Total weight - 5000Lb Towing Capacity

[drekar]

I'm looking at several cobalt boats that have an empty weight of 3800lbs.

How much do you think a trailer will weight and am I an idiot for trying to do this with an SUV that has a stated capacity of 5000lbs.

I know I'm probably fine with something at 3500 but I'm curious if I'm pushing it at 3800. I can't find out how to tell how much the trailer weighs.


Dave

[dustinm]

Trailer would be 1200-1500 lbs. so yes would be pushing it. Although for shorter trips and if you drive slower and keep your tow rating in mind you can make it work for awhile. What is you SUV and what boat are you looking at?

[drekar]

I have a Hyundai palisade
Looking at a 2001 226 or a 2006 200

[Holy Smokes]

Consider tongue weight of approx. 9-15%.

In the event of an accident, insurance companies will look at weights and tow vehicle capacities. Anything suspect and they could deny a claim and leave you with greater liability.

[dustinm]

Ugh thats not something I would not want to tow with because they take their car drivetrains and drop them in to large SUVs. This is hard on the transmission just pulling the SUV around. (But then again if this temporary...)

Anyway if you want to long range pull in its weight class look for boats on single axle trailers. They should be in your weight range considering they are on the correct trailer.

[drekar]

Is there any cobalt that you would recommend that might be in the correct weight range.

[Big Block Power]

The 200 and 226 are not light boats. Look at a 190 and a tandem axle trailer. You will be fine. Or look at a crownline 180. Good little boats.
Sell the suv and buy a Durango with a hemi in it. All set then. Or some suv's with twin turbo's in them.

[drekar]

Here's the think though - I'm not worried about the car - if it can tow 5000lbs, I'm good with that.

My primary concern is making sure I'm not over 5000.
The dry weight of the 2015 200 is 3500 lbs - it's a single axle trailer that came with the boat.
Even at 1000lbs for the trailer wouldn't I still be okay.

I agree the 226 would be pushing at 3800 with a tandem trailer

Agreed?

[dustinm]

Ask them to pull it on a scale, or offer to do it yourself.

[ajcampen]

I don’t get people buying boats too big for there car. I have a boat/ trailer set up of close to 6k lbs

My car tows 8200. Tows very comfortably. I wouldn’t want to tow with a explorer or pet too small vehicle

[Big Block Power]

Here's the think though - I'm not worried about the car - if it can tow 5000lbs, I'm good with that.

My primary concern is making sure I'm not over 5000.
The dry weight of the 2015 200 is 3500 lbs - it's a single axle trailer that came with the boat.
Even at 1000lbs for the trailer wouldn't I still be okay.

I agree the 226 would be pushing at 3800 with a tandem trailer

Agreed?

Add gas 40 gals. Add all life jackets add ski's add cooler add ice add jackets towels add extra tools add spare fluids. Add a stereo amp add speakers and a sub. It all adds up just saying.

[jhnmdahl]

30 gallons of gas is another couple hundred pounds, plus whatever gear ends up living permanently in the boat. I’d be cautious hauling long distances, up hills, etc with a boat that’s more than 3800 or so. Some 5000 lb towing capacity vehicles are more capable than others too, so it makes sense to look for feedback from other owners of your tow vehicle.

John

[Storktaylor]

The issue is that your boat on your trailer will max out (weight) before your cube out (space). Being a helicopter pilot I am kind fanatical about weight and CG. When you are loading up the family and heading to the lake, all that extra space starts looking attractive for coolers, bikes, water toys and other things which can add up quick. All that stuff, a full tank of ethanol free gas (beacuse it’s cheaper off the lake), a spare tire and other bits and bobs and next thing you know you’re over 6K.

The issue isn’t making it go, it’s controlling it and more importantly stopping it under control. If you are dragging your boat through the neighborhood to the local ramp, probably a low risk evolution. If you’re like me and heading down I-95, the risk increases significantly and that is where building in margin becomes important. I have a full-sized Suburban and have a 2001 226 which I tow on the freeway about 3.5 hours to lake Gaston. I am happy with that combo and confident that I can keep it in the box no matter what the knuckleheads up here do. There is probably margin there to toss a few things in the boat, but I don’t push it.

The basic math comes down to this: you are looking to tow a trailer which weighs as much if not more than your car. If you need to stop in a hurry, that’s a lot of energy decelerating at a rate slower than your car. Remember the velocity is squared and so even a little difference in relative speed and you and your trailer are swapping ends. This ends poorly 100% of the time.

Now, IF (big if here) you can stop the trailer in a shorter distance than your car, you are good to go, enter: trailer brakes. Most boat trailers have drum surge brakes. These are something, but not like the brakes on your car. The problem with surge brakes is that by the time they engage in an emergency stop the trailer has already ahead of the car from an energy perspective. Balancing that equation takes time and if you are maneuvering it gets even more sporty (see: swapping ends above).

This is not unsolvable, but If you do go down the road of 5K boat behind 5K car, then I would pony up for a sophisticated brake controller and vehicle commanded trailer Disc brakes. There will be a maintenance tail, but when you need to stop in a hurry you will be very happy you made the investment.

Maybe I’m just a natural pessimist who feels like if disaster isn’t happening right now, than it’s not far away. I’ve had too many close calls in my line of work to tempt fate on the weekends.

When Hope and math collide, Math always wins

[CobaltDeadHead]

Personally, I think tow vehicle capacity should exceed the load weight by at least 20% unless the ramp is very close and the traveling is mostly flat.

[TwoBurgers]

While not normally a rule breaker, I tow my '13 232 with my '13 4Runner up to Lake Anna almost weekly during the summer (125 miles round trip). The Heritage trailer has four disk brakes and everything is kept in good order. That said, I'm pretty sure I'm over the tow limit of the 4Runner (5K). It's worth noting the tow capacity is an equation that considers vehicle engine output I believe, and tow ratings are set by the manufacturer based on govt guidelines. I have had to brake in an emergency situation (deer) and it was a strange feeling - pull - push - pull as the brakes activated. That said, I would rather be in my 4Runner that my old F-150 that was rated for more.
Chris