Trailering 15' bass boat with 2006 Jetta?

[lookinforwalleye]

Of course they didn't, who is arguing that? The OP stated 1500lbs, his rig apparently weighs in at 1200lbs.

 

Do us a favour and sell the truck and tow with the Buick, let us know how you make out. Also, I'm sure you know already but you'll save more gas if you stay IN gear going downhill then you would by using neutral

 

Like I said, I find the whole 'if you don't have a truck you shouldn't tow' attitude.. Definitely good for a few laughs.

 

 

No I think I will keep the truck, Truck is for pulling and the car is for groceries.

 

And by the same token us truck owners have a few laughs as well at the expense of the OP`s towing with inferior equipment.

And don`t worry we will continue to pull you guys out of the water when needed.

 

So I guess to summize car owners say it`s okay and truck owners say no what a surprise.

 

I can`t wait for the next "can I tow thread"

[Fisherman]

Fisherman: I did the math based on your formula and it just didn't work out. Use the example of a max. towed rating of 1,500lbs.

Allow one 150lb driver only.

Assume no other passengers or cargo.

Still allowed 1,500lbs.

Next subtract tongue weight assuming proper tongue weight -150lbs.

Only 1,350lbs left available.

Under your formula you couldn't reach max tow rating ever unless the driver weighed nothing.

When max tow rating is even higher the tongue weight alone would make it impossible even without a driver.

I also urge anyone towing to check there owners manual and do the math them self.

When even approaching the max consider this is based on normal roads, not off road or extremely hilly roads.

Also ensure your vehicle is in top working order including steering & suspension, transmission, engine, tires and brakes.

 

Rick

Rick: I'll try to explain it this way. The numbers I will use are just arbitrary, no particular vehicle, eg, your vehicle(car) has a cargo capacity of 800 lbs and a tow capacity of 1500 lbs. Most but not all as you mentioned, list those capacities as the standard vehicle with full tank of gas with one 150lb driver. So if you take your car with yourself, no fishing gear, then you are good for the 1500lb trailer. Now that you have a trailer hooked up to the hitch, the tongue weight of the trailer and the weight of the hitch must be subtracted from the allowable cargo capacity, so subtract about 150lbs tongue weight + 100lbs for the hitch=250lbs, subtract that from the allowable 800lbs cargo capacity=550lbs. You can still tow the boat. Add other gear in the car, subtract it from the cargo weight, add more gear in the boat and you would most likely max out the numbers very quickly.

As for the TDI's being gutless, opinions are like ringpieces, everyone has one and most stink.

[BillM]

No I think I will keep the truck, Truck is for pulling and the car is for groceries.

 

And by the same token us truck owners have a few laughs as well at the expense of the OP`s towing with inferior equipment.

And don`t worry we will continue to pull you guys out of the water when needed.

 

So I guess to summize car owners say it`s okay and truck owners say no what a surprise.

 

I can`t wait for the next "can I tow thread"

 

You heard it here folks, you cannot tow with a car, especially a 15ft tiller....

 

I guess you think I'm lucky to also own a truck for towing duty, what would I have ever done without one!!!

[lookinforwalleye]

You win Bill now you are both lucky and happy!!

[BillM]

You win Bill now you are both lucky and happy!!

 

 

hahahaha I'm just giving you a hard time man. If I had to choose, I'd also tow with a truck, without a doubt.

[MSBruno]

Ran into some bad info:

 

Vessel = 725 lbs

Gas = 25lbs?

Motor = 180lbs

Trailer - 590 lbs

Batteries (2) = 30 each?

Accessories = 50lbs (trolling motor, 2 fish finders)

 

I'm slightly over 1500lbs, is this ok?

[Woodsman]

Rick: I'll try to explain it this way. The numbers I will use are just arbitrary, no particular vehicle, eg, your vehicle(car) has a cargo capacity of 800 lbs and a tow capacity of 1500 lbs. Most but not all as you mentioned, list those capacities as the standard vehicle with full tank of gas with one 150lb driver. So if you take your car with yourself, no fishing gear, then you are good for the 1500lb trailer. Now that you have a trailer hooked up to the hitch, the tongue weight of the trailer and the weight of the hitch must be subtracted from the allowable cargo capacity, so subtract about 150lbs tongue weight + 100lbs for the hitch=250lbs, subtract that from the allowable 800lbs cargo capacity=550lbs. You can still tow the boat. Add other gear in the car, subtract it from the cargo weight, add more gear in the boat and you would most likely max out the numbers very quickly.

