Towing Help

[Ckreder]

Hi all,
I was looking for some advice on what it will take to tow my boat. I have a freedom 285 which is normally towed by the marina, but I am looking to start doing it myself. Online it says that the dry weight without a trailer and engines is 6500lbs. Does anyone know about how much they weigh when fully rigged up? Also any recommendations for trucks? I’ve been looking around and haven’t decided on an option yet. I’ve been all over the place with my choices. Anywhere from a ram 1500 or 2500 to (what I would ideally love) a ford raptor. Sadly though the raptor seems like a pipe dream due to the max towing capacity of it. Does anyone have any experience towing a 285 with any of these trucks? Thanks for any help.
Btw I will be towing it max 2-3 times a year so nothing crazy.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Hi all,
I was looking for some advice on what it will take to tow my boat. I have a freedom 285 which is normally towed by the marina, but I am looking to start doing it myself. Online it says that the dry weight without a trailer and engines is 6500lbs. Does anyone know about how much they weigh when fully rigged up? Also any recommendations for trucks? I’ve been looking around and haven’t decided on an option yet. I’ve been all over the place with my choices. Anywhere from a ram 1500 or 2500 to (what I would ideally love) a ford raptor. Sadly though the raptor seems like a pipe dream due to the max towing capacity of it. Does anyone have any experience towing a 285 with any of these trucks? Thanks for any help.
Btw I will be towing it max 2-3 times a year so nothing crazy.

What year is the boat and what kind of outboards do you have on the back? The Grady White website is a great tool for looking up this kind of information for the boats that they still offer for sale as they have the "Performance Data" section that gives you their fuel economy, test weight and so forth. Per their website, for a brand new 285 Freedom with twin Yamaha F300's on the back, the weight as tested was "9,330 lbs (including persons, fuel, water, gear, engines & accessories)"

With regards to your tow rig, I've got a 2010 Toyota Tundra with a 5.7 L motor for my tow rig and it has a 10,800 lb towing capacity, which is pretty overkill for my boat but it makes it very easy to tow. I think yours would be pretty close to the maximum tow rating for that vehicle, but I do know that the brand new Tundra's have a maximum of a 12k lb tow rating. I generally prefer Toyota over Ford, Chevy or Dodge for new vehicles, unfortunately. One thing to think about and although it sounds cheesy, it would save you a ton of money, but unless you need a truck for another reason, why not just rent a truck for the 2-3 times a year when you need it for towing? It would look a bit odd having a rental truck or whatnot towing a boat to the ramp but I've done it before and I couldn't imagine it would be more than $100 a day for the truck rental. If you really do want to buy a pickup, I'd maybe consider something used, like a slightly older Toyota Tundra, or something that isn't diesel? Diesel right now is even more expensive than gasoline, around here it's well over $6 a gallon, and unless you're towing all the time for very long distances, I personally don't see where you'd have the need to have a diesel truck. Good luck!

Grady-White | Freedom 285 Dual Console

Grady-White's wide beam, wide open, 28-foot Freedom 285 dual console: Great performance cruiser as well as a feature-rich saltwater fishing boat.

www.gradywhite.com

 

[Hookup1]

Btw I will be towing it max 2-3 times a year so nothing crazy.

How far and what kind of roads.

 

[Ckreder]

How far and what kind of roads.
Pretty much all small highways and backroads.

 

[Ckreder]

What year is the boat and what kind of outboards do you have on the back? The Grady White website is a great tool for looking up this kind of information for the boats that they still offer for sale as they have the "Performance Data" section that gives you their fuel economy, test weight and so forth. Per their website, for a brand new 285 Freedom with twin Yamaha F300's on the back, the weight as tested was "9,330 lbs (including persons, fuel, water, gear, engines & accessories)"

With regards to your tow rig, I've got a 2010 Toyota Tundra with a 5.7 L motor for my tow rig and it has a 10,800 lb towing capacity, which is pretty overkill for my boat but it makes it very easy to tow. I think yours would be pretty close to the maximum tow rating for that vehicle, but I do know that the brand new Tundra's have a maximum of a 12k lb tow rating. I generally prefer Toyota over Ford, Chevy or Dodge for new vehicles, unfortunately. One thing to think about and although it sounds cheesy, it would save you a ton of money, but unless you need a truck for another reason, why not just rent a truck for the 2-3 times a year when you need it for towing? It would look a bit odd having a rental truck or whatnot towing a boat to the ramp but I've done it before and I couldn't imagine it would be more than $100 a day for the truck rental. If you really do want to buy a pickup, I'd maybe consider something used, like a slightly older Toyota Tundra, or something that isn't diesel? Diesel right now is even more expensive than gasoline, around here it's well over $6 a gallon, and unless you're towing all the time for very long distances, I personally don't see where you'd have the need to have a diesel truck. Good luck!

