Realistically Speaking

[blue_shiba]

We have a Honda Odyssey mini-van............ Question how realistic would it be to do a lot of transporting of a Macgregor nationwide.? Lets say on a monthly basis.. Give or take a few weeks difference. Would the weight of the boat make much of a difference in gas consumption as well as strain the motor? How many of the readers actually take their boat all over the country or at least travel frequently with their boat?

Thanks------------ Blue

[Divecoz]

click trailers and towing. Do some folks here use what you have ? Yes Flat level towing and from what I read . . . empty boats . Now go look at the driver door or the owners manual and see what your van is rated for . figure boats is NO Less than 3500#'s If you have the HP to tow it , do you have big enough brakes to stop it down hill at speed imo no . Though I will add the surge brakes on the M work great and I don't remember when Mac added the disc. to the trailers. . . Lots more over there on towing

[Randy Smith]

Blue, for many reasons, I wouldn't do it. I truly believe and know that a tow vehicle has to be substantial....some use mid size SUV's....while I did that route for a year...it was too hard on the vehicle and it only weighed a small amount more than the boat...... My Bro-n-law has a van like yours..great car. He would tell you also...not enough motor or transmission to take long trips pulling a 4000# boat...yes it weighs less, but add fuel, food, saftey gear, clothes, water, anchor, and all the necessaries...I would bet there are many people over 4000#.........
Randy

[Dan B]

I also have a Honda Odyssey, but I haven't towed my X with it. I did, however, tow it with anover mini-van and it was fine. However, it was short distances, no hills, etc. 3500 pounds was the max tow rating. So, can it be done - sure, but I think it would strain the vehicle if done very often or in less than ideal conditions. Remember, you would be towing at the max capacity of the vehicle. I worried more about stopping and maintaining lateral stability than getting it up and running, and launching/loading.

[Robert]

Here's my 2 cents:
I think the minivans rated to pull 3500# are just fine for towing a Mac26 in ideal conditions. Ideal conditions include, van and trailer brakes in tip top shape with all new brake fluid yearly, van and trailer tires and suspension in top shape with max tire rated inflation and I'd avoid towing on 30+mph windy days and take special care to go slow through high wind areas. Stop very often on mountain decents to let the brakes cool.
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The larger tow vehicles give much more room for non ideal conditions. The larger tow vehicle might get better MPG since it will not be working as hard as a minivan, and might not have to downshift as often.
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If it were me, and these trips were not too long each day and mostly on the flat, I'd give the minivan a try. But if I were going over mountains or for longer trips with less worry about conditions (not having to stop and check everything so often and not having to go extra slow as often) I would get a truck prefereably with 8 bolt wheels and a diesel engine. I would look around for a deal on a used truck, to buy or possibly ask around the dealers for a short term lease deal on a slightly used one that has been sitting on their lot too long.

[parrothead]

Blue, I also would have to vote"no"... partly because you never know what ramp conditions you may encounter. We used to tow our 17' bowrider with a 6 cyl. Chrysler minivan. No problem over the road, but when pulling the boat out of the water the weight transfer will reduce the traction of your front wheels -- the last thing you want with front-wheel-drive when the ramp surface may be slippery to begin with. I wouldn't think of attempting it with a Mac, which together with its trailer must weigh at least 1,000 lbs. more.
We currently tow with an 8 cyl. Jeep Grand Cherokee and have not experienced any problems during the first year with our .

[Night Sailor]

Speaking from 52 years of towing experience... The tow capacity stated on the driver's door is a deliberatelly misleading piece of info for marketing purposes. Dont' take it at face value. That figure means that you can tow X lbs on a flat surface with no wind but only with a 150lb driver, no cargo, no passengers, and a half tank of fuel in your vehicle. And that's only if you have the factory tow package installed which has larger radiator, transmission oil cooler, larger generator, lower ratio drive axle (3.73 or higher number) and in some cases an add on oil cooler and different brakes than standard. You could actually tow twice that weight a short distance under those ideal conditons, but you would for sure burn out your transmission, overheat your engine and brakes over a few thousand miles of travel. A lot shorter distance in the mountains or during the heat of summer.

The Gross Combined Weight is what is really important to you. For long drives over all kinds of terrain in all kinds of weather get a bigger tow vehicle for safety's sake, and to keep your repair expenses minimal. Know what you want to do, where you want to go, then get a vehicle that has a towing capacity at least 50% greater than you need to carry all the weight in your tow vehicle and your boat and trailer. You will be glad you did when you pass other stranded, smoking tow vehicles.

[Divecoz]

I feel your pain but from what I am seeing/reading its a flat out NO! to your question. Have you ever towed anything in the mountains ? Even on 80 or 90/94 it can get steep and there are a couple truckers here on the board where is the cliff I have to go up then off between Chicago and Atlanta ? Is it outside of Chattanooga ?? Blue there are some nasty Roads around and you like me will have to break down and get better tow Vehicles. I Love My 1998 Ford Explorer Sport W/4.0 HO V6. It looks almost New I only have 60,000 miles on it But it has to go.. . .. For what ?? I want to replace it with the Longer wheel base 4 dr. Explorer but . . .like you I want to tow (long distance) from the Midwest to Port Charlotte Fla From here to Sonora Mexico some bad hills between here and there real bad .. . up and . . down . Looks like it will HAVE to be a Ford F150 Club Cab short bed V8 or an Expedition. I like you will have to pay the piper at every fill up all year long unless I want to have a 4th!! Car in the drive and that one just to tow WW&S twice a year a long distance$$$$ the numbers just don't work for that . A short distance it could be a clunker but not Coast to Coast hauling . . . . . Get ready to buy A real tow vehicle $$$

