Towing recommendations R-23

[Godolphin]

Hi, I am close to purchasing a R-23 and would like to know if it is possible to tow with an SUV instead of a pick-up?
I was thinking Audi Q7 or Lexus LX570 which have a towing capacity of 7500lbs.
Or any other suggestions
Thanks
Eric

 

[cwalden]

Hi there,
We tow our R-23, Toot Suite, with our Jeep GrandCherokee with the 5.7Litre Hemi (360hp). Have towed boat from R.I. to Florida twice (round trip)Noissues whatsoever and smooth pleasant ride. So go for the V8 SUV (in my opinion)!


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[nboyer]

You may find this discussion useful (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10112). Short answer - a towing capacity of 7500 lbs. seems a little inadequate. Cheers. -Norm

 

[bob daily]

The last time I drove down the eastern seaboard it seemed to be down hill from New London to fort-liquor-Dale, both ways! So yes that type of vehicle might work for you, but in the real world where you might encounter a up-hill, or worse yet a down hill where you might actually have to control your load!
What the heck are you thinking? And I'm sure your the same person that scolded me for not wearing a fase mask this morning at the store, I'm sorry I should not post after a few drinks but come on people some common sense! How much does the load weigh and what is the towing capacity of your tow rig!

 

[Captain Nice]

Could either vehicle tow the boat? Sure. Could an enterprising lawyer find fault with it in the event of an accident? You betcha. Your call.

CN

 

[scross]

Eric,
I think you may be seriously underestimating the total weight of your boat, personal gear, fluids and the trailer!

My R-25 Classic has a factory published dry weight of 5,700 pounds. Your boat’s factory published dry weight is 5,000 pounds.

With my aluminum trailer my gross towing weight averages 9,750 pounds. Of that, 2,000 pounds is the weight of the trailer. The rest of the weight above the “dry weight” is my optional equipment, personal gear and the weight of fuel, fresh water and what’s in the black water tank.

If your boat on trailer were the same increase in dry weight as mine, you would be looking at a gross towing weight of 9,000 pounds or so. I suspect that the R-23 including trailer, gear, fluids is probably a few hundred pounds under 9,000. The only way to be sure is to measure the actual weight of an R-23 on a trailer like the one you want to buy.

Add some safety margin and you may need a tow vehicle with a minimum towing capability of 10,000 to 11,500 pounds. I don’t believe any SUV meets that spec.

To be safe on getting a good tow vehicle first weigh the boat on the trailer with all your normal gear and fluids in it - then decide on what you need!

 

[RnRTOW23]

See follow on post.

 

[RnRTOW23]

I started out towing my r23 with a Chevy 1500. It did it adequate job, however the grades in the Pacific Northwest convinced me to upgrade to a Chevy HD diesel. The upgrade wasn’t needed, But my gas mileage is amazing now and I feel much safer towing the weight. By the way, the last post is true that you’ll be well over 8000 to 9000 pounds when you have the trailer, and all liquids and gear.

 

[Godolphin]

Hi,
Thank you all for the enlightening responses.
Eric

 

[Aquaholic]

You can absolutely tow that R-23 rig with an SUV. Towing the R-23 with my 2017 all wheel drive Nissan Armada SUV is a breeze. It has 390 horsepower, 394 ft lbs of torque and 8500 lb towing capacity. Figure your 5000 lb dry weight R-23 with a 1400 lb trailer and some fuel and water will be pushing 7000 lbs.

Either the Lexus LX570 or the Audi Q7 would tow the boat - the Lexus certainly more smoothly with the extra horsepower and torque. However, the Lexus' rated 7000 lb towing capacity is a concern as you would be running right up against its max rated capacity. The rated towing capacity of a vehicle has a lot to do with the size of the brake rotors, the stoutness of the suspension and the cooling capacity for the transmission fluid and engine. A vehicle may have the horsepower and torque to where it feels fine pulling the boat, but the brakes, engine and transmission will experience excessive wear if the systems aren't rated for the load. The Audi Q7 is rated for a quite adequate 7700 lbs, but has the V-6 and is probably at the bottom end of horsepower and torque that you would want. I personally would prefer a little more oomph to make long tows easier and keep driver fatigue levels down. A properly configured V-8 Suburban, Expedition or Armada would combine SUV comfort with the towing capacity, horsepower and torque to handle that boat easily.

Finally, four wheel or all wheel drive is an absolute must for getting up that slippery boat ramp. I've seen too many folks spinning the wheels on their otherwise perfectly adequate 2 wheel drive truck trying to get their boat out of the water.

 

[scross]

Replying to items in two prior posts. The OP asked if he could possibly tow his R-23 O/B with a SUV. Asked that way, my answer is, “Yes, of course you can tow it with an SUV.” A better question from the OP would have been, “ Can I SAFELY tow my R-23 O/B with an SUV?” To that question my answer remains, “No!”
The only R-23 O/B owner who has posted on this site the actual (not a guess) weight with data from a scale in 2017 stated that the boat on trailer with 70 gallons of fuel, his normal gear, and no fresh water or black water came in at 8,020 pounds. Wishful thinking guesstimates from others don’t cut it. You need actual measured weights to understand the implications of the true weight of your boat on the trailer.
Even with lots of towing experience on flat ground, if you’re going to tow more than a few hundred yards, you need more than 480 pounds of towing capacity safely margin. I would not feel comfortable towing with that small a margin and I have been towing 30+ ft trailers for 45 years now.
You also need to be sure you are meeting the GCVW limits, the GVWR limits and front and rear axle weight limitations. Just looking at the towing rating of a vehicle is not enough.
First, get some actual weights on loaded R23s on their trailers. I’m sure more than one R-23 owner has weighed their rig. Then go for something that has a towing rating of a minimum of 15-20% over the measured wet weight and make sure your tow vehicle meets all the other weight and towing limitations.
Good luck and be safe!