Getting a new boat

[dizzyedge]

So the wife says to me the other day that we should get a boat. Who am I to argue lol. I've been wanting a boat to use in puget sound for years so nows my chance.

I drive a 2013 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner 4 cyl. The towing capacity is 3500lbs according to Toyota. Does anyone else out there tow with a Tacoma? How does it do? also does anyone have any recommendations for a boat. I've never towed anything with my truck and I've never had a boat before so I was hoping someone here would have some wisdom to part.

[Larry3215]

For Puget Sound, Id recommend an aluminum "Northwest style" boat. The main thing about a northwest style is that the helm/windshield is more forward. This leaves you more room for fishing in the rear when you are using downriggers. Hewes Craft, Alumaweld, Lowes, Smoker Craft, etc.

The aluminum boat will also be lighter than a similar sized fiberglass boat for easier towing.

[gfakkema]

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[hewesfisher]

My brother drove a 4 cylinder 4WD Tacoma for about a year, and although it got great fuel economy, it could hardly get out of its own way. Can't imagine putting a load behind one. Think small if you have to keep the same tow rig or your boat purchase will also lead to a new truck (which might not be a bad thing).

Towing footnote from 2013 Toyota Sales Brochure:

23. Before towing, confirm your vehicle and trailer are compatible, hooked up and loaded properly and that you have any necessary additional equipment. Do not exceed any Weight Ratings and follow all instructions in your Owner’s Manual. The maximum you can tow depends on the total weight of any cargo, occupants and available equipment. Calculated with new SAE J2807 method.

Max towing capacity is based on driver only, no passengers or cargo. Add people and/or cargo and it reduces the max rated capacity. The closer you get to max rated tow capacity, the more stress you put on every component in the drivetrain.

[ptfletcher]

I tried towing a boat with my Mazda 4 cyl pick-up. After burning out most of the clutch trying to get the boat and trailer back up the ramp, I knew I needed either a bigger engine or a smaller boat. Then I got married and my wife wanted to go boating and fishing with me, so we needed to consider her wants in a boat as well. We now have an 18' Smoker Craft pulled by a 4.0 L V6. I haven't tried going over a pass yet, but I can pull her up a ramp, for sure. You don't want to know the feeling I had when it felt like I was going to be stuck on that ramp with a burned-out clutch.

[dizzyedge]

Thanks everyone for the input. My truck won't be paid off for a couple more years so perhaps I'll have to stick with a smaller boat for now. Either that or not get a boat till I get a new truck.

[strider43]

Thanks everyone for the input. My truck won't be paid off for a couple more years so perhaps I'll have to stick with a smaller boat for now. Either that or not get a boat till I get a new truck.

I tow a 12' Northwood with a 8 HP Nissan, battery and camping gear loaded into the boat and haul two grown men with a ford focus 2.0 L 4 banger. it does great, I have to downshift going over the hiway 2 pass

[Salmon King]

I know it's probably a little on the small side for you but have you considered the 10' Livingston I have listed for sale?
It's a good crabbing boat and great for catching Humpies in the bays!
You can load t into your truck and not have to tow it or leave it on the trailer if you want.
Oh...and it's cheap too!

[AaronW]

I tow a 17.5-foot aluminum bass boat with my 2wd 4cyl Chevy Colorado. I've towed it over the pass multiple times with no problems. My towing capacity is something like 3,300 lbs. I've towed an 18.5 foot fiberglass boat at about 3,100 pounds and the Colorado pulls it fine. I wouldn't take the glass boat over the pass but she's capable around town. I think your Toyota should do the trick for an aluminum boat. It has a 3,500# capacity for a reason. Just don't expect to haul ass anywhere. I have a few friends with that motor that tow bass boats all over. Only heard good things about it! Just use common sense when driving (ie: leave plenty of stopping distance). It's also good to tow in third gear if you have an automatic.

Have a look through this thread. It should ease your mind:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tow ... ow.202653/

[Fish Dawg]

I tow my 16.5' Smokercraft Pro Lodge with a 6 cyl Ford Explorer and with my wife's 6 cyl ford escape and both do a fine job. Previous boat was a 12' Seanymph and I towed it with a 6 cyl Ford Ranger with no problems. Agree with most posters that an aluminum in the 12' - 15' or 16' range is probably about the max for your tow vehicle.

My old 12' boat was not really adequate for Puget Sound (minimal free board) and was limited to two bigs or two bigs and a small in terms of people. It handled most lake conditions fairly well including trips on Lk WA and Baker Lake and I fished pinks in the Skagit in it many times. The Smokercraft has much deeper sides and a solid V bottom and is seaworthy for Puget Sound and Lower Columbia River.

Good luck with your vessel search and have fun boating and fishing!

[dizzyedge]

Thanks AaronW. I have been doing some research and read that the Tacoma 4 bangers do great towing. Like you said they just don't go fast. I also found that Klamath boats are pretty light weight too so I could probably get a bit bigger boat by going that route too. Still researching them but so far they seem promising.

I'm about 6 months away from actually purchasing a boat but can't wait to finally get out there and not be stuck on the shore watching all the boats pass me by.

