I'm in the market for newer auto. I'm not a NASCAR fan, nor haul hay, and don't need a pickup so I'm wondering what you guys use other than truck to pull your boat. Especially guys who travel alot to sailing venues. Thanks for any suggestions.
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Goodsailing
Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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Most fuel efficient auto for towing H18
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Posted: Apr 29, 2015 - 09:33 AM
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Posted: Apr 29, 2015 - 10:06 AM
I tow with a lexus es 330
previous to that i used a honda accord ex
both were fine for local, i never drove far with the honda
i have done a few highway miles (2 hours) with the lexus and a heavy mystere and steel trailer
Edited by MN3 on Apr 29, 2015 - 10:16 AM. -
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Posted: Apr 29, 2015 - 10:23 AM
I use a Honda Prelude to tow the SC20 with no problems. The limiting factors are sufficient power if towing in windy or mountainous areas, and braking power( the more likely limitation with a very light car). The 18 with a trailer is not that big a load for a passenger car, just remember it's there, it's a lot wider!
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Posted: Apr 29, 2015 - 10:48 AM
IMHO - stopping and cornering and windage are the most important things
using a light car or crossover (like a honda element) is not optimal to safely handle hard stops, cornering and taking large gusts at highway speeds - doable but not the safer option
Edited by MN3 on Apr 29, 2015 - 11:14 AM. -
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Posted: Apr 29, 2015 - 11:06 AM
I tow my 570 on a steel trailer behind a 2001 Subaru wagon. Seems to do fine, took it over the coastal mountain range in bc a couple months back, never felt to sketchy. It's a manual so you have to be on top of your game pulling out of steep launch ramps (my poor clutch).
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Phil W
Nacra 570
Victoria BC
www.mausails.com
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Posted: Apr 29, 2015 - 01:20 PM
I use a Honda Element (for the past 7 years) to tow my H18 and it does fine. You can feel the boat for sure (it's only a 2.4L 4 cyl), but no major handling issues. In hind sight, a manual transmission would have been better for towing. That is my only real regret. I also switched to an aluminum trailer to knock off some weight.
Honestly, just about any car can tow a Hobie. We're only talking around 800lbs of trailer and boat. Most cars have at least a 1000lb towing capacity. I would just pick a car you like, verify the towing capacity and make sure you can get a hitch for the vehicle. If you get a 6 cylinder or larger, you probably won't even notice the boat.
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Posted: Apr 29, 2015 - 03:14 PM
Yes, the specific vehicle isn't as important as far as weight goes, it really depends on how far you want to tow, how much crap you want to carry, and how fast you want to go.
Towing catamarans, weight isn't the issue as much as wind resistance at Interstate speeds. The boat is so much wider than the vehicle that the hulls are out in the wind.
I regularly tow 400-500 miles one-way mostly on Interstates with speed limits of 70. I love my Nissan Xterra for the job but discovered I need to keep the speed below 73 or my mpg drops drastically.
Towing at those speeds over long distance can really heat up a small cars transmission, but if you are just towing on local roads a few miles to the ramp then anything goes.
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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN
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Posted: Apr 29, 2015 - 09:58 PM
Anything VW TDI...
Awesome low end power, most have good brake kits. A lot of people pull 24' power boats with the touareg tdi.
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Cesar (Cez) S.
Hobie 16 (had a few)
Nacra 5.2 "Hull Yeah"
Vectorworks XJ - A class (not named yet)
West Michigan (Grand Rapids/Holland Area)
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Posted: Apr 30, 2015 - 06:56 PM
I bought a fixer upper H18 so I'm not thinking LUXURY SUV at $52,000 to pull a 70's Hobie... I'd be afraid to put my boards, stinky wet suit, wet Pfd, muddy booties, spilled coffee in a car like that... If you are talking $52,000 why not Mercedes Sprinter. This way you could camp!
Here's one.
2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i
MSRP: $21,995
Towing Package: $499 (for a tow hitch, dealer installed)
Towing Capacity: 1,500 lbs
Fuel Economy: 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway (with CVT)
Edited by goodsailing on Apr 30, 2015 - 07:52 PM.
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Goodsailing
Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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Posted: Apr 30, 2015 - 08:01 PM
A big plus for the Nissan Xterra is it's draining roof compartment. That's where I put my wet/muddy shoes, gloves etc., prevents accidentally leaving something like that in the vehicle in the summer heat and then opening the door later to a smell inside like something died in there.
