Anyone tow with a RV??

[Cjoymilano]

We are thinking of towing our 26M from MN to FL this winter. We have a 29 foot RV and we’re thinking of towing it with that. Anyone try to tow with an RV? Any tips or advice?

[NiceAft]

You may want to contact BOAT. I believe he has an RV that he tows with.

[Cjoymilano]

Okay thanks! Not sure exactly how to do that, I’m new to the site and not the best with this kind of stuff...

[Russ]

BOAT tows his Mac with a Sprinter van. I believe some have towed their mac with an RV. I've seen lots of RVs towing boats behind them. How big is your RV?

[Tomfoolery]

I believe he has the T1N series van, with the 5-cylinder diesel. And he's posted that he's very happy with it.

[Brian]

I will chime in here since I am considering a van as my next tow vehicle.

I think that Boat's T1N is about 22' long. He said that he can leave the back doors wide open while backing down the ramp which allows him to see straight back through the interior of the van, and then walk through the interior of his van and step onto the trailer without getting his feet wet. You won't able to do that with a Class C RV. According to the handy BWY manual that Russ posted the length of the boat on the trailer with the outboard up is 31' 7". So the total length of Boat's rig is just under 54'. Btw, Boat has not posted in months. He is not responding to emails either. I hope all is well with him, and that he is out sailing.

The total length of Cjoy's rig would be: 29' + 31' 7" = 60' 7"

That is getting up there if you consider that the average length of a semi-truck is about 72' long. The semi with the larger turning radius would actually have much less sway in the wind. In fact, the way the rear bumper of most Class C RVs tends to be about 8' behind the axle, trailer sway would be amplified. Combine that with the ice and snow of a Minnesota winter, and I would not want to make a long drive with that rig in the winter.

That said, it kind of depends on weather, the number of people you have with you, and how much time you have. If you are retired and can leave your rig in FL until spring, that would be awesome. If you only have a week to make the potentially 4,000 mile round trip it would not be worth it. You would spend all your time driving, launching, and rigging.

Hope this helps. Sometimes the best option is to keep things as simple as possible.

[Cjoymilano]

BOAT tows his Mac with a Sprinter van. I believe some have towed their mac with an RV. I've seen lots of RVs towing boats behind them. How big is your RV?

It’s 29 feet, V10

[Cjoymilano]

I will chime in here since I am considering a van as my next tow vehicle.

I think that Boat's T1N is about 22' long. He said that he can leave the back doors wide open while backing down the ramp which allows him to see straight back through the interior of the van, and then walk through the interior of his van and step onto the trailer without getting his feet wet. You won't able to do that with a Class C RV. According to the handy BWY manual that Russ posted the length of the boat on the trailer with the outboard up is 31' 7". So the total length of Boat's rig is just under 54'. Btw, Boat has not posted in months. He is not responding to emails either. I hope all is well with him, and that he is out sailing.

The total length of Cjoy's rig would be: 29' + 31' 7" = 60' 7"

That is getting up there if you consider that the average length of a semi-truck is about 72' long. The semi with the larger turning radius would actually have much less sway in the wind. In fact, the way the rear bumper of most Class C RVs tends to be about 8' behind the axle, trailer sway would be amplified. Combine that with the ice and snow of a Minnesota winter, and I would not want to make a long drive with that rig in the winter.

That said, it kind of depends on weather, the number of people you have with you, and how much time you have. If you are retired and can leave your rig in FL until spring, that would be awesome. If you only have a week to make the potentially 4,000 mile round trip it would not be worth it. You would spend all your time driving, launching, and rigging.

Hope this helps. Sometimes the best option is to keep things as simple as possible.

Great, thanks for the info. We were planning on spending three months in Florida. We would leave when the weather would be clear for at least a few days until we could get to warmer weather...

[WinSome]

First connect with RV dealer about tow capacity of your RV. It’d be good to know that you are OK in that regard. I do should be readily available. If your rig isn’t near maximum capacity ‘as is’ I suspect you will be OK. Avoid windy days. The boat will tow easily along in comparison to hauling a toy trailer behind.

[Tomfoolery]

Your RV has a GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating), which includes the tongue weight of any trailer if towing a trailer, a GCWR (Gross Combination Weight Rating), which is the total weight of the RV and the trailer, and a Tow Rating, which is the maximum trailer weight (including tongue weight) of any trailer you might be towing.

You aren’t supposed to exceed any of those values.

[LordElsinore]

When I bought my last year, I towed it from from Seattle to Salt Lake City with my 32 foot V8 class C motorhome because it was the only thing I had at the time that could do the job. It was looong (32' RV + 30'+ boat trailer - longer than a semi trailer) but everything went just fine for the 12+ hour drive.



Really the only scary part was getting out of the tiny little neighborhood where the previous owner lived

I haven't launched it with the RV though. Some of those boat ramps are a bit skinny to support such a wide turn

[Jimmyt]

When I bought my last year, I towed it from from Seattle to Salt Lake City with my 32 foot V8 class C motorhome because it was the only thing I had at the time that could do the job.

Boat and trailer look excellent! (Motorhome looks nice too.)

[LordElsinore]

Thanks. I've definitely enjoyed her. I was amazed to be able to find one last year that was that late of a model (2012) and in that good of shape. They've been in short supply since! She had two previous owners - a family who lived right on Lake Washington ($$$!) and didn't use her much for those 8 years, and then a family with a summer home on an island in Washington who left her on the trailer the full two years they owned her and never took her out - too skiddish about trailering and rigging. I guess it was an impulse buy for them at the time. Glad she ended up with me!