Boat??

[TandE]

Just wondering what people are doing with their boats (those that do) and towing their trailer? I was looking at getting a 12-14' boat to take with us to go fishing but am unsure about how do it. (Aluminum preferably). I have seen one of the boat loaders on the web but it was for a setup with a fifth wheel. Any ideas or suggestions? I saw this the other day but it wouldn't work for me or most for that matter.

[BulletOwner1]

I'm assuming you are towing a TT. Do you intend on having the boat on a trailer? I once had a lightweight 12' aluminum boat and had a rack for the truck and just put the boat there. You would need to have someone to help load and unload.

Years ago I did see something similar to your photo. Guy towing a large Avion trailer and had at least a 16' boat/motor and trailer loaded on a rack over the pickup. If you have enough money there are people out there that will build you anything !

[SteveC7010]

Originally Posted by TandE

Just wondering what people are doing with their boats (those that do) and towing their trailer? I was looking at getting a 12-14' boat to take with us to go fishing but am unsure about how do it. (Aluminum preferably). I have seen one of the boat loaders on the web but it was for a setup with a fifth wheel. Any ideas or suggestions? I saw this the other day but it wouldn't work for me or most for that matter.

A lot of this is going to depend on where you live. Some states allow pulling a second trailer behind your travel, and some do not.

If you are lucky enough to live where you can tow tandem, you'll want to make sure your hitch on your Keystone is properly installed. Just clipping something to the bumper is a recipe for disaster. There are a number of threads that discuss the lack of strength of the bumpers in great detail. Some revolve around bike racks, but the theories and problems are the same. If you'll search here on bumper and boat or bumper and receiver, you will find these threads easily. Other keywords for searching could be bike or hitch in combination with bumper.

If you live some place where tandem towing is not possible, you might see if you can locate some online pics of boat racks for trucks. I know there have been some very creative ways of taking small boats along.

We go out for two weeks at a time, but our main destinations right now are all within a three hour drive so Mama's Grand Cherokee drags along the boat and the canoe.

[Festus2]

I wouldn't suggest that you try the setup in the photo but many RVer's who take small boats along with them - minus the trailer - carry it in or on the truck. If the boat is small enough to put in truck bed, that would be one option. Another option is to have the stern raised on a frame or support of some kind and the bow resting on a hood-mounted support.

If you have a truck canopy, there are various ways of mounting the boat on roof racks of different types. Some racks require the boat to be manually lifted on top while others have a motorized pulley system whereby the boat is slowly pulled up and onto the rack. Quite a bit more expensive but easy on the back and can often be done by a single person.

You can also get these motorized racks which will fit a 5th wheel configuration.

[TandE]

We live in Washington state and do have a TT so I'm almost positive towing tandem is illegal but have to look and see, but even if it is I don't know if I would want to.

As for towing it with the DW's car..... She has a Subaru forester and while I could put a hitch on it I'm not a fan of towing with subaru's with the recommended towing capacity being in the 1500-2000 pound range max. I'm not even sure if those numbers are like trucks and you have to subtract options, fuel, and passengers. Even thought the boat and trailer would be lighter than that. But mainly she would hate driving by herself even though where we would take it is only 5 hours away.

[SteveC7010]

Originally Posted by TandE

We live in Washington state and do have a TT so I'm almost positive towing tandem is illegal but have to look and see, but even if it is I don't know if I would want to.

As for towing it with the DW's car..... She has a Subaru forester and while I could put a hitch on it I'm not a fan of towing with subaru's with the recommended towing capacity being in the 1500-2000 pound range max. I'm not even sure if those numbers are like trucks and you have to subtract options, fuel, and passengers. Even thought the boat and trailer would be lighter than that. But mainly she would hate driving by herself even though where we would take it is only 5 hours away.

Don't confuse pulling capacity with payload. Your Forester can pull a small boat just fine.

As for DW hating driving by herself, that really depends on how much she wants the boat at your destination. Neither of us fish, but we both love boat rides and tubing and water skiing. Your mileage may vary on that point.

We use two-way radios to keep in touch while traveling, and our yellow lab, Abby, usually rides in the Jeep with Mama.

[SAD]

I haven't setup the Avalanche yet (been a year since we got it ).. But will ultimately pull our pair of jetskis tandem behind it... Did so with our previous 5er many, many, many times. Really liked not having to do two trips or have two tow vehicles.