Tow vehicle? what do you use?

ontheplane said:
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.
Click to expand...

I realise you must have spent some time looking those up, so apologise if it looks like i'm picking you post apart (suppose i am a bit lol) but i just had a look through them and there are some very dodgy looking motors amongst them. Most will be gas guzzlers, some will return horrendous economy. The A6 TDi is going to be one of the worst, surprisingly. The 2WD Passat with the 2.5 V6 TDi is the greediest diesel car i've ever owned, it was terrible.

Something funny looking about this one 160492709422, just doesn't ring right and his feedback is odd.

A petrol Jeep with the LPG conversion might not be too bad, with the 4litre will do around 20mpg, but LPG is half the price of diesel or petrol.

The 4x4 Scenic isn't a bad motor, but the one on Ebay has the later DCi engine, which isn't as good a car as the older one with the DTi engine. If you read the small, print, there is mention of a turbo whine, the sellers explanation of this is nonsense, the reason for the whine is that the turbo is shot. Renault DCi engines have had more turbo problems than any other car in history, seriously. They are so bad and can be so dangerous when they totally fail that VOSA and the French equivalent had dealing with Renault over them.

Personally, given that the OP is on a limited budget and only has a small boat, i think the economical car is the way to go. With the rope on the slip if needed. No point having a big 4x4 if he can't afford to run it, he won't even get to work, never mind have any money left to run the boat.
 
A Navara D22 on a 53/54 plate will tow anything and has selectable 4WD, get it chipped or mapped and will return 35mpg or more, car like interior with all the mod cons, commercial vehicle so tax deductable and anything you add to it.

There are mint ones around in your price range:D
 
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:(
Click to expand...

I have a 1.9 Passat, which is just as well, as I was doing 1000 miles a week commute, and the 60 ish mpg on a long cruise (down to 45 in heavy traffic) was a life saver. However, my previous was a Touareg V10 5 litre diesel, and 18 would be pretty good! :) I don't miss the fuel bills, nor replacing the tyres every 12k even with light footed driving. Passat tyres last 30+k
 
they pull alright, they had one pulling a 747 from a standing start as a stunt, but huge torque. 60-130mph would take on some pretty serious sportscars if you (err, someone else that I heard from) floored it
 
if you want economy for most of your mileage get whatever u want but be sure to join a club that will launch with a tractor etc.if u go it alone im sure if you buy a crate of beer most people with there powerful 4x4's will spare you 5 mins of their time.
 
Pajero 2.8 auto 3 door
1995
Bought 2 years ago for 800 nicker.
Stuck 4 tyres on it
Fixed a fuel pump seal
Just passed MOT again last week

14000 miles a year
Tows boats , planes and automobiles!
Yeh, Planes
Don't ask!
 
Kawasaki said:
Pajero 2.8 auto 3 door
1995
Bought 2 years ago for 800 nicker.
Stuck 4 tyres on it
Fixed a fuel pump seal
Just passed MOT again last week

14000 miles a year
Tows boats , planes and automobiles!
Yeh, Planes
Don't ask!
Click to expand...

Sadly, at 25mpg, doesn't fit into the OP's fuel economy budget lol

Good bit of kit though. I've had several of them, although i prefer the 5dr ones. Tough as old boots and far better spec than the UK Shoguns.
 
Kawasaki said:
Pajero 2.8 auto 3 door
1995
Bought 2 years ago for 800 nicker.
Stuck 4 tyres on it
Fixed a fuel pump seal
Just passed MOT again last week

14000 miles a year
Tows boats , planes and automobiles!
Yeh, Planes
Don't ask!
Click to expand...
I boat a 1996 V6 auto petrol Shogun version on ebay - fantastic car for the money, comfortable and quick. The only problem I found really was everything on the underside went rusty from dipping it in seawater when launching/recovering. Tin of hammerite and underseal fixed that before I sold it. :eek:
 
The only tow vehicle worth it's salt is a V8 Land Rover product. My Disco will pull up tree stumps if I feel so inclined and pops the Chap in and out of the water without noticing.

MPG........what's that.

IMG00015-20100416-1009.jpg
 
wow this is turning into an intresting thread!

reneJK - yes please there its the biggest soft spot ever in my heart for the defender 110!!

moonraker 36 - may i ask what O/P means?

ontheplane - i apreciate all that work! some nice motors in there!

Denis O - a land rover and V8 make for an awesome combination!! ive been there too!

i know this is straying off the topic a bit but just wanted to show a couple of cars ive had before the MG.

this is my little 1996 rover mini! - awesome car! oh and this is the closest i have ever been to boating!
CIMG2862.jpg

CIMG2864.jpg

this is my favorite car of all time i think it probably still will be too! 3.9L V8 would pull the world over if i wanted it too!!:D:cool:
DSC01363.jpg

this is it towing my old escort van trailer alone goes over a ton! lol.
DSC01458.jpg

and this one well shes a beaut!!! 300tdi but still 20mpg!
IMG_0913.jpg


these are but a few! lol. time to go sensible now i think hence passat! and il get a large cruiser to make up for it!! :):D:D
 
Subaru Forester.

Brilliant little "mini" off roaders. Not really in the same league as land rovers, Shoguns etc but better and larger than the Suzuki's

Because the Forester is not "trendy", they can be bought dirt cheap. I bought mine when it was 4 years old for £3500, not bad for a car that cost £16,500 when it was new. I'm just glad I was not the mug that suffered that much depreciation on it.

They have pretty good ground clearance, and of course permanent 4 wheel drive with high and low ratios.

I tow a trailer, caravan and boat with mine and it tows whatever I hook onto it with no complaints.

Being 4wd I have no concerns on the slipway (I wouldn't be comfortable reversing down a slimy slipway with 2WD car) and have never got stuck towing the caravan on a muddy field.

Low ratio is great for reversing, saves a lot of clutch slipping and is another "must have" for a decent tow car.
 
Grand Vitara 2.0 TD 5 door has a towing weight of 1800kgs, does 34 mpg, is a great road car, has low ratio and selectable 4 wheel drive. When we sold the silver one we bought a 3 door which suits us better but has a lower towing weight of 1500kgs.
I took the silver one up the fells, in the snow, towing trees. It could go anywhere a Landy could (it's lighter see?)
Early ones with 8 valve engine at under £2000.

The rock step in the video is much steeper than my mate managed to make it look.
​
 
have a 4.0l grand cherokee for pulling speed boat(must be close to 2ton's).
had a 3.9l rangi,but they have problems with the block cracking. get the 3.5l instead..
the jeep is better to drive..
(o/p= original post)..
 
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