Tow Vehicle for 240 VANTAGE or 270 VANTAGE

[endus]

Q1: What tow rating for the tow vehicle would be appropriate to tow a 240 VANTAGE on trips of at least three hours highway driving?

Q2: What tow rating for the tow vehicle would be appropriate to tow a 270 VANTAGE on trips of at least three hours highway driving?

The 240 VANTAGE with engines and fuel is said to be 6,041-lbs. I believe that the weight of the trailer would put this above the 6,800-lbs (the rating for a vehicle I could borrow for towing).

Q3: can a 240 VANTAGE be towed with a tow vehicle rated for 6,800-lbs?

The 270 VANTAGE is said to weigh 7,503-lbs pounds.

Q4: will a tow vehicle rated for 10,000-lbs be sufficient to tow a 7,503-lbs 270 VANTAGE?

Q5: would a slightly larger tow vehicle be better for towing a 7,503-lbs 270 VANTAGE?

To anyone who has towed a boat that weighs about 7,500-lbs: give me advice.

BACK STORY

I currently own a 2004 Montauk 170 which I tow using my 2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser. The Toyota FJ Cruiseris rated to tow 5,000 pounds. When I purchased the boat I installed a significant brake upgrade in the Toyota FJ Cruiser to improve braking performance when towing since my trailer does not have its own brakes. This setup works well for the Montauk, but I would not want to tow anything bigger with it.

I plan to buy a used 240 VANTAGE of 270 VANTAGE in 2024 to 2027. I am trying to align my expectations, what my marina can handle, what tow vehicle I might need, an so on. When I talked to Boston Whaler and a local boat dealer at the boat show this year, they were very vague on tow vehicle requirements. The weight of the boats with engine engine and is available online. However, the weight of the trailer is significant and is harder to pin down.

We take our current boat on vacation with us each year, which is approximately a three hour drive. I would like to take the new boat with us when we purchase it, so the vehicle needs to be capable of safely towing the new boat on a longer drive. My father currently owns a 2023 Toyota Tacoma which is rated to tow 6,800-lbs. Borrowing his Tacoma when the boat needs to be towed is an option.

[NorthShoreWhaler]

The 270 VANTGE has a 9-foot beam , which might be too wide [for towing without a special permit] depending on the state involved.

A dual-axle trailer with brakes will weigh roughly 1,000-lbs.

I do not recommend towing a 240 Vantage for three hours with a Toyota Tacoma.

[Phil T]

A real, full-size truck will be needed.

A veteran owner who has been evaluating a 240 VANTAGE this year had a transmission failure on his late model GMC Sierra this summer while towing it to a whaler gathering in South Carolina from Michigan.

[endus]

Got [the message].

If I buy a 240 VANTAGE I will plan on needing a full-size truck, likely with a transmission cooler and possibly gearing aimed at towing. I don't want a marginal tow rig for it.

A 270 VANTGE will not be reasonable to tow. On the way to where we vacation, there is a bridge with narrow lanes. If there is a question in any state, a 270 VANTAGE will definitely not work.

This [advice is] extremely helpful. My options have been narrowed a lot. The advice is really appreciated.

[jimh]

Q1: What tow rating for the tow vehicle would be appropriate to tow a 240 VANTAGE on trips of at least three hours highway driving?

The short answer is 10,000-lbs.

The complete answer is laid out below.

Assuming the 240 VANTAGE when loaded on the trailer is going to way at least 6,100-lbs, and possibly more, you will need the trailer load rating to be at least 7,000-lbs. The typical tandem-axle trailer is going to have axles rated for 3,500-lbs, so a tandem-axle trailer will be right at the maximum load rating.

For a trailer with appropriate load rating I will use E-Z-LOADER, as they have published useful information about the standard trailer line. See

https://www.ezloader.com/images/pdf/adj-trailer-specifications.pdf

From the listing in the above table from E-Z-LOADER, the most appropriate models are their adjustable bunk trailers models

TEZB 23-25/27 6800-lbs weight capacity
TEZB 23-25/27 7500-lbs weight capacity

The difference is the width of the trailer, 6800-lbs model is 96-inch wide and the 7500-lbs model is 102-inches wide (which is about the maximum permitted for avoiding over-wide categorization).

Both models have a weight of 1,633-lbs. The guy who told you the trailer would weight "about 1,000-lbs" was off by a factor of 1.63, which should tell you to be careful about from whom you take advice.

