towing 185

M

MargieMc

New Member
May 21, 2008
9
Sacramento River, CA
Boat Info
2007 185 Sport
Engines
Merc Alpha 4.3 I/O
I'm in the market for a boat, and we are trying to decide between the 180 sport 3.0l or the 185 sport 4.6l. We drive an 2008 Mazda CX-9, with a tow package that says we can tow up to 3500 lbs. Do you know how much the 185 weighs with the trailer, gas, etc? Also, the tongue weight?
Thanks so much!!
p.s. any thing else I should consider?
 
Either boat you will be near or just over 3500lbs. I would go with the 4.3. If you are towing flat land and a short distance, you should be OK.
 
The 4.3 is the ONLY way to go. The 3.0 would be fine if there were only 2 - 4 in the boat and you NEVER did any skiing, wakeboarding or tubing. You'd also have to keep it empty (In other words, no excess stuff!) or performance will suffer. The 4.3 will give you plenty of power for just about anything you'd need to do. If you can, test drive the 3.0 and take enough friends to meet the capacity rating of the boat. I'd guess that 6 - 8 people? It will struggle to get up out of the water. The 4.3 will have enough power that it won't work nearly as hard and the mileage difference isn't significant.
 
My biggest concern is with towing. We will need to take the boat up and down a step hill with my Mazda CX-9. The Mazda is 3.7l, v6, 273 hp, and supposed to be able to tow 3500 lbs. Does anyone have experience with this?
 
Mazda's aren't well known for towing ability! I'd definitely make sure the trailer has brakes, primarily for the downhill section. Is the hill at highway speeds or in town and how long is the hill? If it's in town, that's better than being on the highway! Don't use the manufacturer's weight of the boat, get it weighed so you will know exactly how much it weighs sitting on the trailer.
 
We can go up and down the hill slowly. It's a long driveway off a single lane hwy into a trailer park. The trailer says "free-backing hydraulic surge, single axel."
 
I tow a 2007 - 185sport with a Jeep Liberty (3500lb rating) and it struggles on inclines and long drives. In fact, I'm now encountering overheating conditions when towing for over 40 minutes on the hwy. So beware!

With regards to the comments on the 3.0 vs the 4.3. I have the 3.0 (shame) and yes I do wish I spent the extra money on the 4.3, but I'm not completely dissatisfied with the boats performance. the boat gets a decent whole shot and tops out at about 40mph (gps). I have had no problem pulling skiers/tubes with 3-4 adults on board.
 
If you can go slow up the hill, I would make sure too down shift and hold 2nd gear and keep your RPM's up. Brakes on the trailer is a plus!

Take it slow and see what your abilities are. Like i said, keep the RPM's up, and don't lug the motor and trans.
 
According to the following link, your Mazda CX-9 has a maximum towing capacity of 3500 lbs, but what are they basing that on? Is that with four passengers? A full tank of gas? 100 lbs of gear in the back? I would be much happier if they listed a GCVWR(Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating)- that way you could add the weights of your SUV and boat together and see if they are less than that.

http://www.trucktrend.com/features/consumer/163_0806_2008_best_in_class_awd_crossover/index.html

To the best of my knowledge, a 185 with the 4.3(and a full tank of gas/gear/food/cooler) should weigh around +/-3500 lbs. Will iyour Mazda tow your boat? Probably. Will it be able to stop in time or swerve around an obstacle in an emergency situation? Probably not. Will your insurance company cover you if they find out you were involved in an accident while towing something too heavy? Who's to say, but I wouldn't want to find out the hard way.......

And, for the record, short-wheelbase SUVs are not designed to tow a lot of weight safely, nor maneuvre well with a load behind them.

Take it for what it's worth........

Paul
 
As a former ASE certified mechanic... I'd HIGHLY advise you to either look for a lighter boat, or get a bigger tow vehicle.

You've got a couple things working against you here... when they list a max tow capacity, they are not listing it as "you can tow this load up and down hills with ease and for an infinite amount of time". This is simply what it says... the MAX load you can tow for any distance at all.

It's always ill-advised to tow at or beyond the max capacity of a vehicle; they are only engineered for very short duration, mild terrain towing at max capacity. This is even more so the case as you get into lighter duty vehicles.

As I recall, the vehicle you are talking about is essentially a "cross-over" SUV correct? Built on a car chassis, front wheel drive... etc etc. I'm not 100% sure on that. Anyhow, if it's front wheel drive then chances are you've got no way to run a transmission cooler... which even if equipped with one from the factory, when towing near or at the max towing capacity (and sometimes even if you don't tow), you should always upgrade your transmission cooler; if it is front wheel drive, you may not have this option. That means with those hills it's almost a given you'll burn up your trans. Down shifting into 3rd or 2nd isn't the answer; you're still creating excess heat which will destroy your tranny.

