Community Forums

Spikester · 10-26-2011, 10:32 AM

The one thing I would recommend is having a reciever mounted on the front and launching your boat from the front especially if you have a back-up camera. Much easier backing with the boat and/or trailer following rather than leading. Also drivers are always on dry ground rather than a wet launch. Been launching boat 18 - 20 ft runabouts this way for many years with both gas and desiel pushers, much pefer the DP because of all the torque.

Spike

historyljc · 10-26-2011, 10:15 PM

My rig has a 350 CAT that I use to pull a 6.000 lb pickup with no problems. I'm normally running a little over 30,000 lbs on the rig plus the PU. I don't think you would have any problem with the AD from a power standpoint. The most of the weight is going to be in the back so you should get good traction on the rear wheels.

Dutch Star Don · 10-27-2011, 10:06 AM

Xtreme244tug......I'm going to disagree with most here. We have a 36' (37' overall) diesel pusher that we used to tow and LAUNCH our 22' SeaRay bowrider (about 5000 pounds). What people are missing is that with a boat your length, is generally floating off the trailer about the time the hitch is reaching the waterline. That means the rear wheels of the coach are about 11' away from the water and the rear of the coach is still about 2' above the water. A diesel in low gear (even the 350 ISC) can just about pull tree trunks out.

The two issues you have to account for are your overall length, because a 27' boat has about 30+ feet of trailer, and the size of the boat ramp turnarounds. Can you get a straight shot where you can straighten the boat out and then back down.

Xtreme244tug · 10-27-2011, 11:21 AM

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it! It is great to hear different opinions and really valuable to hear from people with real world experiance! Our boat is actually 24 feet long and is 27' with the trailer so that is why we are "limited" to a 38' Class A (only about 6 or 8 times bigger than our truck camper!!). I think the launches will certainly determine where we can boat and how easy it will be to launch but it is great to hear that low end power should not be a concern. We will be looking for/at campgrounds with marinas where ever possible, although I have been in the habit of using the truck daily to launch, and it is certainly more of a pain to level and set up than a MH (hopefully!) Thanks again!

Eagle123 · 10-27-2011, 06:23 PM

I have 2000 eagle and you can tow a big boat no problem. I tow one down to the keys every year.

The problem is when you launch with a diesel pusher down a ramp and step on the brake what happens. The weight of the engine pulls up on the front wheel reducing the braking power and the rear wheel slips on slime and oh sh&^% splash!

I had a gas rig and lauched it easily, but when I get the to the keys with my eagle, I going ask someone with a truck if they want to make a quick 20 bucks.

I would recommend a gas rig or a front engine deisel if you need to lauch. Today I just goy done replacing the fuel lift pump in and 350 hp cummins ISC. If you looking at the dream, check ex manifold, radiator, inverter and ball joint boots. I bought mine 1 year ago and sank 10k, plus 4k for tires and still need to pay 3k for new ball joints because the boot are prone to deteriation.

We enjoy the complement and the looks of the eagle. Put miss our hurricane that was paid for, didn't have air bags, valves, hydraulic motors and pumps, air compressor, and norcold fridge that known for starting fires.

Let me know if you have questions. good luck
Bill