I am purchasing a 1992 Sailfish 25 foot that is stored in a marina. If I bought a trailer for it would I be able to pull it with a Ram 1500 that has a 5.7 liter Hemi engine?
Trailering a 1992 Grady White Sailfish
- Thread starter jmoneilthe2
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I pulled a 228 from South Carolina with the same truck with no issues you should be able to pull the 25 no problem i believe the Ram is rated for 12,500 you have plenty of towing power
Part of what determines your capacity is what tow package your truck has - gearing, springs, cooling. If the truck was optioned without a tow package, you will be nearly maxed out. Despite that if the truck is 4x4, you can pull just about anything up a ramp in 4 low if needed.
If you have the right tow package, you shouldnt have a problem.
I think you are asking ALOT from a half ton truck. Paper specs may say you can do it. but its going to be a frustrating nerve wracking experience. Do not overlook the beam of a Sailfish either. It legally requires permits to tow on highway because it is wider than 8 foot 6 inches.
A 92 Sailfish and a 282 are horses of a different color - and size. I would not tow a 282 with a half ton very far. A 25' regardless of beam shouldn't be an issue.
luckydude
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I also have a ram 1500 but with the 3.0L ecodiesel. My biggest issue was the suspension, I'd put the tongue on the hitch and my truck lights were like high beams. This solved the problem: Air Lift 1000HD. If you install them yourself, which isn't too bad, soak the bags in as hot water as you can get from your bath tub tap. That will soften them and they'll slide right in. Feel free to ping me for more info.
If you give more details on the truck and the use, you’ll get more useful feedback. If you hook it up and it doesn’t feel stable, you have an answer.
see this https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/tow-vehicle-for-94-sailfish-25.14341/
FWIW I don’t know RAM trucks. A Ford 1/2 ton towing capacity ranges from 7500 to over 13000 depending on spec meaning 1/2 ton trucks vary widely in payload and real world towing capability. Some have modified frames to handle a heavier payload and towing limit. Combined with your actual towing needs it might or might not be good. A short drive to the ramp and home not a big deal. A highway haul of even modest distance can be tense and other drivers’ dumb moves give you less margin for error.
Consider this: 5300lbs boat + 1000lbs motors + 500lbs fuel/gear + 1500lbs trailer, that’s over 8,000. I like at least a 10% safety margin. Tounge weight 1200lbs + passengers + gear may exceed the truck payload.
There are some actions that will help. Get your brakes fully up to snuff, make sure the trailer brakes and brake controller work properly, install transmission and engine oil coolers if not currently installed, install helper springs/bags and heavy duty shocks, replace passenger spec tires with proper load rated tires (this is important), consider a weight distributing hitch. You can even change the gear ratios but at that point you might just buy/trade for a more capable truck.
Hopefully your truck/use case is already set as all this stuff can be $$ but towing can be either safe and easy, a real struggle or just not safe.
see this https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/tow-vehicle-for-94-sailfish-25.14341/
FWIW I don’t know RAM trucks. A Ford 1/2 ton towing capacity ranges from 7500 to over 13000 depending on spec meaning 1/2 ton trucks vary widely in payload and real world towing capability. Some have modified frames to handle a heavier payload and towing limit. Combined with your actual towing needs it might or might not be good. A short drive to the ramp and home not a big deal. A highway haul of even modest distance can be tense and other drivers’ dumb moves give you less margin for error.
Consider this: 5300lbs boat + 1000lbs motors + 500lbs fuel/gear + 1500lbs trailer, that’s over 8,000. I like at least a 10% safety margin. Tounge weight 1200lbs + passengers + gear may exceed the truck payload.
There are some actions that will help. Get your brakes fully up to snuff, make sure the trailer brakes and brake controller work properly, install transmission and engine oil coolers if not currently installed, install helper springs/bags and heavy duty shocks, replace passenger spec tires with proper load rated tires (this is important), consider a weight distributing hitch. You can even change the gear ratios but at that point you might just buy/trade for a more capable truck.
Hopefully your truck/use case is already set as all this stuff can be $$ but towing can be either safe and easy, a real struggle or just not safe.
i tow my 228 Grady with a 4-wheel drive Silverado 1500 no problems at all for launching and retrieving and I've never had to use 4-wheel drive retrieving
Mustang65fbk
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It really depends on the year and model of the Ram that you have in that a quick Google search will have the numbers all over the place from 6,450 lbs on up to over 12k lbs. My tow rig is a 2010 Toyota Tundra with an 11k+ lb tow rating and except for steep hills, it's very easy to tow my boat with it. Comparatively though, my boat has a dry weight of 3,500 lbs and total weight with fuel, engine, trailer and so forth is probably close to 7k lbs. Your boat, depending on which model of 25' Sailfish it is, has a dry weight of anywhere between 5,125 lbs on up to over 6k lbs. Which I'm thinking will put your total trailering weight at over 10k lbs, especially if you have twin outboards, it's completely full with fuel, you're loaded down heavily with a lot of gear, etc. To me, unless your Ram 1500 is rated up near 12k lbs, I'm thinking it's likely not up to the challenge, or at least not for any serious distances, or up/down steep terrain, slippery boat ramps, etc.
