240 with half ton?

[CliffA]

My wife and I did take this into consideration. But Michigan has such beautiful locations all around it which we would like to trailer to- Tawas Bay, Lake St Clair as you Mentioned, Port Huron, Charlevoix, Petoskey, Traverse City, Manistee, and on and on. We couldn't imagine being stuck to one location for most of the weekends

you can dry rack your 240 and not have to worry about the boat sinking while unattended....if you want to visit other lakes simply use your trailer and pull it out from the storage marina and go where you please.....we are wet slipping our boat for the first time this year....we have trailered it up to this point......i can tell you that since i have experienced the convienience of slipping a boat i will NEVER go back to trailering....i do have concerns about leaving it in the water unattended so next season we are going to move the boat from a wet slip to a dry rack storage facility....i recently read somewhere that 85% of boats that sink do so at their docks....besides eliminating the possibility of it sinking while unattended the dry slip will also keep the boat much cleaner between uses and will eliminate the need for periodic haul outs to clean the hull bottom....unless you paint the bottom of the hull you also have to be concened about 'blisters' forming on the hull if the boat is left in the water for long periods of time.....blisters can be repaired but at a cost....we also like to visit other lakes...as stated earlier, just pull the boat out with your trailer and go wherever you want whenever you want....

cliff

 

[RollerCoastr]

This is Petoskey. It's a GREAT place to have your boat. But if you ask me, it's NOT a great place to end a 150 mile journey towing a boat with a truck that has marginal capacity!

 

[Kiteboarder85]

This is Petoskey. It's a GREAT place to have your boat. But if you ask me, it's NOT a great place to end a 150 mile journey towing a boat with a truck that has marginal capacity!

I wouldn't consider these "mountains" though. We visit Petoskey and Bay Harbor often. However, thanks for clarify these hills will be a struggle!

 

[my DOG HOUSE]

If you properly set the truck up to do the job it is not an issue, (except engine life) however, as stated before - stopping is.

Add these to the truck http://www.sdtrucksprings.com/suspe...5K9uVW-0ej2CLbvUFvS-MPERsfxLmc7ulpPuUz7nw_wcB

And use these on the trailer http://www.boatus.com/magazine/trailering/2013/february/electric-over-hydraulic-brakes.asp

You will be good to go, even down the side of a mountain. Up, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can :huh:.

 

[islandhopper00]

I've kinda tried to stay away from this, but I guess I couldn't. haha

I have a 2006 240, and pulled it with a 2001 GMC Yukon with, 5.3 v-8 motor, 4:10 rear gear, air bag suspension, 4x4, heavy duty torque converter w/shift kit (upgraded) in the transmission. The Yukon pulled and stopped my boat fine. (with exception noted below)

Everyone seems to focus on braking, if your trailer brakes work like they are supposed to, braking is NOT an issue. I could stop every bit as hard, as when pulling with my 1994 GMC C-3500 dually!!!!!
The problem with the half ton is, pulling when there is any kind of hills/mountains. You will find yourself haulingass down the grade doing 70mph, to make it up the next grade at 55mph. That is what wears you out! Being pissed at the jack asses that get in your way so you can't do the, haul ass down the grade that messes you up for the next uphill run.
Towing at the flat coast will never be an issue!

That's my take on 1/2 ton towing, and coming from a guy that went from, 3/4 ton diesel (cummins) towing, to 1/2 ton gas towing, to 1 ton dually towing. Of course I like the dually best!!!! haha

 

[MonacoMike]

My wife and I did take this into consideration. But Michigan has such beautiful locations all around it which we would like to trailer to- Tawas Bay, Lake St Clair as you Mentioned, Port Huron, Charlevoix, Petoskey, Traverse City, Manistee, and on and on. We couldn't imagine being stuck to one location for most of the weekends

Have you and the wife launched a larger than average boat many times? Your post sounds like what we said when we started. It is a heck of a lot of work to go trailer boating with a cruiser. You end up with all the work of the launch and prep like the bowriders while having to set up house like the first day at the marina EVERY time you go. Not trying to tell you it is wrong or can't be done just giving the reality of it. The dream is way cooler.

This is not implying launching or retrieving is difficult, but rather all the packing, unpacking, removing road cover,setting up tops and canvas, loading food and drinks, unloading food and drinks, (most folks can't leave their perishables onboard if the boat is not stored next to their house) gear you don't leave on in storage, everything you do to go must be undone to go back home. Then you must select and set up your slip, running cords, water hoses, setting dock lines for a semi-permanent slip, most marinas on the big lakes do not have slips for small cruisers, so that is also a challenge, and I could go on. Hopefully you get the idea. My admiral loves to travel around more than most folks but she loved our season in a slip most of all of our boating seasons.

