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I Got a Boat! (Towing it with my Camry)
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So I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been busy preparing for and buying a boat!
The preparation involved getting the Camry ready to tow and making room in my garage for the boat.
The tow setup is an Eckharts weld on hitch (up to 2000 lbs) with standard 4 plug wiring. I initially went to Uhaul but they could not bolt their hitch up because one of my tow bolt threads was stripped. The whole setup with wiring cost me $245.
Getting the garage ready was the hard part. Fitting a 15 foot boat on a trailer with an outboard hanging off the back was not easy. If anyone is interested I can elaborate.
Last week, I drove 100 miles to pick up the boat. It’s a 1995 Boston Whaler 15 Dauntless with a 50 horse Honda 4 stroke. I estimate the total towing weight to be around 1700 lbs.
I’ve only towed it back from where I bought it, so not too much experience yet. Here is what I can say though – the car handled tailoring surprisingly well. I did drive slowly (<60mph) and kept a long distance from cars in front. The other surprising thing is that out of 250 miles on the tank there were 100 miles towing in traffic and the wagon still got 20.5 mpg!
(if someone wants to post the pics directly to the thread, please do)
Here is a link to a picture of the boat behind the wagon.
This is my non-power boating setup. (two 11 foot kayaks on top of the standard luggage rack with a Yakima Mega Warrior cargo box)
The preparation involved getting the Camry ready to tow and making room in my garage for the boat.
The tow setup is an Eckharts weld on hitch (up to 2000 lbs) with standard 4 plug wiring. I initially went to Uhaul but they could not bolt their hitch up because one of my tow bolt threads was stripped. The whole setup with wiring cost me $245.
Getting the garage ready was the hard part. Fitting a 15 foot boat on a trailer with an outboard hanging off the back was not easy. If anyone is interested I can elaborate.
Last week, I drove 100 miles to pick up the boat. It’s a 1995 Boston Whaler 15 Dauntless with a 50 horse Honda 4 stroke. I estimate the total towing weight to be around 1700 lbs.
I’ve only towed it back from where I bought it, so not too much experience yet. Here is what I can say though – the car handled tailoring surprisingly well. I did drive slowly (<60mph) and kept a long distance from cars in front. The other surprising thing is that out of 250 miles on the tank there were 100 miles towing in traffic and the wagon still got 20.5 mpg!
(if someone wants to post the pics directly to the thread, please do)
Here is a link to a picture of the boat behind the wagon.
This is my non-power boating setup. (two 11 foot kayaks on top of the standard luggage rack with a Yakima Mega Warrior cargo box)
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
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3,234 Posts
nicely done! (nice boat too.)
just curious, are you planning on getting a transmission fluid cooler of any sort? dont know if its needed, i just just curious.
nice camry by the way.
just curious, are you planning on getting a transmission fluid cooler of any sort? dont know if its needed, i just just curious.
nice camry by the way.
Joined
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328 Posts
Thank you for posting the pic!
No plans on getting a transmission fluid cooler for now. We will see how it does. I will change the fluid and filter though.
Does anyone know signs of transmission oil overheating?
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
I was wondering when that would pop up:lol:
I'm glad that my other vehicle is a 2007 F-150 Crew Cab 5.4 3v with 3.73 rear end gearing & tow package! That kind of load on a Camry's tranny will put an early death to it!!!
Well..it will become burnt and change color. By the time you git that figured out...yer transmission will lose most of it's life by then. Yer clutches will shred by the time you figure it out. ATF will lose half it's life fer every 40°F above normal temps. You can't overcool ATF in normal ambient temps.
Git the biggest stacked plate transmission cooler you can git and install it. B&M 70264 from Summit Racing is a good one. You might even consider gitting a trans fluid temp gauge, too! Also, don't use the plastic ties to fasten the cooler to yer radiator. It will eventually kill yer radiator from the physical contact. Use the included metal straps and secure it to yer car that way.
John from IPT posted this thread over at TundraSolutions.com...
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328 Posts
No suspension work. With the trailer on, the rear did not drop by much. The tongue weigth must not be much (~200lbs?).
Getting a transmission oil cooler and service tomorrow per recommendations.
Thank you!:thumbsup:
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