Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Hi,

I'm thinking about buying a bigger Formula this spring. The candidates include: 272, 292, or 311. I particularly like the 1989-1990 model year boats.

I'm not sure which size to get and I know that bigger is better. But I would rather get a smaller boat in excellent condition rather than a big boat that needs work. My budget would be up to 50K for boat/trailer combination. Of course I need to sell the 242LS first.

Couple of questions:
1) What size truck would I need to haul these boats?
Would a 3/4 ton truck do the trick?
2) Diesel or gas? Mostly the boat would be parked at the marina and the truck would be used to drop it in and out of the water on the weekends. I don't anticipate pulling the boat on long trips.
3) What are the top speeds/crusing speeds for:
272 with 7.4 motors?
292 with 454 magnums?
311 with 454 magnums? 502s?
I would like to cruise at 45-50mph and top out around 70mph on a good day.
4) Would I need K-planes and external steering?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

272 with 330/454s...3000 rpms gets you 42mph... flat out 66/68mph. If I remember correctly 36/3800 will get you 50mph. My present 540s get me 50 mph at 3000 and into the 80s top end , but that's limited because I DO need hydraulic steering. Towed mine with a 4dr Tahoe for a couple of years. Local was fine(10 miles to ramp). Highway was a little tough , semis can blow you around :eek: . Took a 800 miles round trip to New England and beat the snot out of it in the mountains :( . Moved up to an F350 SRW PSD , a little overkill but I'm not sorry. F250 woulda been ok , but this was sitting there and it's RED bling bling:D

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

I tow my '89 311 with a big block 3/4 ton Suburban. Does the job adequately but I wouldn't want any more boat back there than I have.

As for boat speeds; amazingly, the 272/330, 292/454mag and 311/454mag are all within a couple miles an hour of each other. They'll all do 67-68, a 272/454mag might nudge a tad more. So, get the biggest you can. Don't buy smaller thinking you'll be faster, it just ain't so. My 311 with 454mags does 67 every day full of fuel with four people. Of course, you need time to air it out just right and a little chop definitely helps.

With no or little chop and just slapped up on plane without any real friggin' around she'll hit 65 right now.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

ThirdBird is right, My father has a 1989 272 with 330hp 454 and it will do around 67mph. My 1991 311 with 502 390hp will do 70. Both are nice boats and handle what ever you can throw at them. My dad pulls his with a 3/4 ton Chevy with a 350. I pull mine with a 3/4 Dodge with a V10. I have pulled mine all over the counrty with my truck with no problem except the gas mileage! My next truck will be a diesel.

Don

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

If you're not looking to actually "trailer" the boat, but to simply launch it and load it, anything will work, if it's got low enough gearing. That includes an old jeep or a small tractor. Of course, the old jeep may not be able to hold the rig on the ramp, and the whole thing could get very wet.

I'd favor a 3/4 truck, but a 1/2 could also work. Gas, as paying for a diesel engine would be wasteful for you. 4wd would be a good idea, inless the ramp is ideal all the time.

Before getting the Excursion, I trailered our 302 with a half ton suburban thousands of miles. It had a vortec 350, and did much better than it should have. Airbags on the rear axle were required (while they are just a good idea on a 3/4 ton), as were strong tires and better brakes. But your needs are different. Point is, a 1/2 ton gas truck with 4wd (needed in part for the low range) will be fine for you. And they are readily available.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

This is a very interesting point. My wife has a 1999 Land Rover Discovery. It is 4X4 with a V8 and has hi/low gearing. It is rated to tow 5500 in high and 7700 in low. I could not get her to buy a Suburban or Expedition instead of the Rover. I might be able to use this truck to launch and load the boat....but it is English.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

can you find a marina that does rack storage? You may want to look into it if you are not taking road trips. Then no truck needed, just call ahead and the boat is in the water. Then the extra $$ can be budgeted for more boat :).

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Well, whatever you do with it, DON'T GO DOWN THE RAMP DEEP ENOUGH GET ITS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WET!!! :eek:

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

I have a friend that may be looking to sell his '91 311 soon ... moving up to a 382. Clean boat. I'll have to get back to you when he finalizes the 382 deal.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Chuck21401, personally, I would not tow one of those big Formulas without a 3/4 ton or better truck/SUV. You're asking for trouble if and when something breaks on a 1/2 ton and you can't stop and you wind up hurting someone. The liability alone is far to great to risk hurting you, your family or someone else's!

