Any of you pulling your boats with an Odyssey? I'm thinking that even with the tow package on my van (rated for 3,500 lbs) any 21 foot wakeboard boat I would be looking at would require me to get a new tow vehicle.
I will be towing in steep terrain and/or possibly 100 or so miles up and down the highway.
Man that would be pushing it for such a small vehicle. A big trailer like that can drive the tow vehicle if you aren't careful. I would go conservative and get a big something with a V8 and RWD. That Odyssey will be suffering in the mountains.
A front wheel drive van will have severe difficulty on ramps during recovery. I tried one for a while and it did not work. I had to have a truck and towstrap to get out of the ramp twice. The van will probably tow it OK on the road, but marginally on the hills.
I recommend a rear or 4-wheel drive tow vehicle. We switched from a Venture to an Expedition and now a Suburban. The Expedition was too small from a cargo behind the rear seat perspective. The Excursion was a close second.
That reminds of a couple years ago when I pulled a guy up the ramp behind my old Grand Cherokee. I just hooked my tow strap to the back of my trailer then to front of his minivan (Mazda) and towed both vehicles/boats up the ramp in 4 low. This is the only time that I had to use 4 wheel drive on a paved ramp, it's amazing how much power you have in 4 low.
That Grand Cherokee used to beat us up pretty bad when towing, the boat jerked it all over the highway. Getting pushed through dirt turn around was pretty scary too (antilocks kicking in things don't stop). You might have the same experience with the Odyssey. My Chevy Tahoe is the best tow vehicle I have every had, even better than my Silverado longbed.
I towed my Ski Centurion Sport Bow Rider with my Toyota Previa mini van. Not the best but it did the job. I did get a transmision cooler installed for it. I highly recomend it if you are going to tow with it. With the Previa you could only get a class II hitch good for 3500 pounds. I think the boat and trailer was close to 3200 pounds. Fully loaded I am sure we were at if not a little over 3500. Just take it low and slow!
If it were me personally I wouldn't do it for a few reasons........
Any emergency situation where stopping becomes a priority then your Honda Odyssey, your boat and anyone in the car as well as those around you are compromised GREATLY as far as safety.
Downhill driving becomes SKETCHY at best and in most cases just downright unsafe.
Wear and tear on your vehicle will be put at a premium with such a small tow vehicle.
If you do get stopped by the highway patrol the ticket you receive will be enormous.
If it is rated for 3500lbs then you will be way over with almost any tournament style boat. Most weigh in between 2800lbs and 3200lbs dryweight (before gas and gear) add the trailer which will weigh close to if not over 1000lbs and you are way over weight.
I think my Sport Bowrider was 2500 to 2700 pounds. But it was 20 foot with only an 87 inch beam. Plus trailer. But Gramps is right. It would be hard to find a wakeboard boat made to today's standards that would not push over the 3500 wet weight pounds without trailer included. Plus 100 miles on a normal basis is a pretty good haul. We only had to go about 30 round trip with the occasional long haul.
I will say though I never had a problem stoping with my Previa, with the trailers breaks it almost seemed to stop easier than it would without a trailer.
Go getch'er self a crown victoria! My rwd 1989 crown vic pulls a boat outta the water easily, tows well up hills and is all around a good tow vehicle, it's big, heavy and long, and with my class 3 tow hitch it's rated for up to 5000 lbs. You can usually find the cars for cheap too.
powaman
(98_searay)Join Date: May 2004
08-09-2004, 2:45 PM
The coolest tow vehicle that I ever saw was a big old 60/70s Caddy Convertible. With 500 cubic inches under the hood and 5000 lbs of rolling mass on a full frame, towing is a breeze. It was baby blue towing a Sanger V210 in matching colors. It looked like a scene from a beach boys movie.
Friends tow two Seadoos with their Honda. It barely can tow the Seadoos, any kind of wakeboard boat there is no way!! If you were on a steep launch trying to get your boat out I can't see it making it. The Tranny and diff in those things aren't made for towing, and it's gutless when your going up any hill trying to tow something.
If the capacity is 3500 pounds, most boats are around 2500 to 3300 pounds dry, add a trailer and your over 4000 pounds without adding people in the vehicle, gear and gas. Don't do it
My rwd 1989 crown vic pulls a boat outta the water easily, tows well up hills and is all around a good tow vehicle, it's big, heavy and long, and with my class 3 tow hitch it's rated for up to 5000 lbs. You can usually find the cars for cheap too.
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