Anyone have a 24' Pontoon Boat and Pull it with your Tacoma?

We bought a 24' Sun Chaser G3 and rented a boat slip and stored the trailer. So I've never actually pulled the boat on the trailer before. We might be losing the boat slip so I might have to get the boat out of the water.

The trailer is dual axle and has brakes on one axle. I don't know much about trailer brakes, but the setup is hydrologic brake lines coming from drum brakes up to the front to an actuator mounted in the neck of the trailer before the hitch.

I have a 2006 TRD PreRunner with V6, OEM towing package, stock 5 speed auto trans, I did upgrade the front brakes to the larger GX470 setup, I have ECGS built 8.4" rear with TruTrac and 4.30's and 35's with ALCAN leaf springs.

My questions are is it even feasible to try to trailer a boat that big and heavy with my Tacoma? And how do those brake systems on the trailers work? Do I need a trailer controller or are those only for electric trailer brakes?

 

I have no idea how much that boat and trailer weigh. But as a general rule 4000-5000 lbs is a sensible maximum for a Tacoma. The tow rating on most of those is around 6500 lbs. And if you just need to get it out of the water and transport it a short distance I believe 6500 or maybe even a bit more would be OK as long as you don't carry any additional weight or passengers in the tow vehicle.

If that rig is much over 6500 lbs then I'd want a bigger truck even for a short distance pull.

If I needed to carry my wife and kids along with camping gear I wouldn't pull a travel trailer weighing much over 4000 lbs.

 

I worked at a marina for 30 years and towed more than my share of boats over that time - both with marina trucks (1-ton 4x4's) and occasionally my 2014 Tacoma TRD Sport. I think that qualifies me to answer your questions.

First, the trailer brakes you describe are called "surge brakes" and if maintained properly, they work just fine. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

What brand of trailer is it and what size are the wheels and tires? I ask this some trailer manufacturers (Venture cough, cough) will sell you a seriously undersized trailer with little, tiny tires on it and say it will handle a given boat.

What you didn't mention is how many tubes your pontoon has - two or three. This makes a pretty big difference in weight.

Second, although your truck will pull a 24' pontoon for short distances, you really won't want to do it on a regular basis for several reasons. First, with only 2 wheel drive, you're going to have traction problems pulling out of wet ramps. Second, the wind resistance of a pontoon is significantly greater than a conventional (deep V) boat and will really hobble you on expressways.

In short, I wouldn't recommend your truck for regular towing.

 

Towing is one thing safely stopping is another world