Tow vehicle

danfingerlakesny

Hello to all!
The wife and I are the proud new owners of a beautiful 2001 Rinker Captiva 232!  She's more boat than we've ever had before...ALOT more!  A 190 Larson All American being the largest prior.  
I saw this boat and just had to have it!  As our season approaches I'm beginning to worry if our 2015 Honda Pilot can handle her.  The HP is rated at 4500lbs.  We trailer most weekends about 14 miles roundtrip to the launch.  It's primarily the launch that is starting to worry me...not the to and fro.  Maybe I've been watching too many "boat launch fails" videos...but I refuse to be "that guy" at the launch with my wife's HP submerged!  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?  Am I being paranoid or do I have a serious concern???  Thx for any input.

Handymans342

What is the weight of the boat and what is the tow rating on the Honda? 

Handymans342

Does the trailer have brakes?

danfingerlakesny

The trailer is a tandom axle with surge brakes.  The boat is listed at 4100 lbs dry.  The Pilot is rated at 4500lbs

Handymans342

Wow that's close but I guess ok for a short trip. The tell tale will be when you pull her out on the boat ramp

trip_n

the hp is awd/4wd......any incline coming outta da water

randy56

Read the first 4 post on this thread, we just had this type of discussion, different vehicle. 
http://rinkerboats.vanillaforums.com/discussion/8405/trailer-for-280-express-cruiser#latest

rasbury

You'd never do it front wheel- if your fresh, no tides its a whole different deal!

Robs_232

I have a 2004 Captiva 232 BR and tow it with a GMC Yukon XL. The 232 is rated at 4100 lbs. dry weight with no fuel, gear, and without trailer. I have weighed my boat and trailer separately and it is about 6,100 lbs. with gear and some fuel (don't know how much). That is the weight your tow vehicle should be gauged against, not just the boat weight. I would not be comfortable towing mine with a Honda Pilot, plus it exceeds the GVWR. Just my opinion. You may be able to do it but hope you don't get into a insurance claim situation.

Liberty44140

I would agree with Rob, Pilot with V6 is not suitable for towing that 232. We had a similar set up, 23’ center console with twin outboards. Very similar weights to your package. We had an awd grand Cherokee with the small V8 and it was barely enough. It was rated to 6500 lbs. sorry. 

danfingerlakesny

Trip_n...slight incline where the vehicle sits...can get the boat on the trailer with water just below top of the fenders.

danfingerlakesny

Thanks for all the comments...all good info.  Looks like I have a cpl months to find a good used truck!  Can't pry the Pilot away from the wife!

trip_n

so @danfingerlakesny===how did it pull==your saying 7 miles each way

jhofmann

Another concern would be the wear and tear on the HP. This may ruin a perfectly good daily driver ( and **** off the wife). 

212rowboat

if you're going to launch that boat with that pilot, and presumably scoop that boat with same, do your self a favor and invest in wheel chocks.  chock your pilot's wheel's both at launch and recovery.  that poor things brakes and parking sprag is NOT designed for that, and one of them (or both) are GOING to give (not a question of 'if', but 'when')... 

the first time you're overly anxious to launch/recover and attempt anything short of finesse, you're going to have a bad day.  with a truck designed even for marginal towing (and at proper weight), you can brute force it without worry... there are times when this is necessary and they aren't something you can anticipate... that pilot will not brute force that boat.   

jbendix

Nice insights. I haven't made up my mind if I should get a winch yet.

Dude_Himself

I'd have little concern pulling it with the Pilot except for insurance liability. The shorter wheelbase is the limitation I think - the Pilot has enough HP to tow (make sure you have the coolers for tranny, PS, etc.).

I'd throw EoH brakes on the trailer, get a good brake controller for the Pilot, make sure the boat is set up properly on the trailer, then enjoy myself. The trailer brakes could be used to prevent the tail from wagging the dog, or pulling it backwards into the water on a slick ramp.

Regarding brakes on the Pilot: the parking brake is more than adequate to hold both on the ramp. Set the parking brake, put the car in Neutral, and slowly let off the brakes until the load is resting on the parking brake. Then shift into park.

69fastback

Dude_Himself said:

I'd have little concern pulling it with the Pilot except for insurance liability. The shorter wheelbase is the limitation I think - the Pilot has enough HP to tow (make sure you have the coolers for tranny, PS, etc.).

I'd throw EoH brakes on the trailer, get a good brake controller for the Pilot, make sure the boat is set up properly on the trailer, then enjoy myself. The trailer brakes could be used to prevent the tail from wagging the dog, or pulling it backwards into the water on a slick ramp.

Regarding brakes on the Pilot: the parking brake is more than adequate to hold both on the ramp. Set the parking brake, put the car in Neutral, and slowly let off the brakes until the load is resting on the parking brake. Then shift into park.