As stated... it's fool-hardy to run your vehicle at or beyond it's max tow capacity, not just for vehicle longevity reasons, but insurance and liability reasons. Either get a lighter boat, or bigger tow vehicle, or don't get a boat at all (My 160BR w/trailer and full load is likely to be around 3000lbs... as far as I'm concerned, still too much for your SUV... so go aluminum or get a bigger vehicle).
 
I tow my 180 with a 02 Grand Cherokee with the 4.7 HO V8 engine. I believe it is rated to tow around 5 to 6000 pounds. Keep in mind that my Jeep is a heaver vehicle than most of the crossover SUV's and it has a longer wheelbase. It does a decent job but I have some observations to pass on:

1. I have a fairly short wheelbase in comparison to most SUV's in the full size class. The boat will tow fine under most conditions except when we encounter crosswinds. Things tend to get interesting. Keep in mind that I also have SOLID front AND rear axles, so I have some body role that other SUV's don't have with independent front suspension setups.

2. I have a trailer that does NOT have brakes. This has contributed to some wear on my front rotors. I can accelerate pretty nicely. Stopping on the other hand is more difficult, especially on long steep grades. Luckily, I have a towing package on my Jeep that includes a limiter that will use the engine to slow my speed when using the cruise control.

I am going to look for a half ton pickup next year. After towing for the last two years, I am convinced that a longer wheel base and a stronger frame will provide a better towing platform. I was hesitant to make the change because the Quadradrive on the Jeep is a great system, especially where I live and there isn't a pickup made that has a comparable 4-wheel drive factory system.

The flip side of course is having a safer vehicle to tow the toys around with. Unfortunately, I can't keep the Jeep, get a pickup and keep the boat. I looked at the Chevy 1500 series LTZ and I think I may end up purchasing that truck for towing/hauling. Hopefully the rumors about the manufacturers putting BlueTec Diesels in the half tons is true. If so, I will be one of the first to buy one.
 
I traded in my paid off Tacoma for a new Tundra in order to tow my 185 safely. I hate having a new truck payment all over again, but at least I am safe while I am towing the boat!
 
If I understand your origional post correctly, you are torn between the 185 w/ 4.3L and the 180 w/ 3.0L Correct?

There is a 500 lb. difference in the 180 vs. the 185 according to SeaRay. The 180 sport is 2100lbs. dry (w/o trailer) and the 185 is 2600lbs. dry (w/o trailer). You should be OK with the 180 sport but the 185 will most likley push the limits of your tow vehicle.

I have towed my 180 sport with a Nissan Xterra with a 3500 lb. tow rating and it struggled like you wouldn't believe! Now I tow with a Mercury Grand Marquis with only a 2000 lb. tow rating and it pulls the boat with no problems. Granted I did add a larger trans cooler and air suspension, but the car will pull that boat at 80 mph no problem up and down hills.
 
I really appreciate all the input! Looks like we are either going to get a Sea Ray 175 or Four Winns H180. Probably V4, but may get the H180 with a V6. I just bought my Mazda CX-9 this year, so we aren't going to upgrade the truck.
 
SeaRay makes a great boat. Eventhough the 175 is their 'entry' level boat they stand behind it 100%. I have a 2004 180 sport (same boat as the 175) and I love it. It has good performance (top speed is ~45 mph) and great fuel economy. Don't listen to the people who tell you that you can't pull a tube with a 4 cyl. 135 hp boat! We have no problems pulling a tube or getting up on one ski. I have known a few people with 4 Whinns and they have had a lot of trouble. Bad customer support and bad product. That was a few years ago, but it scared me away from them. I have only heard good things about SeaRay. I know that they really value their customers. Good luck and have fun!
 
Ehh, whatever you choose good luck and happy boating. If you ask for an opinion between the two (4winns vs. sea ray) well, sea ray just might have an advantage here. Either way enjoy!
 
fragmag said:
I traded in my paid off Tacoma for a new Tundra in order to tow my 185 safely. I hate having a new truck payment all over again, but at least I am safe while I am towing the boat!
Click to expand...

Did you have the smaller Tacoma before the towing was 6500??
I two our 200 Sundeck with the 06 Taco and she does well. Certainly wouldnt try much bigger but the truck pulls well
 
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