# typical boat/trailer weight for 19 fter



## fisher person

I am planning on buying a new car and in the next year or 2 considering a 19 ft boat. 
What is a ballpark weight for a boat/w outboard and trailer?
Is a vehicle with a 3500 lb trailer rating enough fora setup like this?


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## ohiojmj

Hard to estimate weight without details on boat (fiberglass or aluminum, width, boat style, motor size), but any 19' boat package will be over 3000#. Buying a tow vehicle with a 3500# towing capacity would be a bad decision. Your vehicle will struggle to keep speed or stop in a comfortable distance. You need a V8 truck or SUV to tow most any 19' boat unless you live one block from the lake, especially if you load the vehicle up or drive up hills. Keep in mid that the 3500# is an ADVERTISED (gimmick) towing capacity, far above a comfortable towing weight from my experience. Also, consider the total gross vehicle capacity of vehicle, gear, people, plus boat package. Go over on that one and you won't stop or have transmission or suspension problems.

I would'nt pull more than a 17' deep V aluminum walkthru boat like my Lowe FM175DC with a 3500# tow capacity. As a matter of fact, I consider my 4500#towing capacity in my new 4wd Pilot to be the minimum requirement for my boat package which weights about 2100#. My rule of thumb: towing capacity should be at least twice the weight of the boat package (boat, motor, gear, trailer, gas, etc).


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## Lightman

ohiojmj said:


> My rule of thumb: towing capacity should be at least twice the weight of the boat package (boat, motor, gear, trailer, gas, etc).


Wise words


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## bajuski

I agree, go twice the tow weight. I have a 04 Dakota 4x4 with a 4.7 liter rated for 6500lbs and it tows just fine but stopping is my problem. The boat weighs around 3000 lbs and the trailer has no surge brakes, I have to use caution when stopping and had to replace the front rotors twice already because of warped rotors.


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## fisher person

ok thanks for the reply. Maybe I'll think about this some more...


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## UFM82

They only require brakes on a trailer if the empty weight is over 2,000 lbs. Nothing about GVW or anything like that which seems stupid to me. If my trailer weighs 1999 lbs and I'm hauling a 5,000 lb boat on it, I need no trailer brakes??? That's stupid.
Bajuski, you can add trailer brakes to your trailer for less than $300 (disc brakes at that) and it would eliminate the issues you are having with your truck's brakes. It's taking a toll on the whole rig, not just your rotors. Suspension components, driveline, etc. 
I don't understand the 1/2 the tow rating mantra- if it's rated to tow 5K lbs, then you can tow 5K safely. Do you want to do that all day long everyday? Not unless you wish to incur more frequent maintenance costs but you get the point. 
As far as I am concerned, any trailer/boat combo over a ton should have brakes because it makes it SO much nicer to tow. I always hear about people saying they have to slow down way ahead of time and are scared of having to make an emergency stop because the boat pushes them. If the rig is affecting your tow vehicle that much, you need brakes. 
I have disc brakes on my rig ( weight around 3,500lbs) and it's a great feeling when you have to stop quickly and the truck doesn't exhibit any bad traits. No worries and no fears of driving the combo- even my wife says she doesn't worry about towing with the trailer brakes. They add peace of mind and safety for you and others on the road. 

UFM82


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## BlueMax

I pulled a 3400 pound gross weight boat and trailer with a Montana mini van (tow rating 3500lbs) for three years without a problem. The key is to have trailer brakes, and good brakes on the vehicle. I now tow the same package with a Chevy Equinox (tow cap 3500lbs) No issues. Common sense is the key. I tow on flat land and mostly highway. (not much stop and go)
If you like over sizing the vehicle that is Ok but in my opinion not needed. I like the fuel economy of the Equinox whether towing or not. It is more funtional for me.


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## ohiojmj

I don't consider a V6 Honda Pilot towing a 17' Lowe walkthru aluminum boat to be oversizing. In my opinion, I would not want to work my 3.5L, 250 hp engine or 5 speed auto any harder when packed up for a week trip to Canada. My theory on the 2X factor is to incur a negligible reduction in the service life of the vehicle and have adequate power and braking capacity. I have no trailer brakes, but may add them. 

From my experience, you are significantly straining your vehicle (suspension, brakes if no trailer brakes, tranny, and engine) if towing right at capacity. Some people are lucky and require little additional maintenance or repair. My experience is different. While towing boat to Erie 20 times a year for 3 years, I burned through brake pads, rotors, CV joints, and shocks on my van. the van was trying to tell me something.


