quote:

Experts suggest that the weight of the fully loaded boat/trailer be no more than 85 percent of the tow capacity to allow a reasonable payload in the truck.

I'm trying not to be annoying on this, but this is just plain BS plain and simple. Yes maybe it helps some one who is an idiot avoid a serious problem but it really does nothing for having confidence in what you do. But people who actually tow things would laugh. The MFG will give you GVW, GAWR, Tow rating, tongue weight, hitch constraints, equipment needs etc. You can't exceed any of them and of course especially the axle ratings or the GVW. So go weigh your tow vehicle as you would use it. Then see what you have left to tow with using the specified constraints. This is what serious people do. Just picking a percentage is silly, as it tells you nothing. If every other prerequisite is fine I would have no issue towing at 100% of the allowable rating. Now having said all that, boats gain weight all the time from stuff you put in them. I wouldn't sign up to tow a dry, brand new boat that's empty at 100% of my tow rating as I know when its loaded, full and wet it will be 20% over that, but that's a different issue. I raced big boats for 20 years, we weighed them all the time and its ungodly what seemingly small amounts of items actual weigh in aggregate.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:

quote:

Experts suggest that the weight of the fully loaded boat/trailer be no more than 85 percent of the tow capacity to allow a reasonable payload in the truck.

I'm trying not to be annoying on this, but this is just plain BS plain and simple. ... Now having said all that, boats gain weight all the time from stuff you put in them. ... its ungodly what seemingly small amounts of items actual weigh in aggregate.

Which is what I was suggesting and exactly what the article talks about.

With the boat he's talking about and the likely minimum weight of the trailer, he's got merely 500 lbs of headroom.

Again I'm not trying to be annoying but I'm pretty sure you suggested the 85% rule was something valid. Maybe I misunderstood and if so sorry. What your actual load weighs (which is the POINT and part of your post) is the critical issue.

Well I think 85% is a valid point. 500 lbs over on a Subaru is sure as hell going to make a difference on a Subaru, not so much on a F350. Therefore percentage of capacity is a valid rule of thumb. And I do not believe you should tow at 100%. And I tow every day.

With the litigious society we live in would Toyota list a 5k towing capacity if they didn’t intend people to tow upto to that weight?

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
With the litigious society we live in would Toyota list a 5k towing capacity if they didn’t intend people to tow upto to that weight?

You know, there are many other factors at play here too. It's one thing to tow 5,000 lbs in a short trailer with very little windage, and another thing to tow a 22' boat that the stern is 28' behind the tow vehicle on a day with a lot of cross wind, slippery roads, or things of that nature. The other issue, and a major one, is getting the boat up the wet, slimy, boat ramp when that close to the towing capacity.

Sure, boats have a dry weight. BUT, rarely do they weigh less as they age. They usually weigh more as things are added, then you have all of the other stuff, fuel, ice, cooler full of drinks and food,bbq grill, an additional anchor or more chain, and on and on, wet carpet, water sogged cushions. There are so many variables. Trailer brakes on a trailer that sees saltwater are slightly less than reliable unless you really check and maintain them every 6 months.

I've towed lots of boats. After having a 15' center console pass me on the trailer in the oncoming traffic lane after it became unhitched after going over railroad tracks when I was in my 20's.....(you know those safety chains were too short, and who needs them anyways ). Luckily it went about 200' on the tongue of the trailer and pulled over on the swale of the road like you unhitched it there. Another time having a 32' hydra sport CC on a tri axle trailer jack knife on I 95 because it didn't have enough tongue weight...….it was perpendicular to the tow vehicle, thank God it straightened itself out.

I've had numerous friends have wheels come off with the hubs on I 95, one had an empty 28' trailer and coming off of I 95 it jack knived around the entire 240 degree off ramp and took out every single one of those reflecter signs with the arrows and straightened out at the bottom of the turn.

But, if you tow enough boat trailers, long enough, you're gonna have a bad moment that will scare the living day lights out of you. I tend to err on the cautious side of things when it comes to ratings of everything, trailer capacity, axle capacity, tow vehicle capacity, tongue weight. etc. etc.

