i'm gearing up to buy a wakeboarding boat at the show in a couple weeks... this will be the first thing I've towed with the SCrew (I haven't towed anything since my grandfather's old bass boat with his old chevy years ago).

other than a hitch ball, I should be all set with the ford tow package, right?

the boat is 3200 pounds, not sure what a tandem trailer will add to that. I will have the boat in dry storage most of the year, so i actually won't have to tow much as they'll launch it for me 90% of the time. one trip annually up to lake oroville, san jose or sacramento now and then for maintenance, and that's about it.

anyone towing a similar setup with a 150? anything I should be aware of/watch for?

thanks,
Wes

 

As far as the weight goes, you should be fine. I'd guess the trailer itself weighs in at around 1000 #'s. Giving you a total DRY weight of 4200 #'s.

Whenever you get weights from the manufacturer, it's the DRY weight only. Meaning, no gas, no bodies, no supplies etc. The trailer should have a MAX GVWR which is the maximum weight the trailer can handle fully loaded. (includes all the above stuff AND the weight of the trailer itself. (that should be listed too.)).

IMO, as long as that GVWR rating is under 6000 #'s, your F150 should be OK.

Now, since it sounds like you haven't towed for some time, you may want to consider some test driving before heading out on the highway. Try to find an empty parking lot. Then practice turning, stopping and backing up. Depending on if the trailer has brakes, that'll really make a big difference on the stopping part.

Before heading down the boat ramp, make sure you remove the straps holding the rear of the boat to the trailer! AND make sure the drain plug is inserted!!! It seems obvious, but I've seen many new boaters forget this and wonder why they can't back the boat off the trailer!! or wonder why it's filling with water!

And remember, when you are towing, you won't have the same passing power or hill climbing ability as when empty, so allow more distance and stay in the right lane while going up hills.

Happy boating!

 

thanks Mitch! I've already got my practice spots picked out :-) thanks again for your help!

Wes

 

I tow a 21' V drive Centurion with a tandem trailer with both my '98 Trooper and my wifes '98 X with no problems. The X handle better but the 4 wheel drive on the Trooper is a big help on slippery ramps. The new 295/45/18's do help now as the old Goodyears were getting a little bare. Be sure to get brakes on the trailer. Much higher comfort factor as well as being much safer.

 

MitchF150 hit most of it on the head. You should be fine.

And as for some of his newby advise, don't ignore it. I'm not saying a word, but yes, check the transom straps! It's not a bad idea, to actually have a check list to verify. Forget what anyone things, it's easy to forget what seems to be simple and obvious things. Take your time!

Oh, and always, always before you move, make sure you are 100% certain that the drive it UP! I've smoothed mine 2 times coming out of the lake and once lulling away from my house! Luckily, my skeg had a small "chuck" taken out by the original owner so that's whay I say I smoothed it out, that's exactly what I did. Before the season hits with a blast, I'm having the skeg repaired and of course while it's there, having the props balanced, blueprinted and maybe even tip cupped just a tad. You know, since I can't just add a chip, I want to get every MPH possible out of her.

 

Which wakeboard boat are considering?

 

Also -- make sure you have the overdrive off when you pull any trailer.

 

thanks for the tips guys... ordered the team edition on my birthday at the SF show, black gelcoat like the web site pic:

http://www.correctcraft.com/teamEdition_index.cfm

can't wait!

the boat and truck should match well =)
Wes

 

Nice ride for the water!! Someday I would like to have a Nautique but for now I board/slalom behind my dad's Stingray 606ZP. Now you just need a couple of gals in black bikinis to match the black truck and boat! Did you get the Vette motor in it (345 HP) ??

-Matt

 

hi Matt, I was going to go with the base GT40 but in the end decided to go with the Chevy Excalibur (330hp)... Ford is out of GT40 blocks and while they say they have parts for the next 10 years I figured that in the interest of service and resale value it would be worth the upgrade to the Chevy...

 

I own a F150 but like Chevys as well (sold my 1984 Chevy Camaro this summer). We have the Vortec 4.3L Mercruiser in Stingray and have had nothing but good luck with it...no problems at all. Sometimes I wish it had the 350 but 58mph out of a 200HP 4.3L is almost too much for the small lake we live on. Also, my Camaro had 125k miles on it and ran quiet and strong...my 97 F150 XLT 4x4 w/ 4.6L 5spd was so noisey I had to rebuild it with only 94k miles!! So...I love Ford trucks but I too would have gone with the Chevy motor.

 

On the "turn your OD off towing any trailer", I'd respectfully disagree. Read you're owners manual for tips on towing as well. Mine weighs in at over 7000# and OD stays on. No problem at all. It'll stay out of OD when it needs to on it's own. Only time I turn it off is when I'm pulling a hill and need/want to speed up instead of just holding speed with torque and it's not kicking down quick enough for me without poking the accelerator.

Yes you're right, towing 7000# I shouldn't be concerned with speeding up that quick. It's once in a blue moon but I still shouldn't be so impatient that I need that extra half second in 3rd.

 

If you're towing in flat areas leave the OD on, if you're towing in hilly terrain, turn it off. Basically if you feel the truck shifting in and out of OD, turn it off.

Another thing is make sure you have the correct height on you're drop down hitch. I pull an 18' bassboat w/ my 00 F150 ORP, and I need to get a hitch with a larger drop. It becomes a huge pain in the a$$ to get the trailer to release from the ball. A couple times I've had to pull the pin at the at the receiver and drive away so the hitch will come out of the receiver. Not the ideal way to unhook a trailer from you're truck.

and like MitchF150 said - MAKE SURE THE PLUG IS IN.

 

Yes, even the most experienced of trailer boaters have forgotten the plug.

Not me, of course. In fact, I'm so afraid of being embarrassed that I've been known to check the plug 10 times before launching, yelling out, "Plug's in!" each time.