Towing a 25 ft. cruiser

[Kena B]

I just bought a new 25ft. cruiser (pick it up around 1st of April) and according to my vehicle owners manual (06 Chevy 1/2 ton 4x4), it says I can tow up to 8,700lbs (the way I am reading it!). The dealer says the boat and trailer weighs 5,500 and he thought my truck should do OK but to be careful on steep hills and grades. I am not doubting him but would sure feel better if I heard from a "I,ve done it and it works" kind a person!

Thanks

Don
C-Yalater

[JamesTXSD]

Welcome aboard, Don.

First, I have to compliment your good taste in boats. When we weighed our 25, with less than a 1/4 tank of fuel, full water, Honda 135, reasonably loaded for cruising (the dinghy/motor and generator were still in the truck), the boat on the trailer came in at just under 8500 pounds. I was told to expect about 6500 pounds. Not even close. I haven't weighed the empty trailer to have an exact weight on the boat alone, but I'd estimate the trailer at 2000 pounds.

We are towing with a GMC Sierra 2500 Duramax; does a great job.

The owners manuals can be contradictory on towing capacities. Check the plate on the driver's side door. Take the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight and subtract the actual weight of your truck, and that will be your towing capacity (less the weight of any passengers/cargo carried in the truck).

Congrats on the new boat!

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[Alasgun]

We too are using and liking the duramax combination. It's kind of fun to watch you rear view mirror while going up Johnson pass until the "opportune moment" and then just ease on up the hill AHEAD of 90 % of what's out there. Oh yea did I mention the great mileage?

Mike , Wasilla Ak.

[Pat Anderson]

We have not weighed Daydream, but I am positive your dealer is understating the weight of the CD25. Even more so when you get your "stuff" on board. We towed, right up until this month, with an Expedition with a 5.4 liter engine...marginally acceptable. It towed our prior CD22 like it wasn't even there - perfect tow vehicle. When we got the CD25, it did great on the flat between Fall City and Birch Bay, and took us over Snoqualmie Pass more or less OK in the truck lane . Steep hills, including the one up to our house, we held our breath and prayed. We just bought a used 2004 Nissan Titan (Nissan Armada is the same chassis with an SUV body) with the factory tow package, what a difference in power! And gas mileage...not for the better, either. But in the end, if you are going to tow a fully loaded CD25, I think you want to have the reserve capacity there and not be on the thin edge. Sounds like your present vehicle would be right on the line of barely adequate like our Expedition was.

[Dora~Jean]

Your Chevy truck will tow it, but like others have said it will be marginal. I don't know where your dealer came up with that weight figure, I suspect he quoted the boat weight, forgot about the figure as not including engines or trailer.

My CD is on the lighter side of most others, it has less equipment. It weighed 7,500 lbs with my 27ft, galvanized steel, bunk type Pacific trailer with spare wheel and side bunks, full fuel tank, 1/2 water, dink, and overnight gear aboard. As Jim said, trailer is about 2,000 lbs or a bit more. An aluminum trailer would drop that weight by 500-700 lbs.

I tow mine with a 2003 Expedition 4x4 and 5.4L engine, same tow rating as your Chevy, 8,700 lbs (8,900 w/o 4x4). As Pat experienced, it is OK on flats but you have to be patient on hills of most any size, 2nd gear is the norm, steeper is 1st gear at 30-35 mph. I accept it because we use our Expedition as our family cruiser for trips on land, gets 18-20 non-towing. Plus I have a 22ft travel trailer to pull occasionally.

After you get your boat, it would be interesting to weigh it soon after with known fuel/water on board and list the equipment on board. Then a year or two later take it back to the same scale and weigh again, and also modify your list of equipment. It will probably surprise you. Congrats on your upcoming boat, it's a keeper!