[strider43]

Thanks AaronW. I have been doing some research and read that the Tacoma 4 bangers do great towing. Like you said they just don't go fast. I also found that Klamath boats are pretty light weight too so I could probably get a bit bigger boat by going that route too. Still researching them but so far they seem promising.

I'm about 6 months away from actually purchasing a boat but can't wait to finally get out there and not be stuck on the shore watching all the boats pass me by.

Your going to love having a boat. I was shore bound for a few years when I started fishing. Having a boat opens up so many more fishing opportunities. I have caught so many more fish with a boat it is unbelievable.

[Larry3215]

Im not sure I catch any more fish than I did before owning a boat - but its sure more fun

[hunter105]

Don't put too much stock in the comments about towing over the passes if you don't plan to do that very often. If you plan to tow locally you should do fine with the tow rig you have now if you don't get too big of a boat. Aluminum 16' should be just fine.

[gfakkema]

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[dizzyedge]

I'm not going to tow a yacht or anything lol. Just looking to see if there were any other Taco owners out there who could share their experiences. I do not plan on exceeding 2k lbs total for boat, trailer, motor, fuel, ect ect. Im also considering the possibility of a trailer with breaks since there are a lot of hills around here. I will not be towing over the passes and probably will only tow it one in a while and just moore it in Edmonds several months of the year since I'm very close to there.

Like I said I won't be getting one for about 6 months. I plan on doing a lot of research between now and then.

[strider43]

I'm not going to tow a yacht or anything lol. Just looking to see if there were any other Taco owners out there who could share their experiences. I do not plan on exceeding 2k lbs total for boat, trailer, motor, fuel, ect ect. Im also considering the possibility of a trailer with breaks since there are a lot of hills around here. I will not be towing over the passes and probably will only tow it one in a while and just moore it in Edmonds several months of the year since I'm very close to there.

Like I said I won't be getting one for about 6 months. I plan on doing a lot of research between now and then.

I tow my 12' Northwood with outboard and full of camping gear with a 2.0 L ford focus. Go over Stevens pass without an issue, never had any stopping problems, but I do use common sense when driving.

[Mike Carey]

Thanks AaronW. I have been doing some research and read that the Tacoma 4 bangers do great towing. Like you said they just don't go fast. I also found that Klamath boats are pretty light weight too so I could probably get a bit bigger boat by going that route too. Still researching them but so far they seem promising.

I'm about 6 months away from actually purchasing a boat but can't wait to finally get out there and not be stuck on the shore watching all the boats pass me by.

I own a 15 ft Klamath. They are light boats and I think you'd have no towing issues. They also have a high rise front end which works well for cutting waves. Just don't hit anything cause they will dent (spoken from experience).
As to your truck, not much to add to all the other comments, except I had a Toyota 4 Runner 4 cylinder years ago and towed a 16 ft Fiberform. Did OK on the level but not so good on passes, but that was with the 16 ft fiberglass boat, which would be heavier than a 15 ft light weight aluminum boat.

[kodacachers]

If you're considering a used boat and you have the money and space you might look to buy in 2 or 3 months than 6. A lot of folks try to sell so they don't have to store their boat over the winter, though that might not hold true for a small aluminum. I used to have a 14 foot Lund and it was a light, great boat. The trailer weight twice what the boat and motor did.

[hewesfisher]

There is a really fine line between being able to do something, and being able to do something SAFELY. Have you ever seen the Toyota commercial where they tow the space shuttle? Sure, it can do it, but good luck trying to stop. It's not the going part that you will have to worry about, it's that whole stopping part. If towing around town, think yellow lights. Also, ever have sufficient distance between the car in front of you only to have somebody cut in there?
Could you get away with a bigger boat? Probably, but please, for the rest of us on the road, just keep safety and stopping distance in mind.
Also, you didn't mention if it was a manual taco or automatic. Manual is much better for towing. You can use the engine braking if equipped with a manual. If it's an automatic tranny though, you are going to have some issues, especially going uphill. Automatics will continually shift gears, and can overheat a tranny. If you have an auto, you might consider a tranny cooler if you don't already have one. Again, you can tow a lot with a little rig, just make sure that SAFETY is a primary concern, both for you, and for the rest of us.

^^^^ (with the exception of the blanket statement manual transmissions are better than autos for towing. Most modern automatics have higher tow ratings than available manual transmissions, many also have tow/haul modes to keep engines in the peak torque band for accelerating, climbing, and braking. Be sure to check your owner's manual for your specific vehicle).

The reason there is a "max capacity" rating is so you don't overload the safe operating parameters of your drivetrain components when towing. Run anything at max capacity and it will shorten its life span through increased wear, shorter oil and gear lube change intervals, higher fuel consumption, increased routine maintenance intervals, etc. Vehicle comparisons with drivetrains different than his 4 cylinder Tacoma are, well, irrelevant since they aren't 4 cylinder Tacoma's.

I tow our 20' Hewescraft ProV with my '04 Ranger 4wd, 4.0L SOHC, 5spd auto, factory tow package, and max factory tow capacity of 5500lbs. But wait, that, like the other non 4cylinder Tacoma references, is an orange compared to an apple.