Drift Boat Weight/Vehicle Considerations

[Jason B]

My fishing buddy and I are about to buy an aluminum drift boat of 15’ or 16’. He has a diesel truck that can no doubt trailer this thing. However, at some point I want my own rig to trailer it especially since my car seems to be on its last legs. My question is: for the North sound rivers, and considering how much a trailer and drift boat of this size will weigh, what towing capacity do I need? Do I really need a huge truck? I would prefer not, I like cars such as Subaru wagons and Volvo wagons and those are what I am looking into, but I think it smarter to get a vehicle that will do what I need. I want something that gets better mileage than a huge truck that is for sure, at least when I am not towing the boat. Anyway, what would those of you with local boating experience recommend as the minimum to pull a drift boat out of the rivers around here? I know all launches aren’t created equal. I hope this isn’t too complicated! Thanks! :thumb:

[shawn k]

drift boats are very light. you could to it with the vehicles in question. The problem you would run into is ground clearance. A lot of ramps you need a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

[PT]

A Subaru Outback is more than enough vehicle to pull a DB.

[hendersonbaylocal]

Or any full size car or light truck for that matter. Its just a bit easier to pull a trailer with a big rig. Heck, we used to tow my 17' sailboat (probably heavier than a drift boat) around with my buddy's honda prelude.

[Jason B]

The problem you would run into is ground clearance.

Thanks everybody: so my next consideration is clearance. Are the Subaru Outback or Forester the only car-like cars with lots of clearance? Any other brands to look into with lots of clearance?

[Jeremy Floyd]

With the short wheel base of the Outback/Allroad/Cross Country they really get around good.

[Salmo_g]

I tow my boat (16' Lund with jet) with my Outback just fine, but a driftboat bow sticks up higher than the Outback's roofline. You get some drag and side to side wind buffeting as a result. A small pickup with a canopy would tow the boat and keep the driftboat bow in its "wind shadow."

[Zane Wyll]

Ford Escape gets great mileage and has good ground clearence or you said you like Volvo. Fords Freestyle Awd Crossover wagon
is on a volvo platform for about half the money.

[XstreamAngler]

Towed a alum from Sun Valley ID to Salt Lake in a 1987 Camaro IROC with T-Tops, it was dope.

SAK
Hyde Pro Staff
HydeOutdoors.Com
XstreamAnglers.Com

[springer125]

I use my dodge dakota v-6 4 wheel. It works fine but it doesn't get over hills like the pass very quick.

[Josh Benjamin]

I have towed my 16' lavro with a chevy diesel p/up, a small s10 chevy p/up, my '02 1/2 ton silverado and my '03 6 cyl grand cherokee. all were more than enough vehicle. i have driven a 4 cylinder outback and don't think i'd want to tow my d-boat with it, but i suppose you could. that thing wouldn't get out of it's own way. the grand cherokee and the s10 definitely had side wind issues, and the disel truck i would forget it was even there. if you only plan to stay local with it the wind wouldn't be a huge worry to me. i'm a big fan of overkill and i would lean more towards a small s.u.v. at least and away from a car, at least not a 4 cylinder car.

[gt]

if the vehicle of choice has a towing hitch, there will be some specification regarding GVWR. figure the boat 'dry' is 300#, depending on what the trailer is fabricated from, guess 500-700#. now chuck in whatever you are taking along, including another dude, and you should have a pretty good estimate of the overall weight involved. if that fits within your vehicles specifications, you are good to go.

however, keep in mind that a small 4 or 6 cyl engine, pulling, is going to be working pretty hard, read that you ain't goin' anywhere at speed. your fuel consumption will also skyrocket when you tow even with a small economy vehicle. i would be considering just how much towing you are going to be doin vs driving around without the boat and trailer.

[Citori]

I pulled my 16' alumaweld with a Peugeot 504 4 cyl. With a couple hundred feet of line, you can either lower it down a cliff, or pull it up a bank/slope with the car. Been there done that.

As I said before, get the boat, use the hell out of it, don't look back. It will work out and all be good.

PS You can buy a lot of gas for the price of a bigger rig. I pulled mine all over 3 states with the Peugeot. Optimum?...not. Did it work? ... you bet your a$$.

[speyfisher]

One of the problems with a db is being able to see over it when backing down a ramp. Another problem is pulling a boat full of water up a slippery ramp.

Street type cars do not do these things well. For years I drove road rockets. (I wanted a VW Passat wagon V6 5 speed manual for a tow car) They look cool, get better gas milage than a truck/suv, and handle a whole lot better. But sticky performance tires are not going to cut it on a boat ramp. Neither will front wheel (only) drive.

