What type of vehicle to tow with

[Christos]

I am new to this and looking to buy a RIB with road trailer with expected total weight (boat / motor / trailer) not exceeding 750Kg. Whilst I would expect an average car to be able to handle this, what about when launching / recovering on a slippery slope. From your experience, is this average 2 wheel drive car going to cope?

[Polwart]

Christos,

The answer is probably!

An average family car will pull that up most decent slipways. On really steep or slimy slipways (or when the slipway stops and you just have sand/mud/gravel) then you are probably better using a rope to get enable you to keep the car on solid ground.

I suspect that when I've had wheelspin on slipways it has had more to do with tyres than 2wd itself.

[9D280]

Mine fully loaded on the trailer clocks in at 749Kg. Focus to tow it - not had an issue with recovery or towing yet.

The one slip I have had to use a rope on I wouldn't have put a 4x4 down - Torville & Dean could have used it to practice on!

[thomas]

Think about ride height too, my friend has an Astra with lowish profile tyres and has a problem with the exhaust going under the water at certain states of the tide.

[boristhebold]

Buy a cheap landrover defender 90, great for towing, good space for chucking your clobber intot he back of and fun to work on or do up a bit, which you will need to do as things tend to vibrate apart. ha ha ha plus you will then enter the secret landrover defender club where everyone who drives one waves at you when passing (it came a bit of a shock to me when I first got one and found everyother defender driver grinning and waving at me)

[mick]

Defender good as anything not everybody waves though there are some misrable sods

[mister p]

They're not waving, they're cries for help.

[mick]

Originally Posted by mister p

They're not waving, they're cries for help.

didnt think it would be long before you sniffed a Land Rover post out

[9D280]

Originally Posted by thomas

Think about ride height too, my friend has an Astra with lowish profile tyres and has a problem with the exhaust going under the water at certain states of the tide.

....which brings us back to the rope! (or a trailer with a longer drawbar)

Another thing to think about - a bunk trailer, although arguably better for the hull on the road, will need to go a lot further into the water than a swing beam roller type to get the boat off. My current boat came with a bunk trailer. Had to unchitch & rope it every time to get it off & on. Traded it in for a swing beam roller. Only once had to unhitch since (see above!) and I now don't even get the back tyres wet most times.

Towing equations are always about the sum of the parts......

[sib]

Anyone tow with a VW Transporter van ?
If so any issues with grip on slipways ( 6m rib) ?
Talking about the 2 wheel drive ones ...

Thanks