New to Boat Towing

[TXGREEK]

2016 Chevy Silverado 4.3L V6 3.23
 
Reading through the manual: Max Trailer Weight 5,600 lbs, any other weights/limitations I should focus on ?
 
Looking into installing Class 3 Trailer hitch, is a class 3 pretty standard, sufficient ?
 
Im interested in 17-21' fiberglass center console in the future, any issues towing this type of boat (not knowing weight of boat / trailer etc )  

Here’s a quick video of v6 towing capabilities

Sent from above

[JimCost2014]

Rule of thumb when driving (after drinking) or if you are not confident in towing something, Drive fast, that way you are closer to home, or your destination when you crash!!! Don't buy more trailer (weight) than truck, reverse it, and start with more truck. 

Edited February 22, 2019 by JimCost2014

[midwestdenaliguy]

3 hours ago, GN2018 said:

Similar the the OP, I need some help with towing.  Is there anywhere that will explain the controls I have in my truck?  I have a trailer symbol on the right control knob ( the shifter).  And I have a slider switch up on the dash over the light control knob.  What are these things?  I have verified the my truck has a towing package.  Any direction would be appreciated.  

Trailer symbol/button on your gear shift will automatically adjust your shift points to prevent excessive wear/damage on your transmission. It also optimizes torque. You just tap it anytime you tow. It turns off and won't automatically come back on when you turn the truck off, so don't forget to tap it after every start up.

 

Good rule of thumb is to keep tongue weight around 10% of total load (10% total weight of trailer and contents should be resting on hitch). If you go too heavy or too light on the tongue, the trailer will sway and you risk an accident. I highly recommend a Weigh Safe hitch with a built in scale. They're expensive but will never rust and have a lifetime warranty.

 

Here's a video on how to use your trailer brake controller (slider switch over light control knob):

 

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by midwestdenaliguy

[SMSgtThor]

A few things to remember when you get your boat/trailer combination. Make sure you add the weight of the trailer (empty) and the weight of the boat together. Many folks forget the trailer weight when figuring their towing capacity. Also, what ever weight you are told the boat weighs will be the "dry weight." That means no fuel, no gear, etc. You can easily add another 500-1000 pounds of weight when your boat is fully loaded. Factor in all those numbers and the tongue weight before you buy a boat. 

 

The good news is that the weight of the boat/trailer you are looking at will most likely be within your towing capacity. Based on your description of your truck its really not outfitted for towing (small engine, high gear ratio, etc) so it may not have a tow/haul mode or built in trailer brake controller. That doesn't mean that you cant tow, its just a little more work on your part.

 

Don't drive too fast and make sure your truck brakes are always in good condition as towing will increase wear and tear on your brakes.

Edited February 22, 2019 by SMSgtThor
typo

[midwestdenaliguy]

9 hours ago, SMSgtThor said:

A few things to remember when you get your boat/trailer combination. Make sure you add the weight of the trailer (empty) and the weight of the boat together. Many folks forget the trailer weight when figuring their towing capacity. Also, what ever weight you are told the boat weighs will be the "dry weight." That means no fuel, no gear, etc. You can easily add another 500-1000 pounds of weight when your boat is fully loaded. Factor in all those numbers and the tongue weight before you buy a boat. 

 

The good news is that the weight of the boat/trailer you are looking at will most likely be within your towing capacity. Based on your description of your truck its really not outfitted for towing (small engine, high gear ratio, etc) so it may not have a tow/haul mode or built in trailer brake controller. That doesn't mean that you cant tow, its just a little more work on your part.

 

Don't drive too fast and make sure your truck brakes are always in good condition as towing will increase wear and tear on your brakes.

^^^Some additional great points here. Just because your truck doesn't have all the optional tow features doesn't mean you can't tow - it just means you have to take extra precaution when towing. Back when I was a fresh college grad and had little money, I moved myself out to the east coast (Philly) for my first job. Drove from Michigan to eastern Penn in my 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a loaded 6x10 enclosed Uhaul trailer with all the donated used furniture from family. That Jeep had the 4.0L straight 6 (think it produced maybe 190hp?) and zero tow features, but I installed fresh brake pads/rotors and took my time driving - no issues. Would it have been nice to have hill assist or grade brake features when I was crossing the Appalachians? Absolutely! But that didn't exist then so again, I took my time. I drive 25k+ miles a year across multiple states and see a lot of idiots out there towing. Many flipped trailers and others swaying so much they are taking up two drive lanes. Just don't be those guys .