As for a stepped hull. They can add speed on boats. They can also create a lot of quirky handling characteristics, that make them downright scary turning.....like the yellow speedboat that's upside down......I can guarantee that one is a result of the steps, as that's a very early stepped hull boat. Reggie (Fountain) really got the stepped hulls figured out and was a pioneer there. Most builders now have them figured out, where they don't have really ill handling characteristics in turns. But unless you've got a boat over 45 mph, they probably don't add any speed.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
Again I'm not trying to be annoying but I'm pretty sure you suggested the 85% rule was something valid.

Actually it's BoatUS that's suggesting it's valid. You can go ahead and argue with them, if you want. Besides: You're taking the 85% thing in isolation. Read the rest of my comments and the full article from which it was excerpted.

The 85% is moot in his case, anyway. He'll already be at 90%, at least, before adding anything but boat + trailer.

I'd almost bet the rent he'd be over on his first trip out of the driveway. <Looks...> 54 gallon tank. There's 325 lbs right there. He's now down to 175 lbs of headroom. One average weight adult or one lightweight adult and a child.

Cooler + ice + liquid refreshment would easily put him over. No beer for stick!

Ah well, shouldn't drink and pilot, anyway.

I can't even begin to understand this post. I have been towing things since I got my drivers license. That is now 47 years ago. I grew up on a farm, I towed serious loads. Later in life I raced boats, I towed serious loads, much later in life my wife got horses we towed serious loads. I'm well over two million miles towing, most of it at gvw of the vehicle/trailer involved. I'm serious about maintenance. I'm serious about getting weights correct including GVW and GAWR and hitch weight. I'm serious about checking my hookups including stops to do so.
What the heck are your taking about. If you have a tow vehicle and trailer that are maintained and operated properly you will have near zero issues. And if you read my prior posts towing at the mfg rating is just fine.
OK you can expect that every once in awhile you will have an axle have an issue but anyone competent will be able to deal with that. Or maybe your tow vehicle will have an issue. That's life. The fact that you had several issues due to stupidity is not relevant here. Nor will conservative ratings on parts save you. Stupidity is not part of this discussion. ensigmatic you sneaked in a post and this wasn't addressed to you

3,700lb boat + 1,000lb trailer = 4,700lb. 50 gallons of fuel, 350lb. Mooring lines, life jackets, tow lines, tube, wake boards, cooler of ice and water, etc. You're already over the 5,000lb tow rating.

The 5,000lb tow rating is the difference between the GCWR and the weight of the vehicle from the factory plus a 150lb driver and 1/4 tank of fuel. Guess what happens when you load the wife, kids, and fill the tank? The amount of towing capacity goes down.

I don't know what vehicle you have, but let's look at my F350.

GCWR - 23,500lb
Tow rating - 15,900lb 5th wheel
GVWR - 11,400lb

Last time I had it on a scale, my truck was 8,000lb with me in it and a full tank. So 23,500 - 8,000 = 15,500. In order to tow it's rated capacity and stay under its GCWR, I need to remove 400lb from the truck. Can't take the 150lb fifth wheel hitch out or 100lb subframe for it from under the bed. I could save 50lb if I had a 150lb driver. I could save 195lb if I had 1/4 tank of fuel. The spare tire probably weighs 50lb, so I could ditch that. There's 20lb of tools under the rear seat. Great, I can now tow the rated capacity of my truck. Well my 150lb driver can anyway.

Check the yellow sticker on your door jamb and it should have at least payload, GVWR, and the vehicle weight from the factory. You might have to do some digging to find its GCWR.

Bottom line is, you don't have enough truck for the Regal 2200.

