Towing a 40' Outlaw....
 

Talking with the marina about towing the boat I bid on (2000 40' Outlaw) and they said they pulled it home from Baja with a 3/4 ton Chevy:eek: They said it pulled fine with that. I have a 2002 Chevy HD Ext. Cab 4x4 with the Vortec 6000. I think the max towing is something like 9500lbs. with a bumper hitch. The boat has to weigh more than that loaded:confused: It might be ok for short distances but I do not know about 2 - 3 hour trips I usually tow. Any info:confused:

Towing may now being a problem if you are not going far.Just be aware of your distance to brake. Thats a lot of boat that will be pushing you along.
Good Luck
David

Dry weight is 12,000# with trips.
Trailer is probably at least 2000#
and if the tanks are full(296 gal) that would potentially add another 1800#

Almost 16000# wet with gear, etc....I'd look into a bigger truck to be honest.

Truck may be a LEMON!
 

I bought the truck brand new in March of this year. At 2000 miles the Engine Blew Apart (Culprit: the crankshaft broke in half):rolleyes: at 9000 Miles the tranny came apart (Culprit: faulty parts according to dealer) now at 10,500 the tranny is slippin again. I have had numerous conversations with GM customer service and should know this week whether they will buy it back from me. I was originally looking at a Hummer H2 to replace it but if I get this boat I might go with the same truck only with duramax and allison and hopefully that will pull it with weight to spare.:D

Sorry to hear of your troubles...But you'll be better off, though, in the long run with a diesel. That's a lot of boat!

Good luck in the bidding! :cool:

I am not sure on the weight of a 40’ Outlaw but Baja Daze is probably pretty close. Based on 16,000lbs you are gonna want to look at something like an F-450 or F-550 for that kind of weight. When looking at tow vehicles you want to look at the GCWR, the gross combined weight or what the truck and trailer weigh together. Basically it tells you what you can LEGALLY weigh or tow. Sure people tow over loaded all the time but that doesn’t mean it is legal or the safest thing to do for that matter. God forbid you were ever in an accident and were found to be overloaded. The lawyers would have a field day not to mention the insurance company would probably not cover you because you have exceeded the design of the truck. I know, I know a lot of “what if’s” but it can happen.

Example – I apologize for not knowing the weights for the GM trucks but I imagine they are very similar to Ford. My 2000 F-350 Crew Cab 4X4 Powerstroke weighs about 7800lbs. So if I strapped on 16,000lbs worth of boat and trailer I would be at 23,800lbs. The F-350 GCWR is 20,000lbs. I am over weight by almost 4,000lbs. Now sure the truck will tow it as I am sure the DMAX and Cummins will as well. The diesels definitely make the torque to tow them. By stepping up to the F-450 or F-550 you have plenty of room to play and most importantly these trucks have larger brakes and beefier axles to handle the extra weight.

Another thing to consider is the hitch. Just because the truck comes with a frame mounted hitch that accepts a two-inch receiver doesn’t mean it can haul unlimited weight. A friend of mine just had a problem with his Reece hitch. He had a class III towing a 12,000lb car trailer and the hitch pulled away from the frame. It wasn’t designed to handle that much tongue weight.

Sorry for the rant. Just wanted to give you some things to think about before buying a new truck (assuming you get the new boat).

ccarloss, you are not ranting.

Towing questions like these come up often on this board, and like always, I am astounded by the ignorance out there.

A 40' Outlaw with a 3/4 ton is taking a huge risk.

Other factors to check out when you decide to tow-
In Ohio, the maximum length of truck and trailer is 65 feet. That means from the front bumper to the prop or swim platform, whatever sticks out the furthest. Otherwise you need a permit. I don't know the laws in Michigan, but you may want to check.

We tow our F311 (yeh it's only a 33 footer but she is heavy) with a Chev 2001 3500 dually D/A. The boat / trailer are 11,800 with a full tank of fuel and there is plenty of power and braking power in that package.

FYI

Trevor

I realize it was extremely overloaded ... but -

I have spoken with 2 owners that tow large boats with 2500 Chevy / Gm trucks. No Problems.

Baja 442 - towed it with a small block in the truck!

Outerlimits 42? - towed it with a Diesel.

Both said that towing was NOT a problem - with this one precursor -

BOTH HAD NEWER TRAILERS WITH ELECTRIC OVER HYDRAULIC DISK BRAKES ON ALL 3 AXLES.

(given the problems that you are already having with your truck, I would not tow anything over the limit. If GM finds out they may not buy your truck back???)

I always try to error on the side of caution, however I have a friend that is pulling 18,000 LBS with a 2001 F-250 Crew Cab 4x4 with PSD.

