Trailering

[Billybo168]

Any suggestions on trailers for a Grady White Fisherman 257? Also, is a 150/1500 truck acceptable or do you recommend a 250/2500? Thanks!

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I have no personal experience with the model in question, that being said... a quick search on the Grady White website shows that a 257 Fisherman with twin Yamaha F200's on it had a test weight of 6,646 lbs. That figure includes "persons, fuel, water, gear, engines & accessories." What it doesn't include would be the weight of the trailer, which my aluminum I-beam trailer for my 228 Seafarer is I believe 925 lbs? So I imagine yours will likely be at least that, if not considerably more, maybe 1,100-1,200 lbs? On top of that, I imagine that's probably with as little fuel on board as possible, of which the 257 Fisherman has a 135 gallon fuel capacity, and the test boat I'm guessing likely ran at 25 gallons or less to get the best fuel economy numbers possible. So... long story short, if you have a pretty heavily loaded down boat with full fuel, lots of fishing gear, coolers/ice, food, water and so forth... I imagine your towing weight could be upwards of 8,000-8,500+ lbs. Of which I imagine you would want something with a 10k lb towing capacity for a boat of that weight/size, so you aren't maxed out and aren't towing at or above your maximum tow rating/capacity. Per Google, a brand new Ford F-150 with the 3.5L eco-boost as well as the 5.0 v8 both have a 10k+ lb towing capacity, same with the Chevrolet 1500. Again, this is just per Google. My tow rig is a 2010 Toyota Tundra with the 5.7L v8 that has just under an 11k lb towing capacity and she tows my boat just fine. My boat itself was around 5,500 lbs and the trailer, again I believe is 925 lbs per the registration sheet... so around 6,500-7,000 lbs total, and that's with just a half tank of fuel, two downriggers, four rods and a few other small items... nothing crazy in size or weight. Not entirely an apples to apples comparison, but should get you in the ballpark, and as stated above... per Google it appears several of the newer 150/1500 trucks should have more than enough towing capacity to do what you need. Good luck!

https://www.gradywhite.com/models/fisherman-257/

 

[family affair]

I had a single engine 248 without a hardtop. The hull is very similar to your 257. It weighed around 5500 lbs fully fueled, watered, etc. I towed thousands of miles over 10 years with 2 different f150s. Both were specially equipped for max towing per engine type. One was a 2.7 ecoboost, the other was a 3.5 ecoboost. Both of pulled the boat extremely well, including in mountains.
As for the trailer, I had a Loadrite Elite that I bought new and paid to have it set up for the boat. The model maxed out at 7200 lbs gross. With around 425 lbs of tongue weight, it pulled perfectly.
Be aware that a Loadrite Elite bought today is not like the trailers of old. Frame, actuator, and lights are similar, but it ends there. Brakes, axles, and spindles are proprietary and are not interchangeable with other manufacturers. I would only order one if you can get one with brakes and axles that are universal. Otherwise you will be stuck with overpriced, underperforming parts that can't be replaced by something better.

 

[DennisG01]

Billy, what weight have you calculated your boat's "wet" weight to be? This means the boat, engine, gear, fuel, etc. After that, figure close to 1,500lbs for an aluminum trailer and close to 2,000lbs for a steel trailer. How does that fall in line with your truck?

Half ton trailering weight ranges fall all over the place depending on year, model, gearing, etc.

Trailer brand? Buy local. Stay away from Venutre and other "value priced" brands - too many issues.

 

[JJF]

I think it depends on what type of trailering you are targeting.

House to local ramp?
Up/down East Coast?
Cross country?
Hilly terrain?