Since you will need to replace your current worn out car eventually, a small suv would be a better alternative. Jeep Liberty, or similar, comes to mind. A Forester or an Outback may also work. Look at it this way. Rather than trying to make a good gas milage car do the job, ask yourself how many miles you going to drive not towing, and how much extra will that cost you with a small suv that will get the job done?

Also, if you're like me, you'll find places to fish even without the boat, that you wouldn't dream of taking a road rocket. Tearing out the under carriage, getting stuck, things like that. So 4 wheel drive becomes more than just a yahoo look at me badge on the side of your vehicle. Ditto full size spare tire. A do-nut spare don't get it. And if your reg tire is some odd ball size???? you could be stuck in po-dunk for days waitiing on a replacement tire to be shipped in from L.A.

Sit down and think about what features are important to you. Make a list. Do the research on the web. You can dig around and find out what is what. You already have some good ideas/suggestions. Go for it.

[speyfisher]

Another scenario, happened last weekend. I'm backing the boat down the ramp. "The boat" is a 15' glass over wood. Not a real heavy rig. "The ramp" is a grooved concrete job loaded with wet leaves. Jeep Grand Cherokee with automatic 4 wheel drive iand ABS is locking the front wheels and I'm sliding down the ramp wondering if I can stop before everything ends up in the river.
Maybe I need new tires. More grip. Maybe next time I'll put it in drive and feather the gas as I come down the ramp. I can see it all now. Smokin' tires, out of control. slippin' sideways down into the cold black abiss. I have never been a follower of the "have enough truck" phylosophy. But I'm beginning to change my mind.

[Citori]

With all due respect... Take a look at the ramp. If it looks like it might be too steep, or too slippery, push the boat off the trailer and slide it down the ramp. After all, it is a drift boat.

As I said earlier, I have lowered my drift boat down a vertical cliff to the end of 200 feet of line, and I have drug it back up a 60' near vertical bank. If you have to drive to the edge of the river to load and unload, you'd best get the power wagon or the F350 4x4 with powerstroke. If you don't mind wrapping a line once around a tree trunk, and lowering the boat down a bank, or pushing/pulling it down (or up) a ramp, then it really doesn't matter what you are pulling it with - it will be parked and up in the lot. This is, not coincidentally, a mark in favor of the aluminum hull.

Just as you have to make adjustments on the water, you need to adapt to your conditions. If you don't have unlimited funds to buy vehicles, you can make do very nicely with whatever vehicle you have. And you should, in my opinion, without hesitation.

Been there, done that. Back when I was pulling the drift boat with the goofy looking ugly french car, and getting stared at on the road and on the riverbank, I was happily making do, wishing I had the macho testosterone rig, and fishing 40 weekends a year. I had 2 kids under 6, house payments, car payments, was a full time student and employed full time. In retrospect, those were probably the best years of my life.

You can wish for a better rig, and perhaps should. BUT, that shouldn't stop you from using the hell out of your boat, and enjoying every minute on the water. The beauty of the drift boat is that it is light. You can pick the tongue up with one hand, you could probably pull it with a moped, and you can slide it down any ramp I have ever seen, improved or not.

The boat and trailer likely don't weigh over 700 lbs. The tongue weight is (should be) around 100 lbs. The weight of the boat/trailer is less of a factor than the drag from the wind, and being able to see around it. Inexpensive removeable mirrors take care of the latter. Pull it around a few times with whatever you have, and you will have a lot better feel for what will work best for you. Don't be too surprised if you find out the rig you like/want turns out to be a very adequate towing vehicle for your drift boat.

Enjoy.

[Salmo_g]

Ditto what Citori said. A Volkswagon Beetle can tow a driftboat for criminy sakes (and I used to see one doing that from the Seattle area to the coast back in the 70s). Anyone who needs a testosterone pickup on steroids to tow a drift boat has more money (or good credit) than brains. Wind drag is the main problem encountered in towing a drift boat. The weight of the boat/trailer combo is practically irrelevant.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

[Kevin J. Burnham]

You crack me up ! I have fished with lots of guys like you. Who needs that BIG TRUCK ? All the fuel it burns the size the cost blah blah blah !! Then when there is extended trip or or a bunch of guys going then it's a different story. Ahh could you please haul some of my stuff or you think you could drive to Montana cause your truck will do a better job pulling it over the devide. I just don't want to stress my little Subaru. Hey look if ya want drive a subaru thats great I did for 10 years. Then I went to a truck. I'm glad you like your little rig but don't begrudge some of us who like driving a truck !!

[PT]

My large truck just makes up for my small......, well never mind. 20 mpg with my new Duromax and plenty of room for two dogs, camping gear, boat, fire wood, and anything else that I might care to bring.

But, I still use my Outback to tow the Super Puma and moped when it's just a day trip.

[Kevin J. Burnham]

Duromax 20 mpg. don't ya just love it !! I have one also and love it. I have the 1989 Toyota p/u for day trips also !!