2006 SR 200 Sundeck towing question

srv_mtka

New Member
May 19, 2009
5
Lake Minnetonka, MN
Boat Info
200 Sundeck 2006
Engines
4.3L Mercruiser 220hp w/Alpha One
I am looking for a new vehicle and want to be sure it can tow my 2006 Sundeck (4,500 lbs + 700 lbs trailer = 5,200 lbs). A 2014 Chev Traverse with AWD has a maximum tow capacity of, you guessed it, 5200 lbs. My concern is when taking it out of the water will it have the torque to get it up a 12-degree incline? I live in Minnesota (flat land) and only trailer about 7 miles to Lake Minnetonka so not concerned otherwise. My alternative is a Suburban or Tahoe but there is more passenger leg room in a Traverse (go figure) and it gets way better gas mileage than the full-size SUVs. Thank you in advance for your input!
 
It will not weigh in at 5,200 lbs. How big is the gas tank? Gas weighs roughly 6lbs per gallon. Add 260 lbs, since this boat has a 45 gallon tank. Porta potty? Shower washdown or sink? Water 8lbs per gallon. Your water tank is 6.5 lbs. Toys, safety equipment, coolers etc. Plus I believe you are supposed to include the weight of everything in your tow vehicle. People, toys, coolers etc.

I think you are looking at 6,000. Are you ever going to take it far away on vacation. . Hills, you want to be able to stop. Think about the commercials where the truck is towing the Shuttle. Just about anything can tow something. The question is, can you stop?

I have Suburban and love it. I will always own one. Check out the gas mileage differences between the Traverse, Tahoe and Suburban. I bet there's not much difference especially when you tow. I talked to a guy who bought a new Suburban who tows about the same weight I do. He gets around same gas mileage I do, 10.4 Mpg. When not towing I can get 18.8 Mpg on the highway. 1997 Suburban.

Quick search 2014's, Traverse 19 Mpg, Suburban 17Mpg.

You will love all the room. If I put all my seats down I can load 4 x8 sheets of plywood..
 
Last edited:
Where did you get the 700 lb weight for the trailer? Mine weighs 1,300+.
 
Two of my colleagues at work own Yukons and boats. One tows a older 21' Calais (very heavy for a 21 footer) and claims to have no problem at all. The other guy has tried towing his 280 Sea Ray but said that because of the coil suspension, he prefers to use his pickup truck. They both claim to be getting about 18 MPG when they don't have their "foot on it". Sounds like you should be okay for what and where you're planning on using it. Maybe someone will chime in about this "coil suspension" business on the Chevys. I think tow capacities are partly based on axle and bearing beefiness among other things. My former truck was a 1/2 ton with a 5.7 liter engine and it performed adequately when towing up to 6000 lbs. It sure worked hard going up the mountains though.
 
Just to reiterate something Mr. Happy said (and everything he said are things you need to account for) - the max tow rating of vehicles is with ONLY a driver onboard. Other people and gear need to be subtracted from that. Once you've got that weight, add another 20% for good measure. Subtract that from the advertised tow rating and then subtract another 10% from that (to make sure you're not right at the max). That will give you a realistic maximum rating.

But, long story short, no - the Traverse won't cut it. As the boats get bigger, so must the trucks. It's the old saying: "Gotta pay to play".
 
Last edited:
My parents bought a boat too light because they had a Ford Edge AWD. V6, good gas milage they said. Towing the boat it got the same MPG as my Ford F250 towing the same boat.
Point is don't saddle yourself with a tiny tow vehicle and regret it. You go boating. You left MPG back long ago.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,946
Messages
1,422,783
Members
60,930
Latest member
Ebrown69
Back
Top