How much boat can I haul?

Hell, I want trailer brakes well before the rated towing limit, unless it's a compact car that limit is probably assuming brakes on anything over a ton anyway. I've towed plenty of dumb stuff without brakes before and thought it was fine if I was careful. Then one rainy day I had to nail the brakes because dumb people, with maybe 2800lb. behind me on a typical landscape trailer, and had it try to pass me on the left.

Now that @tonykarter mentions it... that trailer does look a bit off. Namely, there's about a 1% chance that axle is rated for more than 3500 lb., I don't know of any 5-lug hubs that are 5k, and that tire looks way too dinky to be on a 5k axle... although I could be wrong. That in and of itself would worry me a touch... but it's more the "if that's wrong, what else is jacked up here?" feeling that'd put me off. Like, if you've got this thing on a trailer that's that close to/over its limit, was there any room to get it placed for something resembling proper tongue weight? Or is it just in the only place it can be, and it is what it is?

 

THIS!

 

Yup. Went by and looked at the boat. Definitely would be a problem. Single axle trailer and it doesnt have any brakes on it. Owner said its not the original trailer. I saw thr front landing gear is actually tilting to one side on it.
So I'm gonna pass on that boat

 

Can't believe I am posting in a thread about towing- I tell myself to stay out of these on this mini-truck forum... I tow a pretty sizeable but not super heavy boat and as much as I loved my Tacomas, they towed my trailers like absolute shit. Boats are unlike a lot of other trailers, they are funky shapes that catch the wind a lot in strange ways. They also tend to have big gas tanks and low tongue weights and that makes things trickier. I have a big, enclosed inline snowmobile trailer that tows much better than the boat. I moved to a full size for all my towing needs and it's a million times better than a Tacoma. This boat/motor/trailer is probably less than 4500 lbs loaded but it was a misery towing with a Taco, even with the surge brakes. It's a 21' aluminum with a V6 outboard:


Then there is this trailer that was also a misery to tow with the Taco even though it's really light:


That trailer with both sleds is way less than 4500 lbs but the Taco just doesn't have enough wheelbase to make it feel like anything other than the truck getting pushed by the trailer, even though it has incredible electric brakes. In the summer it's possible but through the White Mountains in February is an absolute no.

The whole point of me posting here is that there is a lot more to towing than just the weight. Both my boat and sled trailer are WAY below the limits of the Taco with the tow package but there's no way I am towing either one of these with the Taco. Especially the sled trailer in the winter or the boat trailer when I have to launch/retrieve at shallow, dirt launches. I tow each of these trailers about 4-5k miles a year, basically every single weekend. If I had to move either a small distance with a Taco, I would be able to, but not when I occasionally tow the boat from NH to Lake Ontario or the sled trailer to Labrador City.

 

Anything big enough to require a tandem axle trailer is probably too big to be safely towed with a mid-size truck. From just the towing part of towing, I'd much rather have the same weight on a single axle trailer than a tandem axle, IF it could be axled, tire-shod and sprung to carry that weight. Why? Tandem axle trailers manhandle midsize trucks. Like dancing with a fat lady, and she wants to lead. Single axle trailers are better mannered behind a midsize truck. I've got an 18ft Kenner center console with only a 90 on it, sitting on a beefy single axle trailer that pulls good behind my Chevy 1/2-ton. Boat is only 1125 with the optional rear deck, probably under 4,000 fully loaded. I bet it will still be a handful behind the Taco. ESPECIALLY going to 255/75R17's with their extra sidewall height. I intend to two it before and after installing them to evaluate the taller sidewall under towing. Add a full towing cover on the boat and it is going to be a kite surfing nightmare. I have pulled a 21-foot Skeeter BayPro with my '93 4Runner before. A couple of times. Only by the grace of God am I still here today...

 

About this much

 

Viagra. At least four hours before departure...