towing/boat choice

[augie]

Question for the group. Moving to Green Bay in the next few months. I have a Honda Odyssey which has a 3500lb towing capacity. Plan to buy a new boat, something that will be decent on the Bay, Winnebago, and smaller lakes to the north. In the Lund or Alumacraft lines what would be a good choice for larger bodies of water that will stay within my towing capacity. I realize that I need to subtract occupant weight when towing.

Thanks for the help.

PS - who are the better boat dealers in the Green Bay/Fox Valley area?

[CrappieKid]

I think a 1700 Angler would tow fine. Get trailer brakes and a tranny cooler.

It has a nice wide beam and would handle most situations fine. As always if it is going to be real rough stay home to be safe.

TheKid

[Ericp45694]

I own an angler 1700 and tow with a 3/4 ton pickup. Don't try this with a minivan. You better get a larger tow vehicle to handle a boat for the waters you want to fish. good luck and be safe. Eric

[fishhunter]

All right, this is sad, YOU DONT NEED A 3/4 ton pickup to pull any walleye boat. Its nice but sure not needed. We pulled a 26' 5th wheel and 18' boat behind it with a half ton. Your vehicle will pull any 17' boat on the market, just make sure to get the brakes on the trailer.

[augie]

I was thinking of the 1600 Explorer SS or the 1700 Explorer SS. I figure the towing weight with trailer, motor, boat and fuel will be around 2000 lbs. I will take the advice to add trailer brakes. When I had the hitch put on the van I had transmission and power steering coolers installed. Sounded like I would have voided my warranty if I had not.

[Crappie Kid]

Which motor(s) were you considering on an Explore?

I towed a 1650 Angler SS for 4 years without a problem, just limited performance and stopping distance. When I added trailer brakes last year that made a huge difference. Now I have a midsize SUV and a backup tow vehicle.

[augie]

I was thinking of getting a Yamaha.

[Jimmy Jones]

Most people do not know that the Odyssey has a 245 hp motor, and is on the exact same platform as the Honda Pilot. The Honda Pilot has the same 3500# towing capacity, but is rated for 4500# if it is towing a boat.

I tow an Alumacraft 190 150hp, dual axle trailer with brakes with an Odyssey with no problem at all...this is no windstar! I think the total weight when fully loaded is around 3000#.

Jimmy

[fshrman-r72]

As far as boat dealers, try Pamps in Green Bay, Mr. Outboard in DePere or Ed's Boats in Green Bay or Appleton. These are the three that I would recommend however there are several others I'm sure.

Good Luck in your decision.

My Dad always said
"When everything fails read the directions"

[Crappie Kid]

Yamaha F115?

Great location by the way. You are within a hour or 2 from some of the best fishing in the US (Fox system, Wisconsin system, Gladstone, Door Co., Eagle River area and on and on.).

[cjb]

I like the need a 3/4 ton comment!
does that mean that anyone with a larger glass "big water/offshore" style boat needs a 2.5 ton truck and a CDL?

[really]

So boats tow easier than say a camper trailer?If it's a boat it can tow 4500lbs. but a camper trailer only 3500lbs?

[tjsker]

I've owned an Odyssey and just bought a 1700 Angler. In my opinion, the 1700 Angler is a little too large for the Ody. Not every boat launch is flat and made of cement, some are steep and sandy (wheels could slip). I would also want a stronger engine merging into highway traffic with a loaded 1700 and van.

If you're really set on the 1700, you may want to see if the dealer will let you test tow it.

[triton]

Is the Odyssey front wheel drive, front wheel drive is horrible on a boat ramp because all the weight is in the rear of the vehicle.

[tjsker]

Yes, it has FWD.

[OOC]

Have you ruled you out glass boats?If you have ,why? Green Bay and Winnebago get mighty rough.I went from a 17' alum. boat to glass boat with very similar dimensions and the same 115hp outboard and now comfortably fish on days that used to soak me to the bone and jar teeth loose.Yarcraft,Tuffy,Patriot and Warrior are all locally available,aren't that much more money and all have boats that will perform well with 115hp.Personally,I wouldn't recommend towing anything with a FWD van.Down the street to the neighbor launch might be OK,but other that that a 1/2 ton pick-up or van is a must for comfort,safety and longevity.

[Das Boot 3]

People trying to pull out of the ramp with FWD minivan do provide mighty interesting entertainment tho :D

[The ORB]

I have a Lund 1700 Pro Sport with a Yammy F90 and a Shorelandr trailer without brakes. I tow it with an Odyssey (had the tranny cooler added). The van tows the boat fully loaded with no problems, and stops pretty well also, albeit I have only had the boat since October. I think the only issue you might have is if you expect to have to deal with any nasty ramps. As already mentioned the van has plenty of power but any vehicle with front wheel drive has limits once you start talking about very steep or slippery ramps. In an ideal world I'd have a heavy duty 4WD tow vehicle, but it's all about compromises and so far mine is working out OK for my purposes.

[Knockers]

I towed my Mr. Pike 16 with a V6 Toyota Tacoma. It does the job ok--not great! After 3 years of towing it, my transmission went out at the end of last summer. I'm looking to buy a V8 now, 1/2 ton truck possibly crewcab now. Skip the Minivan and buy a 1/2 ton crewcab--I'm not saying it will not tow your rig. It will tow but you'll find out after at least 2 years of doing it.

Good luck.

[MrWalleye73]

Great, Green Bay. You are in a world of fishing wonder up there. Sturgeon Bay, an hour ride at most, is a great fishing spot for almost all the species. Door County, excellent for smallmouth, especially out of Gills Rock and Washington Island. I can go on and on. I wish I could find a company that was in my "field" up there. I'd move there in a heartbeat.

Chris