[diyer2]

Just watch the tongue weight and the total weight of boat, trailer, motor, gear added and gasoline if you want to be accurate on your weights.

I have quite a bit of boating experience.

 

Using this as a guide from Key West boats http://www.keywestboatsinc.com/boats/show/id/3.

Boat                                          1150 pounds

120 H.P Outboard motor       350 pounds New Yamaha 115 H.P. https://yamahaoutboards.com/en-us/home/outboards/115-50-hp/f115     377 pounds

Trailer                                       400 pounds

Fuel 31 gals.for this boat      240 pounds

Add your gear                       500 pounds?

Total                                      2640 pounds

 

Look in your manual for trucks tongue rating 10% of this would be 264 pounds. Shouldn't be a problem.

Boat trailer should have a slight down angle at the hitch.

Higher at the hitch than at the rear causes swaying. Dangerous.

 

This amount of weight shouldn't be a problem for your truck without a weight distributing hitch or a brake controller.

Just drive slower and allow extra room to stop.

 

Get used to towing by taking the rig out. Don't do this during rush hour.

The most important thing IMO is learning how to back a trailer.

Practice in an empty parking lot.

Back the trailer between the lines or into a parking spot.

I say this because you don't want to be that guy at the bot ramp that holds everybody up because you can't launch your boat because you can't back down the ramp.

 

I have back upped boat trailers at the ramp, RV's in camp grounds, trailers at dump sites, just about every place you can name for people because they can't do it.

Try this, place your hand on the bottom center of the steering wheel and turn the wheel the way you want the trailer to go.

 

Practice, practice, and practice.

 

 

[Nitrousbird]

On 2/21/2019 at 8:05 PM, Chevyguy85 said:

The catch comes in when the boat trailers state not to use WD setup.

I am into wake boats (which is what I have), which are up to about 9000lbs on the trailer for the 25' versions now.  No one is using a WD hitch for these, so WD for what the OP wants is way overkill.

 

On 2/21/2019 at 8:04 PM, PlanesGoodYa said:

Just trying to see if what I currently have, basic stock Silverado 1500 V6 can handle handle like a 19’ CC keywest. Seems like these boats weigh about 15-1700 lbs plus motor and trailer. From the manual, I believe class 3 hitch setup should be ok. 

 

Not it sure about WD hitches, that seems  unnecessary for what I need.

Your truck will have zero issues towing that.  Probably 800lbs for the trailer and another 400 for the motor.  My first boat weighed right around there and I had no issues towing it with a 1st Gen S-Blazer and 2nd Gen S-Jimmy, both with the CPI 4.3L V6.  Your way over those two motors on power with a truck that doesn't weight that much more.  I was towing that boat with a Class 2 on both SUV's, though you should have a Class 3 on yours.

 

On 2/21/2019 at 8:38 PM, GN2018 said:

Similar the the OP, I need some help with towing.  Is there anywhere that will explain the controls I have in my truck?  I have a trailer symbol on the right control knob ( the shifter).  And I have a slider switch up on the dash over the light control knob.  What are these things?  I have verified the my truck has a towing package.  Any direction would be appreciated.  

The slider is for electric brakes.  Unless the trailer has electric brakes, it doesn't do a thing.  Most boat trailers don't unless they have an electric over hydraulic conversion, which isn't all that common.  The Tow/Haul switch changes shift points, shift firmness and I believe locks you out of 8th gear (haven't towed with my new truck yet).  Not sure if it locks 6th out; didn't on my last truck with the same tranny.  It should be used any time towing a heavy load.  I know they call it "haul" but I've had my truck over the bed payload max with 3 passengers and there was zero need to use it.

[Chevyguy85]

1 hour ago, Nitrousbird said:

I am into wake boats (which is what I have), which are up to about 9000lbs on the trailer for the 25' versions now.  No one is using a WD hitch for these, so WD for what the OP wants is way overkill.

