.. While the total towing distance might be 1000 feet, retrieving a boat
from the water is another story. At low tide with a front-wheel drive
minivan
you could run into trouble.

I tow a 2700# dry wt boat with a Mercury Villager that has a V6 nissan
engine. It does allright, considering that I'm probably over the 3500#
rating. I keep the overdrive locked out to reduce the load on the engine
and transmission, which doesn't help the MPG any.
Using a FWD minivan on the ramp hasn't been too bad. If it is slippery, the
only place for helpers to get on to increase traction is the entrances to
the front doors. If the ramp is wide enough, you can just turn the wheels
and go up on an angle, which reduces the direct pullout weight. If the
wheels are spinning the front can just be steered over to an angle.
I'm getting a new trailer with brakes, since you never know when some idiot
is going to pull out into that nice space you leave between you and the guy
in front.