Now lets assume you want to add a spare tire carrier and a spare tire to the trailer; that is easily about 100-lbs more. Oh, let's add some keel rollers to it because that will help with loading and unloading: that is another 100-lbs. Don't forget you want some guide posts to help align the boat, maybe about 30-lbs. The trailer is now going to weigh about 1,860-lbs.

Now we put the boat on the trailer: that will be 6,100-lbs plus 1,860-lbs for total towed weight of 7,963-lbs, and lets round up to 8,000-lbs. Opps, now we are going to need a weight-equalizing hitch assembly to get ride of some of the tongue weight. That is going to be another 50-lbs. So let's be conservative, and figure 8,100-lbs towed weight.

When a vehicle gets its tow rating, there is nothing in the vehicle except a driver. Let's add a spouse and some kids, some luggage, some necessary spare parts and a jack for handling mishaps while towing, and then DEDUCT all that weight from the tow rating. So we have one adult, maybe 150-lbs, two kids, maybe 200-lbs, some parts and a jack, maybe 75-lbs. Now lets fill the fuel tank with gasoline. Maybe 24-gallons at 6.25-lbs-per-gallon, another 150-lbs. Now whatever the tow rating was, it is reduced by 575-lbs.

To tow the 240 VANTAGE as described above we are going to need a tow vehicle rated for 8,100 + 575-lbs or about 8,700-lbs, and then we'll be towing at the absolute maximum allowed towed weight. That is not the best approach to having trouble-free towing. So you mention of getting a tow vehicle rated for 10,000-lbs looks like a good approach.

Also for most comfortable towing, the towing vehicle should have a long wheelbase. Don't get the shorter-wheelbase model. The long wheelbase will be a pain to park when not towing, but you will appreciate the better stability when you are towing.

Another factor is the terrain for the trip. If you have to ascend and descend long and steep highway grades, be sure to use conservative thinking on all decisions.

Also, you already mentioned concern about the brakes, so you should also be concerned about the trailer brakes. Get four-wheel brakes, get disc brakes, and since you will be towing with a weight distributing hitch, look at avoiding a surge-brake coupler, as they don't work as well with weight distributing hitches. The best set up is going to be electric-over-hydraulic brake actuation. But that adds the weight of a break-away battery on the trailer, maybe another 40-lbs, and probably will raise the price of the trailer substantially.

To move up to the 270 VANTAGE is going to be another leap upward in capacity, expense, and also restricted travel due to being over-wide.

The remarks are based on my experience at long-distance towing of my three Boston Whaler boats. The longest trip was 4,800-miles from Michigan to Washington state and back on I-94, crossing the Rocky Mountains in late summer in air temperatures as high as 108-degrees and driving uphill on long, long stretches at highway speed and then descending long stretches. My tow vehicle was used almost exclusively for towing the boat and seldom anything else, and it has about 70,000-miles of towing boats.

[endus]

Q1: What tow rating for the tow vehicle would be appropriate to tow a 240 VANTAGE on trips of at least three hours highway driving?

The short answer is 10,000-lbs.

The complete answer is laid out below.

Jim, thank you for this detailed answer. I figured when I got closer to purchase I would have to do the exact analysis you provide below, so that saves me a lot of effort, and you incorporate some things I would have missed. I appreciate the advice from experience.

There is a lot here I need to consider. Towing the 270 is out. Even towing the 240 Vantage is going to be more of a significant event than I was expecting. That affects from where I can reasonably buy a used boat, as well as the day to day towing problems. I would also want at least a 12,000 pound truck.

One of my thoughts had been that I might need to limit the new boat to living at my marina, and then keep my Montauk for vacation and some other places we like to take the boat. That seems like the most likely scenario now regardless of what size Vantage I go with. Barring improvements to the bridge I need to cross to where we vacation, the only way I am bringing a larger boat down there is on it's own keel and 47 miles from Cape Ann to Provincetown is too long for that!

Really appreciate this.

[jimh]

Heya ENDUS--I like your idea to keep the 17-footer and just leave the new, bigger boat in a marina slip (or maybe rack storage). Look at it this way, if you SOLD the 17-footer it would not generate enough cash to BUY a truck that could two the 240 VANTAGE.