As for the TDI's being gutless, opinions are like ringpieces, everyone has one and most stink.

Arbitrary generalizations mean nothing. Your math is still mixed up. Now your adding a 800lb cargo capacity & needing to subtract the weight of the hitch & tongue weight not mentioned by you before, or not mentioned in either of my owners manuals. Both my manuals mention 2 x 150lb people or max tow rating plus 300lbs with no subtractions for tongue weight or hitch(hard to tow without either) but subtractions for extra personal weight or cargo.

As for most, if both GM & Ford don't make up most in Canada what does?

As some vehicles may differ why don't we leave it at "check your owners manual & do the math as it recommends"?

 

Rick

Edited July 29, 2009 by Woodsman

[Woodsman]

Ran into some bad info:

 

Vessel = 725 lbs

Gas = 25lbs?

Motor = 180lbs

Trailer - 590 lbs

Batteries (2) = 30 each?

Accessories = 50lbs (trolling motor, 2 fish finders)

 

I'm slightly over 1500lbs, is this ok?

You might get away with it on short local runs but no your over your safe legal limit.

Forget about the math for calculating extra weight, your trailer is already now 130lbs over max before you consider extra personal weight or cargo, let alone poor road or ramp conditions.

 

Rick

[Greencoachdog]

Ran into some bad info:

 

Vessel = 725 lbs

Gas = 25lbs?

Motor = 180lbs

Trailer - 590 lbs

Batteries (2) = 30 each?

Accessories = 50lbs (trolling motor, 2 fish finders)

 

I'm slightly over 1500lbs, is this ok?

 

 

You said you have a truck!... forget about the Jetta!!!

 

Yes the truck drinks more gas than the Jetta... but ya gotta pay if you're gonna play eh!!!

Edited July 29, 2009 by GCD

[MSBruno]

You said you have a truck!... forget about the Jetta!!!

 

Yes the truck drinks more gas than the Jetta... but ya gotta pay if you're gonna play eh!!!

 

I will use my truck when it is available, but the jetta is inquestion will be used when the truck is not availabl. When the jetta will be used, trips will be at most 2 hrs.

[charlesn]

Ran into some bad info:

 

Vessel = 725 lbs

Gas = 25lbs?

Motor = 180lbs

Trailer - 590 lbs

Batteries (2) = 30 each?

Accessories = 50lbs (trolling motor, 2 fish finders)

 

I'm slightly over 1500lbs, is this ok?

 

Gas could weigh more than your estimate - how big is the tank? Batteries are also quite heavy - Size 24s might be as light as 30 but the big batteries are really heavy.

 

Then there is gear, food, drinks, safety gear, paddles, anchor, pfds etc. It all adds up to more than you think.

 

Wet carpets can also add a bunch of weight you're not expecting if the boat has carpeting.

 

I'd personally advise to err on the side of caution.

[Greencoachdog]

One more thing you may want to consider... check with your insurance company to make sure you're covered while towing your boat with the Jetta, you may be interested in what they have to say.

[Raf]

i wouldnt do it if i were you

[The Urban Fisherman]

Dude when are you going to post pics of your new rig??? haha congrats! good luck with the towing question! cant help ya

 

cheers,

Ryan

[Woodsman]

I will use my truck when it is available, but the jetta is inquestion will be used when the truck is not availabl. When the jetta will be used, trips will be at most 2 hrs.

When your original estimate of trailer weight was 1,200lbs, there was some of us that were supporting your trailering it with your Jetta if you kept your passenger & cargo weight down. With your newer updated weight, all are saying it's not a good idea.

But by your above statement it appears you have already decided your good to go even if you are over your approved weight for at least up to 2 hrs.

 

Good Luck

[Rizzo]

I towed a slightly lighter package (14' Lowe, side console, 25 hp) with a toyata celica for years and never needed someone with a truck to help me . If your weights listed above are accurate though I think you know the answer, don't even bother!

[MSBruno]

Dude when are you going to post pics of your new rig??? haha congrats! good luck with the towing question! cant help ya

 

cheers,

Ryan

 

Here ya go

Edited July 30, 2009 by MSBruno

[The Urban Fisherman]

Here ya go

 

Awesome!

