Best Used SUV's to Tow 5k# and Seats Fold Flat For Surfboards?

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DonW

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To tow my GW Adventure 208 one mile to the launch maybe 4x/year. rear seats need to fold down at least halfway, front passenger seat either almost back flat or way forward.
Suggestions welcomed!
TIA
 
Thats why i have truck,
wet, dirty stuff goes in bed and i can tow my 30ft twin axle RV trailer and have my BMW R1250GS in the truck bed.
Option would be a well made roof rack for Surfboards for any SUV of your choice.
Chris
 
Budget? Is this just for your cited short towing duties or do you need it to be a more frequent driver or for long distance trips with/without the boat?

If it is the former and you prefer an SUV to a pickup, lots of options. An old but well maintained 4wd 1/2-ton Suburban or Tahoe works, no need for heavy duty packages etc. for that short tow. Toyota Sequoia, Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango.
 
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I prefer foreign cars for daily drivers/trucks/etc… the top two usually being Honda or Toyota. A 2016 Toyota Highlander with the v6 has a 5k lb towing capacity, as does a 2016 Honda Pilot AWD model. I think we’re going to need a bit more information here like budget, how old of a vehicle you’re looking for and so forth. But the bigger issue is that you’re going to be well over 5k lbs with your boat and trailer. I’d get a full sized suv or a pickup truck that’s rated for 7k lbs as opposed to a smaller mid sized suv. Per the performance data sheet… a Grady White 208 Adventure with either a Yamaha F150/F200 on it had a test weight of 4,211 lbs. Now it does say that includes the weight of persons on board but doesn’t specify how many persons or how much weight they contributed, but I imagine it’s probably 200-300 lbs at least. That being said, I also imagine that 4,211 lb test weight is lower because the fuel tank had minimal fuel in it and there’s likely very little if any additional gear or other added weight on board.

I imagine a moderately loaded 208 Adventure is likely going to be around 4,500 lbs and that’s not including the weight of the trailer. The aluminum I-beam trailer for my 228 Seafarer IIRC is 975 lbs, so roughly 1k, which it’ll be more if you have a galvanized steel trailer and/or some manufacturers just make heavier products. I’d be willing to bet your entire setup will be at least 5,500 lbs total, maybe even closer to 6k lbs. Just depends on your fishing/boating needs, how heavily you weigh the boat down, how much extra gear you’re going to carry on it, etc. A mile on all level roads that are dry and so forth likely wouldn’t be too bad, though I’d be hesitant about launching it and being able to get the boat safely in the water as well as out of the water again, unless you’ve got a launch that puts it on a harness and launches it for you. There was a similar conversation a few months ago about a member looking at doing the same thing with a Chrysler minivan and it wouldn’t be my recommendation to do so. Good luck and be safe.
 
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First off, thanks for the replies.
A truck is not on the list because I keep my boards etc. in the back and they could be stolen. (I actually windsurf/foil/kite so I have a lot of equipment.) In a perfect world I would have one as a third vehicle.

Secondly, Mustang65fbk Wrote:
"There was a similar conversation a few months ago about a member looking at doing the same thing with a Chrysler minivan and it wouldn’t be my recommendation to do so. Good luck and be safe."
That was me. It kills me that there isn't a minivan that can tow 5k, but I guess there is no market or reason for it. I am trying to combine towing capability and the space I have in my minivan as best I can so then we can get a sedan for commuting. Looking at like 18k with lower mileage, but not available unless high mileage. I would love a newer Pilot (my old one died), or a Highlander, but crazy pricey.
As of now, it's either a Pathfinder or maybe a Grand Wagoneer, but I don't know about the seats folding down, I guess I'll go find out!
 
DonW said:
First off, thanks for the replies.
A truck is not on the list because I keep my boards etc. in the back and they could be stolen. (I actually windsurf/foil/kite so I have a lot of equipment.) In a perfect world I would have one as a third vehicle.

Secondly, Mustang65fbk Wrote:
"There was a similar conversation a few months ago about a member looking at doing the same thing with a Chrysler minivan and it wouldn’t be my recommendation to do so. Good luck and be safe."
That was me. It kills me that there isn't a minivan that can tow 5k, but I guess there is no market or reason for it. I am trying to combine towing capability and the space I have in my minivan as best I can so then we can get a sedan for commuting. Looking at like 18k with lower mileage, but not available unless high mileage. I would love a newer Pilot (my old one died), or a Highlander, but crazy pricey.
As of now, it's either a Pathfinder or maybe a Grand Wagoneer, but I don't know about the seats folding down, I guess I'll go find out!
Click to expand...

