10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

[roger777]

I just bought a 95 robalo 2440 with twin 150's.. Boat has been sitting a couple of years so motors need work before I can run them..Problem is the boat is on a lift on the ICW. Sea tow says I am not covered because I can not switch membership to a non running boat. I have a 10' jon boat with a 15hp merc on it. I was thinking of towing the boat to a boat ramp 2 1/2 miles away..The boat is very heavy 5,000+ lbs.. I am going to try it with the outgoing tide so I am not fighting it against the tide.. I dont know if anyone else has tried this before. If so I would like your input. If it was a 20' boat I would not even be here but it is a heavy 25'. What do you guys think?

Thanks

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

Under ideal conditions it's doable, though far from ideal. It needs to be a ZERO wind day and I would plan your arrival time around slack tide. Let the tide carry you there and arrive right at slack so you can maneuver the bigger boat with your small tow boat. I would have someone on the Robalo to assist and to cast anchor if you get in trouble. Also remember when you're towing, your maneuverability is severly limited. You can't bow into large wakes the way you can normally and you can't outrun anything either. One large wake on your quarter will ruin your day. Swamping becomes a real threat even if you've never had an issue before. Don't expect people to give you a wide berth just because you're towing. They'll slow down just enough to make as large a wake as possible.

Wear your lifejackets!

 

[roger777]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

Under ideal conditions it's doable, though far from ideal. It needs to be a ZERO wind day and I would plan your arrival time around slack tide. Let the tide carry you there and arrive right at slack so you can maneuver the bigger boat with your small tow boat. I would have someone on the Robalo to assist and to cast anchor if you get in trouble. Also remember when you're towing, your maneuverability is severly limited. You can't bow into large wakes the way you can normally and you can't outrun anything either. One large wake on your quarter will ruin your day. Swamping becomes a real threat even if you've never had an issue before. Don't expect people to give you a wide berth just because you're towing. They'll slow down just enough to make as large a wake as possible.

Wear your lifejackets!

You were reading my mind.. There seems like too many factors that can go wrong.. Another thing i was thinking about was. Will the jon boat hold up wherever I tie up. You are right, some people like to throw a nice wake your way if they see you doing something..

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

i would make a harness to go around the motor, not depend on boat cleats. and it is going to be a slow trip, do not over rev the motor.

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

Can you toss the 15hp on the back of the bigger boat? Might be safer than trying to tow it.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

Actually, I would keep a knife on hand to cut the tow rope in an emergency. This seems like a bad idea. You don't know anyone with a bigger boat that would help out?

 

[roger777]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

tashasdaddy
I actually thought about a harness to the motor but i would be so scared that a gust of wind or wake would somehow shake loose the motor from the transom then my brand new (2002 new to me)motor would go for a swim..But that would be the strongest part of the boat cause that is where all the force is coming from..
Tacklewasher
I wish there was a bracket or room(twins). Even if there was it would be hard to bolt something on the back of the boat with it hanging from a lift.That definitley would be the safest way..
haulnazz15
Keeping a knife on board is a good idea. I wil do that for sure.. I have the same exact boat 2 hours away on a piece of crap of a trailer that wont make the trip.. I switched trailers locally to take the good one for the trip and the rust bucket was not lookin too hot goin down the road.

BTW seatow says this tow would not be covered in my membership and they said it would cost $325 per hour ( from time they leave seatow station till time they return)for the tow and where it needs to be picked at and needs to go would probably be between 2-3 hours.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

Now if you had, or can borrow, an inflatable, that's a different story. A 12' inflatable is adequately suited to tow that boat albeit slowly. You could even rig an along side tow and have great control of the Robalo. Wind and tide would still be a consideration because you only have 15hp, but wakes and swamping would almost be a non-issue.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

I towed a 20'er 3 miles with a 12' Coleman Crawdad and a 5HP Mercury years ago. If it wasn't for them freezing at night I wouldn't have done it since we were going less than 1MPH. A few times a breeze came along and it was like the tail wagging the dog, but we eventually made it to the dock. Luckily, it was a calm night with no other boat traffic.

Must have looked pretty silly, big 20' boat being pulled along by a 12' tupperware jon boat

Would I try something like that with a lot of boat traffic, possibility of wind and wakes,,, um Nope...

 

[roger777]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

Now if you had, or can borrow, an inflatable, that's a different story. A 12' inflatable is adequately suited to tow that boat albeit slowly. You could even rig an along side tow and have great control of the Robalo. Wind and tide would still be a consideration because you only have 15hp, but wakes and swamping would almost be a non-issue.

I am going to call around and see if I can get my hands on an inflatable.Winds are going to be 5-10 mph and seas 2ft withICW moderate chop. So hopefully it won't be too bad.

 

[roger777]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

I towed a 20'er 3 miles with a 12' Coleman Crawdad and a 5HP Mercury years ago. If it wasn't for them freezing at night I wouldn't have done it since we were going less than 1MPH. A few times a breeze came along and it was like the tail wagging the dog, but we eventually made it to the dock. Luckily, it was a calm night with no other boat traffic.

Must have looked pretty silly, big 20' boat being pulled along by a 12' tupperware jon boat

Would I try something like that with a lot of boat traffic, possibility of wind and wakes,,, um Nope...

That sounds like a long trip.. That is what I am scared of, getting caught in the current.. the current in south FL can be brutal.. I am wondering if I can get more speed then you were able to. I know my 15hp is a little bigger then your 5hp but I am probably towing almost twice the weight if not more.. I was hoping I could make my 2 1/2 mile journey within 1 hour.

 

[beerfilter]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

I've towed many times , and it is dangerous under IDEAL conditions .
If the weather , winds , or , the tide turns against you we may be reading about it in another forum , or seeing it on the news .
It also will take a single incident with a careless boater to cause you lots of grief .

I've towed 1500 lb bass boats with a 12'er and a 9.9 .
A 10'er with a 15 , towing a 25'er with 2 1/2 tons on her is more than I would attempt unless I was only going a very short distance .

If you decide to attempt this , try to recruit some help , preferebly another boat to help . It could make all the difference if things start going wrong .

 

[bassboy1]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

Why do you even have a 15 on a 10 footer to start with. I assume we are talking an aluminum jon? Those aren't rated for but 3 or 5 horses.....

 

[roger777]

Re: 10'jon boat towing robalo 2440?

So I chickened out.. I ended up putting my 25' boat back on the good trailer and towed it 2 hours south..Towed the boat..Put the new boat on the trailer hauled it 2 hours north swapped boat to rusty trailer.Got good trailer went 2 hours south to get my boat.Loaded up went 2 hours north to go home..Broke 1 cable, broke 1 strap, 1 flat tire, lost 1 guide post(on rusty trailer)and shattered my passenger mirror backing the boat in through my gate (very,very tired). Left the house at 9:00am and got home at 1:45 am..Long day!!! Everything is home and in 1 piece(except for the cable,strap,tire, guide post and mirror) Thanks for all the advice!!! I am glad I did not take my jon boat.. I dont think I could of pulled the boat.. The easiest part of the whole day was the actual tow.. I can only imagine what might of happened with the jon boat. There was a few times we had to swing the bow around quickly to keep from drifting towards other boats(yachts) there is no way my jon boat could of done it!!!! Straight runs maybe... I am glad I posted.. I got the response I needed..
Thanks