Best tow rig?

[97SN]

What do you guys & gals use as your tow rig? Truck, Van, or SUV? Gas or Diesel? With the price of gas expected to clear $3/gallon in CA this summer, it may be best to invest in some lakefront property!

[NautiqueJeff]

I use a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 4.7L V8. It does fine, but I wouldn't complain about having a little more power. The only picture I have is of the Jeep and my '94 Ski Nautique. For some reason I haven't taken any of the Jeep pulling the SAN.

http://users.adelphia.net/~jcarrol4/Nautique/Smaller%20Images/Jeep%20Pulling.JPG

[FatBoy]

POWERSTROKE...

[CrazyLarry]

Duramax

[sperbet]

I would love to tow with a powerstroke or a duramax. The best tow vehicles are definitely deisels.

[Deuce]

There is a clear cut winner to this question....if money is not an object....

Well...maybe not clear cut between the RXT and MXT....but International is the tow rig to own when you hit the lottery....

[rocco]

My 1999 Suburban..just wish it was WHITE...
I never know the boat is back there..so I got to look...

[97SN]

rocco,

what engine is in your 99 'Burb? I have a 99 GMC Yukon with the 5.7L and it's a bit of a slug! I bought it new and it's never towed very well. In fact, my Dad's minivan with a V6 tows better than my Yukon. I've taken it to the dealer many times over the years, but they keep telling me everything is fine. I'm towing a 97 SN on a tandem trailer.


Deuce,

Ha! I recently showed my wife a picture of the Int'l and said "that's what I want!" She said, "with your next wife!" :-)

[Moe]

ford's not to be outdone

[rocco]

My 99 as the V8 Vortex...I have pulled 30 Ft campers with it also.
No problem....It can pull about any Boat with ease......
It just likes Gas a lot..........But Who cares if it does the job....

[AirNautique211]

We have an '04 GMC Denali to match the boat, but sometimes in a pinch we take the '00 Dodge Durango. Both are equipped with big V8's and have plenty of power - as long as the plug is in the boat - ha,ha. Haven't made that mistake on this boat - yet! We did actually drive back from the lake in a big rain storm and had to bilge a good while - we did not notice any difference in the handleing or power of the Denali though. It's a good tow rig with lots of room for gear.

[gunnin4six]

Hey Deuce, how much does one of those puppies go for?

[patoloco]

3/4 Avalanche hauling an air nautique. Its a pleasure to drive if you haul your boat on as many 5 hour trips as we take each year and our two 1 hour trips each week. Its a perfect match of vehicle and boat from a size, weight, power, etc perspective.

We used an explorer ,before the av, which served us well and was fine on power, but the wheelbase was too short and suspension way to light for long trips. It made emergency situations really scary and long trips stressful.

Airnautique211 - I think I saw your boat in the lot this morning, it looks just as good in person.

[AirNautique211]

Thanks - they are making a couple of changes and taking care of some warranty stuff. They said it was inside though? Looking forward to getting it back on the water this summer. Maybe we'll see you at Monroe.

[Deuce]

Orders for the International RXT can be placed through International dealers throughout North America in fall 2005, with a starting price just under $70,000.....

E.J.

[patoloco]

Airnautique211 - I ended up getting my first ever ticket on the water at Monroe last year for pulling too close too shore, about 125FT ,(the only safe place to be at Monroe ironicaly). So watch out for DNR and its random enforcement.

I just caught a glance of the boat I thought was yours since I was in a big hurry to get to work. Probably a different boat as there are several that kind of look like it from a distance. They are usually really good about that sort of thing.

[Christopher-W.-Becker]

What about the Ford. Now thats a TRUCK!

[hsmunoz]

this ol' girl get's the job done!

fatboy, gotta love sitting in a superduty , admiring your 211 in the rear view...

[FatBoy]

The only way to tow Buddy.

[Brad_K]

I tow my 1980 barefoot with a Land rover Defender 130 crew cab, over here in the UK where Mr Brown completely shafts us on fuel tax I make do with a 2.5 turbo Diesel and it does the job just fine. Did have to put it in the low box last week when pulling her out of the water. What I do find comical is how inefficient American engines are, European designed engines probably achieve just as much power if not more with an engine half the size, but then when fuel is as cheap as it is over there who cares.

[dragonryder]

Pulls like a champ

[AirNautique211]

HS,

Do you ever have trouble backing that monster up on the ramp? Can you see the boat?