With all due respect, it’s scary that people think this way. Having enough horsepower to move something has absolutely nothing to due with being able to tow it safely. I have a 232, and pulling it with a Honda Pilot is not okay. It says it right in the tow rating. Boat and trailer are easily over 6000 lbs, and the Honda is rated at 4500 lbs. Yes, the Pilot has enough power to move it, but the chassis and suspension are not near enough to handle the weight, and therein lies the issue. If you made a quick jerk on wheel because someone ran out in front of you and got the trailer swaying, it’s be all over for the Pilot. Tow rating are there for a reason, and I’d be curious to see what the payload rating on the Pilot is too, because I’d be willing to bet the tongue weight of that trailer exceeds that too. A trailer brake controller will gain him nothing on a trailer with surge brakes. Bottom line, it’s not a suitable tow vehicle for that boat.  

rasbury

You have to be safely within the tow range of the vehicle- there is no close is good enough. Also, you will wipe out wheel hearings, trans carrier bearings etc. I sell trucks for a living.

69fastback

rasbury said:

You have to be safely within the tow range of the vehicle- there is no close is good enough. Also, you will wipe out wheel hearings, trans carrier bearings etc. I sell trucks for a living.

This is true too. The hubs in those cars are not up to the task of continually supporting that weight. I’d be willing to bet the transmission won’t last very long dragging that boat. The 232 sits high on the trailer. High enough that it sticks up way above my truck, and that means the boat drags even heavier than it is, because it’s catching a lot of air and air is harder to drag than weight. 

jhofmann

Not to mention the legal repercussions if your invloved in a motor vehicle accident with injuries, while towing over your limit.

Glassguy54

I used to tow our 246 with a full size Tahoe, but that was pushing it and I bought a 2500 HD Silverado 4x4 crew cab,13,000lb tow capacity for a good safety margin. Not worth taking risks with inadequate tow vehicles.

rasbury

ya overkilled that  glass guy ...was that how you talked the wife into the truck? Maybe I should try that one....

Handymans342

You can't even buy a new F150 now

rasbury

We got plenty.....

Handymans342

Price wise not the factory problems

212rowboat

Sold my diesel, bought a classic to play with.  When I had it I coukd have brute forced not only my boat but most of y'alls... Not that I ever once did... But I could have... Peace of mind while trailing. 

10 percent east of Rockies, 20 percent west. Thats the officially accepted buffer between what you hook up to and what your rating is that will keep you out of trouble of all kinds. 

My new old rig is a standard... Four speed... Not because I dont trust my clutch foot, but because its too easy not to do, I have plastic wheel chocks with a line tied to them that is four feet long- far too short to reach trailer tires... I set them on the ramp while launching and retrieving, and drag them behind me while pulling forward until I'm out of the way enough to grab them and flip them into the bed.   

jbendix

I'm planning to get a blue ox towing system for my trailer. I also want to change my set of tires as well but I haven't decided if I'm going with mud tires or all-weather tires. Any recommendations? 

Dude_Himself

@jbendix WD for a boat trailer? Not usually necessary. Boat trailer tongues are typically more lightly loaded (lower percentage total weight than a utility trailer or camper) and boats are more aerodynamic, which means lower drag and better tracking.

My opinion after a few months of research and nearly making a purchase myself: if your vehicle/boat needs a WD system your vehicle is probably not adequate, or your boat/trailer isn't set up properly.

I regularly tow 10k lbs with a Ford E350 extended 15 passenger van. I've towed in thunder storms and strong winds, through WV mountains, and over I-95 in NC/SC (where it's just 20' sections of poorly aligned concrete that make the vehicle bounce for 110 miles straight. Only time I felt like I needed WD it's because the boat wasn't set properly on the trailer after adjusting the winch post. Boat was actually about 1' forward of where it should have been, and that increased the tongue weight.

Glassguy54

If your trailer has surge brakes, you cannot use a WD hitch.

Dude_Himself

I'll add I just checked my trailer - Yacht Club - the manufacturer says NO to WD hitches. They site stress concerns on the single pole member that runs from the aluminum V that carries the boat to the coupler. That likely applies to Eagle and the other variants they make (Yacht Club is their cheaper line).

Venture also says NO siting the incompatibility with surge brakes. I know there's some surge-brake-compatible WD systems (Equalizer, Reese).

There's also several experts that state the WD load puts undue stress on a single pole trailer, effectively doubling to quadrupling the load placed on the pole (it's the difference in load between the front and rear axles, multiplied by the leverage generated by (the difference in distance between the front and rear axles in relation to the difference in load and distance between the rear axle of the vehicle and the center axle or midway between the two axles of the trailer).