It is so awesome to drive to the marina, park the truck, take a few things to a boat that is ready to go, and have a cool drink...

If you properly set the truck up to do the job it is not an issue, (except engine life) however, as stated before - stopping is.

Add these to the truck

And use these on the trailer

You will be good to go, even down the side of a mountain. Up, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can :huh:.

The OP doesn't have a truck so he should just get one with ample tow capacity rather than buy one to beef up.

MM

 

[Westie]

According to the fellow from Alberta he pulled his 260 over the same mountain that I had trouble with, and he did this every year. I'd ask him what kind of set up he was using as is was obviously a better rig than the 1/2 ton that I borrowed to do the job. .:huh:

Well I'm that fellow from Alberta that you refer to. I tow my 260DA with a Tundra which happens to be the only manufacturer that rates the truck according to the SAE J2807 towing specification. The distance is just over 1000 kms and I do it in about 12 hours total with stops.
I do have good electric over hydraulic brakes which I think are a must for a boat that size no matter what you tow with.

Here is the profile of one of the larger passes that I have to go over.
http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/popular-topics/documents/Hwy 5 Coquihalla Pass grade-profile.pdf


Here is what the rig looks like when I picked it up in San Francisco before I towed it over the Sierra mountains back to Calgary.

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[Chris Nowell]

Westie; Cool, nice truck, and thanx for the response. That's the kind of info he probably needs to make a good decision. I borrowed a friend's 1/2 ton Ford to make the trip to Steveston with my 260. Never did make it back. The transfer case was what the shop said was at fault. We both suspected that it might be too much for the truck but he insisted I try it. Again, totally different truck and totally different rating. I'm assuming that the OP is needing to keep costs down and my concern for him is that he doesn't go out and buy any old 1/2 ton pick up truck just because some people say it can be done.

I am curious, what kind of revs is your engine turning when you're coming up the snowshed hill on the way back? This is the ugliest climb as far as I'm concerned. I hate every kilometer of it. Even on the way there, I always thnk my brakes are gonna burn out by the time I get to the tunnel.

Edit; Oh yea, and what year is your Tundra? It will definitely be a consideration when we change trucks. We've been using Toyota cars since our teens and they've never let us down.:smt038

 

[Woody]

MM is right in the other thread, you won't find many (any?) half tons that are truly capable of towing a 240 legally and safely. Dry weight is listed at 5,600, another 1250 or so for trailer, full fluids and another 750 pounds of "stuff" that you'll definitely accumulate, and you're quickly up to 8,500 pounds. I plugged it into my calculator for a Ram 1500 QC 4WD, and the trailer plus me/girlfriend/another couple in the truck puts the GCVW 150 lbs shy of the max of 14,000 lbs. I do have a whopping 42 pounds payload remaining! Some stripped down 2WD models will probably be more within limits, but not significantly more. People will tow these weights and heavier with a 1/2 ton and tell you it's fine, and I guess even my truck would be legal as long as I keep the weight of "extras" down. Some will even brag that they're overloaded, and it's all good. It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. Then you spend the next couple years in court or jail because of your negligence.

For towing 100 miles every weekend, I like your plan to put it in a slip and pursue a 3/4 ton later.

So your Ram 1500 won't handle it:smt101 He posted to a link to Chev's...did you even look at their capacities before you put him in jail for negligence. I see a 1/2T Chev with Gross Combined rating of 17,500# and a Max trailer weight of 12,000#. You estimate 8,500# for boat/trailer...don't seem like the limits being stretched to me.:huh:

 

[MonacoMike]

As I said in the current real world "half ton" is a meaningless phrase that in a bygone era we could infer general towing capabilities of trucks. So we would be best served to speak accurately when advising folks asking questions here based only on specific trucks being referenced not the old "half ton" or "three quarter ton" monikers.

MM

 

[Chris Nowell]

As I said in the current real world "half ton" is a meaningless phrase that in a bygone era we could infer general towing capabilities of trucks. So we would be best served to speak accurately when advising folks asking questions here based only on specific trucks being referenced not the old "half ton" or "three quarter ton" monikers.

MM

:thumbsup: That's a big 10 - 4 Rubber Duck !!!!!