[FatBoy]

The truck really isn't that big, Henry is only 4 foot tall. J/K hehehe

[Daytomann]

Wow, we got some good looking rigs on here!

I tow with a 2001 F-150 4x4 SuperCrew.....5.4L with 3.55 gears. Does great and with the taller gears I get pretty decent milage when towing on the highway.
I considered trading in for a F-250 with the Deisel but unless you tow more than 15,000 miles a year (which I wont) it doesnt pay off.
i also considered trading in for a 04/05 F-150 with more power but my truck seems to tow just fine and it gets the same milage when towing as my buddy's 04 F-150...so I didnt see the point.

[Daytomann]

Well, I passed my ten minute time limit to Edit.... :???:
Heres a few pics...

[redelf75]

Hemi!

The Durango pulls the 216 effortlessly.

I used to tow my '82 SN with an '87 Cherokee with a 4.0 I6. While it had a 5000 lbs tow rating, I had to add all the goodies like enging oil cooler, HD altinator, new springs, etc. It could hardly keep at 55 up any decent hill and slowing down suddenly on the highway was never dull.

When we dumped that old thing, I swore I'd never tow again without a suitable vehicle. Do you think today's midsize SUV's and pickups with 5000 - 6000 lbs rating would tow a SAN properly and safely? There seem to be a lot people doing it. I'm asking because I have a friend that's considering a new (used) vehicle, like a Ford Sport Track or Pathfinder.

[hsmunoz]

hey guys,

launching is a breeze. What's nice is that up here in the delta, the tide can have a significant impact on how far down the ramp you have to go, and so the lift keeps the truck out of the water. When I raced jetski's , we launched right from the beach , so I needed higher clearance (that's what I told the wife , anyway) . It's just been a great truck. Yea I can see the boat, I watch the tower, and my mirrors.

now launching the boat with my 32ft class A, that's tricky.

hey now Floyd, that's 4ft 1in!,

[Alan-S]

My first tow vehicle for my SAN was a 98 GMC Sierra extended cab 1500 with the V-6. It was a great truck and towed my SAN as fast as I wanted to go, with great gas mileage. Then I upgraded to a 2004 Chevy Silverado Quad-cab 1500HD Quadrasteer w/6.0 vortec v-8. Could not tell the boat was back there at all, horrible gas mileage though 8-10mpg. Fell in love with the BMW M3 competition package, sold my truck and Audi A4. Currently tow the boat with my friends v8 durango or mostly with my girlfriend's v6 Xterra with a 5,000# rating. Taken the boat from Richmond down to a lake in NC twice with my new trailer(tandem Boatmate) and no problems, it holds speed fine and the trailer's disc brakes are amazing. Only wish the xterra had a little more mass, the boat does push it around a little on bridges and bumps, awful on gas too 8.6 mpg, I would say that it is safe, but glad that I have experience with towing, would be a little scary for a first timer.

[skiswm]

I tow with a '01 silverado v8ext cab with a 4" lift...tows great my boat is a '97 S/S. I tow to the Lake Tahoe area 4-5x's a year from the SF bay area (about 200 miles each way). I have plenty of power going up and over the 7k ft elevation usually. Only issue is when the guy with the old VW van or SUV with no power decides to try to head up the mtns. Overall the best to tow I have found is later at night....semi drivers are great, flashing lights to let u pass etc. Much easier to keep the speed up on the long uphill mtn runs. A side note on the lift....I love it I can look from my rearview mirror directly through the boats windshield and see behind it. Really maks passing A LOT easier. I use to tow yrs ago with my dad's old jeep cherokee...now that wheelbase was way to small and it seemed to move all over the road.

[jeffsv211]

Love my Avalanche and it tows my new SV211 better than my old I/O that I had.. but I am sure it's the tandem axle with brakes that makes the difference...

[AirNautique211]

Hey JeffSV211!

That is a tough set up!

BTW, did I mention that I drove that boat first? It ran okay until I jammed a floating log in the prop and dropped the rudder to the bottom of Wawa. That knock-off (no-name) platform turned out pretty good though - the weld marks in the haul barely show up. I have also heard that CC warranties the stripped out tower mounting screws - the lead time is 6 months, but if yu order now!?!

Ha, Ha - just kidding. Your rig is sweet!

[jeffsv211]

AN211.... nice try, all I can say is "Boy does WBC do a heck of a job in repairing boats.. because it sure looked brand new to me???" Thanks for the harrassement.. can't bother me now since it is 70 and I'm heading to the lake on a sunny Friday morning!

