Towing weight for Seafarer 226

[Sea226]

I'm considering purchasing a recent-model 226 (2001-2009) with a four stroke. How much trailer and boat am I towing? What are you guys using to tow the Seafarer? For reference, I show the weight of the boat, 600 lb. engine, and a full tank of gas (125 gallons) at just under 4,800 lbs. Add a hardtop and glass (350 lbs.), anchors, electronics, and misc. (300 lbs.) and a trailer with a spare tire (2,000 lbs.) and you get about 7,500 lbs. before you put in ice and fishing gear. Has anyone weighed their boat?

I would like to tow the boat with a SUV owing to a 205" footprint vs. a 228". Something like a Dodge Durango, Expedition, Sequoia.

Thanks,

Tom

 

[Bama96]

Hi,

I have a 222 Fisherman. I know it may be a little lighter but very similar. I pull it with a Chevy Avalanche. I think you will be fine with a full size truck or SUV. I don't think you need a 3/4 ton truck or diesel. Mine is rated for 10K towing capacity. I would leave yourself a little room under the towing capacity number though. The Expedition and Sequoia should be fine but that Durango may struggle. What are their towing capacities? How far are you towing?

 

[Sea226]

What are their towing capacities? How far are you towing?

Durango has an 8,700 lb. capacity, and Sequoia is about 9,000 lb. I'm more concerned with stopping the rig and keeping the tranny cool. My objection to purchasing a truck is a SUV is much more versatile and I could keep it in the garage. Also, a Durango isn't the most popular SUV and you can buy one cheaper than it would be to steal (well, almost).

My typical tow will be 15-40 miles one way. Maybe every other year I might do a 150-mile one-way trip. BTW, in the past I had a 20 Adventure and towed it with a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It worked out o.k. but not the best setup for stopping a heavy load.

 

[Little Buddy]

I have a 1996 226 without a hardtop. I tow it with a 1/2 Chevy truck and 20 miles is the farthest I trailered it. It works okay. I wouldn't want to add any more weight or climb a lot of hills. Trailer brakes are a must. I think the newer trucks can handle 10,000 lbs.

 

[capt chris]

I have a 2008 Tournament 225 w/ F 250. It's the same hull but 60 lbs lighter dry weight. I towed it 365 miles back from dealer when I bought it and regularly tow it 150 miles one way to Lake Cumberland. I tow it w/ 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 5.3L V-8. My trailer has elec/hyd disc brakes which make all the difference. Hope this helps!

 

[Brad1]

I tow a 2003 Seafarer 226 with a 2005 Nissan Titan. The Titan does an excellent job towing this boat. The terrain in Southwestern PA is very hilly. The Titan pulls the 226 up hills with no problem what-so-ever. I can even accelerate up some pretty steep grades while towing. When I first got my 226, I had a Dodge Ram 1500 with the 318 cu in. engine. The Dodge was weak and had alot of trouble on the hills. It wasn't bad on flat ground though. There's a night and day difference between the Ram and the Titan. My primary reason for selling my Dodge was that it had an extended cab and I needed a crew cab (My two Sons are growing way fast). If the Dodge were a crew cab, I'd probably still have it. I only tow the long distance to / from Lake Erie twice a year (I keep the boat where I used it) so I could live with the less than stellar power of the Dodge. It got the job done, like I said, it just had trouble with hills.

I have never had my boat / trailer weighed, but here are my specifics: No hard top, no aux. tank, Yamaha F225, dual batteries (the batteries weigh alot), galvanized EZ Loader 5,800 capacity trailer. Given the listed weights (3,400 lbs for boat, 600 motor, 600 full tank of fuel, 1,500 lbs trailer, throw in another 500 lbs for batteries, ice, fishing gear, etc.) I come up with a little under 7,000 as an estimate for the towed weight. But I have always heard people say they're surprised to find that actual weight (when wieghed on a scale) turns out to be more than they estimated.

 

[Parthery]

I had an '01 226 with hardtop, a 200 HPDI and dual (148 gallons total) tanks.

On a tandem aluminum trailer which had a GVW of 7000 lbs, my towed weight, as measured on a scale at the truckstop, was 6500 lbs. This was with about 70 gallons of fuel and gear on board. Bear in mind the 4 stroke weighs 125 lbs more than the HPDI.

I towed the boat with a Tahoe (5.3), a Yukon Denali (6.0) and a Durango (5.7 Hemi). It did just fine with all 3. Just get brakes on both axles of the trailer. It makes a difference.

