@@catchnrelease2815 I originally put a hitch on it to tow my small trailer full of tools and stuff for track days so I figured I might as well tow the boat with it too🤣 only advice I have is to invest in some really good brakes
In europe we tow boats trailers and everything with fwd cars all the time! No one has a truck here only farmers and boat parking lots have a truck for launching bigger boats. This summer I towed over 1.000 miles on my 1.4tsi golf with 122hp, with a 15ft fiberglass boat around 1200lb total! No issues, just gotta be careful and use engine braking when going down a mountain to keep the brakes cool! Nice car!
I tow a homemade skiff with a VW Jetta stick shift, get crazy looks for both the boat and the car. Been towing w little cars for years. Big respect to you 🤙🏻
finally got a boat and im back to watch the video again. got the curt hitch installed saturday and got a 13ft gheenoe last week. now got to learn how to back up with it lol
I use to tow a full size aluminum bass boat with a 5spd Subaru Baja and towed my 18 ft aluminum center console with a front wheel drive mini van for years an alot of miles worked really great and got better mileage than my yukon I use know
Kudos for pulling it with a stick shift. Just installed a hitch on my crosstrek and I'm stoked to get the boat hooked up and hit the water! Tight lines buddy
S-o-o-o glad I watched this vid. Was already thinking $40-50,000 for a truk when my Nissan Rogue, rated for 1500 lbs. will do the job. Thanx Eric, very thorough vid. I am now a subscriber!
I tow an alumacraft 1542 with outboard with my chevy impala so yes definitely doable. One upgrade I did make however was adding a transmission cooler to reduce stress on the transmission (about $180 plus parts to have it installed ) or just parts if you do it yourself.
I plan on towing a little more weight and that's why I opted for a GTI. Since it's the sporty version it came with stronger suspension, breaks, engine and transmission. It will tow over 3000 pounds if you put breaks on the trailer. Golfs are built for utility moreso than domestic cars, including larger ones. His car already has a transmission cooler and this trailer wouldn't even be noticed.
I have always towed with manual vehicles. One thing I do just for peace of mind is use a wheel chock too. I will put some kind of cable on it and clip it to the hitch on safety chains. Then I just pull it along to the top of the ramp. My cars all had longer rear overhangs than a hatch, so I always strove not to put my wheels tin the water if I didn't have to. I usually didn't. But yeah I just do this because I don't trust e-brakes to hold the rig on a hill with me out of the car. I have also launched with some old 5 speed trucks with no working e-brake. I have never seen this happen, but I have been told that a standard transmission can be knocked out of gear when powerloading with a bigger boat.
Thank you for the video. I've been really nervous about trying to get a trailer for my golf but if you can tow a full boat and boat trailer and I think my little dinky kayak trailer will be fine LOL
I have a 2023 gti manual and I'm worried I won't be able to take off from the ramp with my electronic e brake! Plus rubber band tires aren't the stickiest😅
I towed my Jon Boat with a 5 speed Civic Hybrid for a while. Its a big one too, a 16x72" with a suzuki 30hp. It didn't tow it that well, but it handled fine.Only thing was it struggled on one gravel ramp that I like, as it had low rolling resistance tires and a light little 1.3L. It barely liked to climb that ramp without a trailer. I towed it with some bigger front wheel drive cars, including a stick shift 90s maxima and a late 90s Grand Prix GT. Both of those cars could tow it very well. But both had very questionable mounting for the hitch receiver(unlike the little honda) Now I still have the boat, but I have 2 vehicles that are more than capable of towing it. A little 4x4 5 speed Nissan Pickup and a Chevy Caprice station wagon thats also a 5 speed lol. The truck is kinda low on power with big tires, so its kinda slow and thirsty towing, but the Caprice you don't know its back there, its got 2 cylinders and 100 extra horsepower on the truck though so ther is that. I like towing with a standard though, kinda nervewracking on ramps. But they hold up better, especially in FWD cars.
I just got a hitch to tow my two jet skis with my 2011 vw jetta tdi. For your hitch where did you get your ball extension to bring your hitch up higher?
The ball mount that comes off my hitch is the one that comes with it. Its a class 1 ball mount with a 5" rise. The trailer ball I use has a 2" rise as well. You can get them from Curt MFG www.curtmfg.com/part/40034
Thanks man, I ended up going with the 5 1/8” euro hitch from curt but if that doesn’t work the best after I get the skis on the trailer I’ll have to do it this way
You can do it! Just try and keep it under 1500lbs total with trailer and balance the trailer so there isn't any more than 150lbs tongue weight. I can easily lift the tongue of my trailer by hand and move the trailer, so I'd shoot for that scenario.
@@FloBass I’m sure the boat itself is like less then 700 pounds according to the charts online from the manufacturer can’t se the trailer being more then 300 pounds
I noticed in your other videos you had a flat bottom Jon a while ago. I like your new Mod Jon boat. Do you notice a big difference between a flat bottom Jon and the Mod V you have now ? Wondering if it's worth the price difference getting a Mod V Jon. Thing that has me worried is I see the Tracker and other Mod V Bass Boats and they ride rally high on the bow until you get on plane. Your Alumacraft you have here don't seem to ride high on the bow like the Mod V bass boats. Nice boat.