The really best way to to find out the actual towing weights is to actually weigh the boat and trailer and the towing vehicle. If you are anywhere near a major interstate highway or state highway in a state that actually is enforcing weight limits there will be a certified truck scale somewhere around--not like Michigan were the weight limits are very high, probably a result of all the manufacturing (that used to be done) in the state and the sales' job that it would be better to see one slightly larger truck than two slightly smaller trucks on the road. The weigh stations on the interstates these days are always closed in Michigan, so tow any weight you like on our highways.

The method to find the relevant weights is to tow the boat trailer to the certified scale. The typical truck scale has three scale platforms in a line; the first platform is for the steering axle of the truck; the second platform is for the drive axle of the truck; the third platform is for the all the trailer axles. The spacing is usually such that you CAN get a larger SUV or pickup truck to sit on the first two axles and the boat trailer will be on the third axle. Using the intercom you tell the weighmaster you was to get a first weight, then you will drop off the trailer and get a re-weigh with just the truck. The weighmaster will tell you when you can pull off the scale. Then you part nearby, drop the trailer, and come back for the second weighing, with just the truck. Then you go to the office and get your certified weight readouts. This used to cost $10, but after the last four years of inflation, in probably costs $25. But it will be worth it.

There will be five weights on the certificate. From these five weights and with some algebra you can work out a great deal of very useful information. A thread from 2008 gives the details of the algebra and all the factors that you can find that need to be considered regarding the capacity of your truck, trailer, axles, tires, hitches. See

Boat Weight From Certified Scale
https://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/016667.html

[endus]

Heya ENDUS--I like your idea to keep the 17-footer and just leave the new, bigger boat in a marina slip (or maybe rack storage). Look at it this way, if you SOLD the 17-footer it would not generate enough cash to BUY a truck that could two the 240 VANTAGE.

The really best way to to find out the actual towing weights is to actually weigh the boat and trailer and the towing vehicle. If you are anywhere near a major interstate highway or state highway in a state that actually is enforcing weight limits there will be a certified truck scale somewhere around--not like Michigan were the weight limits are very high, probably a result of all the manufacturing (that used to be done) in the state and the sales' job that it would be better to see one slightly larger truck than two slightly smaller trucks on the road. The weigh stations on the interstates these days are always closed in Michigan, so tow any weight you like on our highways.

You're thinking just like me - the cash I would generate from the sale wouldn't make a dent in the cost of either the truck or the boat, so why sell it? Also, I love my Montauk and the thought of parting with it does not appeal to me.

I don't think they enforce weights around here. The scales on the highway always seem to be abandoned when I drive by. I will look in to that when I get the boat, though. It would be good to know the actual weight with engines, fuel, spare, my many large fenders, and all the other stuff we want to keep on the boat.

[jimh]

Although weight limits on highways are unlikely to be exceeded by a guy towing his own boat, I have seen a trailer boater hauling some rather big rig, maybe a 26-foot express cruiser on a clearly overloaded trailer, get stopped by law enforcement, probably for his own safety and the safety of the rest of the people on the highway.

As for going bigger in the trailer-boat realm, the light went on for me many years ago when I saw a really nice classic Whaler 27 for sale at an outdoor boat show. The boat looked enormous on the trailer, and the trailer was a triple-axle rig with a monster hitch rated at maybe 15,000-lbs. I stood there on the ground looking up at that big hull and realized that trailering this thing anywhere--even to a ramp a mile away--would be a major undertaking, it was over-wide, you'd need a $100,000 truck to move it, where would you store it, how would you pull it up a launch ramp, and on and on. The asking price was actually rather attractive, but only if you already had your own dock and would never use the trailer except for winter storage and then have the marina handle it.

[NorthShoreWhaler]

Endus it sounds like we’re in the same area. Running from Cape Ann to Ptown is definitely in range for a larger boat like the 270 Vantage. Really all of the inner Cape is not a bad run. Getting to a place like Chatham is more difficult.

The cost of keeping a larger boat in a marina is definitely something to consider. Everything is priced by the foot and it adds up quickly especially when you account for haul outs, launching and winter storage.

[endus]

Although weight limits on highways are unlikely to be exceeded by a guy towing his own boat, I have seen a trailer boater hauling some rather big rig, maybe a 26-foot express cruiser on a clearly overloaded trailer, get stopped by law enforcement, probably for his own safety and the safety of the rest of the people on the highway.

