So I'm looking to buy a boat but was wondering how many of you guys have boats and how big they are and what you use to tow them to the lake?

Pictures of boat and trucks welcome

 

I have one but its only like a 12' V-bottom boat with a 18 horse. Not big but fine for me. Ranger pulls it fine since the boat weighs like nothing.

 

I pull an 18ft Aluminum Bass Tracker with 50 Merc on the back occasionally and my truck pulls fine. Drops the gas mileage drastically. So if you go get a fiberglass boat, whcih is heavier, then you can still pull it, but gas mileage goes out of the window.

What kind of boat you looking for-bass boat, ski boat, etc

 

I had a 15.5 foot Glastron boat with an 85 Horse merc, that I towed with my 2004 4.0 with 4.10’s. That is as big as I would tow. I also wouldn’t tow very far with it as the truck struggled with it at speed and was hard to keep it stable. I used my expedition whenever I had to go far.

~HJ

 

I'm wanting a ski boat or just something that is pretty fast that can tow a tub or skier behind it and fit maybe 10 people. Any suggestions?

 

I've got a 19 foot ski boat with a 4.3 v6 and a 26 gallon fuel tank after its all loaded up i wouldnt go any bigger then this. but then again i also have 33's and a lift which doesn't help me any.

 

2wd + 3.0L + boat = not a great idea in my opinion.
How well do you think that little truck with 225s is going to pull a boat up a wet slimy boat ramp? I wouldn't want to join the ranks of drowned trucks while trying to retrieve a boat. But if you're crazy enough to try, manual or automatic trans makes a big difference in the tow capacity.

 

oh **** ya i wouldn't try to tow much with a 2wd and a 3.slow

 

I tow a 18 foot Lund fishing boat with a 100 hp motor, total weight, when loaded and fueled, is around 3,500 lbs

 

I pull our 18' cajun bass boat with a 200 johnson. It is not bad just don't drive around like your in 3/4 ton.

When I had my 00 3.0 2wd ranger I would pull our old boat which was I think 14' or 16' and 150 on the back but it sucked

 

My 2WD 3.0L 4.10 Open Diff pulls my double jet ski trailer OK, but not the greatest. It takes about 20 minutes to get to 45 mph and 3 days to stop. The trailer weighs about 2100-2200 lbs. Each ski weighs like 950 lbs each.

A 3.0 can do a little, but hopefully you'll have a trans cooler and won't have to tow it very far.

 

^^^ thats what I'm looking for but maybe a v8 if I can find one. I have a 3.0L v6 with 3.73 gears and a 5spd transmission and have pulled a 18' trailer with a 3500 lb trans am on it with my truck with no problems.

Thanks for the input guys and the pics.

 

Yes but slipping that weak clutch with 3.73s, pulling a boat up a wet ramp in 2wd is not going to be pretty.
I don't think pulling a 3000lb boat around on land is going to be a huge issue, but getting it out of the water is.

 

Well I do have a reserved covered boat slip on the water that i can put the boat in if I can't get it back out of the water and I could always use my Explorer to pull it.

 

Heres me towing a few things! that trailer weighted over 6000 and i went from kelowna to van and it did fine! drivin over INSANE mtn pass's and the boat is a 19 foot with a v8 in it!

 

so why don't you just use your explorer then?

 

I might if i the ranger wont make it up the boat ramp but I don't think i will have much trouble. But well see how it goes when i find the boat i want.

 

i only had an issue once getting out of the ramp and 4wd solved that problem.

 

I tow a 21' Rinker V205 Cuddy. Total weight (40 gal. fuel, plenty fishing gear and all supplies) is around 3,500 ish...maybe more w/ the trailer. It tows pretty good, you certainly feel it behind you and can't be in too big of a hurry. If I slam the brakes at about 15 mph I can break my tires loose. The trailer does have surge brakes so that helps a lot. I would definitely be careful at the ramp because I always use 4 low, mainly because its easier on the clutch and of course traction. Wouldn't recommend towing it w/ a 3.0 or a 2wd, my 4 liter does okay... and wouldn't try getting out of the ramp w/o low.

 

I have a 16 ft Lund ProV w/ 100HP Merc on it..Pulls out of water fine, tugs a bit on the highway though. I figure it is around 2200 - 2500 lbs all together.

 

had to.....

 

I'm still wondering what I can do with my Ranger. I've got a 2wd XLT with the 3.0 liter engine and automatic transmission. I live at the beach with the marina I'd be using about a mile or so from the house. No hills, speed limit's 35 mph.

The thought of having to get rid of the truck just to get a boat is unacceptable. I'd rather just get a smaller boat. Mostly all I want to do is take a few passengers (2-3) for joy rides in the Intracoastal Waterway. I doubt I'll pull water skiers although I might want to fish from it.

So the question remains, how much boat can my truck handle under those circumstances?

I saw three Rangers today with boat trailers parked at the marina today but the boats and their owners were apparently out on the water. One of them was a XLT too. Sure makes me curious...

 

just keep the boat within your tow rating and you will be fine, it's pretty simple... specially since you only have to travel a mile or so.

 

I fvcking hate videos that start on their own in threads.

 

No, you didn't. Your video sucks.