Tow vehicle? what do you use?

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16ft phil

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hi all.

Im currently driving a 1.8L MG ZR. its ok im not going to use this to tow my boat!
but i do need to look at something that will. I have only ever towed my boat once and that was picking it up. ive never been up and down a slipway.

i was looking at a VW passat 1.9 tdi will this handle itself and my boat & trailer on slipways?

and my main question was what do you tow and what with?:)
any recomendations?

cheers p.
 
16ft phil said:
hi all.

Im currently driving a 1.8L MG ZR. its ok im not going to use this to tow my boat!
but i do need to look at something that will. I have only ever towed my boat once and that was picking it up. ive never been up and down a slipway.

i was looking at a VW passat 1.9 tdi will this handle itself and my boat & trailer on slipways?

and my main question was what do you tow and what with?:)
any recomendations?

cheers p.
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The Passat will piss it mate. I have a TDi estate and regularly use for towing, albeit not a boat, but nonetheless, it'll not notice your 16 footer.
 
Mitsubishi Shogun 3.2 DiD automatic, towing weight of 3300 Kg's or 3500 Kg's depending on model, and the ability to have rear or four wheel drive on solid surfaces in high range. Low range with locked centre differential on slippery surfaces, and a rear diff lock if it is ever needed.

Good on road capability, and the automatic makes recovering a craft a doddle, particularly with all that torque and the auto transmissions torque multiplication.

The super select transmission also gives the option of sports mode and manual tiptronic operation, so an auto and a manual.
 
PaulGooch said:
Mine is chipped and i have a lead foot, so i only get just under 50mpg without towing. Bit less when towing.
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did around 550 mile trip a couple of weeks ago, £50 quid in tank, and averaging 58 mpg, with average speed over total trip 65mph, for a ten year old car, i can't complain about it, just two cv boots changed over 7 years. best economical car i have owned, and not slow when the lead boot kicks in. vw passat 1.9tdi estate.
 
Most family saloons will easily tow your boat and be within the law. As mentioned above the problem is slipways, my brother had the latest Passat with DSC box, it towed his 1500kg day boat with ease but struggled on even shallow slipways to get enough grip to pull the boat out.

I have no idea what your budget is, or what fuel consumption you are looking for but consider a few SUV's rather than full time 4x4's

Honda CR-V
Nissan X-trail
Landrover Freelander
Suzuki Vitara
Mitsubishi Outlander


or how about a 4x4 car such as audi quattro or VW syncro versions. Theres loads of choice to suit every budget.
 
I use a 3.0 d4d landcruiser auto, great tow car and never had a problem on the slip. can get up to 30mpg without trailer or down to 20mpg with trailer.
I tow and launch 16ft boat and move my 27ft 2ton caravan with ease, most on back was tipper trailer with 3 ton total.
 
I use a Landrover Defender 110 Diesel. does 1:7.5 km/L (19 mpg) while towing 3300Kg
The passat is a great car , I used it towing a 1800Kg load but it did have problems on a ramp/slipway as its front wheel drive. Rear wheel drives are much better and if you dont have a 4x4 rear wheel driven automatics are the next best thing

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Bassplayer said:
Blimey! I get about 18 on LPG in my Range Rover, equivalent to about 28/30 on petrol. And I thought I was doing well........ 58mpg? Hell, even my bike don't do that:(
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I had a 3.9 range rover which was lpg'd before i bought the passat, although i do miss the excellent driving height and view, but the mpg is just a mere blur, and mind boggling how i managed the fuel economy, i think i was putting an average of £120 a week in fuel.... now lucky to get through £20 a week.

as mentioned before, front wheel drive might cause a problem with a ramp or slip, when pulling off with a front wheel drive, you can also turn off the traction control for more grip.
 
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I used to tow my 17ft then 18ft speedboats with a Subaru Forester Turbo, very fast, very comfy, well built and well spec'd, fuel economy not so good :( rarely would I see much above 23-25mpg and towing not much higher than 16mpg.

As it happens next week I will be responsible for selling my brother in laws newer Forester, its not got a Turbo so not as quick but better economy! PM me if it might be of interest :)
 
thanks for replys

unfortunatley economy palys probably tha largest role of all! i do over 200 miles a week and im on apprentice wages with a boat to restore! lol.

i think even a diesel freelander would be too expensive. ok so the passat is a good all rounder but slipways could be a challenge.
i dont think i could afford a quattro :( as nice as it would be.

i will have up to £3000 to spend i did wonder about an old golf or passat and get myself a stonking outboard with the change!!!! lol.

oh and 'ReneJK' your set up right there would be my absoloute life long dream!!:cool::cool::cool::cool::D

p.
 
16ft phil said:
thanks for replys

unfortunatley economy palys probably tha largest role of all! i do over 200 miles a week and im on apprentice wages with a boat to restore! lol.

i think even a diesel freelander would be too expensive. ok so the passat is a good all rounder but slipways could be a challenge.
i dont think i could afford a quattro :( as nice as it would be.

i will have up to £3000 to spend i did wonder about an old golf or passat and get myself a stonking outboard with the change!!!! lol.

oh and 'ReneJK' your set up right there would be my absoloute life long dream!!:cool::cool::cool::cool::D

p.
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If you are faced with steep slipways that pose traction problems, leave the car at the top and lower the trailer with the winch. Float the boat off and winch the trailer back up to the car.
 
As many have said - any small family car will tow the boat - it's getting it up the slip that is the issue....

There is however a solution to this - if you tie a rope to the trailer, that is long enough to drop the trailer in the water and keep the car on the flat (so at some slips this might be quite a long rope) traction shouldn't be an issue even with 2 wheel drive with that boat.

Carry a tarp / plastic sheet to put on the ground where the rope rubs the top of the slip though - or over a fairly short time the rope will wear, and you really DON'T want it snapping!

Otherwise - look for a part-time small 4wd car - there will be plenty about for £3k - here's a couple of examples (some aren't so small but all look ok price-wise:-

All eBay Item numbers -

220681338121
180573766733
330483131491
160491293425
160491768398
190455892321
220677460980
110595210260
270646468063
140439660285
330483856666
180572212508 - This one looks ideal
120632487965
260677200030 - Will probably go for way too much - but it's not being bid up
160492709422 - Could be good too
260677718175


That should get you started!

But any car from family estate upwards will tow it - it's just the traction on the slip to worry about.
 
Phil

Don't get too hung up about traction on a slipway... I have a friend that uses a Jag XJ8 for towing, he's never had an issue but mostly launches from shingle slips where he wouldn't. Its only low tide on freshly built smooth concrete slipways that I have found you encounter problems, but with front wheel drive the driving wheels of the car are further away from the bottom of the ramp and if its that bad then you disconnect the trailer from the car and attach a long rope from the towbar to the trailer and keep the car well out the slippy stuff. You can launch and recover very easily that way and then you never even get the car wheels wet!

But for towing I would recommend a passat rather than a golf, or something with a long wheel base, this gives you far better stability when towing.

PS. MG ZR 1.8.... explains the head gasket :confused:
 
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