Towing a 46'er
 

Who towing their big V? What to expect when towing such a big boat? Is a 2500 Duramax to small?

Depends on the trailer, I’ve towed 47 fountains with a gas 2500 on a good trailer. Towed a 46 rough rider and a 45 Maximus several times, also on good trailers with various 2500 and 3500 trucks.

Go to the web site for each and look up what you have, different years have different ratings. Then try and find out how heavy the baot plus trailer will be.

I tow a 39 OE Cat on a gooseneck with a 2500 gasser (6.0L Vortec) and it handles it fine for moderate distances. The boat + trailer for me is about 15000-16000 pounds according to the semi scales and that's as far as I would go with a 2500. I would not recommend the 2500 for long distance or very regular use. However, to get it from storage/house/hangar to the launch a couple times or shorter trips will not be a problem, especially with a Duramax. But long hauls or regular use you'll want a 3500 Dually Duramax at a minimum.

As far as what to expect:
1) Lots of stares and hand gestures
2) Plan WAY ahead - This goes for stopping/turning as well as routes. You're not going to get a big rig like that through most local roads, at least without pissing a lot of people off.
3) Go slow and motor easy.

how much does the boat weight? What’s your towing experience? If you have plenty, disregard this. Turning into gas stations, making turns in neighbors is a whole different ballgame from a 30’ boat. If you’re buying a 46’ boat make sure your street is wide enough to make it into your driveway. I drive my real estate agent nuts trying to find my house. Couldn’t understand why I needed a certain width Street etc.

if the boat weighs more than the trucks towing rating don’t do it. Risking tickets with the law, not safe in general, and if you get in an accident and the DOT does a safety check etc, you’re screwed in many ways

what’s the biggest boat you’ve towed to date ? When towing it’s not just the towing itself it’s the stopping as well. Experience always help.

I tow a 47 Fountain with triples a half hour each way twice a week during the summer in Michigan with a lifted 2016 3500 single axel Duramax. Besides backing into into my garage, it isn’t that bad. As the others have said, you just need to plan your route and know what gas stations you can go to, corners to avoid, etc.

Haven’t gotten the boat weighed, but I’m guessing everything altogether is a little north of 20k.

I also tried it with my last truck - a 2009 2500 Duramax, and it felt to squirrely for me. The 3500 is much more stable.

12,600 dry.

heard a rumor the guy that owns the 46 nighthawk concept RR with sterlings is sniffing around to sell. 😉

I tow my 45 weighing in at 19000 lbs full gas with my dually duramax like there is nothing behind
i tried a 2500 and was surprised how well it went but dually is better!

With that much boat, I'd want at least a 3500 DRW if you were towing more than locally.