snopro13

A friend of mine asked me to go with him to pick up a 23 Nova. I guess the boat weighs 4000 pounds. He then tells me he is gonna tow it with a honda pilot. The boat is in Traverse City Mi. were in northern Ohio about 300 mile trip I think. I don't think that vehicle is capable and told him that. He says it will tow 5000 pounds. I'm thinking of staying home. Anyone think the vehicle is capable? Thanks..

TexasVines

NADA says boat weights 4000#....not sure that includes the trailer.....trailer could easily be 500#

2012 pilot 2wd can tow 2000#

2012 4wd can tow 4500#, but it needs a tow kit

if the boat has anything additional to you could hit that 500# easy......if you and your friend are bigger guys, you are taking anything with you besides yourself you could hit the 500# easy

I am not sure that towing capacity includes passengers or not as well

I think Hondas are generally good cars, but like Jap cars I think some of them "last" because the owners are very anal about their cars, they never subject them to anything "stressful", and they baby them

I think American car owners are generally harder on cars and drive them like they are rented even when they own them

I tend to be one that "pushes things", but I think a real danger factor does actually come into play when you mix the American car owner mentality with a Jap car

I would pass on this trip especially since your friend has probably been beating on his pilot for a while now and overestimating the durability of it and 300 miles sounds like at best being broken down with a trashed transmission or blown head gasket and at worst running into the back of someone from brakes that are beyond faded

tell him you have to stay home and help with the laundry or something

t500hps

If he is a good enough friend that I'd ride with him to pick up a boat.......he's good enough that I'd offer to take my own truck if he fills the tank.

I feel that Pilot will move the boat but have real concerns of it STOPPING that boat......don't think I would go either.


Want more "food for thought", check this thread from just yesterday:
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/t...uch-truck.html

buckknekkid

get lots of THESE behind you

Expensive Date

Great thread I might tow a Jet-Ski with a Honda.

bob_t

Several years ago (late 90's), my friend had a Nova 23 with a single 454 mag in it. We were towing back from storage with a Chevy 1500 4WD. We got off the interstate and went to stop at the stop light at the end of the exit ramp ... needless to say, the brakes quit on the boat trailer and the boat/trailer shoved us across a 4 lane state highway. Luckily, we didn't get killed or hit. So, pulling that same boat with a Honda Pilot ... what do you think my answer would be?

articfriends

iTrader: (1)

You guys are guseeing the trailer at 500 lbs, that would have to Aluminum, most Michigan boats are on STEEL trailers, my Eagle under my 27 ft Baja weighs 1600 lbs, food for thought! Most boats for some reason weigh MORE than the advertised weight also!

snopro13

I started this topic pretty much knowing what everyone thought about this. I just wanted to show him what other people had to say. Sometimes it takes more then one person to show someone its not a good idea...

Fearless010

Suggestion! Look up actual towing capacity and tongue weight max for tow vehicle. Get friend with big truck to drag boat (obviously on trailer) to a scale and find out the real weight. Make sure it's fueled and loaded as it would be if you were heading out for a day on the water. Then either use a proper scale or one of the methods suggested on the Internet to determine the tongue weight. From here, it's simple. Your either within capacity,or your not!

I've watched a couple of trailers pass their tow vehicle. In both cases, both the trailer and tow vehicle flipped and rolled.

bob_t

Two years in a row, on labor day weekend, we saw boats/undersized-vehicles flipped along I-95 in South Carolina. Both were in those long straight stretches close to North Carolina border where the average speed seemed to be mid 80's.

Today, at the boat ramp (at Brookville Lake, IN) we saw someone pulling a Baja 232 with a Honda Oddesey they said it was their first time boating (they were causing all kinds of havok at the ramp) ... probaly not much different than using a Pilot.