Should I Pull This Boat with My Civic?

[MrSimon]

I found a boat I really like, but its in Connecticut .... 4.5 hours away from me.

I figure:

Boat - 300 lbs
Motor - 125 lbs
Trailer - 275 lbs
Accessories - 50 lbs

TOTAL - 750 lbs

The rating on my Civic is 1000 lbs. I've pulled a 14' shallow V on a small bandit trailer (no motor) and I barely knew it was there. That whole set up was maybe 450 lbs.

My car has a good hitch, tongue weight will be within limits, its a 5-speed which I think is a little better for towing than an auto .... on paper I should be ok, but I'm concerned. I don't want to damage the car, or worse yet - not be able to bring my prize home.

Once I get it home, I'll use my truck or the wife's van to haul it around - but for various reasons I can't take either of those vehicles to bring the boat home .... just have the Civic.

What do you guys think?

 

[bassfisher23]

should be fine there are a few guys on here that tow there boats with cars im sure they will chime in . . but as long as u stay with in your cars towing limit i wouldnt think it would be a problem. . also will u be on mostly on flat highway or is it hilly?

 

[jellio5]

You should be fine remember it's rolling weight you have there so that makes a differance not tongue weight. Make sure you give yourself plenty of room to brake and slow down and shift down to 2nd going up or down hill.
My boat is similar to that one and I tow it with my 94 Cavalier. Make sure you have a good sturdy hitch.

 

[LeviStevenson]

You should definetly be ok....but I think an auto is better for towing....no clutch burnin eh.

 

[dyeguy1212]

You'll be fine. I've pulled similar boats around my yard with just man power.. if your honda can't pull it off, well, never mind. :wink:

 

[bcbouy]

i would try and avoid any long hills,serious brake fade.

 

[MrSimon]

Thanks fellas. I was pretty sure I'd be ok, but its always nice to get some backup.

Now I just have to negotiate price and find a half day to go get it.

 

[po1]

You might need more then half a day off. That Jersey traffic into Connecticut can at times be slow and painful.

 

[acabtp]

You might need more then half a day off. That Jersey traffic into Connecticut can at times be slow and painful.

yeah, especially since you have to go through New York to get between those places?

 

[crkdltr]

I used to pull a small flat bed trailer with a couple of ATV's with my Honda Civic Hatch, 5 speed and had no issues. Just got weird looks and the occasional thumbs up.

So long as the receiver hitch is secured and you have your safety chains and working lights then you'll be fine. Make sure the receiver on the trailer cups the ball good, give yourself enough distance between you and the car you're following as your stopping distance will increase and if you're driving an automatic transmission do not drive in over drive (4th or 5th gear, which ever it is).

 

[MrSimon]

Good advice!

I made an offer on the boat today .... we'll see what he says. It was a low offer, but not un-reasonable. I'll come up a few hundred if need be.

I'm excited!!!

 

[reedjj]

That boat should pull very easy. You wont even know its back there.

 

[bAcKpAiN]

Should be fine. Just remember to leave room to stop .

 

[reedjj]

That boat should pull very easy. You wont even know its back there.

Here's mine hooked to my Civic. I don't have any problems at all.

 

[Oldgeek]

You should be fine. I pulled a much heavier fiberglass boat with a 4 cyc Ranger. Just take extra care with hills up and down due to brake fade and engine overheating.

 

[MrSimon]

That boat should pull very easy. You wont even know its back there.

Here's mine hooked to my Civic. I don't have any problems at all.

Right, but your little Civic is packing a 200HP motor, a better suspension, better brakes, and a much better gearbox than mine. Not to mention a better stereo, race-inspired seats, a sweet-daddy aluminum shifter handle, and a few more upgrades

I love the SI and really wanted one .... I made the "practical" decision and got the LX, it was a cheaper. Sometimes I regret my decision, sometimes I don't. :wink:

 

[reedjj]

Yea my civic has a little more juice, but you will still be fine.

Its funny..... people don't think twice about towing a small boat or trailer with a little 4 Cyl S-10, Jeep, or Ranger with barely enough HP to get out of its own way. But people always worry about pulling with a car. Even the Honda Civics from the early 2000's had around 110-120 hp. and a Tow rating of 1,500lbs.

Ive seen a Corolla Haulin 4 fat chicks that were all over 300lbs. Im pretty sure they exceeded the weight rating on the suspension. Just one of them exceeded the tounge weight. LOL

As long as your boat and trailer are under 1,000 lbs and your tounge weight is light enough to pick up with one hand I wouldn't worry one bit.

When I was telling my friends I was gonna pull it with my car I joked that it had a tow package factory installed.

Bigger motor, bigger oil cooler, 6 speed manual tranny, bigger brakes, and better suspension. I call it the "Honda C-150".

I got the Class 1 hitch installed to use with a bike rack, The hitch assembly came with a tounge and a 2" ball that I never had intentions of using. I had it in the garage in a work bench drawer for 3 years. When I got the boat together I had to move it by hand one time it was so easy I thought "man this thing is light, I should just pull it with the civic". thats what I have been doing ever since.

 

[bassboy1]

i would try and avoid any long hills,serious brake fade.

Flatlander? :lol:

Knowing how to use engine braking to your advantage (which should be easier, given the manual gearbox) should eliminate most worries of brake fade.

Never fails, though, we get some idiot bus driver, with a load of kids on some sort of trip up from Florida every so often, who smokes the brakes, and ends up killing all of them when they barrel roll off the side of the mountains up here. :shock:

You should definetly be ok....but I think an auto is better for towing....no clutch burnin eh.

Yeah, but you have a torque converter and clutch packs (which, especially on the earlier models in the '01 series, don't have the greatest track record, even without towing). Not only are they more expensive to replace, but you can't really baby them like you can a conventional clutch, when you are loaded down heavy. I'd take the manual gearbox any day of the week, especially when pushing the limits of the car.

 

[LeviStevenson]

I would rather have the manual. My new dodge one ton diesel had a higher tow rating with the auto. I live where there actually are substantial enough hills to cause some serious brake fade. Fortunately I have an engine brake. When it comes to towing with a diesel truck I would hands down rather have the auto. In Idaho most everyone has a doped out diesel truck. I do however usually tow my little jon with my toyota rav4....4 cylinder manual. The big diesel is overkill for my little boat. My glass bass boat that I recently sold was no lightweight though and I would have never subjected my yoter to that. I just use the dodge diesel to tow duramax's and powerstrokes..... :LOL2:

 

[reedjj]

I just use the dodge diesel to tow duramax's and powerstrokes..... :LOL2:

hahaha