Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

[Jeep Man]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Don't go by what you see at the ramp. Go by what you see on the highway. The last 2 seasons, I pulled the pontoon boat out with a Dodge minivan. I purposely kept the boat back further on the trailer and had virtually no tongue weight to keep traction on the wheels. Now in my case, I only have to go less than a thousand feet and at low speed. If I saw this on the highway, that's another story. Thankfully, I have a 4x4 for the future.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

We bought our boat and SUV seperately, but they were definitely thought about together.

The 08 Equinox has a tow capacity of 3500 lbs.

The 18 ft. Monterey weighs ~2400 dry.

With gear and friends, that's right at the limit, or maybe even a little over.

For good measure, I got a trailer with brakes. Getting up to speed isn't going to be a problem, I don't care if that takes all day...it's the stopping that worried me, so the brakes were a killer safety measure.

I tried towing my neighbors boat with my SUV before we bought our boat. His is a little smaller, but without trailer brakes...it pulled and stopped just fine, so I decided it was a go.

It's all about safety and comfort. You're going to need more room to stop, with or without brakes, so you have to take that into consideration. Your tranny will be strained if you try to jackrabbit from stop signs, or floor it up hills, so that's a consideration.

That being said, that's one light-assed 21 ft boat...you sure of those #s?

 

[justchange]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Just for a reference.

I pulled a 18' i/o home from Mn to SD with a 2004 monte carlo SS with a 3.8 liter. It did ok, but didn't much care for the little hills nor much anything else. I guess the boat weighs about 3,000.

This was way more than that car is rated for, but it got the boat home.

I did launch the boat at a local ramp. Getting the entire thing back to level ground was another matter. Didn't do anything much good. I very well could have destroyed the trans by doing that.


I'd suggest that you take the boat you're interested in for a drive with the boat you're intersted in. Stop on a lesser used road on different sized hills and see what happens. Then, if it works ok, remember boat ramps are often slippery and have gravel/sand and other non-traction enhancing materials on them.


Good luck!!!

 

[brezmer]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

may not anwser your question but anything is possible


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qruHiOjIFOY

 

[MDJ1016]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

I have a 21? Four Winns Liberator (350 Merc) and my Hummer H3 struggles to drag it along. Does great getting it in and out of water (charm to back-up boat with) but um yeah. I pulled the boat home with the Hummer and 45 MPH was the max without death staring at me!

 

[JoLin]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

It's so easy to figure out, why don't you just figure it out?

What's the Vue's GVWR?
When you add up the weight of the boat, trailer, "stuff", vehicle, passengers, fuel and "stuff"... does it come in under the GVWR?

Is the tongue weight of the loaded trailer less than the Vue's capacity?

Is the weight of the boat, trailer, fuel and "stuff", less than ther Vue's towing capacity?

If the answers are all 'yes' then you're golden. If they aren't, you're gambling with lives and lawsuits.

I tried really hard to find a half-ton that would safely tow my rig, but they all failed at least one capacity calculation. I bit the bullet and sprung for a 3/4 ton. I don't regret it. It pulls my nearly 8000 lbs. like it wasn't there. Starting, stopping and turning are all a cinch. In the event the unthinkable happens, I can prove I have the right vehicle for the load.

My .02

 

[fishdog4449]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

Don't do it. The Vue is a crossover SUV and not suitable for towing at all...remember any vehicle can pull a boat, stopping and controlling said boat is another matter.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Can a 2007 Vue pull a 21' boat?

This thread did not need to be resurrected so that the heated debate can be continued.