Thank you all again for the input. I went on the hunt today for an older F250 or 2500HD 4WD Diesel with no luck. I found a seriously overpriced F250 Harley Davidson F250, that was as close as I got. I came across a reasonably priced H2 Hummer with decent miles but when I looked they has the same pulling capacity as my Yukon :(

I'm sure the Yukon can handle towing it roughly 7 miles (3.5 each way) to the ramp for the next month and then I have winter to find something more suitable. Sydwayz hit the nail on the head, pulling the boat is easy. STOPPING it is going to be a problem. There are 2 ramps that when the tide is high, I should have no problem getting the boat out of the water.

I saw this video of a 29' Fever begin towed by what looks like a Toyota 4 Runner, I thought I would share. It just looks wrong :)

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/q2y50fVzLVA

Sydwayz is right on the stopping. I have a 96 GMC crew cab dually 2 wd and I never have a problem pulling up the ramps even when I was towing a 42 Formula triple engine. of course that is with a BBC, dual tires and a lot of torque so I could just creep up the ramp. the biggest problem is you said it is lifted and a Yukon so short wheel base and taller cg and suspension. I have used a friends lifted f350 to pull his 38 Baja and I hated it. the boat had too much control over the truck instead of the truck pulling the boat. my old dually has never waivered no matter the load. as others said you want too much truck. you can control how fast you take off but you dont always get the option of how fast you have to stop.

I towed with a 2wd dually. Most of the time i had no issues pulling my 13k lb boat and trailer up the ramps. Except once. I had to get pulled by a buddy as it was raining and my rears were just spinning. Thats all it took for me to go back to a 4x4 dually.

Imo, the biggest advantage to a 4 wheel drive at the ramp, is 4 low range. I use it all the time. Do i NEED to, no, but why not ? Its soooo much easier on the drivetrain using that super low gear. Heck, in 4 low, i think a 3 cylinder geo engine will pull a boat up a ramp.

Stay away from the 01 to 04 Duramax's and the 6.0 liter Powerstrokes. If you can find a GM with a 8.1 liter that would be a great vehicle. Diesels are more expensive to repair, fuel, and maintain so just be aware of that.

Once you go 3/4 ton diesel you won't ever want to go back to any other pickup. Any of the modern turbo diesels make short work of towing these boats around. Also to put it into perspective, I just bought a 31' Fastech and took it across the CAT scale with an empty tank. Boat and trailer (steel) weight in at close to 10k. I'd imagine your 29' fountain and trailer is every bit of 8k, probably close to 9k

2WD and wet ramp is going to be hard to get around

If all your ever going to tow is 7 miles round trip keep the Yukon, be a smart driver and things will be just fine. I'm guessing that you wont be going much over 30mph either so just take it easy and use the truck you have.

My daily driver for a long time was a 01 TDI Golf, one even I stopped at menards and picked up enough 2x6 to build the post for my pole barn, stacked them on the trailer and took off for home(10 miles or so) thought wow there is some weight here, so I took it easy made sure I had plenty of stopping distance never went over the speed limit, stayed in the right lane, general drove like a 85 year old women. Guess what got home safe and sound and didnt kill anyone.

Once the poles were built I hauled them up to the cabin on my boat trailer(longest beam was 25ft long) with my 1 ton truck, ran across the scales for the hell of it, yup there was 3500 pounds in timber on the trailer.

My little TDI golf that hardly wayed over 2500 pounds just towed 3500 pounds of wood 10 miles home and nothing happend. The reason for this is I used this thing on top of the my shoulders and made sure I was paying attention 100% of the time.

Moral of the story is, if you use your head drive easy, and dont get distracted you will do just fine, no sense on running out there and buying a 10-20k pickup to tow a boat 7 miles.

I agree. As long as you have good trailer brakes and use them, the Yukon will work fine for the short distance pull as long as the ramp conditions can tolerate the 2WD. I had a Yukon and towed my 24 enclosed racecar trailer around the Midwest in the '90's. Worked fine. Yes a diesel, 3/4 ton is better, but for what you are doing, I'd stick with the Yukon. I often use my Honda Ridgeline to pull my Skater in and out of the drink to my house, but not for long distance pulls - F250 diesel or 6.2 Escalade for that!

If you do decide to get a diesel you will love it and be able to go on long trips comfortably. I went from an 08 LTZ 1500 to an 04.5 2500 duramax. Very happy.

My friend with a 6.0 gas 2500 said he gets 4-6 mpg pulling his single 29 on an aluminum trailer. I get a solid 12 hand calculated with my 27 on a steel trailer.

Personally I'd be afraid to get near a ramp with a 2wd.

UPDATE: I have used the Yukon twice to put the boat in and out of the water, both times putting the boat in the water was a huge scare! I thought I would be cleaning out my shorts after those experiences, there will not be a third with the Yukon although surprisingly the Yukon yanked the boat right out of the water after getting it back on the trailer fine both times.

When backing down the ramp and trying to slow the boat down, the front tires would slide down the ramp...it was enough to scare me pretty good. I was able to find and purchase a 2004 F350 Crew Cab 4wd (non dually) with a 6.0 liter diesel w/158k for under $10k. She is not a beauty queen but will get the job done.

Has the 6.0 had the updates and deletes done? If not you should look into them ASAP stock they are ticking time bombs. I'ts honestly not if bu when is it going to **** the bed.