Tow Vehicle - MacGregor Description

[Jim Cate]

The consensus on this ng section (see: What's your tow rig"?) clearly seems to be that a fairly heavy pickup or full-size SUV is needed for safe and convenient towing of a MacGregor 26. One note states that a Chevy Blazer is "barely adequate," and there were no notes in the "What's your tow rig?" discussion suggesting that a conventional sedan would be adequate.

As previously noted, this doesn't seem to correlate with the information provided by MacGregor on their website and in their brochures relative to the 26M. - For example, their website states that:

"The boat is big, but it is really light, far lighter than competing trailerable cruisers. It is light enough to be towed behind standard sized cars."

Also, all their advertising and brochures show the Mac towed by a "standard size car," apparently a Ford Crown Vic.

If this is true, why didn't any of the contributors to the "What's your tow vehicle" discussion on this ng recommend a "standard size car" as suitable for towing the Mac 26M? Or, if it isn't true, is the advertising copy put out by MacGregor misleading, and does it comprise a "deceptive trade practice"? Concerning operating expenses, assuming that we are talking about a vehicle with similar mileage and age, a large pickup or SUV will definitely cost substantially more than a "standard size car". - If so, it would seem that MacGregor's description represents a substantial misrepresentation of the total costs of owning and trailering a Mac 26M. Obvously, one might get by with an older, cheaper pickup or the like, but that's not what's shown in the MacGregor literature.

Am I missing something?

Jim Cate

[DLT]

If you search this board, you'll find examples of people lauching the boat with a Honda civic.

So, yes, it can be done.

The question is what are you comfortable with.

Many here are simply not comfortable with anything less than a full sized truck. There are also those who would consider use of smaller vehicles negligent.

There are also those that feel small cars work just fine, at least for short distances.

Distance is another issue.

I'd be more comfortable with a smaller vehicle for the 300ft I typically tow it from the parking space to the launch ramp.

For longer tows, I just use my Excursion. But then I have one, and didn't buy it just to tow the boat...

[Catigale]

Ive launched and retrieved with the Admirals Volvo V70 T5 with a stick shift. I slipped the clutch once retrieving and didnt try it again

It towed really nicely. CLosest launch to me is 5 miles away ..I would tow Catigale there with the Volvo without a hesitation.

I wouldnt use it to go to Cape Cod 3 hours away though.

If you need to tow your boat twice a season by all means use a mid size car imho. Prefer an automatic though...

[DLT]

Another issue is the slope of the ramp. Some ramps are steeper than others. I can't imagine the ramp my monster 4x4 can't handle so I don't worry about it. But, I've been on ramps where that Honda Civic would get wet...

[Hubert]

I've towed mine for the past 4 years with a 94 ford aerostar, 4L, V6, AWD. with no problems, haven't been stuck on a ramp yet even after it been torn up by full size rear wheel drive trucks. You see lots of cars towing trailers heaver then the Mac.
Hubert

[baldbaby2000]

We use a Suburban to tow our 26M but we frequently travel a long way. When we had our Mac 25, smaller and maybe a couple hundred pounds lighter than the 26M, we used a little Ford Bronco II with a V6 with no real issues.

[Captain Steve]

Hummer H3..and great mileage to boot. full time four wheel drive makes towing smooth. Ramps...just push the locking low range button and out it creeps under idle speed. Me and Arnold drivin' the Hummers!

[Zoran]

If you search this board, you'll find examples of people lauching the boat with a Honda civic....

May I please ask for capital C on Civic, oh, and please stand up when typing it.

Zoran

[Tom Spohn]

When we bought our '98X I sent a message to SAAB's technical people asking if I could use our '99 9/5 to tow the boat. They sent back a "yes" answer along with some drawings and tech. data. I fitted a SAAB hitch and the car did indeed tow the boat fine--well sort of fine. When Overdrive was locked out the engine was turning faster than without the tow of course, but even small hills caused a downshift. The ole turbo motor kept her at 60 on most highways, but I had a sense it was working harder than I liked. Once we launched on a ramp in West Seattle that is covered with gravel over the paved part of the ramp. The front wheels were spinning but with the gravel I could not get up the hill. A friendly boater nearby suggested I turn the wheels sharply and angle across the ramp which eventually allowed me to retrieve the boat, but it was way too much drama.

I concluded after all this the tow vehicle should be designed for towing with a high torque truck engine that still turns slowly when overdrive is locked out and has 4wheel drive to handle those problem ramps. I settled on a 2002 Explorer and it works fine although I will admit that in a straight line on a level highway it is no better than our SAAB.

[hiram6]

So far I've only towed the twice. From the storage yard where the previous owner had her to my house, where I've been cleaning it up. Second time towing was this week when I towed it to a marine dealer to give the outboard a thourogh inspection.

So far I've towed it with..wait for it.. a 1990 Volvo 740 TurboWagon. The car has plenty of power, and fantastic brakes, so I'm not worried about those aspects of towing. The two things that keep me from making the wagon the permanent tow choice is (a) the suspension height, and (b) traction coming out of a ramp.