Thanks Danny! It's not a fair comparison between the 1436 Tracker and my new 15ft mod v. The mod v is bigger and heavier. But if we're just comparing the hulls, its only 1/3 of the boat is a V. The rest is basically a flat bottom. When you're going slower, it cuts through rough water better, but on plane going decently fast or full speed it rides and turns the same aside from the weight difference. If you see the bows high on these boats when trying to get up on plane, the motor isn't trimmed properly. I keep my motor trimmed all the way down when getting up on plane to keep the bow down, then I trim up after I'm on pad to get some more top speed. If I keep the motor tripped up from the start the bow raises a little, but its not an issue. On the 1436 the bow would come up pretty high when tripped up, but that's because it was so light.
@@FloBass thank you for your help. Last boat I had it was a 16 foot tracker with a 50 horse motor. Had a side console and everything it was set up really nice front and rear depth finder built in fuel tank, but the side console always took up a lot of room in the boat and I sold it about 12 years ago. Definitely getting another boat this spring and I said I would get a 14 footer 15 Max with no side console. Something lighter easier to drop in the lake and more room. The boat I had was overkill for the small Lake I always go to and it was too small for me to take on Lake Michigan that is a mile away from me. I really like the setup of this Alumacraft boat you have. To me it is a perfect for planning a perfect setup. I have a really nice like new running 9.9 2 stroke I just need the boat to go with it. Your boat with a 20 or 25 is perfect. But since I have a 99 I'm sure it will do me just fine on a small Lake. My only problem going to be as finding one with everything going on this year. The Alumacraft is the perfect boat. You're doing a great job on the videos keep them coming I love that boat.
Greetings from Australia/Down Under, mate! Pretty awesome to see smaller cars tow trailers with a fishing boat attached. I had this idea (with my previously owned Yaris), but chickened out. I had the tow bar/trailer hitch installed, and was going to tow a 3m Polycraft Boat with it. I think, in total (considering the weight of the trailer, outboard, electric motor, and boat) the weight would have equalled to approximately 350kg/770lbs. According to the Yaris manual this is doable, as the maximum (unbraked) weight towed is 500kg/1100lbs. I was going to install and utilize that set-up for targeting a fish we have here called Murray Cod. They are a bit similar to the Largemouth Bass you have in the States. However, from Sydney (where I live) to some destinations that hold Murray Cod, the drive is 5+ hours, or roughly 250+ miles. I spoke with the reps at Toyota here in Australia (where towing is permitted in a Yaris) and theoretically it was/is doable. However, I ended up buying a Toyota Hilux, which burnt some deep holes in my pockets. Awesome to see you're living the dream, and not allowing vehicle dimensions to interfere with that. Watching this video is making me question whether I sell the bigger rig and go back to the small but mighty option lol. Take care!
If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't get rid of the Hilux. The convenience a pick up truck affords is unmatched. Also, if yours is equipped with 4x4, you'll be able to access fishing spots that you wouldn't be able to in a small vehicle.
@@FloBass completely agree. I do reminisce about my little silver bullet/Yaris. However, as the Hilux is diesel, and has 4x4 capabilities, it is more suited to the Aussie landscape, which can offer some pristine surroundings that are sometimes only accessible by 4wd.
@@dimitrimurraytrout8052 A 2 wheel drive with lockers & lower tire pressure in the rear will help You’re 2 weel drive go a good bit further off road. Then you can just air up the rear tires, when you get back on the road.
@@zachsheffee8458, thanks for that reply, mate. I completely agree in decreasing the tyre pressure for taking the car off-road with the trailer. Very smart idea indeed!
I want to take my family's 15ft boarded Bonita it has 4 cylinder 50hp outboard.two stroke. I think it was weighed once A T just under 1,000lbs All I have is a little 2007 pontiac vibe thats stickshift, but the towing capacity is 1,500lbs. The main problem is the steep hill to climb up to my house. It'150ft-200ft evelation change on a 1/2 mile hill with curves. There is a four way stop with a traffic light at the top.
I drive a Volkswagen Passat tdi and bought a Jon boat because my car can tow it. I haven't done it yet as I'm still building out my Jon boat but the only thing im really scared of is the boat launch as I've seen trucks have problems at some of the steeper ones especially when they are busy and wet.
I wouldn't stress about it. I've never had any issues. I've gone up some pretty steep ramps with no issues when wet. Also rutted dirt ramps as well. Front wheel drive is pretty capable. You need to remember that towing a jon boat is close to the same weight of having a full load of people in your car. They wouldn't put five seat belts in there if it couldn't handle that amount of weight. When it comes to loosing traction at a ramp just keep the wheel speed slow while they're slipping and slowly steer the car left and right to look for traction. I've launched at a ramp that at low tide would have a muck line on the ramp and my front wheels would always be on it. My wheels would always slip, but I'd basically have to do a low speed burnout to clear out the area under the tires and would eventually wear away the muck and they'd grip. It would make a good video, but I don't have the GTI any more.