He had a 42 Fountain on a Myco trailer that it pulled fine. He then traded the boat for a Fountain 38 Sport Cruiser that has every option known to the boating world and it weighs close to 18,000 Lbs with Myco trailer & gear. He still pulls it with the F-250 PSD, but he will be the first to tell you that he really does not want to pull it very far. One way from his house to the lake is close to 40 miles and he takes his time and runs about 55 MPH.

It can be done, but having more truck than you need makes the task much more enjoyable.

Good luck, I cannot wait to hear more about the 40 Outlaw.

Mark

Missing the point
 

Nobody ever said you can't tow a big, heavy boat with a truck not rated to tow it with. That is not the point! You can pull all kinds of things with any vehicle equipped with the right ball on the hitch.

The fact is, you cannot SAFELY tow when towing beyond the manufacturer's tow ratings.

With the amount of money some people have invested in their boats, it amazes me that they go the cheap route when it comes to the tow vehicle:confused:

You are putting you, your passengers, and all other motorists at risk when towing with an insufficient vehicle.:mad:

I remember seeing one moron towing a Baja 38 Special with a Chevy Tahoe. He got it to the lake! Boy, he sure showed those guys that told him he couldn't! What a dumbass.

How about Dock Holiday's buddy?!?!
An 18000 lb Fountain being pulled by an F-250 :confused: So he takes his time getting to 55? I bet getting back to 0 takes time too? A 40 mile trip could have all kinds of obstacles along the way. I sure hope he never comes across any of these and has to make any sudden stops or manuveurs.

I just can't see for the life of me why people do this?

This pretty much sums it up.....YOUR gonna need a much larger truck for that weight. At least you are looking into the towing ramifications BEFORE making the purchase. Most people buy the cart before the horse and find out it aint enough.

OG
 

Trade in on a dually one ton or bigger. The dually will take care of you as long as you get good brakes on the trailer. If the trailer is a POS than trade up on that and get brakes on all 3 axles.

Wannabe in Motor City

a great brake setup on the trailer makes all the difference in the world, my truck stop's better with my boat behind it then without, you can really feel those brakes working, good luck on your bid

If I had it to do over, I would have ordered a goose neck Myco.

My Myco is great, triple axle, 16 inch rims with surge disk brakes on all axles. It really pulls sweet, but I just saw a 38 Fountain on a goose neck Myco at the lake this weekend and the guy LOVES IT. It had electric over hydraulic brakes and he has a 30,000 lb ball in the bed and all the tongue weight over the rear axle.

Man this is the way to go, especially as heavy as the 40 is.

I am going to talk to Myco and see what they would charge to convert my trailer. It would be worth it.

OG
 

I have a 2001 F250 PSD crew cab 4X4 and WOULDN'T EVEN THINK of towing that boat with it. As your aware, the problem generally isn't the towing, it's the stopping and control.

THis is a picture of the boat. I am currently looking at a 2003 Chevrolet C5500 or C6500 Crew Cab with a pickup box. The dealer said I can get the 300 HP Cat diesel with 830 ft./lbs or torque. He is getting pricing to me. Anyone know of a good deal on something of this stature?:)

Bad Ass Boat!

Go for the 6500 with the 300HP Cat. That is like the ultimate tow vehicle. I have seen that package and it looks like a pickup on steroids. And with the 830 LB-FT of torque that 3126 puts out, you will have no problem with the 40'. I bet its got a GCVW of 30,000-35,000 lbs, maybe more.

Let us know the pricing you get quoted.

CAT 3126
 

Hi I drove a Top Kick dump truck with that Catipilar v-8 You could have it at 35,000 pound on the scale and it would truck rite on down the road and stopping was real resonable to. Charlie

With such a killer deal on the 40Outlaw, the truck's almost a freebie IMO. :D :D

Go for it!

That is an awesome boat!

Good luck with the deal and I think you are doing the smart thing with the tow vehicle.

Here are some interesting facts to think about before you decide on towing that monster in Michigan.

Boat Towing Laws in Michigan
Boating Law Administrator: 517-335-3414
Maximum Speed Limit: 55
Maximum Dimensions for trailer:45'L x 8'W x 13' 6"H
Maximum Length with Trailer:60'
Minimum Weight requiring Separate Trailer Brakes:3000
Trailer Equipment Requirements:
Safety Chains:Y
Brakelights:Y
Taillights:Y
Clearance Lights:Y
License Light:Y
Turn Signals:Y
Reflectors:Y
Flares:N/A
Breakaway Brakes:N/A
Tiedowns:N/A
Two Trailers:Y
Insurance:Y
Wide Trailer Permit Phone Number: 517-373-2120

I don't know how strictly the maximum length and width laws are enforced, but I thought some may find that info of interest.