The Volvo sits lower than stock on european sport springs, so adding a trailer with any appreciable tongue weight really gets the rear end down. And then there's the ramp intimidation factor. Just don't trust that the wagon would get the boat/trailer up the ramp without a lot of drama.

Looking for a used mid-90s Isuzu Trooper to be a tow and utility choice. They're pretty cheap, and I've heard they're built like a tank. Anyone using one of these?

So, back to the original post, yes, a decent sized car can tow the , but you're going to be living on the hairy edge. In the real life world of slick ramps, bad drivers, and questionable roads, you need a littlle more margin.

[USAF M26X sailor]

I have a 2001 Explorer Sport Trac (4x4) and it pulls my 26X very well. The extra long wheel base (vice the Std 4dr Explorer) makes all the difference when caught off guard by a gust from an oncoming 18 wheeler. The 4x4 on the launch ramps ain't bad either. I did upgrade the 3500lb bumper hitch with a class III bolt-on receiver (5000lb) and still stayed within the vehicle's specs.

I did learn a valuable lesson from the Hummer folks about 10 yrs ago that might be useful to other readers. The factory guys took us out in an USAF training area North of Las Vegas and put their "Civilian version" of the Hummer in the bottom of a ravine (diagonally). So imagine the right front wheel on one slope and the left rear wheel on the other slope and the opposite corners were teetering between barely touching and a foot off the ground. We were put behind the wheel and told to drive out. When we let off the brake and stepped on the gas, the two teetering wheels turned while those on the slopes remained still-not going anywhere.

The lesson is to apply enough brake (while pressing the gas pedal) to prevent the "free" wheels from spinning which will transfer power to the "in contact" wheels-Got us out every time. I've shared this lesson to several 4x2 pickup owners who found themselves spinning one wheel on a wet ramp when retreiving a heavy boat without any weight in the pickup bed.

[Compromise]

Hey Jim Cate,
I felt the same way you do. I did my research before buying our 02 X and liked the fact that we did not need to buy a 'big rig' to tow the boat based on Macs' advertising. I then found this forum and was a little dismayed to read a lot of people opting for the heavy duties. I was even looking in the classifieds to find an old pickup with a V8 or something similar.
That's where my wife drew the line and I have to admit she was right
We've towed the X with my 4 cylinder 03 Tacoma double cab with no problems.
Of course the first launch and retrieval was intimidating after reading post here. But, thankfully no problems. I even forgot to empty the ballast one time and she pulled out of the ramp without any problems other than the creaking of the trailer But that's a whole other post.
I think it boils down to personal preference and of course vigilance at the ramp when launching and retrieving.

[ALX357]

Chevy Venture extended minivan, V6 180hp, front wheel drive only, but with factory installed load leveling air suspension in rear, keeps vehicle level no droop in the back. With drop hitch-ball bar reversed to raise ball, it keeps the boat trailer level. total vehicle weight is over 4000 #, so boat/trailer does not outweigh it.
... does ok at 65mph on interstate or city streets, gas mileage only half of what it is normally. ie. with boat it gets average 12 mpg on interstate.
(stops and starts in city driving give much lower mpg.)... be sure to keep the tongue weight at about 8 % or better, prolly 350#, use bathroom scale to weigh tongue at ball location. move boat loads forward or add weight to trailer at front. ( Spare tire, wheel, and hub on mount at front of trailer adds about 50#) I added tool box bolted to two more spare tire mounts for utility and weight. .... too little tongue weight produces trailer wag, especially when a "semi-" passes.
Minivan pulls boat out of water (no ballast) on normal ramps fine, wet or dry pavement, need to be careful on wet pavement to not slip wheels. I place extra weight in mid section of minivan for traction and to help with vehicle to boat weight ratio. Note that front wheel drive is not believed to be best for traction on ramp, but usually is on drier pavement as opposed to being in the water's edge.

[NiceAft]

I use an Envoy, and have towed my Mac with it 300 miles to upstate NY's Adirondack mountains. The Envoy was reviewed twice by a boating magazine and received their OK. There are those who would rather have a larger tow vehicle. Bigger works fine, but it just isn't needed.

The only change I made to the Envoy was adding a transmission cooler.

I first started checking out a Mac about five years ago. I too noticed that Ford pulling it in the picture. When I asked the dealer I was thinking of buying the boat from about this, he laughed. He said he had asked Roger how he got a Ford to tow the boat. According to the guy telling me the story, Roger replied "he did'nt tell the Ford what it was going to tow!"


Ray

[Terry]

I use the Envoy twin, a Chevy TrailBlazer LT EXT. It has 275 HP & 275 lb/ft torque, weighs 5000# and has 129" wheelbase & 3.73 axle ratio. It pulls my just fine, like it is not even there. Anything more is not really necsesary IMHO.