Wet launches are no issue. Dirt ramps are also fine as well. Only time I struggled was in a tidal system. It was bottom of low tide and when I was leaving the front wheels were right on top of the low tide line on the ramp and spun. I just had to work the wheel left and right and eventually found traction.
Like Andy s said....small boats can be pulled with a Prius. My 1436 Tracker with 6hp and deck on a Travel-All trailer has no problems at all. Most my towing is flat or slight hills. And most docks are nice ribbed cement with barely any grade.
A TDI with upgraded brakes (ceramics) and high temp fluid would be better but while being proactive in checking coolant, oil, filters etc that’s all you need.
Its a continental trailer. They list the weight of each trailer model. I took my car and trailer to the local dump and weighed it on their scale with and without the trailer because I wanted to know the exact weight of the boat/trailer out of curiosity.
i have a 2012 ford mondeo and a trailer that wheighs 300 lbs and a boat with outboard that wheighs 660lbs give or take, and i wondered if i would have a problem but apperatnly not
I just got my first bass boat and with the trailer I’m less then a (1,000) I got a 2011 VW cc sport It’s a manual as well, everything I’m reading is telling me not to tow with my car any information would be a great help!👍🏻 thank you for the awesome video!!
I really don't know anything about your car, but Curt definitely makes a hitch for it, and wiring harness. Just head over to curtmfg.com and select trailer hitches. You'll be able to select your vehicle and the options will come up. The hitch is a bolt on installation, so it should be really easy to install. The wiring will be more complicated, but if I can do it, anyone can. You have a longer wheel base than my GTI, so it would be even more stable than my vehicle while towing. My towing weight is less than 1000lbs as well, and you can see how easily I can tow my boat. Everything online says the same thing about my car. It's not recommended for towing. I've been towing with the GTI for 2 years with no issues. I've been towing all sorts of trailers since I started driving with all sorts of vehicles. RV's, 3500 dually's, box trucks, single axle full size trucks, so I have a lot of experience, but with your car and boat it doesn't take a lot of experience to tow it safely and correctly. I think the main thing you want to insure is to make sure you don't have a lot of tongue weight on the hitch when the trailer is hooked up. The class 1 hitches our cars use have a 200lb tongue weight limit. As long as your trailer sits level when connected to the hitch, you'll be no where near the max tongue weight. Then its just a matter of taking it slow in the beginning when you're driving and slowly build your confidence over time. Try to avoid busy times when your starting out towing, and definitely practice backing up and making turns in reverse in an empty parking lot so you can learn how to back the trailer down a ramp straight. There's a lot of good videos on how to reverse with a trailer, but the biggest key is to not make big turns with the steering wheel and take your time. Small movements with the wheel.
The ramp in this video is very mellow, indeed. Most of the ramps I regularly use are much steeper, and the car handles it with no issue. Same with dirt ramps. I've gone up and down ramps just fine where rear wheel drive only trucks cant make it out. The boat and trailer doesn't weigh more than having 4 grown adults in the car, so its not trying to pull more weight than what it was designed for.
@@johnalvarado1337 definitely helps. Technique plays a bigger roll I think. Having the right equipment and not towing a load too heavy is the other half. You could do a lot with a rear wheel drive truck as long as it had a limited slip diff at the least. Most are just open differentials and you peel one tire and go nowhere.
hey, would it be okay to use a screenshot from your youtube video of your boat on my blog boaterpal? I would of course give credit by linking to your youtube.
What kind of Transom saver is used? I just bought a waterfowler 15 and i am searching for a saver fitting My boat and trailer. Seems like you är using One with an angle. My outboard is a Mercury 20hp without powertrim.
I'm not sure what you mean by ball height increaser. If you're talking about the ball mount that swings up from under the bumper, that is the one that came with my receiver hitch. It's an 1-1/4" hitch and when you're dealing with low vehicles like mine, that is the standard mount that comes with it. You can buy them separately, but they only make them like that for 1-1/4" hitches. I also have a raised ball. It has a 2" rise. You can find both on curtmfg.com
I have to fold the rear seats down as well for that to work. Just not worth it. The rock crawling days in my XJ have got sticking my head out the window engraved into my brain.
I pulled an overloaded U-Haul trailer from Florida to Washington State, up and over the Rocky Mountains with no problems, with my 2016 Kia Soul. Now I pull my 14’ trailer with a 10’ Livingston with no issues. Little cars are much more capable than most realize. The only issues I ever have are the looks, judgement, and anxiety I get from it at the boat ramp haha. FYI to all, many of the little cars we drive are rated to tow and they tow regularly in Europe and Australia etc. The only reason it seems taboo or against “manufacturer recommendations” in America is 100% because of insurance bullshit. I purchased a Draw-Tite hitch (Curt also makes one) that was already designed for the Soul. Kia themselves install factory bolt holes for trailer hitches before it even leaves the factory, so no drilling was required. Completely bolt-on. Same with the wiring...Curt and others make plug in kits that connect to your tail lights. Don’t be afraid to go for it! Just be smart when towing with ANY vehicle! 😎
I shopped around locally for months and finally found a tilt trailer. That has made it a breeze to launch a boat with a sedan. Most of the time I barely get the trailer tires wet when I launch.
