Need advice on tow vehicle

[curtis from carlsbad]

I am getting my first sailboat ever,a mac 26m on th 8th of July.I am thinking of using a 2003-2006 Lincoln towncar as a tow vehicle which I need to purchase for my livery business anyway.Rated manufacture tow capacity is 2000 lbs.I really can't afford to buy another vehicle specifically for towing the mac,nor will I have a place to park it as I will be already taking up my entire driveway and 4 street spaces so a 5th street space is out of the question.(The neighbors already have to look at taxis and my wife's hyundaii tuscon on the street).I dont want to burn out the engine or tranny on the lincoln and Mike Inman from the Costa Mesa factory told me it would be no problem.Can some members please give me some advice? Thank You.

[puggsy]

My towbeast is a very moderate 1986 Nissan Navara 2WD 4 cyl. trayback ute. nothing special...It handles SEAHORSE o.k. but i make sure I do not overdo the speed....It does struggle on the ramp a bit until the ballast water drains...but after that is o.k. So far i have not worried about dumping the water before getting to the ramp.

[Québec 1]

Check this link out!

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... ilit=buick
My Buick works fine at 55 mph on the highway and ramping on a dry ramp,at high tide. I am looking at getting a ford explorer to travel cross country. But the Buick does the job surprisingly well if you get cargo coils, new shocks and a transmission cooler.
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p.s. most guys have trucks or vehicles with 3500lbsto 5000lbs towing capacity.

[robbarnes1965]

Hi Curtis,

I bought a Toyota Highlander hybrid for towing the boat (and because my low little Subaru was murdering my back getting my baby out of the child seat). The Highlander is great for towing my 2007 MacM. You don't want to go much over 65mph with it though. It's light. The lightness is also a problem on a gravel or very wet ramp.

Regarding getting a second car - the boat was a good excuse for me to change but after towing and setting up a few times I realized quickly that I would rather have it at a marina. Cast off and away you go. I could have rented or borrowed a truck for the few times I actually needed to tow it. We are fortunate to have a several reasonable$ marinas in the area. I even take a city bus to the marina when my wife has the truck. The cost is far less than paying for and maintaining a tow vehicle and it is a heck of a lot more convenient. Other benefits to being based at a yacht club or marina is support. We have a great shipwright service, coastguard station and lots of other sailors to bounce ideas off of - not to mention the bar .

If you plan to tow frequently, the hybrid is great for mileage and it has the same engine as the regular v6 but ALSO has the extra horsepower from the electric motor. Meanwhile, gas mileage is even a little better than my little old Subaru Imprezza.


Hope it helps,

Rob

[madguy]

Hiya...

My mate tows his 26X over here with a Volvo V70 2.0 Petrol with no probs...engine the lots...i used to pull my 26C with a Saab 900 Convertible 2.0ltr but to be honest that was i bit to small....

[Hamin' X]

I was having a hard time believing that a town car only had 2000 Lb towing capacity, but I checked it out and this site lists the towing capacity for a 2005 town car as 1500, properly equipped.

http://www.new-cars.com/2005/lincoln/li ... specs.html

I would say that the car's drive train is maxed out, just trying to get itself around. I would not tow a mac with it.

~Rich

[RocketsCrew]

I use a '98 Tacoma 4X4, extended cab v6 auto. and have no problems. Its tow capacity is an ample 5000lbs I think you may have some issues on the steeper ramps with the Town Car. cheers

[Trouts Dream]

Tried the smart car:


Not so Smart, ran like a Rolls Kanardly

You know rolls down the hill but Kanardly make it up the other side.

[bastonjock]

Over here in the Uk,the minimum towing rated is 3000lbs or 1500kg.I find that my Mazda bongo tows the mac easily.I preferr 4 wheel drive.

[Nautek]

To tow safely you need a tow vehicle with a bit of weight. Enough to stop the boat in an emergency and not have the boat pull the car all over the road.

You also need to be aware that insurance companies are just looking for a reason not to pay out on an accident if it is found that you are towing a weight exceeding manufacturer's specifications.

I estimate to tow a Mac safely you need a car with a tow weight of at least 2000kg (4400lbs) or preferably higher for safety.