Thanks for the compiments, it looks even better than I imagined!

[AirNautique211]

Ya, this weekend should be nice - 80 on Sunday. I hope mother likes the boat on mother's day.

I think it will be another week or 2 before we get on the water with the Nauti.

Your rig does look nice. My son has always wanted an Avalanche, but I think he will have to settle for a beat up Durrango to earn his wings.

Good luck with your new 211 this summer.

[FatBoy]

hey now Floyd, that's 4ft 1in!,

Yea, but that's with your shoes on....

[G-man]

This gets me around town.

[Gramps]

All Black 2002 F250 4x4 Crew Cab Lariet 7.3 Powerstroke Diesel with the Banks Stage III Power pack system.

http://www.bankspower.com/app.cfm?appid=AF01

Once you have towed with a diesel.....you will never tow with a "gasser" again.

Stock lift running 33's towing at 68mph and 1800rpms getting 16mpg EASILY.........thru hills and flats.

[jeepn]

george,

that's awesome. i gave up towing with my jeep, it was too scary. i bet having the disc brakes on the rear of the rubicon help though. mine would just lock up the front brakes and not even make a noticable difference in hard braking situations. i wish i had felt more comfortable in mine, but for good water i need to tow and hour each way so i went ahead and bought a ghetto truck to do the job.

http://www.jeepnautique.com/albums/92SN/24_G.sized.jpg

[actiondcpd]

Here is my rig. A 2002 ford excursion with 7.3L PSD. I have the stinger plus Banks kit and it tows great... plus the banks turbo and exhaust sound awesome.

[Baken]

98 Tahoe LT...

[dragonryder]

Gotta love it

[DRAGON88]

My parents just got this matching white Denali yesterday. Kinda almost makes it a shame that we only tow the boat twice a year.

[NautiqueJeff]

We finally got something truly capable of pulling the SAN around the country. The Jeep Grand Cherokee that we had did great for what it was, but this should be MUCH better. We tow all over the east coast, and the Jeep was getting a bit tired. It did have almost 115,000 miles!

We went with a 2005 Excursion with the 6.0 PSD. This thing rocks!!

[AbunDiga909]

Nice sticker location Jeff! Where did you get it with the black background?

[NautiqueJeff]

There's no background at all. I got them from White Lake (http://www.whitelake.com).

[AbunDiga909]

Whatever, it still looks great, esp. with that tinted window... Very nice

[NautiqueJeff]

Thanks!

[FLCERIK]

04 Escalade, It tows great I do not even know the boat is behind me.

[gotpwr]

We went with a 2005 Excursion with the 6.0 PSD. This thing rocks!!

I agree. You can't beat the combination of Super-Duty towing power and the room of an SUV. It's unfortunate that September 30th is the last day of production for Excursions.

[FatBoy]

Jeff, that's a great looking ride. I almost got one of those but I need my truck bed.

[NautiqueJeff]

I agree. You can't beat the combination of Super-Duty towing power and the room of an SUV. It's unfortunate that September 30th is the last day of production for Excursions.

Yeah, they're killing off the production at the end of the month. The last day to order one was August 5, so I had to find one on a lot that I liked. Ended up finding one at Crossroads Ford in Cary.


Jeff, that's a great looking ride. I almost got one of those but I need my truck bed.

Thanks Floyd. I thought you might like it. It is a blast to drive, and I can't wait to hook up the boat.

[wake_fun]

I just bought an 05' GMC 2500HD Duramax 4X4, Crew Cab, Long Bed...............talk about not knowing your towing anything!!!!!!!! I also just bought the Banks Big Hoss Bundle kit, good for about 375HP at the rear wheels & about 750 FT-LBS of torque at the rear wheels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.galebanksengineering.com/im_Truckin_may05.cfm

[jon4pres]

That escalade is sweet.

I tow my 1982 ski nautique with a 1979 Mercury Grand Marquie Station wagon. The car has wood grain on the side and baby blue vynal on the inside. I guess I will have to get a picture to post one of these days. It pulls and stops good enough and has as much room inside as an school bus.

[surroundsound64]

What I do find comical is how inefficient American engines are, European designed engines probably achieve just as much power if not more with an engine half the size, but then when fuel is as cheap as it is over there who cares.

Funny you should say that, Most American motors aren't more than 30-35% efficient. It's really kinda sad. And taxes are what makes your fuel so much more expensive. The actual price is about the same, you just have about triple the taxes on it.