Haters gonna hate, they tow with smaller cars in the uk all the time. They’ll say it’s cause our roads are faster but in reality it’s to discourage people from towing with a more economical package then spending 60k on a truck to tow a 12 ft John boat…
It’s rude of people to take pictures! It’s illegal for them to take your picture without your permission in the state of Florida! Florida is one of the few states like that!!
I plan on towing a 25 Foot Panga boat /single Axle Trailer with a 2017 Kia Sedona. 25 ???? The boat weighs 915 pounds , the trailer weighs 800 pounds and the 60 HP Suzuki is about 230 pounds. Probably 2100-2200 pounds total. Imagine how many crazy looks I get at the ramp and on the road. You Freshwater guys/ Bass boat guys should look at this boat.
You can have one more choice! What about adding another winch to your tow and use this instead of getting the car into the water? In the end you will have 2 winchs, 1 for boat and 1 for tow
That’s the only trans I’ll choose. I won’t have that luxury when I move up to a full size truck unless I go with a diesel, but the gas engines are way more fuel efficient. Used to be the other way around...
People really have a misconception about towing with small vehicles. Jon boats and small skifs could be towed with a Prius cause they’re so light. I towed my 17 foot daysailer sailboat home today on a 2 hour drive with a jeep renegade and regularly tow a 20 foot pontoon with a 125 on the back and it pulls it fine. All you really need is the tow hitch. I hope people don’t think that they need to buy a big truck to tow stuff
You get so much attention because people in America are brainwashed to think you need to have a pickup truck to do literally anything other than drive to get groceries. Talk to a European or anybody from anywhere other than middle America haha. It's crazy that people will even know that a car has a toke capacity and yet blow off that you would even use it to. Most decent sized domestic cars in America can tow at least 750lbs according to the manufacturer Even when there's no transmission cooler or anything like my mom's 2013 Chevy impala or dad's 2010 Malibu.
I towed a 1448 Jon for years with my old Integra GSR with absolutely zero issues, it actually did really well....let the haters hate.
Now that's some bad ass shit bro
@@catchnrelease2815 I originally put a hitch on it to tow my small trailer full of tools and stuff for track days so I figured I might as well tow the boat with it too🤣 only advice I have is to invest in some really good brakes
I’m thinking about doing this with a 2019 acura ILX and your post is the confirmation 👍🏼
L
Wow! Thats was impressive backing up the boat.
In europe we tow boats trailers and everything with fwd cars all the time! No one has a truck here only farmers and boat parking lots have a truck for launching bigger boats. This summer I towed over 1.000 miles on my 1.4tsi golf with 122hp, with a 15ft fiberglass boat around 1200lb total! No issues, just gotta be careful and use engine braking when going down a mountain to keep the brakes cool! Nice car!
I tow a homemade skiff with a VW Jetta stick shift, get crazy looks for both the boat and the car. Been towing w little cars for years. Big respect to you 🤙🏻
finally got a boat and im back to watch the video again. got the curt hitch installed saturday and got a 13ft gheenoe last week. now got to learn how to back up with it lol
Hell yeah, I just bought a 14ft Livingston that I tow with my Ford Focus wagon - love keeping it economy!
This gives me hope ! I’m gonna get a small boat and want to tow it with my corrola hatch
100% doable!
I use to tow a full size aluminum bass boat with a 5spd Subaru Baja and towed my 18 ft aluminum center console with a front wheel drive mini van for years an alot of miles worked really great and got better mileage than my yukon I use know
I tow my 14ft game fisher Jon with my lowered 14 corolla 6 speed. Great to see the community of small sedans
I would like to see a video
I have a 2003 Nissan maxima but im not shure if it will pull a 8 by 14 with out any issues
Major energy My guy
Great video Eric! Really appreciate the thorough details and mentioning differences between stick and automatic. Two thumbs up!
Kudos for pulling it with a stick shift. Just installed a hitch on my crosstrek and I'm stoked to get the boat hooked up and hit the water! Tight lines buddy
Thanks!
S-o-o-o glad I watched this vid. Was already thinking $40-50,000 for a truk when my Nissan Rogue, rated for 1500 lbs. will do the job. Thanx Eric, very thorough vid. I am now a subscriber!
I tow an alumacraft 1542 with outboard with my chevy impala so yes definitely doable. One upgrade I did make however was adding a transmission cooler to reduce stress on the transmission (about $180 plus parts to have it installed ) or just parts if you do it yourself.
I plan on towing a little more weight and that's why I opted for a GTI. Since it's the sporty version it came with stronger suspension, breaks, engine and transmission. It will tow over 3000 pounds if you put breaks on the trailer. Golfs are built for utility moreso than domestic cars, including larger ones.
His car already has a transmission cooler and this trailer wouldn't even be noticed.
please make more videos! this is byfar the most educational and well put together video for hauling a jon boat in a fwd / 2wd car
you got a sub from me :)
i’m in a honda civic 2017
I tow my jet ski with my Golf TDI 6 speed. People love it lol
A TDI is sweet! Wish mine was diesel.
