boat seems to tow hard

[dmoriarty51]

So i got my boat put back together and i start dragging it around and good lord it feels like im pulling a houseboat.... Truck isnt too happy about running highway speeds with it.

Boat is a 1995 crestliner 1650 pro am i've seen it listed at about 1000lbs plus motor which is a 70hp johnson which i see is about 250-275lbs. And of course a single axle roller trailer what about 4-500lbs?

So lets say the 28 gallon tank is full we should still be about 2000lbs..

Tow vehicle is a 2003 4x4 Quad Cab Dakota with a 4.7l and seems to be in good working order. I used the truck a few weeks back to haul some old cars to the scrapper pulling 4-5k lbs and it seemed ok with it.

Is there something about towing a boat like its shape and such that make them pull hard or am i just nuts? The bow is a tad higher than the tailgate, and I do have a bimini top on the boat it is folded shut and booted but still raised.

Last year I used a 1993 S Series Jimmy 4 dr 4x4 to pull the boat and it felt heavy but i chalked that up to the 225K miles on the v6. granted the bimini was laid down then as i didnt have struts.

Trailer bearings were repacked and moved freely boat is easy to move around on the shop floor. Is this just a wind resistance thing that im going to fight since im using a pickup and air has the chance to try and get under the boat now? and the raised bimini?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

What's your tongue weight situation? I have first hand experienced that too low a tongue weight will make it tow like crap.

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

it may be a toung weight problem, i guessing boat and trailer is a mated pair and that isnt the case. i will say ive driven v-6 dakota hualing single and double axles there is a little bit of a diffence single will have you bouncing around, and tandoms hual nicer because there is almost no toung wieght. so i guess does your dakota sagg when the boat is hooked up or not?

 

[TyeeMan]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

Two words, wind drag. Get yourself a high quality, custom made travel cover and the boat will go down the road like a bullet.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

A boat is built to slice thru water (well most anyways) so they are also good at slicing thru air.
Heck of a lot better than a stack of scrapped cars.
If you can tow it with the tailgate down, it might make a difference.
It could be that the air coming off your tow is dumping right in front of the console on the boat creating resistance.

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

tongue weight should be in the ball park feels like 150+ lbs, probably more and it tows straight no wagging if i wag it it straightens instantly. The whole rig is an original set boat motor trailer as for my restoration, its built the same way it was originally so i didnt add a bunch of weight. i have a $50 walmart cover that claims to be trailerable but i cant get it to fit tight enough since its not a custom fit. i tried it once last year with the old tow vehicle and it blew up like a balloon.

The 4.7 is a v8, there should be plenty of power on tap as evidenced by my scrap hauling weeks ago. And it feels good stops the load well, doesnt bounce or sway any of that. My only gripe is the resistance i feel when hooked to this boat trailer. I didnt think wind resistance would be that much, and maybe i didnt feel it so much with the old Jimmy either being an suv the boat was sheilded more from wind.

Gonna lay the top down before i go again, i can also drop the bow rollers a little it might get the bow below the line of the tailgate, converting the trailer to bunks has crossed my mind as i could get the whole boat more, Will also look into different cover options. Will post my findings after i tow again.

 

[lncoop]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

You were towing with the bimini deployed?

 

[sublauxation]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

You sure everything is OK with the wheel bearings? My brother noticed a huge difference on his 4 wheeler trailer with the corrugated metal ramps up vs taken off and layed flat so maybe the bimini has more effect? Is that a glass boat? If so I can't imagine it weighs only 1000lbs, but even at double that the Dodge wouldn't have any problem. Nice looking boat by the way! I would think keeping the tailgate closed would be better but you never know.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

With the bimini stowed but not folded down you are dragging 10 square feet of wind resistance. That's a bunch. Most boats when being towed are a lot heavier than any estimate that has been appplied to the combination. If the wheel bearings were so tight that they were causing a severe loss of performance you would see smoke. Same for brakes.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

With the bimini stowed but not folded down you are dragging 10 square feet of wind resistance.

I lose about 3-4 mph top end in my boat by just having the bimini stowed but resting on the rear support arms. (a full throttle run with it deployed would probably rip it off, haven't tried that obviously!)

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

lets see here, try to get everyone

boat was towed as seen in pic, top folded and booted but resting up on the supports,

i can see it creating some wind resistance but i dont see 10 square feet of drag area, although i havent measured it

boat is aluminum, all welded its pretty solid and non flexible

i am aware that some posted weights are far from correct based on reading here. based on bearing size its a 2000 or 2500lb axle.. so if it weighs much more than what i read posted the trailer is too small lengthwise its pretty tight so i imagine its borderline anyway.... im certain its a factory combo though as i have seen 2 identical boats sitting on identical trailers in the area.

you know smoke i never gave it much though but when i had the boat out monday morning, i did feel the wind more than i remembered from last year..

my plan for the next tow is to drop the top completely down and go from there, either way i am also lowering the front rollers down on the trailer, i wish i could drop the whole boat more as i think its WAY to high

 

[cyclone540]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

is your tyre air low?

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

tires are at max psi, was 55 or 60 lbs i think it was. tires are 175/80/13 and are trailer rated.

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

well, i tried again now with the bimini laid down, and there is no difference....

trailer wheels roll freely with no slop. going to check that the axle is in fact straight and true next

not sure what else to do at this point.

 

[wifisher]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

Remember that once you get up to speed the trailer weight matters not. On a straight flat stretch of highway, the trailer is just following you. Wind resistance is the only thing that you can feel from the tow motor. This is, of course, barring a bad wheel bearing. A bad bearing would show itself in a short while by way of smoke and fire. Wind is a powerful force. It is what makes an airplane fly. If your bearings are not hot after you drive for a few miles, just drive on and think about all of that cheap gas that is going down the tailpipe.

 

[the vision]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

If you have used the e-brake on the truck, check and see if it released fully. This could case the heavy feel.

 

[sschefer]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

I don't understand I tow mine with the bimini on the struts and down and it doesn't make any difference.

I think if the bimini was causing a problem bad enough to feel when towing then you'd have a heck of a problem on the water.

I won't insult your intelligence, that is a F350 with 6.4l diesel but still. My boat has a full fishing windshield.

When you re-packed the bearings did you snug them up tight and then back off a 1/4 turn? Did you re-use the old bearing or replace them? And the final question, do you have brakes on that trailer? I know, dumb but you'd be suprised how many guys don't know that. Just asking..

 

[DJ]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

Two words, wind drag. Get yourself a high quality, custom made travel cover and the boat will go down the road like a bullet.

Agree. Everyone forgets about drag (air resistance).

It takes twice as much horsepower to pull a load at 75 MPH as it does at 60 MPH. And, the curve is exponential, not linear.

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

no offense taken,

e brake is currently gutted, it is drum inside the rotor style... this was done when it was cold out and i had a strange noise that turned out to be a front caliper hanging. just havent put it all back yet.

trailer has no brakes.

i have a friend that has a 1300lb trailer im gonna hook up and give it a pull once and see how that feels maybe load something on it to get to similar weight as the boat

bearings and races were new.

 

[sschefer]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

bearings and races were new.

Sounds like it should be fine then. Testing with another trailer should give you a better idea, good thinking. I don't get it personally. I can't see that much wind resistance happening but who knows, stranger things have happened. Maybe the cover is the ticket or maybe you might try to get that bow down a little. I would think that if the boat was causing the problem, every other condition would have to be perfectly in balance or it would be all over the road. From what you've said it tows straight as an arrow.