Another plus is the Xterra has looked exactly the same since 2005, so you can buy as cheap as you like and no one can tell it apart from a 2015 model. Mines a 2006 and if I bought a brand new one the same color, no one would think I had a new car, they would just think I washed the old one.
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Posted: Apr 30, 2015 - 11:20 PM
Nice feature... yea I lashed my wetsuit to the roof of my jeep after a dive last week. I drove 500 miles and the darn thing was still damp...
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Goodsailing
Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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Posted: May 01, 2015 - 02:19 AM
More distance = Bigger car = lower mpg. Under 2-3 hrs drive? I used my MINI Cooper S for years and still got 30+ mpg on the highway going 70mph or less.
Ideas on wet stuff??
Lash wetsuit to the forward mast support like an airport wind sock and it should be dry after 15 mins at 70mph ;) OR put all your wet stuff in a mesh bag laced to a hiking strap for the 400 mi trip home and things should be less damp unless you drive through a storm ;)
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Tim Grover
1996 Hobie Miracle 20
Two Hobie 14's
1983 G-Cat Restored
Memphis TN / North Mississippi
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Posted: May 04, 2015 - 08:32 PM
Pulling a Hobie?
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Goodsailing
Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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Posted: May 04, 2015 - 08:56 PM
Yes, worked great. Keep in mind it's the 200HP supercharged manual 6 speed version. Had no trouble towing a hobie at all, Even my Hobie 20 miracle a few times. Its a bumpy ride tho for long distances...
Edited by fxloop on May 04, 2015 - 08:58 PM.
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Tim Grover
1996 Hobie Miracle 20
Two Hobie 14's
1983 G-Cat Restored
Memphis TN / North Mississippi
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Posted: May 04, 2015 - 09:21 PM
My first tow vehicle hauling a Hobie 16 three hours from Raleigh NC to Atlantic Beach most weekends, 1976 MGB. Took awhile to get rolling and stopped but once I was at speed....get out of my way, because being able to stop wasn't on a dime. On to my second sixteen but with the original trailer still in commission with its third axel. Should have put a galvanized axel on the first time I replaced it but it is now. -
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Posted: May 05, 2015 - 05:25 PM
You guys amaze me. Fantastic.
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Goodsailing
Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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Posted: May 05, 2015 - 06:06 PM
I have put two hitches on minivans and had mpg of 19 to 28 highway. This is 450 mile trip one way over multiple mountains to 4000 ft. The Odessy and the Quest were both great to drive, had 6 cyl. engines and never complained. I did use a Nissan truck for a bit but it seemed under powered compared to the minivans, and got tossed around in the wind a bit.
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Sheet In!
Bob
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Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
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AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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Posted: Feb 12, 2017 - 01:56 PM
I am wondering what else folks drive these days....I have been using a V8 Tundra but would like to trade down to something smaller that could also double as a commuter...so gas mileage and handling at the launch ramp as well as driving maybe 40-150mi towing a larger cat are the main considerations. So far the ones I have been looking at are RAV4, Honda CR-V, VW Passat or Jetta wagon.
My wife has a Sienna, any thoughts how that might work. I know most light duty are rated to 1500lbs but some launch ramps can be steep and slippery.
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Marek
1992 Prindle 19
1981 Prindle 16
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Posted: Feb 12, 2017 - 02:57 PM
Use to tow my Prinlde 18 with a VW Vanagon that had a 1.9L engine that was pushing a 5000 lb breadbox.... Towed it all over the west... even up into the Sierras a few times... no problems... Put well over 250K on that engine with a few clutch jobs... mileage was the pits though... but gas was about $1.00 per gallon
Recently pulled another Prindle 18 with a Toyota Camry 2.4L with no issues going over the California Grapevine in mid July... 100 degree temps. I would say the mileage was 20 MPG on the highway... The car is normally around 30 MPG highway
Edited by JohnES on Feb 12, 2017 - 03:01 PM.
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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Posted: Feb 12, 2017 - 03:01 PM
I once launched an H18 on a very steep boat ramp with a rusted out 87 b2000 2wd truck I bought as a joke for a few hundred bucks. Was a manual and had bald rear tires. Didnt spin the tires at all leaving the ramp and it had hardly any weight on the rear axle.
It had 86 horsepower when it was new and at the time had like 280k miles on it. I could still (barely) do 70-75 on the highway towing the boat.
Point being anything modern with a hitch can tow that thing just fine.