Have you considered just renting a boat?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trapper189,

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
I can't even begin to understand this post. I have been towing things since I got my drivers license. That is now 47 years ago. I grew up on a farm, I towed serious loads. Later in life I raced boats, I towed serious loads, much later in life my wife got horses we towed serious loads. I'm well over two million miles towing, most of it at gvw of the vehicle/trailer involved. I'm serious about maintenance. I'm serious about getting weights correct including GVW and GAWR and hitch weight. I'm serious about checking my hookups including stops to do so.
What the heck are your taking about. If you have a tow vehicle and trailer that are maintained and operated properly you will have near zero issues. And if you read my prior posts towing at the mfg rating is just fine.
OK you can expect that every once in awhile you will have an axle have an issue but anyone competent will be able to deal with that. Or maybe your tow vehicle will have an issue. That's life. The fact that you had several issues due to stupidity is not relevant here. Nor will conservative ratings on parts save you. Stupidity is not part of this discussion. ensigmatic you sneaked in a post and this wasn't addressed to you

I'm guessing the post is aimed at me. I've towed a lot of trailers and boats that weren't mine. (As well as cars on a steel car trailer, and used to drive a Ford Jerrdan flatbed and tow 2 cars at a time.) I've in the boating industry for over 15 years, so yeah, I used to end up towing lots of other peoples boats and trailers around for repair work or lots of boats and trailers that I've bought and sold over the years. Didn't know the history of the maintenance or of the trailer.

Even a well maintained saltwater boat trailer, trailer sits for 1 month which is very common, who knows if the trailer brakes got all corroded sitting there, who knows if one of the bearings got saltwater in it the last time it was launched, or the tires that have been sitting in one spot for a month. There are a lot of variables, even on your own trailer. Tongue weight can change drastically just by how much fuel you have in the tank. Towing a boat trailer you're dunking in saltwater long enough, and you will have AN issue....it's just a matter of time.

The 15' sea squirt cc was my own boat and quite honestly I was like 20, fearless and careless, and only towing it 2 miles.

The Hydrasports that didn't have enough tongue weight and jack knifed, that was on a Hydra Sports owned trailer, boat was loaded and strapped by a Hydra Sports dealer, and my father and I (taking turns driving at the time) were towing it back to the Hydra Sports plant using the dealers F350, because it had stringer issues and we were employed by the Hydra Sports warranty repair dealer to deliver it to them. Keep in mind it's very common for manufacturers (and dealers) to have a trailer for a 38' boat and strap down a 32' boat on it

The biggest issue when towing at maximum weight, IS EVERYONE ELSE. In a heavily populated highway like I 95 down here, if you leave enough stopping distance some jackwagon cuts in front of you and takes it, slow down a touch more to leave 150' and someone else cuts in front of you, then slams on the brakes because they're about to miss their exit. Or the millennial swerves into your lane because he's in a fight with his girlfriend, via text, on I95.

The best are the yahoo's that tailgate a boat on a trailer. I cannot tell you how much crap, I've seen fly out of other peoples boats on trailers on the highway. Coolers, life jackets, gaffs, coolers, clothes, fishing rods, boogie boards......etc.

The best entertainment on a nice weekend, is to sit at a busy boat ramp and watch all of the snafu's that happen.

There is no way the OP will be under 5k lbs with most 22' bowriders, by the time it's ready to trailer to the ramp. I doubt you could get a 22' regal out of the water at most boat ramps with a highlander without a lot of fanfare. Then you have the GVWR. It's always best to be under your maximums, not at or over them. If the OP gets caught in a rain storm trailering the boat, that could easily add 100lbs to it.....between wet cushions, carpet, and what's in the bilge before it drains out. A lot of variables.

I am glad you posted this, as its somewhat of an example. But its ass backwards. Its completely common that you can't tow the full tow rating with a loaded truck since you hit GCVWR. I fight this battle all the time with my Ford's. To figure out what you can tow you need to weigh your tow vehicle as you would use it and the towed vehicle and then conclude where you are on both total and axle weight. I would guess in this case the trailer is way less than you think (I have a 24ft one and its way under 1K). The amount of vehicle weight in the calculation is not standard and the Toyota material I have says they calculate it with 2 people and full fuel. But whatever. Back to the point. Go weigh your truck with it as you would tow. Calculate what you can tow and then conclude.