I have always towed with manual vehicles. One thing I do just for peace of mind is use a wheel chock too. I will put some kind of cable on it and clip it to the hitch on safety chains. Then I just pull it along to the top of the ramp. My cars all had longer rear overhangs than a hatch, so I always strove not to put my wheels tin the water if I didn't have to. I usually didn't. But yeah I just do this because I don't trust e-brakes to hold the rig on a hill with me out of the car. I have also launched with some old 5 speed trucks with no working e-brake. I have never seen this happen, but I have been told that a standard transmission can be knocked out of gear when powerloading with a bigger boat.
Thank you for the video.
I've been really nervous about trying to get a trailer for my golf but if you can tow a full boat and boat trailer and I think my little dinky kayak trailer will be fine LOL
Awesome!
Nice boat bro I have been looking for this boat now for two years can’t seem to find it anywhere
I have a 2023 gti manual and I'm worried I won't be able to take off from the ramp with my electronic e brake! Plus rubber band tires aren't the stickiest😅
Awesome video !
I towed my Jon Boat with a 5 speed Civic Hybrid for a while. Its a big one too, a 16x72" with a suzuki 30hp. It didn't tow it that well, but it handled fine.Only thing was it struggled on one gravel ramp that I like, as it had low rolling resistance tires and a light little 1.3L. It barely liked to climb that ramp without a trailer. I towed it with some bigger front wheel drive cars, including a stick shift 90s maxima and a late 90s Grand Prix GT. Both of those cars could tow it very well. But both had very questionable mounting for the hitch receiver(unlike the little honda)
Now I still have the boat, but I have 2 vehicles that are more than capable of towing it. A little 4x4 5 speed Nissan Pickup and a Chevy Caprice station wagon thats also a 5 speed lol. The truck is kinda low on power with big tires, so its kinda slow and thirsty towing, but the Caprice you don't know its back there, its got 2 cylinders and 100 extra horsepower on the truck though so ther is that. I like towing with a standard though, kinda nervewracking on ramps. But they hold up better, especially in FWD cars.
Make sure your toe hitch is tightly clamped onto the tow ball!! It’s usually adjustable with a small nut underneath.
Pulls it pretty easy it seems. How much does the boat weigh?
The whole rig while I'm towing is around 750lbs. The boat with the outboard, fuel, battery, trolling motor its around 525
Good video I have a Honda and just brought a boat I was hoping it Would be able to haul it nice 💯
what kind of honda, I have a 2019 civic torturing cvt trans, just wondering ?
@@alparslanusta6763 I have a Honda Accord 2017
I just got a hitch to tow my two jet skis with my 2011 vw jetta tdi. For your hitch where did you get your ball extension to bring your hitch up higher?
The ball mount that comes off my hitch is the one that comes with it. Its a class 1 ball mount with a 5" rise. The trailer ball I use has a 2" rise as well. You can get them from Curt MFG
www.curtmfg.com/part/40034
Thanks man, I ended up going with the 5 1/8” euro hitch from curt but if that doesn’t work the best after I get the skis on the trailer I’ll have to do it this way
Awesome I have a 99 crv awd and going to buy a bass 15” foot boat and am kinda debating after watching this I feel determined
You can do it! Just try and keep it under 1500lbs total with trailer and balance the trailer so there isn't any more than 150lbs tongue weight. I can easily lift the tongue of my trailer by hand and move the trailer, so I'd shoot for that scenario.
@@FloBass I’m sure the boat itself is like less then 700 pounds according to the charts online from the manufacturer can’t se the trailer being more then 300 pounds
You think this would work with a waverunner? I have a 2010 fwd stick shift mazda 6.
You'll be able to tow that all day. A waverunner weighs so much less than this boat and trailer did.
@@FloBass good to know then 👌
Hi, whats is the model of the boat and the trailer? looking for something similar
I have a Volvo c30 and centre console zodiac and 30Honda and no issues.
Thanks… have you tried to get the boat out on a steep ramp? Most ramps around my areas are very steep since Cali always a drought..
Yes I sure have. Steep ramps, and dirt ramps haven't been a problem. It's more about technique than anything else.
I noticed in your other videos you had a flat bottom Jon a while ago. I like your new Mod Jon boat.
Do you notice a big difference between a flat bottom Jon and the Mod V you have now ?
Wondering if it's worth the price difference getting a Mod V Jon.
Thing that has me worried is I see the Tracker and other Mod V Bass Boats and they ride rally high on the bow until you get on plane. Your Alumacraft you have here don't seem to ride high on the bow like the Mod V bass boats. Nice boat.
Thanks Danny! It's not a fair comparison between the 1436 Tracker and my new 15ft mod v. The mod v is bigger and heavier. But if we're just comparing the hulls, its only 1/3 of the boat is a V. The rest is basically a flat bottom. When you're going slower, it cuts through rough water better, but on plane going decently fast or full speed it rides and turns the same aside from the weight difference. If you see the bows high on these boats when trying to get up on plane, the motor isn't trimmed properly. I keep my motor trimmed all the way down when getting up on plane to keep the bow down, then I trim up after I'm on pad to get some more top speed. If I keep the motor tripped up from the start the bow raises a little, but its not an issue. On the 1436 the bow would come up pretty high when tripped up, but that's because it was so light.
