Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

[woollums]

I'm thinking about buying a 1985 Bayliner Capri 19ft 350 v8, can i tow it with a Chrysler Town Country? Will i get stuck at the ramp or can i give the boat some gas to help the van get moving out of the water?

I know this sounds redneck

 

[bman1bpm]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I looked up a 2007, depending on your model setup, you're rated for either 2000 or 3800 lbs. It might be alright, but I don't know if I'd want to drive in front of you haha. any idea what the boat weighs?

 

[bman1bpm]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

just looked up the current 19' bayliner capri, it says 3500 lbs dry and it only has the 4.3L v6.
It probably wouldn't be getting the boat up the ramp that will be your problem, those vans have a good deal of power. Stopping that much weight with a vehicle not designed to WILL jeopardize the safety of you and the people around you

 

[Titanium48]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

Does the trailer have brakes? If it does and they are in good working order, you should be OK. If not, plan on adding or fixing them before you go anywhere.

 

[shipoffools]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

you are close at best. Check the towing capacity of your van, and then try to figure out the weight of the boat and trailer fully rigged (not an easy task but well worth the trouble, your best bet is to get it weighed. Then as Titanium suggested make sure you have trailer brakes.
In my experience with mini vans, if you are within the capacity of the van, brakes could still be an issue.

 

[bhammer]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

If you decide to purchase the boat, you need to add in the additional weight that is probably there with all the water soaked foam and wood.

I don't know this particular boat and just saw your post in the other group, but that model and year of liner was known to have water logged issues and rotten wood.

If it were me, I'd have a good inspection done on the boat to look for any water problems. Sometimes, it is easily missed. I have seen lots of threads about a small soft spot about the size of a quarter that turned out to be a complete wood replacement. Just IMHO....

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

You can pull it....yes but with my previous minivan towing experiences (yes it had the tow package) and no it was not overloaded. I will never use one for towing anything again. Although mine was a windstar. It exploded transmissions like they were candy.

I certainly would not attempt it.
Just my opinion though.

 

[fishmen111]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I don't know the slope of the ramps in your area, but I would question if a front wheel drive mini-van with rear tongue weight on an up pull would do anything other that roast a tire. I would not do it myself.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I would go through this worksheet, and find/fill in the values for your tow vehicle and boat/trailer. The spreadsheet is for camping trailers, but you can customize it easily for boats. My guess is that you will be over.

http://www.popthetop.com/files/TowingCapacityWorksheet.xls

I tow a boat with a Toyota Sienna minivan, and feel completely safe, but my boat and motor weigh 1900 lbs. I am probably towing around 2,800 lbs. with trailer and stuff. I don't go over 55 mph, and have nice ramps to use.

 

[woollums]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I don't know the slope of the ramps in your area, but I would question if a front wheel drive mini-van with rear tongue weight on an up pull would do anything other that roast a tire. I would not do it myself.

Thats what im worried about. It looks like im gonna be shopping for a different boat after doing some reading on Bayliners.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

In terms of weight, I wouldn't think that your problem is specific to Bayliners, but rather how much weight you are towing. If you are definitely going to tow with a minivan, the Bayliner 175 is one of the lightest open bow boats you can get - it weighs in just over 2,300 lbs with trailer and a 3.0 Litre engine. It is only 17 1/2 feet long though.

What you are considering is a bigger boat, with a bigger engine, and heavier trailer. That size boat will be pushing/over the limit of any minivan, regardless of the boat's brand.

In my opinion, if you are going to tow with a minivan, you need to be looking at a boat/motor combo that is under 2,000 lbs. Then your total towing weight should be under 3,000 lbs.

 

[bman1bpm]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I think the bayliner 175 would be a good choice, its not much smaller than the 19 footer, but its got that nice little 4 cyl inboard, saves big on gas compared to that 350. I pull a 17.5 foot boat with a chevy equinox (small suv) front wheel drive and haven't had any towing issues. I don't think I'd want a 19 footer with a 350 back there though

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I wouldn't, and I tow a 19 foot Stingray (V6) with a mini-van. Then again, I am just guessing on the weight of the Bayliner.

I looked far and wide to find a boat/engine/trailer well under 3500, my Honda's weight limit and I never saw a 19 ft with a V8 in a safe weight for towing. The only boat I saw in the 19 foot lenght I could tow I bought!

Also, I saw few 18 ft boats with a V6 that I would not comfortably tow.

I am not knocking towing with a mini-van, that is my exclusive tow vehicle and the front wheel drive Odyssey tows great, even up wet launch ramps.

Unless you see a boat and motor weight less than 2700 on that Bayliner, I say keep looking.

