Some of us can't afford to buy a truck and a boat at the same time. Be glad we have our priorities in the right place and have a decent boat!

It always amazes me when I see this combination. People that have just built a new home and parked in their driveway is a new truck and a new boat and a new 4-wheeler, etc. I have never had that much spare cash but I am content with what I do have and I don't need more. Don't fault me just because you have been fortunate enough to afford the luxuries. I also have the right to be here so please, just breath in...breath out.

Thank you,

Bob

[DTro]

Also, I don't care what speed you are driving, if you are exceeding the tow rating on your vehicle, now you are putting myself and others in danger.

[snowman678]

I don't think anyone here is trying to mock anyone else for vehicle size/cost etc. I think they are just trying to make a point that it is unsafe to pull something that is too large for the tow vehicle. Just my .02

Hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend!

[MntkaFishin]

I still like the paint-ball idea.

I have an old 16' dumpy Lund that I pull with my F150, in which I have plenty of power to go 70-75. But since I'm a novice I try to stay at the speed limit. If I'm holding up traffic I'll stop at a gas station to let the cars go by, grab a pop, and then be on my way again. I'd rather stop for a few minutes then have a line of cars tailgaiting me.

[BLACKJACK]

Quote:

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The first law of driving:

Anyone who drives slower than me is an

one-who-thinks-I-am-silly

, anyone who drives faster than me is a jerk.

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Good one!!

[gorrilla]

A bunch of opinionated hot-heads...

Look out locals, here they come...

[WigglinMyWorm]

Well I drive a 1ton diesel and pull a 14 ft boat so I should be able to drive 120mph than right....matching your vehicles is an assnine statement considering some people can only afford what they have......if ya can only afford an s-10 pickup and an old 18-20 ft boat.....you drive in front of me anytime......cause I have this new invention called a passing gear in my truck....and if i don't know how to use it thats my own problem.

[Deitz Dittrich]

This post is a little out of hand.. I just cant look at the title without thinking of Farley... "FAT GUY IN A LITTLE COAT"

[Fishin4Life]

I know from personal experience that wind has a large factor on how fast I can go when I pull my boat. I LOVE to fish, so nothing was going to stop me. I bought a 1960's boat and pull it with my compact car, because college is steeling the rest of my money. Yes people laugh, and rightfully so! haha But most of the time I dont have a problem going 65-70 mph unless you get high winds, then the drag tends to slow it down a bit. If I do drive slow, be thankful it probably means something is about to fall off! LOL. Just my 2 cents. Remember this weekend is a busy one, take it slow, we will all get there eventually. Good fishing!

[Gissert]

LMAO! I was singing the same thing at my desk yesterday!

Thanks!

[Wavey Davey]

Interesting post and comments. Good points in all of them.

This is the type of thing that brings on road rage.

I'll add a couple things. One, overly slow drivers cause more accidents than fast drivers. Two, other states such as mountain states like Colorado, have pull-over lanes every few miles for slower traffic to use. There, it's the law to pull over and let the trail of cars pass you.

[Fishin4Life]

Quote:

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Well I drive a 1ton diesel

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Kinda off the topic but...

How does the big diesel do on gas? My buddy was looking at one, saying he was going to buy it because they are soo good on gas. I think he just wants an excuse to get a massive truck he doesn't need. He is looking at F-350's

[BLACKJACK]

Last year we bought a 26 foot travel trailer, so we upgraded our Chevy truck from a V6 to a 5.3 liter V8 because I didn't want to be the one going down the road at 45 mph with 15 cars behind me. The truck has plenty of power to pull it, but on a windy day, even with a stabilizer hitch, I don't feel comfortable going much over 55-60, just too much wind drag and side push when you come out from behind a farm grove. Somebody talked about matching boat to pull vehicle size, well I wish I had a 3/4 or one ton truck on that camper, but I'm not going to drive a vehicle that gets 8 miles per gallon for the rest of the year. In general I drive the speed limit or 5 miles over, up to 60 mph, if people pile up behind me, they'll have to find a spot to pass, I'm not going to put myself in danger by driving any faster just to please some impatient speed freak. Even driving your car on a 55 mph road at 55 mph, you'll end up with 90% of the people passing you. Driving 60 mph on a 55 mph road, you'll still end up with 40% of the people passing you - I know, I drive a 55 mph road every day to work.

Onto my pet peeve - tailgaters!!! If you intend to pass is one thing, but to hang two car lengths behind my bumper going at 60 mph puts us both in danger!!!! If I have to hit my brakes because of a deer or dog, we'll both be piled up. Yet you see it all the time, traffic isn't busy, miles of open road, yet some one-who-thinks-I-am-silly thats used to driving on 494 with that two car length buffer feels they should do that in the country. Either pass me or get off my a$$!!!!! I have been known to hit my brakes to give them the hint, I usually do it when its open highway so they can pass, but some drivers are so dense they're right on your tail again.

Drive safe this weekend and be courteous!!! Lets all get there alive!! If you're one of those that gets impatient and has to put us all at risk by unsafe passing, tailgating, etc., think about driving at off times - Thur night, Sat morning, or Monday. Life is too short to get so uptight about!!!!

[Fishin4Life]

Quote:

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Two, other states such as mountain states like Colorado, have pull-over lanes every few miles for slower traffic to use.

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I think we have these here in certain places, but not very often. Where the two lane goes to 3 lanes and such. Am I correct? Maybe they need more of these pulling lanes. Either way, I don't mind going a bit slower to allow a fellow fisherman a safe trip to his fishing location for the weekend.

[iffwalleyes]

It can be very frustrating going to the lake on the Big 3 weekends of the year. But anyone going on these weekends had better expect this. I wish I had a good back road to take from DL to Park Rapids but I have tried them all over the years and it is still faster to just stay on 34 and go with the flow. As frustrating as that can be. But I have driven the road so many times that I know where I can and can't pass which helps. One thing that does upset me though is that there are 2 turn out lanes on 34 just east of DL heading east. Slow traffic is allowed to use them. In fact there is a sign that say slow traffic keep right. It seems more often than not this is used for a passing lane as the slow cars will not move into the lane it usually is the faster cars passing in these lanes. But

I do agree with local guide that it is funny to see a new ranger boat being pulled by a Chevy Luv . why not have a nice pickup and a lund or crestliner. I know one thing I use my truck alot more than I do my boat.

[Fishin4Life]

Quote:

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I know one thing I use my truck alot more than I do my boat.

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Sorry to hear that lol

[Gissert]

I have a 2001 Dodge 2500 with the Cummins - 19-21 unloaded, 16-18 towing.