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## BlueMax

Ohiojmj - I probably put 40 trips a year for the last three years on this van. Nothing out of the ordinary. Keep the oil fresh, tires properly inflated etc. This is a 2001 with 147,000 miles. Taken it out west in the spring, Kelleys Is land, Geneva, Cleveland. I probably would not venture 400- 500 miles with it or over hilly terrain but for the flat lands of northern Ohio it got the job done. It has load levelers so that helps the suspension. I did not have working trailer brakes the first 1-1/2 years. I am not bragging about my experience just sharing it. (not fixing the trailer brakes sooner was not too smart but i have done dumber things) I did not wear out rotors prematurely or have any other issues. I guess I am lucky. Now that I have the Equinox it will be for sale in the near future! Keep an eye on the Marketplace.
Hell in the 80's I pulled about the same weight with my 1978 Olds Cutlass Supreme Brougham. Had air shocks on that ride with a V8 260. Only trailered 6-8 times a year as I had a dock back then. I drove that one to the junk yard.


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## Seaturd

bajuski said:


> I agree, go twice the tow weight. I have a 04 Dakota 4x4 with a 4.7 liter rated for 6500lbs and it tows just fine but stopping is my problem. The boat weighs around 3000 lbs and the trailer has no surge brakes, I have to use caution when stopping and had to replace the front rotors twice already because of warped rotors.


I tow with the exact same rig and put heavy duty NAPA rotors and pads on my truck last year and have had no issues since. The 4.7 is a great towing engine for a small V8.


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## Lightman

Gene, with all due respect, 3400lbs is a super light package to tow. Most of the effects of the towing with a vehicle with twice the rating are seen with heavier weights.

UFM82, Gene , and the others who like to tow at their vehicles capacity - yes you CAN do this provided you can stop the rig, provided you do a few short distance tows. However, if you have your vehicle loaded with anything significant - people or gear- you may be quickly over your vehicle's gross weight capacity, and most importantly the comfort/safety factor. Folks that have towed at their vehicle's capacity with heavier trailers from say Ohio to Florida and back through the mountains will know what I'm talking about. Sure, you can stop your trailer, but when you're towing a trailer at max capacity with a light vehicle, and are heading down a 8% grade doing 65mph and there is a curve, and you feel that trailer push your vehicle , your pucker factor will explain what I'm talking about  Not trying to be argumentative, but towing at max rated capacity is only good for short trips in perfect conditions. My last boat weighed around 9500lbs and I wouldn't have dreamed of towing it with a suv or half ton pickup. As mentioned above, the strain on the driveline - particularly the transmission and axles etc will significantly reduce the service life of a vehicle when towing heavy.


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## Lightman

Fisherperson, get yourself a diesel 4x4 pickup and you'll be good to go !


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## fisher person

ok since we are naming vehicles now, I was looking at the GMC Terrain, sister car of the equinox, which is rated at 3500. I question it, doesn't seem like a very large vehicle and was kind of wondering what kind of boat you could tow w/ that type of vehicle.

I thank you for the input; as usual so has been very helpful while some has not


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## bajuski

UFM82, thanks for the tip, I'm gonna check into it. I didn't know you can add the trailer brakes yourself.
SEATURD, I love this Dakota, I had a 97 before this one and it was nothing but trouble. The newer ones are much improved. The only thing I am disappointed with is the gas mileage, I don't see a bit of an improvement in mileage from the 5.1 liter I had before!


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## BlueMax

fisher person said:


> ok since we are naming vehicles now, I was looking at the GMC Terrain, sister car of the equinox, which is rated at 3500. I question it, doesn't seem like a very large vehicle and was kind of wondering what kind of boat you could tow w/ that type of vehicle.
> 
> I thank you for the input; as usual so has been very helpful while some has not


I like the Equinox. It rides smooth and is comfortable.
As far ar towing, being rated at 3500 lbs you would need to know the gross weight of your boat and trailer fully loaded. It pulls my 3400 gross weight boat and trailer just fine across FLAT terrain on short trips of 100 miles. It gets about 16 mpg towing and 25 mpg not towing strictly highway four people and luggage.


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## Lightman

16mpg towing is pretty darn good for a gas motor!


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## BlueMax

Lightman said:


> 16mpg towing is pretty darn good for a gas motor!


That's one of the reasons I like it and don't see the need to upsize my tow vehicle. It get's the job done.


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## Lightman

BlueMax said:


> That's one of the reasons I like it and don't see the need to upsize my tow vehicle. It get's the job done.


For a short commute you can squeak by with it.

That said, my truck weighs 9000lbs and gets better mileage than that towing my 5500lb atv trailer...but we're talking apples and oranges at that point.


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## BlueMax

I guess you win.


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## Lightman

BlueMax said:


> I guess you win.


haha not when it comes to fitting in a normal sized parking spot! Plus you won't have people calling you a *******


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