I pull with either a 2002 black Yukon XL Denali or a 2004 GMC 1500 x-cab. The Denali has the 6L that pulls like a dream. I can't feel anything back there and it gets 16mpg while doing it too! My 04 truck has the 5.3 and pulls great too! It gets a little less mpg though, due to the aerodynamics of the bed of the truck, then having to hit the boat again.

[NautiqueJeff]

How's this for a tow rig?

[AbunDiga909]

Seems like a pretty bias tow rig to me... but I like it!

They should make one in blue...

[DRAGON88]

Mine never got to ride on that thing. :( They used an independant shipper, takes longer when they do too, because witht the factory trucks they have tandem drivers...

[jhiestand]

Anyone on here tow with a Toyota Tundra? I'd like to make the switch from a crew cab F150 to a quad cab, but would also like to put reliability issues behind me, and hopefully get a little better gas mileage as well.

Even though the Tundra is only "3/4" size I've been under the impression it should tow fine on local jaunts and also handle the occasional 3hr trip. Would love to hear from anyone with 1st hand experience.

Oh, and I'm NOT interested in a diesel land yacht. Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

[efox]

Probably would do fine around Columbus...not many hills in the center of the state there! I think If I were looking for a new truck I would eye that Honda thing. Locking underbed storage looks interesting, plus Honda reliability and fuel economy. Plus they are close there in Marysville!

Eric

[ajdouglas]

I was pulling a Response LXi with a 2000 Trundra Std Cab, 2-WD, 6 V-6, Manual Tranny. Out on the road the truck did fine. In the hills, we would struggle aliite, but not to bad. My biggest problem was the ramps. With the manual tranny, the gearing was too high and I was always in fear pulling the boat out. More than once I could smell the clutch burning. If it had been a 4wd truck, than I could have stuck in in 4-low and it would not have been a problem.

I sold the Toyota and got a
a diesel land yacht.

[SNMike]

THE BEST tow rig is one that's paid for. Yellow_Flash_Colorz: Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

[darrel409]

Not a Tundra but i pull with a 4 Runner LTD, 2WD. Trailer is a DHM dual axle w/ 196 SN. Pulls no problem even at the ramp. Its reliable and fuel friendly about 15 mpg towing.

[jhiestand]

...I would eye that Honda thing. Locking underbed storage looks interesting, plus Honda reliability and fuel economy.

Actually, I've thought about the Ridgeline. Sat in one at the auto show and it was pretty cool, but didn't like that the bed can't be covered. Well, not very well anyway. Plus, I'm still in "truck" mode. Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

Agreed on the "paid for" aspect, too! It's just that my F150 has started to develop excessive creaks & groans, suspension parts are starting to fail and the horrible fuel mileage is disheartening.

Although I'd take a hit on the "manliness" scale, I figure a crew cab Tundra would get me what I'm looking for.

[KPNautique]

I pull a ramlin dual axel, single disk brake trailer with a 2004 Lexus GX470. It is full time 4 wheel drive - doesn't hesitate pulling on a slippery ramp and pulls excellent down the road at 15mpg going 70mph. It has room for 8 (mainly 5 adults and 3 kids) or a lot of stuff. Been a trouble free and reliable vehicle.

[jhiestand]

Hmm.. that's good news since it's pretty much the same engine as the Tundra, I think.

[Socbum]

Joe,

I have a 4 runner limited (4w awd & 8 cyl). Runs great pulling the SAN around town and I did not have any prob when we went to Lake Cumberland. No problems on the ramps at Alum and I would think the Griggs ramps would be even easier.

I think the Tundra and the 4 runner are built on the same frame.

Better gas mileage than the 'Diesel Land Yacht' We switched from a ford expedition

[Socbum]

Also,

I would make sure you have the tranny cooler if you go with the automatic.

[surroundsound64]

I'd probably wait a yr or 2 before I got that new ridgeline. I'd let them work all the kinks out, especially because it is Honda's first truck. I know they make a good car, but every dealer has issues with their first new thing.

$.2

[skijones]

My wife has an Expedition with the 5.4, we use that for trips. If I am just towing around town I use my Crown Vic. Bigger engine than an Explorer and a full frame.

[gotpwr]

That's awesome. I love full-size full frame cars. I inherited a 1973 Ford LTD in amazingly good condition with a 460ci(7.5L) big block under the hood. I've thought about putting a hitch on it and pulling my boat with it just to see the looks I would get at the ramp. :mrgreen: