1bagger

I hear the Diesel version has a lot of torque .

Sunny32SSR

I had an oh sh!t moment earlier this year. Towing a 32' Sunsation with a '11 F250 6.7 and unbeknownst to me my EoH had quit on the trailer due to a blown fuse on the truck. All lights and signals worked but it wasn't getting voltage to apply the brakes. So anyway, heading down the road after a light rain I had a car pull out in front of me heading up to a stop light doing all of 45 mph. Well that light quickly turned red and I was standing on the brake with ABS pumping and tires screeching.

Stopped short of the idiot who had no regard for their surroundings and all was well. Also learned a few lessons on troubleshooting issues on the trailer/truck.

The net/net: A 32' Sunsation is a light layup compared to your 35 even on my steel trailer and is likely in the 10-11k range. Having had the experience I did, I don't know how anyone could even contemplate putting a larger boat behind a smaller rig.

hullofjustis

iTrader: (1)

how far is that you tow? i have towed my 30 ft panther with twin engines with my 03 toyota tundra with the 4.7 and it tows remarkably well considering the size.
would i tow across country no but locally i have had no issues
i really believe it also depends upon how well the trailer is made

wannabe

This is exactly what I tell everybody. The towing along I-75 at 65 mph is great. But its the idiots that pull out in front of you/suddenly cut you off to make an exit is what you have to PLAN for. it WILL happen, trust me the world is full of A-hole drivers.

Wannabe

Plowtownmissile

A friend's father pulls a skid steer on a very heavy utility trailer with a truck like yours. I was amazed at how well it regularly towed it long distances. After 10 years, he traded it in on a 2500 Duramax. It had 200k+ miles on it. He did have a couple close calls trying to stop it and nearly jack knifed it once. I have an '07 Tundra DC TRD with the 4.7 (bigger body) and I wouldn't have tried pulling what he did.

Plowtownmissile

You've mentioned you have towed a 388 with your truck. How does it pull compared to your lightning? Was the 388 on an aluminum or steel trailer?

CrownHawg

I think the consensus here is this: It's YOUR choice, YOU have to negotiate or deal with whatever you buy (boat), and whatever you tow it with (truck). These threads always take the "You need a Mack Truck to tow your 16' Bayliner", or "I've towed my 42 Excalibur with my VW Jetta with no problems!" . At the end of the day, if YOU think it's doable, don't ask someone else what THEY would do, just take all of the advice here for what it costs you.... There is a lot of knowledge on this forum, but I doubt anyone here is willing to "Endorse your choice". For those of us who will advise you that what your contemplating is not wise, it's not cause were azzhats (well, some of us may be), but we are just offering OUR opinion. Good luck with your search and happy boating!!

needavdub

This, and also the members that suggested "test towing" someone else's boat to see how it feels is a great idea. Solid defensive driving is in a lot of ways just as important as having a good rig IMO.

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

Boat trailers have relatively fixed weight distribution. Cargo/car/skid steer trailers are totally different. Put an 8000 lbs. skid steer on a 35 foot long trailer, stand on the brakes, and turn the wheel ever so slightly: let's hope your insurance is paid up as you will get a sudden lesson in fulcrum points, leverage, and physics.

RTFM folks; its a sticky thread; first one in this section.

4bus

iTrader: (4)

The 388 is on an aluminum rocket trailer, My 38 Fountain is on a steel myco. The 388 tows lighter on acceleration, but when moving they pretty much feel the same.