Need some info on boat size vs max towing capacity

[hotsky]

My car is one of the reasons I dont have a boat yet. I have a Mazda 3; I love driving it, it even served me well on camping trips but not so great for towing... In fact in North America it has no towing rating capacity, although in other parts of th world they give it 1500lbs towing capacity. I dont plan on selling the Mazda for at least another 2 years, so I'll have to make due with what I have!

 

Now what does 1500lbs mean when it comes to a boat size? I know trailer and motor would add some weight as well so lets say the motor would be a 10hp or 15hp max.

[HTHM]

it means that the total weight of the item you are towing should not exceed 1500 pounds. A 14' aluminum tiller with a motor and trailer should be less than that.

[hotsky]

Thanks, does anyone here tow with a smaller car?

Edited February 15, 2014 by Gray_Wolf

[NANUK]

You can get an idea from any boat manufacturer website about the different size boat weights, same goes for outboards, they all tell you the weight & other specifications, add the trailer, gas, equip weight, you will get a ball park figure,

Don't forget the weight of driver, passengers and gear in the car as well,

If your vehicle is not rated for towing in N.America you might want to check with your insurance company before buying the rig.

[Freshtrax]

I towed a utility trailer and snowmobile with an old beat up grand am for two winters no issues.

[Old Ironmaker]

Now launching a boat with a Mazda 3 might be an issue. Depending on the ramp. Concrete shouldn't be a problem depending on the depth and how wet it is, but when you are talking mud and some stone and steep you might spin the little tires off her. Water levels are going to be your worse enemy. Some ramps we launched a tinny in with one of those fake Chevy pick ups, what the heck were they called? Similar to an S-10, but low to the ground. In order to get the boat off were pretty deep in the water sometimes. Often just picked it up and threw it in, twice a day workouts in the gym helped. I wasn't always Old Ironmaker, just iron pumper. Which way to the beach? Miami Vice and Magnum P.I. days, I was Tom without the Ferrari.

 

Ramps may be an issue not weight.

[mike rousseau]

I used an intrepid for years on paved.... Gravel... Brick... Launches... With a 14 footer and 9.9 combo.... The front wheel drive is good cause those are your dry tires...

 

Only issue I ever hit was running late for work with the boat I was doing 120-130 on the 401 and overheated the car.... Under normal speeds everything performed fine...

[mike rousseau]

Also always made sure to put the car in low gear at the ramp....

 

And turned off overdrive in town

[fishindevil]

Well back in 1991 when I got married my wife had a Honda civic and I bought a 14ft tinny with a 15hp and trailer !!!! I pulled that boat all over the place with it for 2 full years of fishing and all different ramp types and it worked fine just be easy and don't over load it !!! And I checked with the dealer and my mechanic and it was good to go and it wasn't very heavy with a tongue weight of I think 26 lbs !!!!! The front wheel drive helped the most as mike said some ramps you could not get it in all the way so a little bit of muscle and you were good to go !!!! I had it even down at quinte launches and was great total weight I guess guess for boat motor trailer & gear 500-600lbs we took it up to termagani camping & fishing did it all with a Honda civic !!!! Hahah lol ... Ahhhh memories

[John Bacon]

it means that the total weight of the item you are towing should not exceed 1500 pounds. A 14' aluminum tiller with a motor and trailer should be less than that.

 

Any weight inside the car, including driver and passengers, counts towards the 1,500 pounds as well. Two people in the car and their gear leaves less than 1,000 pounds for towing.

 

I would consider car topper; perhaps a canoe with an outrigger.

[lew]

You've also got to think about stopping your vehicle while pulling a trailer. It may be able to pull the trailer with no problem but if you need to stop in a hurry, you need to know your vehicle has the brakes to do it.

[Terry]

and that brings me to trailer brakes

stopping is the biggest challenge when towing with a small vehicle

surge brakes will solve the problem

electric brakes and you will stop faster then you car has ever stopped

[lew]

Your right about trailer brakes Terry, I've got surge brakes on mine and even pulling a fairly heavy boat I hardly even notice it behind me when stopping. They make a HUGE difference.

[porkpie]

Years ago I was limited by a honda civic. I thought seriously about it, and then decided to go with a canoe until my next vehicle upgrade, and get a boat then. If I had to do it differently now, the only change I would make is a wide square stern and a small 4 stroke 2.5hp. Almost as fishable as a tinny. I would look at the smallest Scott duck boat if it's not to wide for your roof. Very fishable, and very stable, just another idea.

[Lape0019]

Yes, towing capacity includes the amount of weight in the car. It also includes the gas in the car so you really have to be careful.

 

The only reason I am writing right now is I had a friend (who is actually a member here) who towed a princecraft 142sc with a 25hp motor with their Mazda 6 V6. That car also had no towing capacity while in the US and Europe, it had a 1200 pound capacity.

 

The Mazda towed the boat great but he lost the car when the e brake cable as well as the transmission let go(it was in park) and rolled into the water while he was getting out of the car to put the boat on the trailer.

 

My advice to you is to NOT TOW with a car that is not rated for it when you are putting your vehicle into situations like this. A small utility trailer, I could see you getting away with, but why risk something like this happening. Insurance essentially wrote the car off and they got something a little bigger that would work for them.

 

Adam

[hotsky]

Thanks for the info guys. Still not sure if I'll go thu with this but if I do I'll check with my insurance and wont go bigger than 14' tinnny, nothing too heavy or fancy. Wating for a bigger car may not even be an option since I dont know if my next vehicle is going to be anything much bigger but you never know!

[Renegade67]

I do not suggest doing anything like this but it was done successfully for 2 seasons.