 

Beats the heck out of my first rig!

 

Congratulations once again!

[Jonny]

Do you have tow hooks on the front of your Jetta for when you can't get the boat back up the ramp?

 

I'm only partially kidding.

 

Backing down to launch should be OK, assuming you get it lined up all right on the first try. But front wheel drive for pulling it back out of the water and up the ramp could give you trouble - speaking from experience.

 

I launch my 16' fiberglass Crestliner w 65 HP motor just down the road from my place in the spring, and haul it out in the fall. My Toyota Matrix does fine for launching, but on the retrieve the front end is too light and the wheels start to spin. If it were rear wheel drive, it would have plenty of power (and traction!) to pull the boat out. I have to borrow Ol' Harv's truck.

 

OF course it partly depends on the condition of the launch, but if you use different launches, you'll be wondering every time.

 

Hell, my father used to launch and retrieve a boat as heavy as mine with a 1953 Volkswagen (36 HP, but REAR wheel drive).

Edited July 30, 2009 by Jocko

[MSBruno]

I would assume the tongue weight would be the key here. I can easily lift the front end of the trailer and I don't believe that'll lower the back of of the Jetta too much. A previous poster said that these smaller boats are weightly lightly in the front and the vessel itself is 725lbs, but the motor, batteries and gas are all at the back end of the rig.

 

I'm not too worried about driving the setup to and from home becuase caution and experience will previal.

 

Another question is .... is it illegal towing a 1600-1700 lb rig with a car rated 1500lb max?

Edited July 30, 2009 by MSBruno

[lookinforwalleye]

I would assume the tongue weight would be the key here. I can easily lift the front end of the trailer and I don't believe that'll lower the back of of the Jetta too much. A previous poster said that these smaller boats are weightly lightly in the front and the vessel itself is 725lbs, but the motor, batteries and gas are all at the back end of the rig.

 

I'm not too worried about driving the setup to and from home becuase caution and experience will previal.

 

Another question is .... is it illegal towing a 1600-1700 lb rig with a car rated 1500lb max?

 

 

Can`t answer that question but I would call your insurance company to find out what would happen to your insurance policy if you have an incident while pulling an overweight load.

[Jonny]

I'm not too clear on the physics involved, but being on a slope seems to shift the weight of the car more onto the rear tires. Add some tongue weight from the trailer and it seems to worsen the problem. Front wheel drive does not seem to be too good for this situation.

 

My boat may be heavier than yours. I can only tell you what my experience has been - plenty of power but not enough traction.

 

Not that it helps, but I don't think you'd be pulled over on the highway unless your car and trailer look overloaded. As long as your a$$ end isn't dragging, and the trailer is tracking true (no swaying), and you're keeping up with traffic, I doubt you would attract attention. Your boat doesn't look to be unreasonably large to be pulling with a Jetta.

 

You probably already know, but you have to keep a reasonable weight on the hitch, not just a few pounds. And drive much more defensively than usual, including picking times when you know the traffic is going to be light.

Edited July 30, 2009 by Jocko

[Headhunter]

Possible solution... never go fishing without taking Uncle Buck with you! That way, when your pulling the boat out of the water, you cou ask him nicely to lay across the hood of the Jetta, to hold the front wheels down!

(I only used UB as an example as he's the largest OFNer I've seen)

I'd be pretty darn sure I'm covered by insurance, before it left my driveway!

HH

[Jonny]

I'd be pretty darn sure I'm covered by insurance, before it left my driveway!

 

Good idea for sure. I'm just saying that if you are at your max, you should drive accordingly.

[Fish4Eyes]

If you do decide to tow with the jetta, and you get into a scenario where the launch is shallow and you cannot back in anymore, use the motor to get the boat off the trailer, as opposed to submersing your exhaust. I wouldn't recommend you fish alone either as you will need somebody to either sit above the front wheel well or to push down on it while you are pulling the boat out so you can get traction, especially if the ramp is wet. Believe me in time you will grow very frustrated of doing this and putting up with these hastles. I bought a 4runner strictly just to tow my boat because I got sick of the hastles associated with towing a boat with a Jetta. Like mentioned above, you have to pay to play.