 

[jfmagana]

I have a 228 and have often towed it fully laden with fuel using either a standard Ford F150 or a Dodge Ram with gas V8. Both of these trucks towed the boat just fine up steep grades, on the freeway and in city traffic. While it certainly would be luxurious to have the extra power of a heavy duty diesel (e.g., Cummings or Powerstroke), any good V8 equipped truck will pull this type of boat.

 

[Mjdap]

I have a 2003 226, with a dual axel 40 roller trailer, with brakes on both axels. I tow with a 2004 Chevy Avalanche, 1500 engine.

I have towed to Outer Banks from Philadelphia a few times, as well as various trips to Maryland and New Jersey and no problem towing at all.


The trailer part is another issue relating to maintenace though.

 

[G8RDave]

I keep meaning to get my rig weighed, but I always forget once I'm on the road to somewhere (probably because it never fails that I am running late to wherever I'm towing). But, I have been towing my 228 loaded "ready to fish" for several years with my F-150 and haven't had any trouble at all. Keep in mind, however, that my trailer has disc brakes on both axles. Also, being that I live in Florida, I don't have too many mountain climbs to worry about.

I would think that almost any of the full sized SUV's could handle it.

 

[gradyfish22]

All of your mentioned vechicles will tow it without a problem, but if you tend to travel greater distances, you want something with more stopping power, otherwise all will do. We tow our 1989 22 with an envoy about 60 miles 2 times a year without any problems, if we were to travel a lot we would have went bigger but for a few times a year it was plenty, always towed with full fuel....also had a 200HPDI is only about 100lb difference from a 4 stroke.

 

[VinMan]

I tow a 228 (bracket and hardtop) with a Ford F150. I towed it from Louisianna to S. Fla with no problem at all...

 

[Grouper Duper]

I still tow my '89 228G w/hardtop with my '01 Sequoia. I'm sure I'm right at the published limit, since it's only 6500 pounds. Anyway, it does great; though I stay in Florida, too.

Back when I was shopping vehicles and the Tahoe and Expedition had higher ratings, I compared all the things that make up the tow rating (chassis stiffness, spring rates, engine torque, rear axle ration, tranny cooler, etc.), and the Sequoia was the equal or better in all the categories. I even read an article that appluaded Toyota for being cautious with their rating compared to the others.

Now the new Sequoia with the 5.7L...that's a BEAST for towing!

Incidentally, I had a friend that bought a new F250 diesel for towing his boat, and it did tow great. The problem is the truck was HORRIBLE to live with when you weren't towing. The ride was harsh, the fuel expensive and smelly, and the noise...yikes! He had to turn off the motor at any drive-thru. If I towed far and often (and heavier than what I have), I'd go diesel; otherwise, no way.

 

[Grog]

Incidentally, I had a friend that bought a new F250 diesel for towing his boat, and it did tow great. The problem is the truck was HORRIBLE to live with when you weren't towing. The ride was harsh, the fuel expensive and smelly, and the noise...yikes! He had to turn off the motor at any drive-thru. If I towed far and often (and heavier than what I have), I'd go diesel; otherwise, no way.

He should have bought a Duramax.

The 7.3 was a great motor but everything since then is trouble.

 

[mjtyszki]

When I first purchased a used Grady I had the same kind of questions (though I didn't quite have the luck in amount of responses as you).

I tow a 1990 Offshore 242g with hard top, 150 gallons of gas, Ice, fishing gear, and enough beer to last a weekend fishing trip. All of this is settled on top of a dual axle galvanized EZ-Loader roller trailer. Tongue weight is around 700 lbs. My average tow is 400 miles round trip from Austin, TX to the gulf coast.

My tow vehicle is a 2004 Dodge RAM 1500 4x4 (3.92) with a 5.7 L engine. I am pretty sure that they are comparable tows and my truck handles it with no problems what so ever at 65 mph. The only hills I have to conquer though are the foot hills of Austin. I have also towed this boat several times from Austin to Florida (700 miles one way).

I see a lot of people on this site concerned with the towing ability of half-ton pick-ups. I was concerned at first until after the first tow which was one of the 700 mile tows. The truck performed almost flawlessly. I have since replaced my rear shocks with Monroe Sensa-Trac load adjusting shocks (huge difference) which are a little stiff with no load but not unreasonable. I also tow directly on the bumper which is a ranch hand class V bumper.