Where are you located? There’s a handful of Honda Pilot’s and a couple Toyota Highlander’s around here at or near your price range. Or if you’re specifically looking for a van, you could always get a Ford E-350 Econoline 12 passenger van? I think they made them up until 2014 and some were available with a diesel engine in them as well. I imagine those are going to be fairly readily available and well under your $18k budget. Plus depending on the year and model, it’ll have a 7k-10k lb tow rating to it as well as a ton of room for surfboards, gear, etc.
 
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get an early 2000s suburban or tahoe. the first generation 5.3 (pre AFM) is a near bullet proof engine and those trucks are two of the most comfortable SUVs ever made. if you remove the 3rd row and fold down the second row, you have 8ft of flat, level space to put stuff, it s about 6.5 ft in the tahoe. my 2001 suburban was rated for a bit over 7k lbs.

another option would be to get a truck and put a hard shell on it. they can be locked.
 
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Hi Don, I own and tow a GW 208. Mustang was very close on the weight, on a scale, boat, trailer, gear and1/2 fuel tank full my boat weighs 5650 lbs.

I currently tow with a 2019 Toyota Sequoia - tows great with this truck and there is plenty of space in it. Another benefit of the Sequoia is it has a much better turning ratio than most trucks and helps me get into the tight parking spot in my community lot.

Previously, I towed the same boat with a 2006 Toyota 4 Runner - 4wd model. It could tow the boat, but you can definitely feel it back there. Also, on the ramps, the boat would sometimes slide the truck back - so 4wd was a must in my opinion. I towed with this truck for 2 years.

The 208 is a heavy boat, and while I could tow it with a 4 runner, I went bigger for safety reasons. I typically tow, 30 to 70 miles round trip and knew I needed a heavier suv.

Sebastian
 
Looks like a 208 Adventure has an 82 gallon gas tank? If she’s only half full, an extra 40 gallons of fuel at 6 lbs per gallon would be almost another 250 lbs. Meaning you could very well be pushing over 6k lbs on a boat/trailer combo with a full tank of fuel and a moderate amount of gear. I personally wouldn’t want to be towing a setup of that weight in a vehicle with only a 4k-5k lb maximum towing rating.
 
Located in MA.
I am currently looking at Pathfinders ('16-'20). The rating towing capacity is 6k so the specs say. Only problem is, the seats don't fold down much...Also Tahoes/Suburbans but they are monsters!
All suggestions were and are appreciated.
 
There's multiple Honda Pilot's in the general area within your budget that have a clean title, under 100k miles, etc. There's also a couple Toyota Highlander's nearby that are only a couple thousand more, one is a 2018 with 87k miles on it located in Brockton for $21k.
 
I just bought a 2021 F150 5.0 5.5ft bed, f*ckin awesome. Tows my 22' Fisherman with ease and I can put all kinds of good stuff in the truck bed! Located in MA.Truck Boat 1.jpgTruck Boat 2.jpg
 
Because of the Honda Pilot's independent rear suspension set up, there is a little you can do to compensate for rear-end sag. You can buy aftermarket kits, like those sold here: https://flatoutsuspension.net/1622pilot-grlite/. But then you're changing the ride for everyday driving. But, to my knowledge, you can't simply add airbags. On the flip side, the independent rear suspension gives a pretty good ride for a three-row SUV.

We have a 2016 Pilot AWD. Although it is rated to tow 5,000 lbs. provided it has the transmission cooler, it is pushing it to approach that number.

Full disclosure, I have not towed with our pilot. At one point, we were considering downsizing our boat (we had a 208 for ten years) to something we could tow long distances. I talked to a lot of people, mostly towing campers. Their biggest complaint was rear-end sag. But it wasn't all complaints. Most were overall very happy with their Pilots.

But, if you're truly going 1 mile, four times a year, it can handle it. Even then, I would recommend changing the differential fluid at what Honda refers to as 'extreme use' intervals. I've read that Honda's AWD differentials really do require adhering to a strict interpretation of the owner's manual.

We pulled our 208 with an old and tired Chevy Blazer that had less torque, hp and stopping power than the Pilot. We went to the Keys in the heat of summer a couple of times a year. The Blazer complained a lot, but always made it there- and back.

The Honda 6 cyl. engine is great. Decent power for passing. But also has cylinder deactivation that works well. Taking it easy on the highway it can get better than 30 mpg at around a steady 60-65 mph if you choose to.

The second and third row seats fold flat. And if you don't mind a stand-up paddle board as your right arm rest, we have slid that in there a few times as well.

Rob
 
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