DSK wrote:
Obviously this is not my day.

Mark Weaver wrote:
Chrysler minivans w/towing are rated to tow up to a 3800# trailer.

Hmm, that means that a 3500# pound boat will only be... how much? ... over the limit? I guess the trailer,
the fuel, the coolers, etc etc are weightless?

The 3500# number was me. The original poster asked about 2700#; and my
assumption was that we were talking about being wet and on the
trailer, so 2700# would put him way below his vehicle's tow limit. If
that's just the empty, dry hull weight, then you're correct that
adding all that stuff is gonna increase the total weight a measurable
amount.

....snip...

Kind of a stretch here, isn't it? All I was recommending was a respect for gross vehicle weight ratings,
and a suggestion that brakes an important part of the overall specs.

You (Doug) said:

Remember, the van not only has to get the trailer moving, it also has to stop it (although trailer
brakes help a lot) and steer it too. Check the owners manual, if you are exceeding the weight rating
then you deserve a big ticket and/or a busted tranny. Nobody wants you killing their family on the
highway with an unsafe vehicle.

"Killing their family...with an unsafe vehicle" is a bit more
inflammatory than merely recommending a generic respect for ratings.
As I said, my sister was killed when a (big Detroit) vehicle towing a
travel-trailer lost control and hit us; so this comment really
affected me personally, perhaps more than it was intended to. That's
what prompted me to respond:

So, you can shove your smug, supercilious attitude up your... pipe and
smoke it.

Part of my smug, supercilious attitude is that I see a LOT of people with dangerous careless attitudes
that nearly kill each other with motorboats, sometimes on the water & sometimes on the roads. Meanwhile, I
have trailered a racer/cruiser type sailboat approx 50,000 miles in the past ten years visiting most
places on the East Coast and some choice spots on the Gulf and inland lakes. No problems, no breakdowns,
and only a few near-misses due to kamikaze drivers.

And I have trailered this boat since '96 about the same distance all
around the country. In that time, I've had one flat on the car, one
flat on the trailer, and one episode of e-braking. (My wife always
brakes for animals, even when it's perhaps inappropriate.) I agree
that careless attitudes and kamikaze drivers are dangerous.

Pardon me for trying to be helpful and informative.

Helpful and informative is good. That's what I was trying to
accomplish, too.

Frank

Frank and Ronnie Maier wrote:


The 3500# number was me. The original poster asked about 2700#; and my
assumption was that we were talking about being wet and on the
trailer, so 2700# would put him way below his vehicle's tow limit. If
that's just the empty, dry hull weight, then you're correct that
adding all that stuff is gonna increase the total weight a measurable
amount.

Righto, and I apologize for being inflammatory in my earlier post. Not intentional, just tact impaired.

Many people don't know how much the curb weight is for their rig, and have an exaggerated sense of towing
invulnerability. And published weight/displacement specs for boats is most often understated, sometimes by as
much as 20%. And in the case of outboards, it often does not include an engine.

Example, our small trailerable cruiser weighs 1600# dry weight, but the rolling package on it's way to cruising
weighs 2500# according to certified truck scales. Several people with this same boat have tried to tow it using
cars rated for 2000# and had a variety of not-so-good results.

I bet most trailer boaters would be surprised at the result if they weighed their boat & trailer & assembled
gear. Only costs about $3 and the information is very worthwhile.

Fair Skies- Doug King

If you are considering a new rig with an automatic, consider an Allison
transmission. They have a good reputation and are very intelligent at
shifting when appropriate. (i.e. automatically downshifting as you go down
a hill, Tow/Haul mode, etc.)


"Doug Copas" wrote in
:

I have a cabin cruiser with a gross weight of 10000 pounds. What will
make the best tow vehicle?? Can I get away with a 3/4 ton or should I
have a one ton. Also,what about power? Gas vs Diesel How much does
the wheelbase of the tow vehicle matter?? What about the transmission
and rear gear ratio?? Any knowledgable advice will be appreciated.
Thanks,Doug Copas

If you are considering a new rig with an automatic, consider an Allison
transmission. They have a good reputation and are very intelligent at
shifting when appropriate. (i.e. automatically downshifting as you go down
a hill, Tow/Haul mode, etc.)


"Doug Copas" wrote in
:

I have a cabin cruiser with a gross weight of 10000 pounds. What will
make the best tow vehicle?? Can I get away with a 3/4 ton or should I
have a one ton. Also,what about power? Gas vs Diesel How much does
the wheelbase of the tow vehicle matter?? What about the transmission
and rear gear ratio?? Any knowledgable advice will be appreciated.
Thanks,Doug Copas