Certainly, if you can spring for the extra cash, the diesel is the way to go. You'll save lots of $$ in fuel economy and they should last more than a couple 100k miles (if properly maintained). I also noticed that while towing my 1990 292SR1
that depending on the tow vehicle, I get a little sway out of the rear of the truck at certain speeds-mostly highway. Bigger tires or a dually fixes that. With my F350 dually PSD, we not only tow the boat, we even use it on family trips because the fuel MPG isn't much less than our van! :rolleyes:

I've been considering selling my 292SR1. It is a 1990 with twin 454 mags (only 325 hours!) and a triple axle Eagle trailer. I'm considering a 280SS or 330SS. With the 3 bladed Mirages, it topped off at 70 MPH. But, I don't ever run it that hard. Usually 45-55 MPH is best, especially with the wife and kids.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Chuck, i sent you a pm, i tow mine with a lowered dually, but I love my big truck. There is a couple marinas that have boat-tels near you, usually around 2500 per season to rack keep it, and they can handle a 311 no problem. Podickery point and south river are two of them. i happen to like the ramps at Sandy point, but I"m buying a bigger boat so I may get a slip this year.

Rob

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Offshore,

Thanks for the message and would like to take a look once the boat is unwrapped if it doesn't sell before then. Of course need to have one toy at a time so my plan is to "dewinterize" my boat after Easter and start advertising again.

I thought about rack storage on the South River, received a quote from a marina in that area. My concern though is security, a 311 would be on the bottom rack. I read the local paper and it seems like props and outdrives disappear quite a bit in that area.

Another option would be a lift, probably about the same price. Finding a lift slip (or even a boat slip) at a reasonable price in the Annapolis area is tough these day.

But both worth researching. I think I'd prefer a lift or towing to rack storage. With rack storage you need to get back to the marina before closing time in many cases.

Decisions, decisions, but I suppose I could have worse problems then deciding which bigger boat to buy. :)

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

My buddy will be offering his hydrohoist in the deal with his 311, along with a storage trailer. :D

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

I think you're probably right about having the right truck or too much truck. I'm thinking now maybe a F250 or Chevy 2500 dedicated to towing that is a couple of years old. I think a $5-7K used truck would do the trick? I'll have to look.

Sounds like a nice boat with low hours. Keep me in mind later this spring. I wouldn't run at 70mph for long either, just once in a while for kicks. Last year wife and I took the boat from Rhode River over to St. Michaels, MD (meaningless to those that don't know the bay, basically a 25 mile lunch trip) in the 242. It was one of those perfect no wind clear blue sky days. Did 40mph all of the way over. Coming back a Scarab was up ahead of me. Opened it up and ran with him at 55mph for about a minute. Great speed to cruise at. Anyway at some point he noticed I was chasing him, put the hammer down and that boat was gone! So it would be nice to know that I could run fast if I wanted to...

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

There's a thread in General Discussion about towing you should read. My Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 pulls my 311 all day long ... BUT ... it's over the rated capacity for the vehicle and Outlaw said my insurance could be void if I have an accident. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Here's the link:

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=95701

My 311 cruises easily around 35, tops out around 65 just like everyone says. I've got the original 454 Mags, everything still stock.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

That's what I'm talking about! Heck, I even changed my hitch to a class V just to be safe! :drink:


Chuck, let me know some more info on yours. Depending on where we move, maybe we could work out a trade! I used to have a 242ss.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Don't forget a well ajusted trailer with the proper tongue weight and brakes is also a big help if you are borderline.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Some details and pics on the Ches. Powerboat Assn website
http://www.cbpba.com/forums/showthre...&threadid=1931

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

If we move up North, might need a lake boat! Ya know, do some skiing and all that stuff. Almost tried it this year with the 292. We tried to take the 292 to Deep Creek Lake in MD, and they said the boat was too big! :( But, they'll let 30' pontoon boats on the lake! When I asked why, they said those boats are too fast! But, they will let a 26' boat with a max of 600 HP on the lake :eek: I certainly think that combo would be alot faster than mine...

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

That price in the listing was optomistic....I'm thinking $14K.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Chuck, I could not pull up the pics. If you are interested in mine, I might be pulling the shrink wrap off soon as it looks like I'll get covered storage here again soon. This is the first Winter it's been stored outside in shrink wrap. All the other years it has been stored indoors (garage or boatel). Stay in touch...

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Chuck,
I think we spoke about a 312 I bought in NOV. I have tried to get a friend of mine to look at your boat, but he's dragging his feet on buying anything yet. (I love the older Formula colors) Tow with a 3/4 suburban 6.0L gas. Does fine at 70 on the highway. As other have said.....the boat/ engine packages you listed might get to 70. A friend had a 89 272/ 330's with Stainless Marine exhaust and a few minor mods and got 71/73 mph. Good luck!!!

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Tha capt told me at Podickery, that if your in the boatel, and get back after they are closed there is a "transient" slips available at no charge and they put your boat away in the morning. Podickery is also a gated community yacht club w/ amenities, excepting gas. There was a ring of prop theives in the area last year, they caught them rolling a big block down the street on a hand cart, guy is in jail now.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

The "insurance issue" is for real.