Grady-White | Freedom 285 Dual Console

Grady-White's wide beam, wide open, 28-foot Freedom 285 dual console: Great performance cruiser as well as a feature-rich saltwater fishing boat.

www.gradywhite.com

Gotcha. I’d imagine mines right around that weight then. My car actually just went and I have some other things that require towing so I figured I have to just go all in at this point. Also have been wanting a truck for years. I’ll take a look at the new tundra.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I think you could "get away" with more having a slightly smaller tow rig going very short distances and on back roads compared to going very long distances on highways. Short distances on back roads you can usually go much slower and take your time, although slick boat ramps or launches and not having enough weight won't help you at all. 4WD/AWD, a properly rated tow rig and new/newer tires would plenty of grip still on them are going to help out tremendously. Driving a couple of miles on the flat pavement with no major highways used, no or few turns and having a machine launch the boat for you isn't going to require a very large truck.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Gotcha. I’d imagine mines right around that weight then. My car actually just went and I have some other things that require towing so I figured I have to just go all in at this point. Also have been wanting a truck for years. I’ll take a look at the new tundra.

The new Toyota Tundra also has a hybrid version, which I think is pretty cool as it gets 24 mpg and still has an almost 12k lb towing capacity, though I'm sure the hybrid option is a bit more money. Ford also has an F-150 that's all electric but I believe it has a maximum tow rating of only 10k lbs.

 

[BobH1]

I will say up front that I am biased. I have a 20' Kencraft center console and a 268 Islander. The ramp is a little over a 1/4 mile from our place in Greenbackville VA. My truck of choice to tow and pull boats from ramps is a 3/4 ton 4×4 diesel pick up. My teuck is a 2019 chevy 2500 HD Z-71 duramax. I live in FL and VA. Pull both boats back and forth for the season. You don't need 4 wheel low til you NEED it. Love the torque of my diesel. Also torque curve is lower on a diesel than gas. So if you are going to only pull 2 or 3 times a year and at only 1 ramp that is smooth, gentle slope, and only at high tide....... get that little half ton grocery getter.

 

[BobH1]

Here's my truck and Islander at Homestead FL boat ramps. Slicker than snot.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Let me be a realistic downer...

Its a 9'6" beam. You are rolling over 10k pounds. Not a trailer friendly boat for someone who does not haul for a living.
If your boat was 8'6" and just at 10k pounds it would be a different story. MAYBE you could get away with a daily driver F150 and haul it a couple times.

You say "is normally towed by the marina". On their commercial hydraulic lift trailer? You need a trailer too? You dock for the season? Two or three tows a year?
You will never justify the cost of a proper truck (a 3/4 ton ) and trailer just to tow that boat a couple times a year.
You pay what, $250 twice a season to launch and have them block it in your driveway? Thats what I pay for a 15 mile haul/launch/block. $500 a season..plus a tip...
Thats less than one truck payment.

 

[nuclear]

The new Toyota Tundra also has a hybrid version, which I think is pretty cool as it gets 24 mpg and still has an almost 12k lb towing capacity, though I'm sure the hybrid option is a bit more money. Ford also has an F-150 that's all electric but I believe it has a maximum tow rating of only 10k lbs.

No way you are getting the F150 Lightning by just walking in the dealer. The wait list is almost two years long. I was one of the first to put down a deposit for one and then when the ordering banks opened the dealer told me they were charging 10k over sticker, I promptly told them where to shove it.

 

[Rustygaff]

I would not tow that boat with anything less than a F250 or similar 3/4 ton truck.

 

[Chessie246G]

Might want to check your local laws about trailering with a beam over 8ft. I had to pass on several nice boats in my area due to DOT regulations. Anything over 8ft is considered an "oversized load" It would have cost me 500$ each time I moved it, to do it legally.