@@FloBass thank you for your help. Last boat I had it was a 16 foot tracker with a 50 horse motor. Had a side console and everything it was set up really nice front and rear depth finder built in fuel tank, but the side console always took up a lot of room in the boat and I sold it about 12 years ago. Definitely getting another boat this spring and I said I would get a 14 footer 15 Max with no side console. Something lighter easier to drop in the lake and more room. The boat I had was overkill for the small Lake I always go to and it was too small for me to take on Lake Michigan that is a mile away from me. I really like the setup of this Alumacraft boat you have. To me it is a perfect for planning a perfect setup. I have a really nice like new running 9.9 2 stroke I just need the boat to go with it. Your boat with a 20 or 25 is perfect. But since I have a 99 I'm sure it will do me just fine on a small Lake. My only problem going to be as finding one with everything going on this year. The Alumacraft is the perfect boat. You're doing a great job on the videos keep them coming I love that boat.
Thanks! I spend 13 hours out on a big lake this past weekend with a buddy. It definitely was a lot more comfortable than the 1436
The new Euro GTIs are rated at something crazy like 1600KG.
Greetings from Australia/Down Under, mate! Pretty awesome to see smaller cars tow trailers with a fishing boat attached. I had this idea (with my previously owned Yaris), but chickened out. I had the tow bar/trailer hitch installed, and was going to tow a 3m Polycraft Boat with it. I think, in total (considering the weight of the trailer, outboard, electric motor, and boat) the weight would have equalled to approximately 350kg/770lbs. According to the Yaris manual this is doable, as the maximum (unbraked) weight towed is 500kg/1100lbs. I was going to install and utilize that set-up for targeting a fish we have here called Murray Cod. They are a bit similar to the Largemouth Bass you have in the States. However, from Sydney (where I live) to some destinations that hold Murray Cod, the drive is 5+ hours, or roughly 250+ miles. I spoke with the reps at Toyota here in Australia (where towing is permitted in a Yaris) and theoretically it was/is doable. However, I ended up buying a Toyota Hilux, which burnt some deep holes in my pockets. Awesome to see you're living the dream, and not allowing vehicle dimensions to interfere with that. Watching this video is making me question whether I sell the bigger rig and go back to the small but mighty option lol. Take care!
If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't get rid of the Hilux. The convenience a pick up truck affords is unmatched. Also, if yours is equipped with 4x4, you'll be able to access fishing spots that you wouldn't be able to in a small vehicle.
@@FloBass completely agree. I do reminisce about my little silver bullet/Yaris. However, as the Hilux is diesel, and has 4x4 capabilities, it is more suited to the Aussie landscape, which can offer some pristine surroundings that are sometimes only accessible by 4wd.
@@dimitrimurraytrout8052 A 2 wheel drive with lockers & lower tire pressure in the rear will help You’re 2 weel drive go a good bit further off road. Then you can just air up the rear tires, when you get back on the road.
@@zachsheffee8458, thanks for that reply, mate. I completely agree in decreasing the tyre pressure for taking the car off-road with the trailer. Very smart idea indeed!
I want to take my family's 15ft boarded Bonita it has 4 cylinder 50hp outboard.two stroke. I think it was weighed once A T just under 1,000lbs All I have is a little 2007 pontiac vibe thats stickshift, but the towing capacity is 1,500lbs. The main problem is the steep hill to climb up to my house. It'150ft-200ft evelation change on a 1/2 mile hill with curves. There is a four way stop with a traffic light at the top.
I drive a Volkswagen Passat tdi and bought a Jon boat because my car can tow it. I haven't done it yet as I'm still building out my Jon boat but the only thing im really scared of is the boat launch as I've seen trucks have problems at some of the steeper ones especially when they are busy and wet.
I wouldn't stress about it. I've never had any issues. I've gone up some pretty steep ramps with no issues when wet. Also rutted dirt ramps as well. Front wheel drive is pretty capable. You need to remember that towing a jon boat is close to the same weight of having a full load of people in your car. They wouldn't put five seat belts in there if it couldn't handle that amount of weight. When it comes to loosing traction at a ramp just keep the wheel speed slow while they're slipping and slowly steer the car left and right to look for traction. I've launched at a ramp that at low tide would have a muck line on the ramp and my front wheels would always be on it. My wheels would always slip, but I'd basically have to do a low speed burnout to clear out the area under the tires and would eventually wear away the muck and they'd grip. It would make a good video, but I don't have the GTI any more.
Thank you! I’m having a hitch put on my beetle so I can get a sea doo
Nice! You will 100% be able to tow that with your car. Have fun and be safe!
Stupid question but can you still launch at a wet boat ramp like when it’s been raining or still is does the fwd have any issue with traction ?