 

[jonsquatch]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I have an 88 1950 with a 5.0 and while it isn't exactly light, I don't think it weighs near as much as the newer models. For one thing the single axle escort trailers they came with aren't rated that high. Also, mine, and I am suspecting the one you are looking at, does not have brakes on the trailer. My parents have a town and country and I have driven quite a few of the sister vehicles and I know that regardless of tires they don't have the best traction in the world and can easily break the front tires loose, ask me how I know .

I would be reluctant to back down some of the steep ramps I go to with that much weight out back if the ramp is damp. Could be harrowing getting back up. I am thinking specifically of Bartlet and the 10 lane at Lake Pleasant although that has decent traction. I have a Silverado that I tow with that has the locking diff and 3.73 gears. The weight isn't a concern and I have never weighed it. Power is no problem at all, and in general it stops it easily but I know its back there and I have to watch out for idiots who think its funny to cut off trucks on the interstate because they aren't going 80+ in the slow lane. I might be concerned about braking if I were you.

It's already been suggested but the only way to know for sure is to have it weighed and make sure that it is comfortably in the range your vehicle is capable of. Of course the catch 22 is if it exceeds your capacity then you don't want to tow it in the first place. Do you have access to a different tow vehicle or do you think the current owner could help you out? Should be a simple matter of a trip over the scales with and without the trailer. If everything checks out and the current owner will allow try it around the neighborhood or a nearby parking lot. Just because its in the limits doen't mean you'll like it. I wonder how many people have bought a boat and limped it home only to go back out to the dealer later that day for trade on a new tow vehicle, its just may not be the smartest or safest thing in the world.

 

[mrainey889]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I'm thinking about buying a 1985 Bayliner Capri 19ft 350 v8, can i tow it with a Chrysler Town Country? Will i get stuck at the ramp or can i give the boat some gas to help the van get moving out of the water?

I know this sounds redneck

...regardless of the capacity of whatever tow vehicle you use I would strongly suggest never trying to use the boat to push the vehicle. Aside from the enormous strain you would be placing on your boat hull, it would be very easy to ram the outdrive and prop in to the launch ramp and cause serious (expensive) damage to your new toy. Also, "power loading," the use of the boats engine to push it up on the trailer when the trailer is not deep enough in the water erroads the soil around the launch ramps and is generally frowned upon by the DNR.

Just my opinion...
Mike

 

[Bunnerrabbit]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I had issues pulling a 17ft carolina skiff with a 60hp outboard up a ramp. Was driving a 06 Sienna. Ramp was Dry and not that bad of a slope but ramp did not go to far into the water and the trailer was off of it. I was spinning tires like crazy getting out. Then again at a different ramp I have NO problems.

 

[Fu-Inator]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

Wife and I just saw that "Minivan-Bayliner" combo at the lake last weekend. We both laughed because here I was, concerned about my V6 Explorer pulling my a Tahoe Q4 (19ft I/O).

 

[mickjetblue]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

I towed my 1985 19' Bayliner Capri (VP 4 cyl.) with a 1993 Voyager with
a 3.3L 6 cyliner engine for a couple of years. The engine and trans had
about 148,000 miles, and I had no problems with it whether I was towing
or not towing. I had installed a trans. cooler, lifetime spark plugs and a
K&N air filter. I also installed new sensatrac shocks on the rear.

The only issue with the combo in towing was that I couldn't run the A/C
when going up long hills. The powertrain needs to shift up to 3rd, and that
means slightly higher rpms. No problem for the engine without the A/C on.
The Town & Country mini-vans have the newer 3.3L engine, and that has
about 30 more hp than the older model. The 3.8L engines, in some of them,
have more hp and torque, but they run rough compared to the 3.3.

As far as the boat/mini-van combo goes, I would recommend them both
as favorable. I don't know about the bigger engine on the Bayliner, as I
have the VP4, and it is just right for what I want to do - mostly cruising.

If you want to read more about Bayliner feedback, go the Bayliner owner
forum where there is much to read about Bayliners. I like mine. Good luck!

 

[10 FOOT INVADER]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

Towing to the ramp would not be a big problem execpt for braking. When leaving the ramp is when the fun starts. My little 10 foot invader with a 25hp outboard on the trailor pulling out of the water with my town and country would lift the front of my van up just enough to let the tires smoke like crazy. Once up the ramp It worked ok. Just keep in mind when tires are spinning no traction you will be going back towards the water.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: Can i pull a 19ft Bayliner with a mini van?

My little 10 foot invader with a 25hp outboard on the trailor pulling out of the water with my town and country would lift the front of my van up just enough to let the tires smoke like crazy.

If about 100 lbs of tongue weight caused your tires to smoke like crazy, I would guess that your Town and County had other issues...