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How much boat can I pull with a Chevy S10?

41K views 53 replies 42 participants last post by  german dude 
#1 ·
Hi guys and gals

I am an avid bank fisherman but everytime a boat passes by my heart starts pounding. I would like to own a boat, big enough to cruise arround Hagg Lake or take it out on the Willamette. I'm not even thinking about taking it out on the Big C or any big rivers. I've never owned a boat before so big rivers or the Ocean scare the daylights out of me. So what do you think? How much boat can I pull with my 97 Chevy S10 two wheel drive? I would like to have a boat with a canopee to be protected from the elements. Watching guys going up and down the river in an open sled doesn't look like alot of fun. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!!!

--- Vinnie
 
#34 ·
Not sure if you are Oregon or Washington but the question should be how much weight can my vehicle stop? From the State of Washington "
Trailers with a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or less must
be equipped with brakes if the weight of the trailer(s) exceeds 40 percent of the weight of the towing vehicle."
Found this out from the state patrol when towing a 17 Alumalweld FV with a Toyota SR5 V6.
 
#36 ·
I had a 16' Smokercraft Pro Alaskan that I almost kinda wish I still had. Light, cheap to run and handled heavy water on the Columbia pretty well. I had the opportunity to get it on a scale once and I believe it tipped in around 1200 pounds. Just about any riveted boat should be easily handled by your truck. A 15' Alaskan would be ideal for you, in my opinion. The 93 17' Alumaweld requires at least a stout v6 if not a v8 to tow competently, but it sure is a lot more comfortable.

The only place I've ever had to bump the truck into 4x4 was a ramp that tends to build up sand and gravel. I probably could dig my way through it with 2wd but if I already have the 4x4 and it's easier, I'm going to do that.
 
#39 ·
Thank you all fellow iFishers for your advise, recomendations and safety concerns. At this point I lean towards " Don't even try"....I wish I could try to pull someones boat up the Ramp in dry summer weather like conditions just to get a feeling Thank you all......
------Vinnie
 
#40 ·
"Don't even try?" Seriously?

I see irresponsible boat owners doing all kinds of crazy stuff at the boat ramps all the time. If you pay attention to what you're doing, you'll be fine. I'm sure there are plenty of ifishers who would be more than happy to go out with you to show you the ropes and how to do things safely.
 
#42 ·
I am pulling a 16 foot riveted boat WEIGHS 1350 pounds (boat and trailer) with my 2011 Ford Ranger PU. But I do have a 4L motor and disck bakes on all four wheels plus it is a 4X4.
I have also pulled a 16 Foot Smoker Craft sled with an old 3L Bronco II never had a problem with it.

If you do not have a limited slip rear end or 4 wheel drive it may cause you some grief.

DAB
 
#43 ·
It bears worth repeating for all those who didn't read the start of the thread: he has a 2.2 liter 4 cylinder engine, about as weak a truck as can be imagined and significantly less than a v-6. CW
 
#50 ·
And change the oil and oil filter every 3,000 miles if you pull a boat a lot. The load will have an impact on the wear of your engine . . . over time. So keep up the scheduled maintenance and you'll be good on all the suggestions everyone has made.

I have a powerful truck for my boat, but I still like to give the engine a chance to warm up before I leave the driveway or head down to the ramp again. Let it all warm up (oil/fluids) before you put it under load. That will help keep it on the road without problems.
 
#52 · (Edited)
I pulled my 14' smokercraft for 18 years with a Toyota 4 cylinder pickup. Zero issues. If the ramp you use a lot gives you wheel spin issues, have your buddy sit in the bed of the truck. I only found one fairly unimproved ramp that I had to do that on. And I love fishing out of that boat. 6 gallons lasts a summer, and you can trailer it by yourself.
 
#53 ·
I fished a 14' smokercraft for years. My girlfriends 4-runner pulled it no problem. (You could definitely tell it was there though)
I loved it despite its lack of space. You could get that boat into anywhere. I fished the willy, big c, baker bay(actually every bay north of siletz minus a couple), a bunch of central Oregon lakes(if you've been on them you know how bad the wind waves are) and countless small hidden coastal lakes that my boat currently would never be able to even launch in and its only two feet bigger.

I'm not proud of it, but it was my first boat and I put that thing through hell! It took every beating I could give it! Even for a riveted boat you really can't compare the quality vs the price of one of them. Great little boat...

I would recommend something more like a 25hp outboard. My 18hp tohatsu was fine. But in the wind it was a rough wet ride back
 
#54 ·
Thank you to all fellow Ifishers for your advise and safefy concerns. I really appreciate all your replies concerning my original post. I have not come to a conclusion yet but since I can not afford a bigger Truck I will take your advise and look around for an Alaskan Smokercraft. Man...I wish someone would give me a chance to pull one of thoze up the boat ramp to see how it goes. Never seen a Chevy S10 2WD pulling a boat out of the water and I have been around alot of boat ramps :-(
 
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