Wet launches are no issue. Dirt ramps are also fine as well. Only time I struggled was in a tidal system. It was bottom of low tide and when I was leaving the front wheels were right on top of the low tide line on the ramp and spun. I just had to work the wheel left and right and eventually found traction.
Like Andy s said....small boats can be pulled with a Prius. My 1436 Tracker with 6hp and deck on a Travel-All trailer has no problems at all. Most my towing is flat or slight hills. And most docks are nice ribbed cement with barely any grade.
I am about to tow my 14 foot jon with a 2018 cruze hatchback
A TDI with upgraded brakes (ceramics) and high temp fluid would be better but while being proactive in checking coolant, oil, filters etc that’s all you need.
"The best tool for the job is the one that's available to you."
lol the breaks will have zero temp in them sitting at a boat ramp
Ill be doing this with my toyota camry 2001
What kind of trailer are you pulling and how do you know the weight of it?
Its a continental trailer. They list the weight of each trailer model. I took my car and trailer to the local dump and weighed it on their scale with and without the trailer because I wanted to know the exact weight of the boat/trailer out of curiosity.
@@FloBass Thanks! I own a Civic Si and am looking to pick up a 1546 MV
You should be able to tow that boat no problem.
i have a 2012 ford mondeo and a trailer that wheighs 300 lbs and a boat with outboard that wheighs 660lbs give or take, and i wondered if i would have a problem but apperatnly not
I just got my first bass boat and with the trailer I’m less then a (1,000) I got a 2011 VW cc sport It’s a manual as well, everything I’m reading is telling me not to tow with my car any information would be a great help!👍🏻 thank you for the awesome video!!
I really don't know anything about your car, but Curt definitely makes a hitch for it, and wiring harness. Just head over to curtmfg.com and select trailer hitches. You'll be able to select your vehicle and the options will come up. The hitch is a bolt on installation, so it should be really easy to install. The wiring will be more complicated, but if I can do it, anyone can. You have a longer wheel base than my GTI, so it would be even more stable than my vehicle while towing. My towing weight is less than 1000lbs as well, and you can see how easily I can tow my boat. Everything online says the same thing about my car. It's not recommended for towing. I've been towing with the GTI for 2 years with no issues. I've been towing all sorts of trailers since I started driving with all sorts of vehicles. RV's, 3500 dually's, box trucks, single axle full size trucks, so I have a lot of experience, but with your car and boat it doesn't take a lot of experience to tow it safely and correctly. I think the main thing you want to insure is to make sure you don't have a lot of tongue weight on the hitch when the trailer is hooked up. The class 1 hitches our cars use have a 200lb tongue weight limit. As long as your trailer sits level when connected to the hitch, you'll be no where near the max tongue weight. Then its just a matter of taking it slow in the beginning when you're driving and slowly build your confidence over time. Try to avoid busy times when your starting out towing, and definitely practice backing up and making turns in reverse in an empty parking lot so you can learn how to back the trailer down a ramp straight. There's a lot of good videos on how to reverse with a trailer, but the biggest key is to not make big turns with the steering wheel and take your time. Small movements with the wheel.
What bass boat is that? I'm looking into some kind of Jon, maybe a 1648 Grizzley by tracker.
What's the total cost with outboard and trolling motor?
Do u have a 2in hitch?
I wanna do this to my Integra. I’m sure your vdub is manual correct?
You know how I know you didn't watch the video? LOL, j/k. Yeah its a manual. That's all I've driven since I learned how to drive.
Is that a class 1 hitch? I’m currently putting a class 1 on my Mazda cx3 to tow a 14 foot Jon boat with a 20hp Tohatsu.
Yes it is a class 1
I have a 13' focus and pondering if I could pull a 14-16' v-bottom fishing boat.....they don't weigh that much, lol.
I'm not sure if you could tow with that car or not. I found the towing info in my owners manual, yours might have it as well.
You can do this in South Florida on flat ground!
It can be done anywhere
Whats the total weight of boat and trailer?
Does this work on a steeper ramp? Almost all the ramps around where I live are probably double that.
The ramp in this video is very mellow, indeed. Most of the ramps I regularly use are much steeper, and the car handles it with no issue. Same with dirt ramps. I've gone up and down ramps just fine where rear wheel drive only trucks cant make it out. The boat and trailer doesn't weigh more than having 4 grown adults in the car, so its not trying to pull more weight than what it was designed for.
Interesting point your gti being fwd instead of rwd is probably what allows you to pull this off
@@johnalvarado1337 definitely helps. Technique plays a bigger roll I think. Having the right equipment and not towing a load too heavy is the other half. You could do a lot with a rear wheel drive truck as long as it had a limited slip diff at the least. Most are just open differentials and you peel one tire and go nowhere.
hey, would it be okay to use a screenshot from your youtube video of your boat on my blog boaterpal? I would of course give credit by linking to your youtube.
Sure
What year is your golf ?
2006
What kind of Transom saver is used? I just bought a waterfowler 15 and i am searching for a saver fitting My boat and trailer. Seems like you är using One with an angle. My outboard is a Mercury 20hp without powertrim.