[journey on]

OK, here's another opinion. First that boat/trailer/stuff combination weighs close to 9000#. Some of that might be in the truck bed when you're hauling. We really load up the boat for cruising, and I think that's where a lot of the weight comes from. But it's there and I can show you the weigh slips. 5000# is BS.

Second, the primary requirement for hauling is a big motor. Whatever passes for a 350 these days. And a transmission cooler.

A 1/2 ton is OK as long as long as the motor is the big one. I've used two trucks to tow Journey On: a 1/2 ton 63 Chevvy with a 350 and 4 speed transmission and a 3.42 rear axle. Worked great if I used a leveling hitch for stability. For reasons beyond my control, I now use a 2006 Ford 3/4 ton with a 328 (5.7?) with a 5 speed and a 3.73 axle. As you may guess, it's more comfortable and tranquil, but doesn't do any better a job of towing. Still use the leveling hitch. Still uses 2nd gear coming up the Valley Center grade (8%.)

Third, the trailer should have good brakes. Since I use a leveling hitch, I got electric hydraulic brakes. Best towing investment I made. Takes most of the load off the truck.

Boris

[Kena B]

Thanks to all for the welcome and info. Unfortunately you are dealing with a "newby" that does not want to tell the old hide "honey! We need a new truck to pull YOUR new boat!!" Don't worry, I'll figure that one out. Anyone want to buy any guns?? Got any ideas for a fat bald old guy to get into man whoring? I do have an option of renting a truck which is not to bad and I don't plan on trailering to much. To Valdez in the spring and back to the frozen north in the fall! For those of you who are not familliar with Valdez, Thompson pass is a pretty scary hill even without towing a boat!

Can one of you explain how to "reply" to an individual on these forums so everyone can see the reply? Is it the "quote" button on top right of each reply window? Or just "post a reply" like this??

Computer illiterate, Don

PS: I had to post a boat name when I signed up for C-Brats and made up Kena B as I did not REALLY have a name. Decided on "C-Yalater" unless I hear someone else is using!!!

[Dene]

I have a 22 footer that weighs 5-6000 lbs., and a 1/2 ton Ford Explorer with a V-8. I hauled the boat from Oceanside, Ca. to Portland, over two large "hills," the Grapevine and Siskyous. It proved to be too much for it, even though I was within towing capacity. I burned out couple of rear end bearings and eventually had to have the rear end rebuilt, costing 2k.

Also, there were times when I wondered what was pulling what, due to fishtailing. There was some serious white knuckle times on that trip.

Since then, I acquired a cheap 1 ton low profile RV with duals that hauls it beautifully. I literally cannot tell it's back there. A serious towing vehicle makes a lot of difference.

Bottom line....if you have "hills" to pull, then you should get a 3/4 ton. If it's a straight shot from your home to the boat launch, then you should be fine. Also a consideration is the steepness and traction qualities of your launch. Ours in Kalama, Washington, can get quite steep in the summer, especially during low tide.

-Greg

[T.R. Bauer]

I would say that your dealer simply got the cd 22 and 25 weights backwards. Or, he really wanted to make a sale. Just curious, does his other lot sell trucks too? If yes, it makes you wonder. My 22 can come close to 5000 pounds when fully loaded.

[Captains Cat]

[Edward Thieme]

Just to be contrary, I have a C-25 which I tow with a 2005 Nissan Frontier 4X4 with the 4 liter V6 265hp engine and a 6 speed manual transmission. I towed the new boat back to CO, where there are real mountains, from Fife, WA. Last fall went to Lk. Powell which means going over Vail Pass and Eisenhower Tunnel going and coming. No I wasn't the fastest thing on the road but just shifted down going up hill. On halfway level ground maintaining 55mph, the fastest I want to go towing anything, was no problem.

The C-22 I had I towed with a 1995 Nissan 4X4 PU with a manual transmission and the 2.4liter 4 cyl. engine. I towed to WA and back twice, to the east coast and KY and TN a few times. I traded the truck in with 95,000 miles on it, to buy the present truck so I could buy the new C-Dory, and never had to replace the clutch or brakes.

