Towing 2000 215 EC - 200 miles

[CliffA]

So we ended up not taking the boat on this trip as we were not prepared to tow it. We plan on upgrading our vehicle to accommodate our family as well as the boat next year. We take the same route every year however this time we paid close attention to hills, turns, gas stations etc. with towing the boat in mind. having the boat on the trip would have made it that much more fun but the thought of coming back without it due to an incident...not so much. So thanks again for the advice everyone!

good call....when looking for a new tow vehicle look for one with at least an 8,000 lbs. tow rating.....your boat and trailer fully loaded will be around 6,000 lbs and the family and gear loaded into the tow vehicle will be another 500 lbs so you will have around 6,500 total lbs to be lugging around....i have read the tow capacity of the tow vehicle should be around 15 -20% more than the actual weight of the load being towed to insure the load can be safely handled and the strain on the vehicle is well within acceptable range to prolong the vehicles life....when my Mountaineer finally poops out i will likely replace it with a 1500 series truck with a factory tow package....i think their tow rating is around 10,000 lbs.....

cliff