Insurance companies will do just about anything to avoid paying a claim. It was my agent who pointed out the "fine print" about the towing capacity clause. Check that very very carefully as most companies have already gone that route.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

t500hps - Do you ave the trailer hitch that came from GM on your 2500 Suburban? if so, I thought that the rating of that hitch is only 6000# without weight distribution.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

I'll check again that you said that, but I seem to remember it being a 10,000 hitch?????
Also, I have called my Ins Co twice to ask about being 10%-20% over the "rated" towing capacity and have been told that if I wasn't doing something stupid they would have any problems with it. However, I don't think the lady answering the phone has been coffee pot duty yet until she has more experience!

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

I've worked in the car/boat business for years. Let me tell you, those factory hitches are almost ALL rated at 5-6K LBS without using weight distribution. The weight distribution number is the 10-12k LBS number everyone likes to dwell on. The reality is, if you are towing a twin engine boat, you need a Class V. The Class V will enable you to tow up to 12k LBS off of the hitch WITHOUT using weight distribution. A Class IV, in most cases, will allow up to 10k LBS off of the hitch w/o weight distribution.

I'm sure most of ya'll have seen the pic in the "blooper" section of the picture gallery of the truck hanging off of the cliff buy his hitch/trailer. Try that with a factory hitch and a 10-12k LB boat behind you and see you at the bottom!

Some of the manufacturers have actually started offering real Class IV & V hitches now (finally).

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Not on my new 2500 Suburban with their tow package option....the sticker on the hitch says 6000# without weight distributing . The truck is rated for 12,000# with the 4.10 rear end.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

i have a 2000 271 fastech, I pull it with a new 04 F150 Lariat with the 5.4L engine, no problems at all. My boat with a 502 Mag MPI with stainless marine exhaust is running about 67 in the chesapeake bay.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

True story - back in the day I worked for a Formula dealer one summer when I was in college. I sold a guy a new 357 on a GALVANIZED triple axle trailer and he showed up a couple days later to pick it up... driving an F-150!!!! I wished I had a camera, he wouldn't heed our warning, so we told him he was on his own if he pulled out of there dragging that beast behind him. Sure enough - he did, and I had heard a short time later he cooked his drive train and bought a 350 to replace it - what a dope! :rolleyes:

Moral - go big, as big as you can! You'll never say, "I think I bought too much truck" :)

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Powerguy, that is what I'm talking about! The truck is rated to tow more than the hitch on the truck! It might only be close if you use a weight distributing, but most boat trailers' surge brake systems are not able to work properly with the weigh distributing hitch.

So get rid of that darn class III hitch on your trucks/suv's and get a class V that's truely rated to tow your rigs! :D

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

yeah, much bigger and I will be in a power stroke f250 or 350 for sure. I'm not even sure I could pull a 292 on a trailer with this truck. Its rated at 9500 pounds, but I don't recall what the trailer hitch on it is.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Have a Class V hitch on order for it.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Yep - he had a class V on it with the Disty bars and thought he was alllll set - could have been one of the dumbest stunts I had ever seen... away from the boat ramp that is! :D

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

All righty then... :drink:

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

I made the huge mistake of hooking my 357 to xwifes tahoe. I only had to go ten miles. Man was that stupid, I should not have gone ten feet. Now it only gets hooked up to the duramax crew.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Crap!!! Truck is an 03 and you are correct. It does say V-5 Talon but doesn't list a "class". Shows 12,000lbs. with weight distributing .....what exactly is that anyway? Also, I have the 6.0L with 3.73 rated at about 8K lbs. for some reason.

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

This is what I meant in my above posts. Just because the truck is rated to tow 12000 lbs AND you have the optional tow package with hitch, doesn't mean the truck is properly equipped to tow your 12000 lb trailer without a weight distribution setup! The weight distribution setup are the bars that connect to the trailer and are linked to the trailer hitch (somehow, I never used one) and it is supposed to transfer weight to the FRONT of the vehicle to better distribute the tongue weight for a more balanced load for braking etc...

Don't feel bad, this fall I got into a heated debate with a Ford Commercial Truck MANAGER about this issue...and he lost! :D

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

Oh, one more thing. It is easy to know if you have a class V hitch because it will only take a 2 1/2" receiver. You would have to get an 2" adaptor sleeve to be able to use a 2" standard receiver. Don't forget too, that the receiver and ball MUST have the same rating as you are towing. For example, I have a Reese TITAN Class V hitch on my 97 F350. It is rated for 12000 lbs on the hitch and 14000 lbs weight distributing. I use a 12000 lb 2 1/2" receiver and ball that are also rated for 12000 lbs.

The receiver and ball ratings are stamped onto the receiver and ball somewhere, you just have to look.

I hope this helps...

Re: Formula tow vehicle discussion and other questions.
 

The reciever and ball are ok. The reciever is solid and heavy as chit, not hollow like my reciever for the little boat.