Mustang65fbk
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There's simply no way that he's going to be at only 500 lbs for fuel/gear. Per the brochure, a 25' Sailfish has either a 150 gallon fuel tank or a 202 gallon fuel tank, depending on which model of a 25' Sailfish the OP has. A gallon of fuel is 6 lbs per gallon, of which at 150 gallons that's going to be 900 lbs in fuel by itself if it's a full tank. Conversely, the 202 gallon fuel tank fully loaded would be 1,212 lbs by itself. That's not including any other gear or equipment, just the weight of the fuel by itself. My bet is fully loaded, the OP is going to be over 10k lbs, again depending on which model he has. The 255 Sailfish has a dry weight of 5,125 lbs on up to the 254 Sailfish weighing in at over 6k lbs dry.
ROBERTH
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I have the 92 252G model. She is very heavy when fully fueled, water and gear. My estimated weight is just under the 10K mark with trailer.
I use a Ford Excursion which is a 3/4 ton truck with the V10. It pulls it no problem and will maintain 70ish on the interstate in NC mostly on flat or slight incline. Takes a minute to get up to that speed. The main concern here would be stopping! I have upgraded to the SSBC brake calipers on the front to get me the ability to stop safely. Stock brakes just would not do it.
Anything less than a 3/4 ton truck is asking for it I think with that boat.
I use a Ford Excursion which is a 3/4 ton truck with the V10. It pulls it no problem and will maintain 70ish on the interstate in NC mostly on flat or slight incline. Takes a minute to get up to that speed. The main concern here would be stopping! I have upgraded to the SSBC brake calipers on the front to get me the ability to stop safely. Stock brakes just would not do it.
Anything less than a 3/4 ton truck is asking for it I think with that boat.
What kind of trailer brake system do you have? Irregardless of tow vehicle - that is where you're going to get your stopping power on the load.
I have a 232 Gulfstream that weighs in about the same. Tow it with a 3/4 ton GMC that has a built in electric trailer brake system activating an electric-controlled hydraulic disc brake system on all four wheels of the trailer. Works great! One of the most common trips I take is ~200 miles and includes highway, freeway, and then 30 miles of extremely hilly and curvy roads requiring quite a bit of braking. No issues and have never felt pushed around. The electric brake control system in the truck allows me to adjust the gain on the trailer brakes in relation to the truck brakes so I can dial it in and adjust for nice even braking across the entire 60-foot road train.
I have a 232 Gulfstream that weighs in about the same. Tow it with a 3/4 ton GMC that has a built in electric trailer brake system activating an electric-controlled hydraulic disc brake system on all four wheels of the trailer. Works great! One of the most common trips I take is ~200 miles and includes highway, freeway, and then 30 miles of extremely hilly and curvy roads requiring quite a bit of braking. No issues and have never felt pushed around. The electric brake control system in the truck allows me to adjust the gain on the trailer brakes in relation to the truck brakes so I can dial it in and adjust for nice even braking across the entire 60-foot road train.
ROBERTH
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In my case, I have the surge brakes on a 12K trailer and with Kodiak brakes. It has very strong brakes. The original problem I had was the Excursion factory brakes were not even sufficient enough just for the truck. Now it is sufficient alone and that is an immense difference with the trailer. Stopping now is excellent. That is why I mentioned about brakes. If you don't think your brakes are strong, that is a must fix.
Agreed: Consider this: 5300lbs boat + 1000lbs motors + 500lbs fuel/gear + 1500lbs trailer, that’s over 8,000. I like at least a 10% safety margin. Tongue weight 1200lbs + passengers + gear may exceed the truck payload.
I would not tow that boat with any thing less that 3/4ton. My towing truck is 1-ton diesel and it is the only truck that does not feel as if the boat is pushing the truck around with load like yours.
I would not tow that boat with any thing less that 3/4ton. My towing truck is 1-ton diesel and it is the only truck that does not feel as if the boat is pushing the truck around with load like yours.
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Mustang65fbk
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You’re comparing your boat with a dry weight of only 4k lbs to the OP’s boat which has a dry weight of anywhere between 5,125 lbs on up to over 6k lbs? Your boat is going to be at least 1,200-2,000 lbs lighter than the OP’s in terms of just the dry weight alone and I’ll bet the total weight of his boat will be even more than that. Imo, this is definitely an apples to oranges comparison here and is in no way accurate when comparing tow rigs for his boat compared to yours.
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Ekea
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loaded up, im 8500-9000 lbs. its not the exact same, but its a data point that is relatively close and can be useful with a bit of analysis
Mustang65fbk
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There’s a big difference, literally, between the OP’s boat having a dry weight of at least 1,200 lbs more than yours, if not even closer to over 2k lbs more than yours, especially with regards to vehicles and towing capacities. We’ll need him to come back and clarify which model of boat he has for the exact dry weight, though. That being said, I’d be willing to bet his final towing weight with a pretty heavily loaded down boat is going to likely be 10,000-11,000 lbs, maybe even more depending. Comparatively, your setup being at only 8,500-9,000 lbs and with a difference of roughly 1,500-2,000 lbs or more between your setup and his, isn’t really what I’d call being relevant to their question or topic at hand. For example, my boat/trailer fully loaded down is going to weigh roughly around 7k lbs, though I can't see what benefit it would having comparing it to a boat like yours because as you mentioned... yours is at least 1,500-2,000 lbs heavier than mine, it has twin motors, and the potential for different tow rigs needed between the two boats is very much a possibility.
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That’s a good data point and examples of some nice upgrades to make 1/2-ton truck capable and safe. Interesting you have decided not to install electric brakes and a controller although my experience is that the surge brakes work if properly adjusted and matched to the load. Looks good as well, I like the blue and I see you have your family modeling.