I need a new truck to pull my 2000 AVS Scarab as my old truck has over 212K on it.

Needs to be crew, 4x4, short bed.

Heres the kicker. I want to daily drive this so I dont have to maintain/buy another vehicle.

I weighed the boat and tailer at 10800 with low on gas.
I figure 800 lbs for gas, 600 lbs for me and family. 100lbs of water, 100 lbs of junk so ~12400 lbs. I may plan to cut a little weight out of the boat too, Aluminum head, revised hatch etc but that is for later.

I see Eco boost ford F150 with 3.5Liter will tow 12700 if configured right.
The 1500 Chevy my do it too.

or I can go with a HD truck
F250 7.3 Gas
F250 Diesel
Chevrolet new truck
etc

Obviously a HD truck will tow better but use more gas and are awful to daily drive in the city (Bay area).

Opinions?

I would not buy anything less than a 3/4 ton diesel. I have an F150 with the 6.2L Raptor powertrain (in a hard to find Platinum edition) and it was taxed towing a 25' Baja Outlaw.

How far and how often are you towing? Daily driving a diesel around the city isn't a wise decision IMO. A 6.2 F250, 6.4 RAM or new 6.6 gas GM will be sufficient although I'm always leery of new models(first year for the 6.6).

• I also drive the SF Bay Area roads on a daily basis with a Z71 and think a 2500hd with a 6.2 would be ideal for the scarab. My Z71 is marginal for my 272 Islander, which is only a single engine 25’ boat.

I have a F250 with 6.2L and 4.30 rear gears. It's rated to tow 15k and has no issues pulling my 292 fastech around when fully fueled. Great truck and boat combination and I use the truck as a daily driver as well.

I drive a Chevy 2500 HD Duramax as a daily driver. I tow close to 9K lbs and have to become a huge fan of diesel trucks. The power is amazing and the fuel economy is better than a gasser. This is my 2nd Duramax and I wouldn't go with anything else. The downside of a diesel is the extra cost but to me it's worth it. I put a lot of miles on my truck due to 2 kids playing travel sports and it's nice to have the longevity and reliability of the diesel. It's also nice to know you can hook up to almost anything or throw anything in the back and have the capacity

Any 1/2 ton will tow Great---- right up until you have to make an emergency maneuver or brake. O wait now your Not towing AND you Might not be stopping.

Hell Toyota ( I think??) Towed the Space Shuttle

2015 gmc 2500hd Denali


Towing my 33zx.
my brothers also has a 33zx and pulls it with a 150 EcoBoost for now. Any thing more then a 1/2 tank in the boat and its not happy. Lets just say hes now in the market for a 250.

I think all the manufactures are in a towing weight war, big losers are us..just because they say it will pull xxxxxlbs means only it may pull it. Like other said I would not even consider anything less than a 3/4 ton.