One real concern which has been mentioned is that you will peak the abilities of the half-ton. Given that a half-ton truck is a medium duty truck you will need to stay on top of maintenance. Always run with clean tranny fluid, clean diffs, and clean oil. With all of this said though, I would have not problem pulling that load anywhere in the states but I may be a little crazier than some of the guys here.

 

[okletsfish]

I used to tow my boat,228 H/T 225 OX66,with chevy 1500 4X4,305ci engine 373 rear limited slip.The trailer is a loadmaster 7K tandum.The truck pulled it ok,but on steep hills she would squalk a bit. I added a set of air bags to the rear which made a big difference on the handling and tracking of the trailer.When I retired I treated myself to a new 2500 HD duramax/allison,which has more power than what I need to pull this boat,
but I don`t regret doing it. :wink:

 

[CJBROWN]

Incidentally, I had a friend that bought a new F250 diesel for towing his boat, and it did tow great. The problem is the truck was HORRIBLE to live with when you weren't towing. The ride was harsh, the fuel expensive and smelly, and the noise...yikes! He had to turn off the motor at any drive-thru. If I towed far and often (and heavier than what I have), I'd go diesel; otherwise, no way.

He should have bought a Duramax.

The 7.3 was a great motor but everything since then is trouble.

X2
I've been towing all my life and a Duramax is peace of mind. With used values in the toilet you can pickup a '02-'04 extended or crewcab for well under 20K, probably way under. Once you go diesel you would never go back.

I have a '03 LT and it's like a cadillac on a truck chassis - 4-doors, power controlled cadillac leather heated seats, bose sound system, auto lights, auto-climate control, etc. Plus, you get an Allison electronic transmission with tow-haul mode. If you haven't driven one, check them out. I get 22-24 on the hiway empty, 16 around town, and 14-15 towing. The gassers don't even get close to that, and I have a motor that will far outlast me or the truck. The Chevs ride the best and and have the best transmissions. Certain years are better on the motors, but they're all better than the Fords. The Dodges probably have the best motors (cummins) but the rest of the truck is junk.

The little trucks do not have heavy enough brakes, rear diff, or transmission handle the loads. So when you all say "I've never had any trouble..." you just haven't burned out one of those components yet, but you will.

For a light duty tow rig you need synthetic fluid in the diff and trans, without question. Put a trans cooler on it and a temp gauge and change the fluid when you over heat it. And make sure those trailer brakes are working or you'll have warped rotors or even loss of vehicle brakes. Speaking of which, flush your brake system at least yearly and consider going to Dot4 or Dot5.1 fluid. You're going to burn up your brakes too.

 

[Grouper Duper]

I drove a Duramax, and WAS impressed with the power, and the noise was much better than other diesels.

BUT, I have to disagree about the quality of the truck. I was at a an auto-show recently and pointed out to the sales guy that you could plainly see gaps between interior pieces, and you could shake the entire dash (and numerous other interior bits) by hand. The power steering pump was squeeling like crazy when you turned the wheel, and one tailight wasn't working. He gave me some excuse about a show truck "having a hard life" and such. It had 700 miles on it.

Also, I did check all the specs of mine against heavier-duty vehicles, and my brakes, rear diff, etc. will all up to par (even came standard with a 4.10 rear ratio and a tranny cooler). I've always towed the boat with it, too. I've owned my truck for eight years and bought a total of TWO replacement parts for it (other than regular maintenance); one rear axle seal that had a slight leak, and a latch-mechanism for the rear hatch. It looks and drives as new. On a side note, it was even built by Americans in the grand state of Indiana!

So yes, I'm still impressed with the Duramax drivetrain, but my dollars will never go to a GM product (at the same car show, I was even disgusted witht the build-quality of a Corvette, which I loved otherwise! That one was hilarious; the doors didn't even line up.

 

[leek]

Towing the boat

I also have a Tournament 225 but it has a 9.9 kicker as well as the 250. I tow it with a Porsche Cayenne. The boat tows fine, even over the Cascade mountains. I think you would be fine with a 1/2 ton pickup.

 

[magicalbill]

CJ has it right..
I tow a Gulfstream currently, but had a Seafarer for 10 years that I towed with a 3/4 Chev with a 454.

I got my Dodge (07) and will never tow with a gas engine again..The diff. is amazing. My son has a Duramax and says the same thing CJ says.

Yes it'll tow with a 1/2 ton. If it's short miles, probably fine..Extended state-to-state trips, get a cushion of safety and capacity built in. At least a 3/4, Diesel preferably.