Towing a 282 Sailfish

[WiltonGrady232]

My concern would be at the boat ramp. When I first got my 232 I pulled it with an expedition. First, it pulled it, but it didn't really tow it if you understand my meaning. One afternoon I was putting the boat in the water, and as I backed down the ramp the truck went into an uncontrolled slide that didn't end until the boat was in the water enough to lift off of the trailer. I was thankful that I just happened to be lined up correctly on the ramp. The next week I bought an f250.
I can only imagine that an f150 with a 282 would be sketchy at best when backing down the ramp.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Just gonna throw this out there ....bottom paint, dock it for the season at a marina with a pool and bathhouse and that lets you have a grill and a patio table.....bang! summer house! Cheaper than a new truck payment...no hassle... you can load up your truck with stuff for the weekend...
Get it hauled or just use your truck twice a years.

I guarantee you'll use the boat more and enjoy it way more if you don't have to haul it and launch it every time..

 

[Ky Grady]

My concern would be at the boat ramp. When I first got my 232 I pulled it with an expedition. First, it pulled it, but it didn't really tow it if you understand my meaning. One afternoon I was putting the boat in the water, and as I backed down the ramp the truck went into an uncontrolled slide that didn't end until the boat was in the water enough to lift off of the trailer. I was thankful that I just happened to be lined up correctly on the ramp. The next week I bought an f250.
I can only imagine that an f150 with a 282 would be sketchy at best when backing down the ramp.

There's always this!!

 

[DennisG01]

Russ, I think you're on the right track in swapping gears. "Assuming" you're correct that with the new gears it gets you a comfortable margin for trailering (it sounds reasonable that it should), it's not only going to make you legal but it will make a noticeable difference in how the truck pulls the rig. Good investment.

Some ramps are just darned slippery - whether algae or cinders - and you just have to creep very, VERY slowly once the truck starts heading downhill. Getting the EOH brakes will help tremendously with that - in addition to all of the other benefits it offers.

 

[RussGW270]

Guys, I decided after hours of wrangling over how to tow this etc and hours of back and forth with the costs of getting the truck where I could be happy, the bank would be happy, the people I spoke to would be happy, the guy at the corner store with the mole growing...

I am not buying the Sailfish. We decided to get the Islander instead and to soend the axle gear money on a hard top to replace the bimini.

I hated telling the Sailfish guy, but I was worn out. Even the bank was starting to give me grief...which, don’t care who ya are, never heard of them caring.

Truth be told, we wanted an Islander, but all the ones we saw were either high priced or flat out not taken care of.

This one is awesome and just needs a hard top.

Not sure what that will cost, but hoping it is not 12k bucks.

We will see.

So, rest safe...we are towing lighter.

Russ

 

[alashley]

OK. I came into this conversation late after being off the site for a few days.
I have a 2001 282. It is kept in dry stack in the local marina. That is more of a
convenience than having to store or tow it around. The only time(s) it got towed
was bringing to the house for maintenance and we then had to borrow a trailer.
The estimated weight of the whole rig was about 10K.
What I have not seen, or missed, was the part about putting the boat on the
trailer and PULLING it up the ramp. That is where you have that total weight
plus the angle of the ramp plus consider a wet ramp and loss of traction.
There seems to be no standard on ramp angles and there are both shallow
and steep ones here. With the shallow ones you end up with the rear wheels
in the water just to get the boat on the trailer.
We pulled the boat out with a GMC 6.6 litre dually diesel, 2WD and it was a chore
to get started. On the highway she just purred along but it is a gigantic boat
to move over highway/streets and we were only going 8 miles each way.
We now have a new Silverado turbo-diesel 4WD, but I think this will be at the
tow limit. Fortunately the dealer has in-water drop off. I just need to get it there.

As Robert Ruark used to say about safari hunting: "Bring enough gun"

 

[Deep Blue]

Russ,
I have a 282 Sailfish, a 2003, and tow with an F-250. Mine is slightly different because I ordered my truck with the diesel so it has tons of grunt. That being said, it tows really well but keep two things in mind. Leave plenty of stopping distance and be prepared for the folks who like to leave their off-ramp lane changes to the last second. Other than that, the entire rig is heavy but predictable and stable.

 

[grady23]

Just a guide, but most trailer folks will tell you not to exceed 80% of your tow vehicles capacity and the same with the trailer. I used to tow my '97 Gulfstream with twin 150s using my 2003 1/2 ton Chevy Suburban. It had 3.73 gears and a 285HP small block. It did fine on level roads, but long hills would find me at 4500RPM and my foot on the floor and struggling to maintain 45MPH. I had the boat positioned perfectly on a dbl axle 7000Lb aluminum trailer with14in wheels. The Sailfish is considerably heavier and a 1/2 ton vehicle would be really pushing things. I don't trust the trailer ratings that Ford or anyone else uses for marketing. I now tow with a 2012 Silverado ext cab that has a 6.6 Duramax turbo Diesel. NO comparison is stability or power. Pricey-- YES. but putting a small block engine under extreme loads will kill it FAST. Towing is about 2 things, weight and torque. IF you do go the route of 1/2 ton truck< I would spend the extra money to equip the trailer with electric over Hydraulic braking system. Surge brakes can be dangerous when the towed vehicle starts pushing around the tow vehicle. As for tongue weight, it should not be more than 15% of the towed weight. Even then, You want the tow vehicle to Always S be in A LEVEL ATTITUDE. adding a weight distributing hitch may help, but I'm not sure how it would affect the surge brake assembly. Not trying to preach, but I've seen one too many accidents when a towing setup was not done correctly. My trailer frame is rated for 10k, but the suspension is only good up to 7000lb.