Some great points have been made by some knowledgeable people.
Here’s a few of my thoughts:

The Highlander is a unibody SUV. Great for moving people and getting groceries, but not my idea of a tow vehicle.
Personally, I would not want to tow at the limit with that vehicle. No way the brakes and transmission are truck-like heavy duty.
The Highlander doesn’t have a transfer case, so that means no 4-low. Could get interesting trying to pull a 22-foot boat out of the water on a steep boat ramp. Of course, the boat salesmen will tell you “no problem!”, but it’s your responsibility to keep your family safe.

jimmy123X make some good points about driving in traffic. It can get pretty interesting when you’re towing at the limit.
Especially with a marginal tow vehicle like the Highlander.

Spend the winter months going to boat shows, look at a lot of boats, read about boats, get educated.
I will also suggest looking hard at boats with outboards instead of I/O.
Center console boats are a bit like an SUV on water. More versatile.
Aluminum boats are worth a serious look, too.
Good boats cost money. Invest wisely.

Oh…and buy that Tundra!

I’m warming up to the smaller Regal 20 & 21 ft bowrider models. They all seem to have the same stepped hull design. Crunching the math it does make sense to go with a smaller boat.

This appears to be a good time to be in the market. I recently found 3 interesting prospects, one 19 and two 21ft Regal boats. The cost is less than the 22 footer and leaves room for mods like possibly adding a wakeboard tower.

I can’t wait to start looking at em.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I’m warming up to the smaller Regal 20 & 21 ft bowrider models. They all seem to have the same stepped hull design. Crunching the math it does make sense to go with a smaller boat.

This appears to be a good time to be in the market. I recently found 3 interesting prospects, one 19 and two 21ft Regal boats. The cost is less than the 22 footer and leaves room for mods like possibly adding a wakeboard tower.

I can’t wait to start looking at em.

Expand what you're looking at too. Look at Boston Whaler Dauntlesses, some dual console boats like Grady Whites, Sea Hunts, Scouts, and things like that. In the meantime, rent a boat when you feel the niche......unless you're using a boat over about 3-4x a month, renting is usually cheaper than owning. Get on the water, have some fun with a rental and when the right one comes along, you'll know. The beauty of renting, is it's easy to rent a boat in many different areas.....close by home.....2 hours away.....3 hours away......easy driving a car with no trailer and boat behind it, take the boat out, hand the guy the keys when you get back and say have fun washing it!

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Expand what you're looking at too. Look at Boston Whaler Dauntlesses, some dual console boats like Grady Whites...

Good advice to check out Whalers and Grady Whites. Even if you're not interested in them, you'll see why they are considered a high-quality boat. You'll see the fit and finish, the quality of the deck hardware, etc.

Those are well made boats. Pricy, too.

Towing can be easy. Keep calm, cool, slow down, leave a lot of room in front of you, have good tires, grease your wheel bearings, and check your brakes before each trip.

Of course I don't have nearly the experience as some members. Thankfully, I've managed to keep the rubber side down and the trailer and all of its parts behind the tow vehicle.

I found a Regal 2100 LSR bowrider (two actually) that look promising. They definitely appear to be better built boats than that bayliner I was considering.

How expensive is minor upholstery repair? One of the boats needs two of its seats fixed.

Upholstery is not cheap. A few hundred per seat around here. Some more some less.

It looks like two seams on two different seating areas ripped.

I’m strongly considering a 1998 Regal 2100 LSR. Being sold by the original owner and always stored indoors. Thankfully a trailer is included. I don’t know the total hours but it runs well. It has a Volvo Penta V8 5.0 and the stepped hull I like. The interior looks good.

This late in the season maybe I’ll get lucky.

I'll toss in one story to help illustrate having excess tow capacity.

Murky water at a new ramp. Couldn't tell where the end of the concrete ramp was and turns out the lake was low and my trailer wheels dropped off the end of the ramp and into mud. Had to get some help getting the boat and trailer back onto the ramp because the wheels were now butted up against the edge of the concrete ramp.

Yes - you can say it was stupidity and such, but If I would have had a vehicle with four low and plenty of oommph - I would have been fine. As it was, I was pushing the limits of my tow vehicle and couldn't get out on my own...

Didn't use that ramp again unless I knew the lake was at full pool.