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Can anyone recommend a good vehicle for towing a boat occasionally - boat is 2000lb. We used to borrow a friends van but he no longer has it. Vehicle would need to be family of four (plus dog) friendly. Vehicle would have to be used as the family runabout.
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If your new to towing...
www.towsafe.co.uk
www.towsure.co.uk
& a diesel Astra estate might just fit the bill, if we're looking value for £$£$£.
Other more exciting vehicles, suggested shortly!!
VB
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do you have a budget in mind? Theres a lot of vehicles that are up to the job. Also will it be a main vehicle with other use or just a workhorse?
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Does the 2000 lbs include the trailer? Most tow weights are calc'd in kgs - and 1000 kg is well within the reach of most 1600 engine sized cars, but check the manual/mfr website.
Will you be going far, and need to use the tow vehicle to launch/recover from the slipway?
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2000lb is just the boat. Could probably use facilities on site to launch/recover, although its always a good option but presume you need a 4x4 for that. Probably looking at 10K absolute max and it would be used for everyday family stuff, commuting etc. We have used the van to tow before but never one of our own cars.
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Id suggest an audi a6 avant, a good well specced model is top of the budget but it will suit all you requirements without hassle, especially the derv models.
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Nissan X-trail (diesel or petrol), Subaru Forester or Subaru Legacy (petrol) would be my preferences. You'll need 4wd for reliable braking and it'll be useful for traction on slipways. All three have boots big enough for the dog provided most of the boat gear can travel in the boat or elsewhere on its trailer.
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Landy
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>Landy
He wasn't looking for a boat anchor, PU!
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You'll need 4wd for reliable braking
In what way does 4wd improve braking?
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One key point is do you mean just the towing, or the launching and recovery too? If you are backing down a green slimey slipway you will need chunky tyres, 4-wheel drive, and possibly a winch on the front as well in order to get back up again. Also good ground clearance if you have to put the vehicle into the water in order to float the boat off. Remember the effect of salt water on brakes and chassis members.
On the other hand if you can run the run the trailer down on its own and then wait for the tide, you may be able to winch it back up again without even getting the vehicle tyres wet.
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Most of the slipways nearby have tractors available for launch/recovery so that isn't a major issue for us at present. The forester looks quite tempting, are they petrol models only? Don't do a huge amount of mileage but never had a big petrol engine. Reading HJ it seems quite reliable too.
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Subarus are petrol only. The entry level 2 litre non-turbo has a low range gearbox which could be useful on slipways. There may be tractors available to launch at your local slips, but its useful to be able to do the job yourself if you choose to trail-n-sail further from home.
I recommended 4wd for towing earlier based on advice I got myself regarding boats and horseboxes. Your 2000lb boat, plus trailer, makes for a 1.5 ton load. The nose weight (which can and should be calculated for your rig) will tend to lift the nose of the car off the road. With front wheel drive, this means less traction and less braking efficiency.
Do make sure the power - and transmission - of whatever tow car you choose is suited to the load and gradients you'll tow on. Like the Saab mentioned above, one of the previous co-owners of my boat (which, though only 22 feet long, weighs in closer to three tons on her trailer) attempted to haul her out using his 1.6 litre Focus. Needless to say, the only successful towing done that day was for the other owner to tow him to the garage for a new clutch...
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One key point is do you mean just the towing, or the launching and recovery too?
Many years ago a neighbour launched his boat on the Friday using his 6 month old Range Rover.
On the Saturday he bought a SAAB Turbo and wrecked the 1 day old car trying to get the boat out of the water the following day.
He was not the "brightest boy in the class" and his substantial inheritance went the same way as the Saab within 2/3 years
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I friend of mine, new to boating, moored up at high tide and went home.
In the early hours of the morning, he got a rude phone call from the boat yard owner - could he come down straight away, as his yacht was hanging from the side of the dock, 10 feet above the water!
Nothing to do with towing a boat - but very funny!
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Colin-E
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We use our Forester 2.0x (base model with low range gearbox) for the occasional tow and a couple of launch recovers a year via a slipway with our 16ft fishing boat.
Works a treat, the low range being very usefull on the slipway.
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