I am going camping soon with a few friends and it will be my first time towing a boat (I'm only 23). I'm not sure how much the boat weighs, and my friend has never seen it either but he thinks it is a large 4-person "tin-can" fishing boat.

My concern is that I am planning to carry 6 people (about 900lbs) in my 09 XLT supercrew, will have stuff like tent, grill, canopy and other stuff in the bed, AND am planning to tow this boat.

My truck is rated to tow 8,100 pounds and haul 1,642 pounds, and being a noob my question is does that mean I can haul 1,642lbs AND tow 8,100lbs in the same time?

My friend told me not to worry they fit 8 people in their 2002-something Expedition and towed a large boat at the same time...

 

The 1,642 Cargo weight includes tongue weight of any trailer you hook up to.

 

Pack the stuff in the boat instead of putting it in the bed. That way, only about 15% of its weight will directly impact the truck (tongue weight).

 

Being the econ/math geek that I am.. I ran some numbers.

GCWR with my 3.31 rear axle ratio is 13,500lbs. Truck weighs 5,186lbs and max payload is 1,642lbs so that lowers it to a maximum tow weight of 6,672lbs.

Amirite?

Yes I do have a lot of time right now, no school and only work weekends.

 

I have a 2007 F150 with the 4.6L. I tow a 16 foot deep V with floor etc. through the worst roads imaginable in the wilderness of Northwestern Ontario with 4 fat guys in the truck. You will have 0 problems towing a "tin-can" fishing boat. Enjoy your fishing and don't worry at all your truck will be just fine. Good luck with the fishing!

 

Ha I think he's right. I'm a builder and I can't believe sometimes how much the guys load down their trucks!

 

I would not load my stuff in the boat. That is the wrong way to go. You want your weight in the truck and not in the boat. If the boat should happen to come off, you won't loose all that stuff. Besides, when you are towing something, you want it to be lighter if possible. A truck can haul weight easier than it can tow it.

You should not have an issue with that small of boat. Just be sure and check your rear tire pressures.

 

Kinda sorta. The combined weight of the 3 axles (front, rear, trailer) is limited to 13500#. A 6672# trailer is not going to have 6672# on its axles, some of it is going to be on the tongue, which adds to the truck's weight. So, you should be able to tow more than 6672# as long as the truck with payload plus tongue weight does not exceed the truck GVWR.

You should load it in the boat if loading it in the truck brings the truck over GVWR.