A smaller engine can do as much work as a large engine, it just takes it longer and I never had any over heating problem.

Spend your money on a C-Dory not a bigger truck.

Ed

[Nan-C]

Don,

I pulled our new 25 the 1800+ miles back from Oakland to central Iowa last June with a Chev. half-ton shortbed, 2WD with 5.3 and auto. As others have said, we were OK on I-80 -- slow but patient and not a hazard. Pulling up to Tahoe was another story. Personally, I would describe it as unacceptable and definitely not marginal. My wife describes it as a nightmare.

The cool thing that might be of interest to you was her response. When we got home and the transmission fluid looked good, I was talking about keeping the truck until we tried at least one more long trip. Nancy listened to this quietly for a couple of weeks and then insisted we get a Duramax even though she is typically the gatekeeper. I guess she didn't enjoy the trip from CA all that much.

Greg

[thataway]

Welcome aboard!

Our CD 25 weighed 5500 on the trailer with absolutely nothing in the boat--no cushions, no fuel, no water etc. The Trailer is aluminum and the weight is 800 lbs (probably lighter than it should be). We also weighed the boat when loaded for traveling--but with minimal fuel and about half a tank of water--most of the heavy stuff was in the back of the Excursion. The weight on the axels of the CD 25 was 6500 lbs, the hitch weight was about 650 lbs. My son tows the CD 25, light, around Dana Point, CA with his Ford Expedition with no problems, but we don't suggest it for long trips.

Double check--I suspect that you will find that the 8700 lbs is with a weight distributing hitch, and basically nothing in the truck. Take a look at the manual, and the sticker on the factory hitch. This is with the assumption that the truck has the towing package--with tranny cooler etc.

There are some comments about towing the CD 25 in the thread I asked about length. You can tow it with almost anything--I have towed it short distances with my Honda Pilot--but in lower gear ranges, and nothing in the truck.

Also be sure you get brakes on both axels. You should do OK with the current truck, as long as you keep things light, but watch the temperatures, gear down on grades (both up and down)--and keep the speed down--Have fun with the boat!!!

[Kena B]

Well nothing speaks like to voice of experience! So looks like I need to get some experience towing the CD25 with my truck! I pick the boat up in April in Anchorage and the drive to Fairbanks is about 350 miles and pretty good roads with no real scary grades. No guts, no glory (defined as stupidity). I am going to look into the Leveling hitch sugested from journey on, Boris. My hot rod days are pretty much over so I can take it slow and easy. It's about time I got some revenge for following all those $%^& tourists in motorhomes all summer that drive at 35 mph!

Thanks to all for the welcome and words of wisdom. Hopefully I can reply with a good note in April!

Still have the head cook thinking about a new truck just in case!!!

Don

[CW]

I've never met anyone who wished they had a smaller truck to tow their boat with -- but I've met plenty who wish they had a bigger truck.

Yes, you can get by with a half ton for many things, but for $2,000-3,000 more the security, safety, capacity and piece of mind of having a 3/4 ton truck is amazing. The brakes are twice as big. The transmission is beefier. And if you decide to step up to a diesel, the torque is superb and the fuel economy much, much better. The cooling capacities are much increased too. I live at the top of a 1,300 ft. hill with the marina 3 miles down below. Our half ton Chevy Suburban with 5.7 liter (350 cu inch) v-8 would do the job (at 8 - 12 mpg) , but we had frequent overheating issues and got to buy a lot of brakes -- and my boat weighs less than a CD - 25. Our Dodge Ram 2500 with Cummins diesel is a whole 'nuther ball game. (15 mpg going up and down that hill and around town, 23 mpg on the highway).

If you are going to be towing your boat more than a half dozen times per year, I'd definitely suggest stepping up to a heavier rig. But like anything boating, you have to pace yourself on the purchases. C.W.