Honestly I don’t remember the brand name. I bought it off Amazon a while ago. There were a bunch of them on there.
Where did you get the ball height increaser?
I'm not sure what you mean by ball height increaser. If you're talking about the ball mount that swings up from under the bumper, that is the one that came with my receiver hitch. It's an 1-1/4" hitch and when you're dealing with low vehicles like mine, that is the standard mount that comes with it. You can buy them separately, but they only make them like that for 1-1/4" hitches. I also have a raised ball. It has a 2" rise. You can find both on curtmfg.com
I tow my 130 whaler with a cx 30 no problems, pretty much all awd cars can tow this little boat
I'm sold! Im getting a VW and a boat.
I can agree with the latter half of this statement. lol
Wow you americans sure have an issue with sticks. Its so easy. Nice vid.
I get looks also I tow a 10ft aluminum tracker topper jon boat with a Chevy colorado little boat with a little truck lol
Does this car have the 2.5L engine?
2.0 turbo
Try leaving your hatch open while backing down to the water. Then you’ll be able to see your trailer without hanging out the window
I have to fold the rear seats down as well for that to work. Just not worth it. The rock crawling days in my XJ have got sticking my head out the window engraved into my brain.
what is the name of this boat
Alumacraft Waterfowler
Where in SOFLO are you
Broward
I pulled an overloaded U-Haul trailer from Florida to Washington State, up and over the Rocky Mountains with no problems, with my 2016 Kia Soul. Now I pull my 14’ trailer with a 10’ Livingston with no issues. Little cars are much more capable than most realize. The only issues I ever have are the looks, judgement, and anxiety I get from it at the boat ramp haha. FYI to all, many of the little cars we drive are rated to tow and they tow regularly in Europe and Australia etc. The only reason it seems taboo or against “manufacturer recommendations” in America is 100% because of insurance bullshit. I purchased a Draw-Tite hitch (Curt also makes one) that was already designed for the Soul. Kia themselves install factory bolt holes for trailer hitches before it even leaves the factory, so no drilling was required. Completely bolt-on. Same with the wiring...Curt and others make plug in kits that connect to your tail lights. Don’t be afraid to go for it! Just be smart when towing with ANY vehicle! 😎
I shopped around locally for months and finally found a tilt trailer. That has made it a breeze to launch a boat with a sedan. Most of the time I barely get the trailer tires wet when I launch.
Hey I pull a boat with a mercedes ml320
Haters gonna hate, they tow with smaller cars in the uk all the time. They’ll say it’s cause our roads are faster but in reality it’s to discourage people from towing with a more economical package then spending 60k on a truck to tow a 12 ft John boat…
1st
It’s rude of people to take pictures!
It’s illegal for them to take your picture without your permission in the state of Florida! Florida is one of the few states like that!!
I plan on towing a 25 Foot Panga boat /single Axle Trailer with a 2017 Kia Sedona. 25 ???? The boat weighs 915 pounds , the trailer weighs 800 pounds and the 60 HP Suzuki is about 230 pounds. Probably 2100-2200 pounds total. Imagine how many crazy looks I get at the ramp and on the road. You Freshwater guys/ Bass boat guys should look at this boat.
$9,000 for the bare hull boat, $4000 for the trailer, $8000 for the Suzuki 60.
You can have one more choice! What about adding another winch to your tow and use this instead of getting the car into the water? In the end you will have 2 winchs, 1 for boat and 1 for tow
Lol I have electric parking brake but I think I can do with out
You have a manual transmission vehicle with an electric parking brake?
@@FloBass yeah 6 speed honda civic
Aw thats no fun
@@FloBass lol yeah I been towing small trailer but never a boat into water
@@FloBass my 2020 Corolla also has an electronic parking brake despite being a 6 speed. The only complaint I have with the car.
Your honestly better off with the manual transmission.
That’s the only trans I’ll choose. I won’t have that luxury when I move up to a full size truck unless I go with a diesel, but the gas engines are way more fuel efficient. Used to be the other way around...
People really have a misconception about towing with small vehicles. Jon boats and small skifs could be towed with a Prius cause they’re so light. I towed my 17 foot daysailer sailboat home today on a 2 hour drive with a jeep renegade and regularly tow a 20 foot pontoon with a 125 on the back and it pulls it fine. All you really need is the tow hitch. I hope people don’t think that they need to buy a big truck to tow stuff
I have a guy who owns a commercial grade lawnmower and pulls it around in a Toyota Corolla when he brings it to my shop
You get so much attention because people in America are brainwashed to think you need to have a pickup truck to do literally anything other than drive to get groceries. Talk to a European or anybody from anywhere other than middle America haha. It's crazy that people will even know that a car has a toke capacity and yet blow off that you would even use it to. Most decent sized domestic cars in America can tow at least 750lbs according to the manufacturer Even when there's no transmission cooler or anything like my mom's 2013 Chevy impala or dad's 2010 Malibu.
That’s not a boat lol. It’s a kayak with a electric bike motor
A real man drives a stick shift. I have never owned an automatic.
In Germany this is normal lol
Need truck used v8 pull boat 4x4