I tow with a Nissan Patrol Wagon 3200kg (7400 lbs) and wouldnt want much less

Allan

[Trouts Dream]

Highly suggest you watch this video prior to deciding on the size of tow vehicle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOMrYUloMcA

[Highlander]

1996 Ford Ranger supercab 4ltr v6
cruises at 130km/h

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... derIII.jpg

J

[aya16]

Hi hope this helps, towing with a car, a boat the size of the mac for any distance is really hard on the car. I dont think car manufacturers care that much about tow rating of cars so much anymore because most people get a truck or suv for that kind of stuff. If the town car you get has an automatic transmission and you take it some where to beef it up for towing you might get away with it for short tows. Beefing it up would include helper or stiffer springs, auto transmission cooler, air bags maybe, and a good stout heavy duty receiver hitch welded on. The expense is a lot, as well as you still dont have the blessing from the manufacture to tow that big, with a 1500- 2000 pound rating. The other problem is the resale of your car goes in the tank even more because of the stress you are putting on the car.

Funny you asked this question now, as I was driving out of the launch ramp yesterday, I saw a new escalade cadillac pulling a boat from the ramp out of the water. His back axle was under water, the side panels and back bumper were touching the salt water. My first thought, I kid you not, was fast forward a couple years and that cad was up for sale, That ad would read cad escalade for sale very low miles, well taken care of, but no mention of the salt water bath it regularly got in those two years.

Where theres a will theres a way, Most of us I think store our boats on or near the water, the expense is worth it to us because we use the boat more and dont worry too much about towing more than a few hundred feet. I use two ford rangers 4 wheel drives and they tow my heavy loaded mac just fine for that, one long trip in 5 years and it towed just fine with my 2002 ford ranger with a low gear ratio. But it looked like the mac was pushing the ranger not being towed. maybe talk the wife into a truck or suv? instead of the car she has. If your going to store the boat anyway store where you can leave the mast up and your right on the water, then it doesnt matter what you tow it with, but I would recommend 4 wheel drive for pulling that mac out of the water, although you can drain most of the water from the boat on the trailer under water, ramps do get slippery. Buttt of the 9 or so macs I saw yesterday being towed around the ramp two were being towed by two wheel drive rangers. Inmon used to tow his boats around with a car so he knows what hes talking about, in the video mac has, I believe thats Inmon towing with the car. He now uses a hummer.

I dont understand why you said you have to buy a car, and if it absolutly has to be a car, then get a used one and the money you saved you can buy a used suv for the wife?????? maybe? I understand the neighbor thing, my neighbors have loved me for 30 years, motorcycles, motorhome, boats, trucks. I normally try not to pi$$ any off but at some point you have to practice live and let live, and not worry about them. I have found you bend over backwards for them once and then you constantly have to. Some people are never satisfied and you just have to ignore them, be legal but dont be in their face.
Mike

[NiceAft]

I don't think I would do it, but I'm a coward when it comes to squeezing too much out of my vehicles. I would strongly suggest having a transmission cooler installed. They are not expensive. I would imagine that (this is only a guess) it would be no more than two hundred dollars. That little device can save you from a much more expensive bill. It is not complicated for a transmission guy to install. Five years ago, I had one installed on my six cylinder GMC Envoy for $100.

Where are you located? Besides launching ramps,do you have hills to travel? How far will you be pulling the boat?


Ray

NOTE: I just saw that one minute before I posted about the transmission cooler, Mike posted as well.

[Québec 1]

Ha ha great stuff,
This topic never gets old....thanks to Roger and his video! Whenever I show up anywhere with my Mac at the end of my Buick people shake their heads and I can hear them think...this is not right(and other things). When I back the Buick down the ramp till the back tires just barely ...and not always touch the water and get out and unhook the trailer and gently push my Mac off the trailer I usually hear....he just pushed it !!!! Always a pleasure to motor or pull (depends on the ramp)my Mac on to the trailer and in 2 minutes flat have it hooked up and be gone! Last week some guy with a traditional sail boat was fighting the tidal current getting out of the marina and as he passed me said...we all want a 50hp like yours.
Looks like it will stop raining some time next month (@#$###@###44!!!2#argh!)
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