Best towing car for 14ft boat?

[defender08]

What is the best towing car out of these for a 14ft boat...A 2003 Ford Focus v4, a 1999 Honda Accord v4 manual, or a 2006 Honda odyssey van?

I would like to do it with my car, the focus. But I think that the ramp isn't steep enough and my muffler would be under in no time.

The Van is my mom's which I would have access to 85% of the time which is a little down fall.

And my Dads accord has the same problem as the focus, in that it is low and the muffler is going to go under fast. and he is out of town for 4 days out of the week, but he already has a hitch.

Also, how far can you go into the water with a car before you start causing damage to it?

Thanks Alot!

 

[DJ]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

How heavy is th boat. If you don't know, weigh it.

Have thought about lengthening the trailer tongue?

 

[defender08]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

I am going to say 1200-1350bs. I am new to boating and towing and just about everything except fishing. The dealer had the weight from when it had a 55hp engine on it and it was 1425 pounds now it has a 35 hps engine I would guess it would be around 1325ish.

How much would it be to lengthin a trailer tounge?

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

Depending on the boat's total weight, I say that it might be pretty dangerous to pull that boat or launch that boat with a focus or any other small car like that. I would look for a small truck like a Ford Ranger or something in a small truck. You also half to consider that a front wheel drive on the boat ramp may not get that good of traction, especially with weight in the back.

Alright I see the weight of the boat now we posted at the same time.......I say no way.

 

[DJ]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

Forget the Focus. Max trailer weight is 1000# That may also be the max for the Accord.

 

[defender08]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

So what else do you suggest I mean we have a 2001 mustang v6 auto...we are thinking about selling. I just dont know if the trailer will get far enough into the water without the tires and muffler being submerged

 

[j442w30]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

What kind of 14ft boat are you talking about. Of your three available cars I would say that the van would be the best choice because it has the most powerful engine, long wheelbase, and automatic transmission. Although I have driven a Honda Accord 4 cylinder (it's not a V4 but actually an inline 4) with the manual transmission and I was surprised at the amount of power it had.

You can back the car a little ways into the water but if you are the point of submerging your rear tires than I would definitely look into lengthening the trailer tongue like DJ said. If you're launching your boat in saltwater I would not want my car submerged in that.

 

[DJ]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

Forget the Mustang too. It has a max. trailer weight of 1K#.

Power is not the issue. It is the chassis that cannot handle a hitch attachment that will pull more than 1K#.

As stated, if the trailer is that short, consider lengthening the tongue.

For now, the van is your best alternative.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

So what else do you suggest I mean we have a 2001 mustang v6 auto...we are thinking about selling. I just dont know if the trailer will get far enough into the water without the tires and muffler being submerged

Sell the mustang and get a truck (maybe a short wheel base truck in an F150 or similar) or an SUV. I personally wouldn't want to launch a boat with any kind of car period. Plus you have to much weight as is with your boat. If you have a relative or friend with a truck, ask if he or she would like to go for a ride or fishing trip in the mean time until you get the proper tow vehicle.

 

[defender08]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

Well I am going to have my dad drive use his accord tommorow or the next day to a better ramp...we went to one today that such a gentle slope and the water was to low we couldnt back the car far enough in to get it to float off.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

Just be careful and mindful in what ever way you choose to launch or tow that boat especially if neither of you have experience in doing so, we don't wanna see ya end up in this thread I listed below or half to say I told ya so. People using trucks and SUVs have ended up sliding into the water when trying to launch, just keep that in mind. Check this thread out.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=221362

or this

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=214380

Check this one out also, this may give you some ideas for a tow vehicle.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=7787

 

[jevery]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

The Odyssey has a 3500 lb tow capacity, same as my Sienna. I pull a 3500 lb 19ft boat without difficulty, and I've been on some very steep boat ramps and never had a tire slip. You wouldn't even feel a 14 ft boat back there.

 

[defender08]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

Well thanks to all!

I am going to temporarily go with the accord and within the next 2-3 weeks get a hitch on the odyssey.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

here is you solution, "http://www.xtend-a-hitchnorthwest.com/"

i tow with a 2005 Mercury Mariner, 2.3 4 cyl, AUTOmatic. the transmission makes the difference. it's the same car as the ford escape.

 

[arboldt]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

You might want to double-check your boat and trailer weight. I've got a 13.5' Sea Rayder (fiberglass hull) jetboat. Fully fueled, it's still under 1000#. Our trailer does not have an extended tongue.

The issues to consider are 1) stopping ability 2) vehicle suspension and safety, 3) engine and transmission stress, probably in that order. All said, the Oddy is your best option. You can get a trailer hitch through etrailer quite reasonably, and put them on the vehicle yourself if you need to save money.

A lot depends on where you are and the launch spots / ramps you're going to use. If it's in saltwater, you do *not* want to get your vehicle in the water. In fresh, you can if you have to, recognizing it's probably not that great an idea, but...

If the ramps are steep, you would be well advised to get a 4WD vehicle.

Our family cottage in W Michgan is on a shallow inland lake with a sand launch point. Without 4WD you sink to your axles. Our neighbor helped us for several years with his Ford Explorer. Since the lake is so shallow, he'd back up until his tailpipe was under water. He said that as long as the engine was running and exhaust bubbling out there's no problem. For that lake, that's the only solution. Did I mention the neighbor's 85 and been doing it that way for over 50 years without a problem? If you do get the rear axle wet, check your differential / rear transfer case to make sure no water got in, and check your rear brakes etc more often.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Best towing car for 14ft boat?

The Odyssey will tow it wonderfully. etrailer.com will hook you up with a nice hitch you can bolt on yourself. Depending on how old the Odyssey is and how rusty, you might need to drive a threading die through the bolt hole before putting the actual bolt in (I did not need to do this down south, but others on odyclub.com did). If you do search odyclub to get the right size. You can search there and see some pics of vans set up with a hitch too.


http://drri.home.comcast.net/honda/rig_1.jpg
http://drri.home.comcast.net/honda/rig_2.jpg
http://drri.home.comcast.net/honda/rig_3.jpg


You can back as far as you want into the water, but DO NOT SHUT OFF THE ENGINE WHILE THE TAIL PIPE IS UNDERWATER!

Of course, you mom not like it to have the back of the van flooded too.

Happy boating!