Looking to get a Nautique, Can I tow with a v6 SUV?

[nautique_stealth]

Okay, heres the deal. I need an SUV (not truck) that can tow a 1993 nautique. I'd like it to not be a junker! I've been looking at 98's and newer. I want it to be under $4k....$3k would be even better (all the money is going to the boat!). I know nautiques are like cadillac's (for the rich) but i'm a poser!

I guess my main question is what v6's are out there than can handle towing? I know my buddy has a trailblazer with the 4.2l v6 and it pulls it with ease, but that is not the case for most.
Who out there pulls with a v6?

Any other thoughts are welcome.

[DanielC]

RE: Looking to get a Nautique, Can I tow with a v6 SUV?

I have a 1997 Ski Nautique. I tow it with a 1996 Ford Aerostar Van.
Do some research, you can find a v-6 powered vehicle with a 'trailer towing package" or at least a lower geared rear axle.
My Aerostar van can get 22 MPG on the freeway, not towing a boat, it has 162,000 miles on it.
Personally, I think the motor in your boat should always be more powerful than the motor in your tow vehicle.

[SkiTower]

Personally, I think the motor in your boat should always be more powerful than the motor in your tow vehicle.

Oops, let me go tell the wife we need to trade boats! Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

Engine size (eg. horsepower) is important, but remember there is more to towing than that. Wheelbase plays a big part in ride, and good brakes are a must. Also, how far do you intend to tow? A V6 is fine for down the road, but a 6 hour tow through the mountains is a different story.

[SuperSquirt]

I've towed a 96 Ski Nautique for a long time using a 94' Nissan Pathfinder 5-speed and it did okay. I then pulled it with a 98 Mitsubishi Montero, and it did slightly better. Just be careful when trying to tow up a very steep hill! I tried this at a friends boat ramp in the Montero, and it stalled out trying to get up and sent me sliding back towards the water water in a jacknife position. It was very scary.

[M3Fan]

I used to have a 99 4Runner Limited V6 and it did well. The 3rd-gen 4Runners ran from 96-2002 and are true body-on-frame vehicles. They are their own platform, not based off any other Toyota vehicle. I really liked mine and it towed respectably. Not great, but good. Great car overall.

[nautique_stealth]

So what size V6's do those all have? The astro would have the same V6 as the same era Jimmy/Blazer/S-10, correct? Would they have different gearing?

Under the 4k mark, the Durango wins by a landslide. There are even a lot of V8's at that price. And most are 2000 and newer. Why are they so cheap? Anyone ever owned one? I know they get bad gas milage, but still! I found a 2002 with a V8 and 135k miles for $2,800... What gives?

[TRBenj]

1999 1/2+ Pathfinder with the 3.5L V6 (240hp) is another good choice. My dad had a '01 and that rig towed our Ski Nautiques ('92, '03, '90) just fine. Got the Tique back home safely too.

c

[SkiTundra]

If you have tough ramps to deal with (steep, bumpy, drop-off, etc.) you might want to avoid FWD. Watching them get stuck on a ramp is only entertaining if you're not them or not waiting on them so you can use the ramp. One guy was screaming how he'd been using ramps for decades and never had a problem and this was the stupidest ramp in the world and whoever put it in was an idiot. Later found out the ONLY ramp he'd used for 'decades' was one that wasn't very steep, was basically smooth (1" riprap), went for about 10 miles in to the lake, and was only used by about a dozen people who co-owned it in his neighborhood.

[nautique_stealth]

Hey, I learned to ski on a 78 tique!
Problem with Pathfinder's are they are more expensive.
Would an Explorer with a 4L v6 do it? They aren't even rated over 200hp.

[mndanielsncsu]

I have a '93 Sport and tow it with a '07 Toyota 4Runner, V6 2WD. I've never had any issues with it slipping on the ramps around here, but most aren't too steep and the ones that are steep typically have some rough grooves cut it in them for traction. One lake in NC that we used to frequent had terrible ramps that were slick, wet, and seemed to always have some kind of oil on them making it nearly impossible to pull the boat out on unless you had 4WD.

[210GA]

I've towed our '08 210 SANTE with my old 85 Jeep CJ7.... Of course it does have a 350hp, GM350 in it with 3.73 front and rear ARB air lockers and a 4 speed T176.
And I've put rear disk brake her.

I did it once I think. Jeep is way to short wheel based to be pulling 4k pounds behind it if you had to jack on the break.

[Chris4x4Gill2]

Hey, I learned to ski on a 78 tique!
Problem with Pathfinder's are they are more expensive.
Would an Explorer with a 4L v6 do it? They aren't even rated over 200hp.

I know a little about Explorers and I would tow my boat (89 ski) with one, but not just any Explorer. Check out another site I'm on alott. www.fordrides.com there si alott of explorer info on there.

Things to watch for on the Explorers: Make certain of the rear axle gear ratio. They came with a 3.23, 3.73, or a 4.10. ratios. I would not tow a ski nautique with a 3.23, I would with the 3.73, but I would prefer a 4.10. The 4.10's are harder to find i nthe 4 door Explorers though, you need to look at the Limited's they sometimes have them, or an XL or XLT with the towing package.

you can get the axel code of the door to tell what ratio they have in them.

The 4.0 V6 in these trucks is more than capable of pulling the boat, if its not extreme roads with alott of hills/mountains to worry about, but the Auto tranny is fairly weak and would be the weak link, a shift kit would help though.

The next thing is the wheel base. A 4door or a sport track are ok but the 2 dorr sport is too short for towing IMHO.

And even with the disc brakes, Trailer brakes would be considered mandatory

[GoBig]

I'm in between trucks at the moment and have been towing my 210 SANTE with my wife's 2007 4Runner with a 4.0L V6. It is rated to 5,000 pounds and does fine. The biggest difference I've noticed is braking. Just doesn't stop that quick. But otherwise, acceleration and power have been better than I expected for a V6. It has put off my purchase of another full-size truck for awhile!

[DanielC]

Second that opinion on trailer brakes. Most important!
My Aerostar has the 3.73 limited slip rear axle. 4.0 liter engine, rated 200 HP.
I would suggest you look for as large as an engine as you can find, with a lower horsepower. This give you an engine with more torque at a lower rpm range than a smaller displacement high rpm engine.
Kind of like the GT-40 vs the Excaliber engine debate. The GM engine has more horsepower, but most everybody says the Ford engine pulls harder.
I have made several trips from Portland, OR to Lake Shasta, and there are a few hills between the two. I ahce also made several trips to central Oregon.
I did have a head gasket go bad on one of my trips to Lake Shasta, but the local Ford dealer fixed that while I was enjoying myself on the lake.
Even with the bad gasket, the van made it down there, and did not need to be towed into the Ford dealer. I started noticing problems after Mt Ashland, on the way down.

[jlpowe1]

I tow my 2000 SAN with a Chevy Trailblazer. It is an inline 6 instead of a V6, but it does very well. Don't know if their is much difference in power between the inline and V, but that's what i had