[Terry]

Blue,
Some other things to consider:
Mini-Vans are car based (Unibody Construction) vehicles which means they are really just a glorified station wagon. You really need a class 3 or 4 rated tow vehicle based on a truck frame & chassis, some SUV's qualify. The tow vehicle should have a longer wheel base 130"+, weigh more than the Mac & trailer, preferably a frame integrated hitch & factory harness. 3.73 axle ratio, transmission cooler & oil cooler or large 7 quart oil pan & maybe limited slip locking rear diffferentials. I use to use a little 2 dr Chevy Blazer, it had all the muscle & power & class 3 rating (5000 lbs) but was a white knuckle haul. I have since moved up to a Chevy TrailBlazer EXT with a 129" wheelbase and full tow package with a hitch rated for 7100 lbs Class 4. It weighs 5000 lbs, 25% heavier than the Mac & trailer. If I had two wheel drive & the V8 I would be completely rated for 7100 lbs but the 4WD & inline 6 drop me down to 5300lbs towing due to the combined gross total. Anyway I find it a big improvement over my previous vehicle and it is quite satisfactory even for your needs. There are those who feel a big duramax deisel kenworth is the only way to go but there are those options that are overkill. The Mini-Vans are marginal at best and would only be usefull for shorter distances. If I remember right you plan to drive out to the west coast to buy & then haul back east which is a long haul that an Odyssey is not up to. Trade it in for something more suitable to the task.

[argonaut]

Ditto most replies so far.
When I decided I was bitten so hard by sailing I had to get a boat I looked at my tow situation and it was bleak. A Windstar V6 and a Saturn sedan were my choices and I liked 'em both.
Gave my mom the Saturn, kept the minivan ("high utility"), and bought a used F-150 4WD w/tow. You'd have to shoot me to get my truck now. It's been an excellent tow beast and has a civilized interior too, after you climb up in the seats. The 4WD was handy once on a busy slippery ramp.

I'd advise a true truck-frame tow vehicle too if you will trailer fairly regularly. Many vehicles can tow a Mac, but you should consider the stopping and launching aspects too.

[kmclemore]

Well, I don't know.. y'all can call me crazy if you like, but my 2004 Toyota Sienna tows my Mac quite easily and safely.

I've dragged that puppy nearly all the way across the country, from New Mexico to New Hampshire, over mountains, through some pretty horrendous Badland's crosswinds and even through D.C. Beltway construction traffic... and it hasn't wimpered or wavered once - it tows beautifully. The van's 4-wheel disc brakes stop the rig very quickly and I've never had a problem pulling up a slippery ramp, either, since it has traction control.

The only things I added when I bought the car were the optional Sienna 4-wheel disc brake package, the Sienna towing package, a Class III HiddenHitch and a set of AirLift rear springs to level things out when it's loaded down. The Toyota has plenty of power and I'm always careful to run it in non-overdrive 4th grear when towing... and in doing so it gets around 13-14 mpg. on average. (Non-towing it averages around 19 mpg. around the city and around 25 mpg. on the highway.)

[Robert]

blue-shiba,
A Hidden Hitch brand hitch or other similar hitch will not cost very much and the installation should be all bolted into existing holes and plugged into existing wire harnesses. So I suggest you go ahead and put the hitch on your minivan. Then, if you don't already have your boat to tow (I read that you were going to go to the factory and pick yours up) borrow a Mac26 to try out towing it. Ask around your area for someone that keeps their Mac26 at home and ask to go on a boat trip with them, just offer to use your van to do the towing.
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Have a fresh oil change so the engine can work hard in the cleanliness of new oil (when engines work really hard they dirty the oil quicker). If it is anywhere near time to service your brakes, have that done. Have the boat owner look over your van to see if they feel it is up to the task.
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Once you feel how the Mac26 tows behind your vehicle you will get a feel for making your decision that you cannot get from reading about it. You will notice if the rear suspension drops down enough that you will need something to boost it back up like kmcemore did. You will see how it feels to try to stop knowing there's an extra 4000# pushing you, if the trailer you test has poor brakes or if you lock them out for a test in a controlled place you can get a feel for the extra stopping distance needed. You will see how well the boat stays settled or sways when you turn or pass a truck coming the other way.
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Maybe ask your most experienced Honda mechanic how well the vans hold up when towing, for example does it desperately need a transmission cooler or does it cool very well just as it is?
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My experience with brakes: When I had my 4 wheel disk brake rear only ABS 1995 Isuzu Trooper and an emergency stop caused by being cut off by a full size work van and the brakes on my trailer were in bad shape, the Trooper's front wheels locked up and billowed smoke, the rear brakes did their ABS thing, kept the Trooper stopping straight and there was not a collision. But I decided at that moment to install disc brakes on the trailer and to take the best care I possibly can of my tow vehicle brakes. For me it is too scary not to have the trailer brakes working their best.

[Sloop John B]

Blue. You wonder how realistic it is to transport a Mac nationwide on a monthly basis? Goodness, where do you get all the bucks for gas? The 5.3 liter pickup engines roar with the extra revs in haul/tow mode. And the time and patience for trailer breakdown repair? Next thing would be for bigger tires and an extra axle.

Move to a place where sailing is good.