As for going bigger in the trailer-boat realm, the light went on for me many years ago when I saw a really nice classic Whaler 27 for sale at an outdoor boat show. The boat looked enormous on the trailer, and the trailer was a triple-axle rig with a monster hitch rated at maybe 15,000-lbs. I stood there on the ground looking up at that big hull and realized that trailering this thing anywhere--even to a ramp a mile away--would be a major undertaking, it was over-wide, you'd need a $100,000 truck to move it, where would you store it, how would you pull it up a launch ramp, and on and on. The asking price was actually rather attractive, but only if you already had your own dock and would never use the trailer except for winter storage and then have the marina handle it.

When I started looking at the weight of the 240 the impact of all those extra costs started to sink in. After all the great info in this thread, I think towing it is just not going to be a good option and I need to plan around that, whatever I go with.

I want to keep my place at my current marina because of the location, and they sort of insist on storing the boat during the winter (or at least charging you for the same). So the boat remaining at the marina and not being tow-able would not be the end of the world. I would much rather use the money I would spend on a truck to tow it for gas or the increased maintenance on a boat with dual outboards as well. I'm a car guy but I don't have any desire for a large truck from that standpoint.

Ironically the towing difficulties may lead me to buy the larger boat because, if its going to be stuck at the marina, why not? :D

Endus it sounds like we’re in the same area. Running from Cape Ann to Ptown is definitely in range for a larger boat like the 270 Vantage. Really all of the inner Cape is not a bad run. Getting to a place like Chatham is more difficult.

The cost of keeping a larger boat in a marina is definitely something to consider. Everything is priced by the foot and it adds up quickly especially when you account for haul outs, launching and winter storage.

Thanks, yea, I looked at some forum posts on making that run. I grew up sailing so the practical range of a somewhat larger power boat isn't intuitive to me. It sounds like people have made that journey in some frighteningly small boats!

The 27 foot 270 with twin outboards seems like something I would be comfortable making the journey in. I would probably want to canvas the bow to "discourage" large amounts of water from coming in there, and probably have the weather curtains to make the journey better if the weather isn't perfect, but otherwise it seems doable.

Even if weather at the beginning or end of the trip was a problem, I could just take the ferry to get it when the weather calmed down.

The marina costs and ability to host a 270 is something I still need to talk to them about. Much longer term (retirement) I want to get a larger cruising sailboat and I need to get on some of the decade-plus north shore mooring wait lists now. The new boat could eventually go on the mooring to reduce marina costs and hold the mooring for me. It would be more expensive in the meantime, but it would fit my longer term strategy.

[jimh]

I came to owing small outboard-engine-powered Boston Whaler boats from sailing and cruising aboard a 30-foot sailboat. I soon discovered that to cover 100-miles with a boat that can go 35-MPH is not a big deal, as long as you can run on plane in decent water that distance is just three hours. Sailing 100-miles is like a 24-hour ordeal in a 30-foot fat, heavy, cruising sailboat that cannot point higher into the wind (which is always coming right at you when you need to go someplace) than about 45-degrees, so tacking all day and night is out of the question. We learned that cruising in a "sailboat" includes running the engine a very significant amount of the time you are underway if you really want to get from where you started to someplace new that is not just around the corner.

[endus]

I came to owing small outboard-engine-powered Boston Whaler boats from sailing and cruising aboard a 30-foot sailboat. I soon discovered that to cover 100-miles with a boat that can go 35-MPH is not a big deal, as long as you can run on plane in decent water that distance is just three hours. Sailing 100-miles is like a 24-hour ordeal in a 30-foot fat, heavy, cruising sailboat that cannot point higher into the wind (which is always coming right at you when you need to go someplace) than about 45-degrees, so tacking all day and night is out of the question. We learned that cruising in a "sailboat" includes running the engine a very significant amount of the time you are underway if you really want to get from where you started to someplace new that is not just around the corner.

Hahaha! Yup, that sounds like sailing to me! Especially the part about how the wind is always coming from the direction you need to go. :D

It will be interesting to get a bigger boat that is better in the chop and can cover more ground. I am really looking forward to that aspect. Right now we can only explore when the weather is very favorable.

[Mambo Minnow]

You may also want to consider the newer Vantage 210 if tow vehicle is a concern. I tow with a F-150 PowerBoost and use as my daily driver for a 21 foot Conquest.