Towing question

[belv]

Hello all.

I posted on here last summer about a plastic folding john boat. I wound up buying it and took it out a few times, it worked surprisingly well but it was a huge pain to get it loaded on and off the roof of my car. Then I discovered my car could actually be used to tow things I just sold the plastic boat the other day and couldn't help but pounce on this 14 foot v-bottom john boat a local guy was selling. He wanted $625 for the boat, trailer and trolling motor, which I thought was a good deal. It's in really good condition.


I have a 2002 Toyota Corolla, which has a towing capacity of 1500 lbs. The boat is a sea nymph 14k john boat with a 4 foot beam, at least that's what it says on the title, I didn't measure it I gave the guy most of the money today, going to give him the rest in a couple of weeks. I'm going to get a bolt-on towing hitch for my car before then. From what I can tell, the boat should weigh about 250 lbs. I'm not sure how much the average trailer weighs, but I'm guessing about the same, so the whole thing should be about 500 lbs? The car is an automatic, but it does have a low gear. The road going to the lake I really want to take it to does has a sort of steep incline going down to it, which I'll have to drive up when leaving. I'm thinking towing 500 lbs shouldn't be much different than driving around a really fat guy. Do you think my Corolla will be able to handle it?

[skeetbum]

Find a truck stop with a scale and disconnect, pay the weighmaster, and you'll know exactly how much you're dealing with. Good luck and tight lines.

[mb4850]

Yes but breaking will be different. It'll take longer to stop.

[yankee doodler]

Check your state regs. You may have to weld as well as bolt the hitch to be legal.

[Phantom309]

Sometimes I got to take a load of garbage (non-biodegradible) off, and I
got to take it to a big place where ya got to drive up a steep hill then back in and throw everything in a
big hopper where they got a monster plunger that compresses it, then it gets loaded into
one of them container type trailers for transport somewhere,
Point is, as you come into the place, there is a scales you have to drive across and see your weight.
It's there for the regular garbage trucks that run throughout the neighborhoods, etc.
But, lots of times when I go it's never real busy, actually, I could tow my boat there, disconnect, weigh, reconnect
without anyone showing up, etc.....
Just sayin ..............

[Drum_Master]

Take it slow, be careful, and you should be fine. Five hundred pounds may sound heavy, but four adults inside the car weigh more than that.

[steve48]

belv,
When you get it all hooked up, you'll hardly know its behind you.It probably is not rigged with towing package(transmission cooler etc). The car at operating temp may heat up a little more pulling, and when going up hill I would downshift to keep motor turning faster to keep tranny from slipping.
Good luck
Steve

[belv]

Thanks for the advice guys. The car definitely isn't equipped with anything special for towing. Assuming the boat and trailer do only weigh around 500 lbs I don't think I'll have too much trouble, but I kind of worry that it might weigh more. I'll see if I can find some place locally with a big scale where I could weigh it before I try to take it up any big inclines just to be sure. Also I'll call around and see if I can find out about the legality of the bolt-on hitches in my state (KY). I'll try to post back in this thread and let you know how it goes.

[BlackWidow]

Guys he doesn't even have an outboard motor... Roll it like U stole it... It will not be a problem. 4 adults at 200lbs = 800lbs..... A polar craft 14' v weighs only 151lbs.2011 Polar 14 Aluminum V Bow Boat. Trolling motor 20lbs, Battery 60lbs, Trailer 260 lbs, Fishing gear 20lbs, cooler 20lbs = 531 ish....No problem.

Also be sure and use only grade 8 bolts on the hitch install, they are the hardest. They are a goldish bronze looking color.

[cevans]

I tow a 14ft John boat I custom trimmed out on the inside,,built a deck on the front, with treated 1" x 3" frame covered with carpet and treated 1/2 plywood, extended the front deck 40" back, installed swivel seats, front and rear, battery, trolling motor, 2 dept finders, custom Hi-Tec rod holders front and back, 9.8 merc. anchors front and back for river,,each about 15lbs,,,toyota corolla tows it just fine, no problems stopping and starting, and I have even launched in steep gravel launches, great traction for front wheel drive. I pull it 70mph,,on highway, and stop just fine,,get a bolt on hitch off internet, and the plug in 4 way as well,,plug into trunk compartment,,it only took 20 minutes to install hitch and 5 minutes to plug in 4 way,,super easy. In the hills of southern indiana,,,my gass mileage will drop to 32-33 gpm. I drive a 90 corolla. and also use a Jeep Wrangle sometimes,