My brother bought a lund tyee 5.3 with a johnson 110 back in 89. Believe it or not he towed it with a VW golf! The ramp at the cottage was gravel and several times we chained it to another vw, and even sat on the front fenders to get it up but it always worked. You should of seen the faces on people! Surprised he never got pulled over for doing it!

He wanted the boat more than a truck at the time and couldn't afford both. He still has that lund and currently is putting in a full plastic floor and dual console made by cnc. Oh what an engineer will do!

[lookinforwalleye]

I would imagine the car has a zero tow rating in Canada for a reason....might have something to do with transport Canada!

[DRIFTER_016]

I would go no bigger than a 14' utility boat with 15hp OB.

Your weight with trailer will be under 800#'s complete with trailer.

[Fisherpete]

I used to tow a 16' Tracker tinny with my 30hp Honda on it behind a Grand Am, but it was the V6 version. Two years of towing really put a beating on the suspension system.

 

I think you would be fine pulling a boat like a 14' tinny with a 9.9 so long as you were careful where you launched, but think about the extra wear and tear that the Mazda will take. I have a Mazda 3 as well, and many of the replacement parts are not cheap!

[craigdritchie]

If your vehicle is not rated for towing in N.America you might want to check with your insurance company before buying the rig.

 

+1

 

If you tow a trailer with a vehicle that has a zero rating for towing, and your insurance company wants to be sticky about it, they could void your insurance coverage saying you used the vehicle for a purpose it was not designed for. Check first and get written confirmation that towing a boat with the Mazda won't affect your collision or liability coverage. It's a good idea to let the insurance company know you're towing anyway, since your vehicle's policy will usually also cover the trailer if you're in an accudent (though it won't cover the boat itself).

 

If you car is still under warranty, that could also be a potential consideration. Adding the hitch could void the warranty. Check first.

 

CAA has some general towing info here that you may find helpful. You can ignore the BC and Alberta stuff at the bottom of the page. There are additional considerations when you tow in the mountains, but they most likely won't apply to your situation.

 

Assuming no problems with insurance or warranty coverage, I still wouldn't go above 1,000 pounds on a car the size of a Mazda 3. The car may be able to pull more weight, but comments about stopping and maintaining control in emergency situations are spot-on. Consider a good 14-foot or possibly 16-foot tinny, perhaps one like this or like this, with a flat floor, livewell and some storage. Even with a 20hp four-stroke, a full tank of gas, a couple of batteries and some gear, you'll still be well under 1,000 pounds. You could possibly go up to a small side console like this but by the time you rig it up you'll be approaching a safe weight limit (especially if you have to tow it home on a rainy day, when it's going to be even heavier). I'd personally go with the tiller boat and enjoy a bit more interior space.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Craig_Ritchie

[lookinforwalleye]

I do not suggest doing anything like this but it was done successfully for 2 seasons.

My brother bought a lund tyee 5.3 with a johnson 110 back in 89. Believe it or not he towed it with a VW golf! The ramp at the cottage was gravel and several times we chained it to another vw, and even sat on the front fenders to get it up but it always worked. You should of seen the faces on people! Surprised he never got pulled over for doing it!

He wanted the boat more than a truck at the time and couldn't afford both. He still has that lund and currently is putting in a full plastic floor and dual console made by cnc. Oh what an engineer will do!

Surprised he didn`t kill himself or somebody else doing it...you would think a P.eng would know better!!!

 

A few years a ago I watched a couple of idiots on Lake Scugog try to load a pontoon boat on to what look like a utility trailer with home made guide bunks made out of wood nailed and screwed together, thank god they could not get it loaded as I envisioned the whole stupid contraption falling apart in front of somebody on the highway!!!

 

Wish I could tow my Stratos with a econobox but common sense kicks in....sometimes if you want to play you just have to pay!!!

[mcdougy]

yep, I understand your predictament, you are at a crossroads. pretty easy math if you want to be safe and lagal according to MTO, insurance. A boat = different vehicle. Even a tinny. No need for a V8 or something giant if your considering a 14ft boat. Trade vehicles, for one with a towing rating. IMO vehicles are all a bunch of junk, don't fall in love with yours, it WILL let you down at some point. Get a different piece of junk that you can do what you want with. You may even be able to get a vehicle and a boat out of your mazda? That would be good, if you really want a boat to stare at in your driveway 90% or more of the time. But it is that 10% or so that makes its worthwhile IMO.

[Freshtrax]

Get a gielser car car topper! Problem solved At 100 lbs you could almost throw it on the roof yourself.. Keep outboard in trunk.

[Old Ironmaker]

yep, I understand your predictament, you are at a crossroads. pretty easy math if you want to be safe and lagal according to MTO, insurance. A boat = different vehicle. Even a tinny. No need for a V8 or something giant if your considering a 14ft boat. Trade vehicles, for one with a towing rating. IMO vehicles are all a bunch of junk, don't fall in love with yours, it WILL let you down at some point. Get a different piece of junk that you can do what you want with. You may even be able to get a vehicle and a boat out of your mazda? That would be good, if you really want a boat to stare at in your driveway 90% or more of the time. But it is that 10% or so that makes its worthwhile IMO.

 

I can't agree with you on this one mcdougie. I have had hunk of junks but how you treat them is how they treat you. I speak kindly to my stuff and care for them dearly. I guarantee as soon as I speak to them badly and smack them on the dash they rebel. I'm so superstitious that I won't even let them within ear shot when I talk about getting rid of them.

 

They are our worse investment, absolutely worse, but in our society and massive country we all need one out here in the country at least. If I didn't need one I wouldn't have one.

 

You are right about how often we use our boats, maybe more than 10% because we live on the lake, but not much more that's for sure. Talk about a bad investment. BOAT = take out another thousand, that's a for shoe.