 

Never said anyone was using it or not, or if something is overkill.  I just found it interesting that in order to hit max tow numbers manuals say WD setup needs to be used.  Ford changed this in the last couple years, I don't know if GM has or not.  Fully loaded out my boat and trailer will probably end up being over 12k and yet the trailer maker says not to use WD setup.

[Jacoby]

3 minutes ago, Chevyguy85 said:

 

Never said anyone was using it or not, or if something is overkill.  I just found it interesting that in order to hit max tow numbers manuals say WD setup needs to be used.  Ford changed this in the last couple years, I don't know if GM has or not.  Fully loaded out my boat and trailer will probably end up being over 12k and yet the trailer maker says not to use WD setup.

Because the trailer probably has surge brakes and the tongue weight on a boat trailer is nothing compared to a travel trailer because all the weight is at the ass end of the trailer. 

[j-ten-ner]

As mentioned before, don't start at the boat ramp to practice backing up the trailer.

Even the nicest Canadian can turn into a zombie when you're blocking the ramp.

Have decent tires mounted and a maintained parking brake. More important, USE the parking brake!

On a low sloped ramp you may have to back the trailer as far into the water until the rear tires of the truck are touching the water.

When the ramp is very slippery I use to shift into 4HI so that the front wheels won't be spinning freely in case the rear wheels loose traction and start sliding, even with the parking brake set.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[NWI Denali]

Tongue weights on boat trailers are usually in the 5-7% range vs the traditional 10-12%. There is literally zero need for a weight distributing hitch. Your 4.3 will pull that fine. You probably dont even need a brake controller either as most boats in the size range will have surge brakes on the trailer and not electric.

[CadillacLuke24]

On 2/21/2019 at 7:04 PM, GN2018 said:

Yes, but when I had a 4x4 question, someone was able to direct me to a YouTube video that explained everything in a way that really helped me understand. I was hoping someone might have a link like that on the towing controls.  It’s one thing to know what they are, I don’t, and another to see someone use them. Thought the point is taken.  I’ll see if I can find some search terms in the manual. 

 

 

Oops, somebody beat me to it. Still a good reference. 

Edited February 24, 2019 by CadillacLuke24

[Cpl_Punishment]

Like these guys say, figure out which boat you're getting first. But, since my dad used to tow his 16' fiberglass boat with a 1993 Mazda MPV, I think you'll be hard pressed to find one that's outside your truck's capability. 

[Cpl_Punishment]

On 21/02/2019 at 10:45 PM, SMSgtThor said:

A few things to remember when you get your boat/trailer combination. Make sure you add the weight of the trailer (empty) and the weight of the boat together. Many folks forget the trailer weight when figuring their towing capacity. Also, what ever weight you are told the boat weighs will be the "dry weight." That means no fuel, no gear, etc. You can easily add another 500-1000 pounds of weight when your boat is fully loaded. Factor in all those numbers and the tongue weight before you buy a boat. 

 

The good news is that the weight of the boat/trailer you are looking at will most likely be within your towing capacity. Based on your description of your truck its really not outfitted for towing (small engine, high gear ratio, etc) so it may not have a tow/haul mode or built in trailer brake controller. That doesn't mean that you cant tow, its just a little more work on your part.

 

Don't drive too fast and make sure your truck brakes are always in good condition as towing will increase wear and tear on your brakes.

Pretty tough to put 1000 lbs of gear in a boat. My dad usually has 400 lbs at most when his is full of jerry cans of fuel and propane cylinders for our lake lot. 

[waliwiw]

So many problems arise when buying a boat. Towing, maintenance, taxes - it's scary. I really like boats. But after buying a boat and realizing how much time and money I would have to spend on it, I sold it six months later. It's not profitable for me. I work a lot and spend most of my time in the office. I need a boat to rest on the weekend. And miami boat rentals copes with this task perfectly.  After paying some money, I get a boat at my disposal for a couple of hours. I don't need to think about storing and maintaining the boat. I'm just enjoying the rest.

Edited January 4, 2022 by waliwiw