LOOKING AT PURCHASING A SLED BUT DON'T WANT TO BUY A NEW TRUCK TO TOW IT ALSO. I HAVE A TACOMA TRD I THINK MAX TOWING CAPACITY IS AROUND 4000. I FISH ALL AROUND WASHINGTON SO I PUT MILES ON THE TRUCK. I'M CURIOUS WHAT EVERYONE WOULD THINK IS SAFE IN REGARDS TO TOWING, BRAKING, AND OVER KILL TO THE ENGINE. I'M LOOKING AT ALUAWELDS SUPER V'S, WILLIS, OR FISHRIGHTS AROUND 18FT.

ALSO NEW TO THIS BOARD SO, GREETINGS AND FISH ON!!!!

The newer Tacoma's should pull an 18' boat. Try it before buying something else. Might want to check your "CAP LOCK" and only use it when you really want to "SHOUT" at someone.

I have a 1999 Tacoma w 2.7 liter "long stroke" four cylinder engine. Only 150 hp but with 1/2-inch longer stroke than the V6 I comfortably tow my 3,500 lb gross wt. Casita 17 ft. travel trailer all over. I have a 5 sp. manual which demands a little skill with the clutch when starting uphill, but I think you should be fine. BTW, although it's no ball of fire, it does make wonderful fuel mileage. About 18 true mpg at steady 55 mph cross country on I-90 to Michigan and back to Seattle.

Turn off your caps lock.

Only advice I can offer is get as much boat as your can afford. I was orginally going to get a bass tracker and ended up going with 18 1/2' Skeeter bass boat. Now I wish I had gotten more than that. When ya first get the boat it will feel like you have loads of room, once you get used to it you'll wish you had more. By the way, I tow mine with an '03 Jeep Wrangler. Does fine for local towing (within about 100 miles) but will not use the Jeep to take over to the East side of the state.

You may be able to tow the boat with a Toyota but will be able to stop the boat with a Toyota.

Better to have too much power than just barely enough. I know it hurts on the gas mileage but if you don't have to use the truck as your primary vehicle then that extra power is nice. The money saved in gas won't be that significant over the year. For example:

At $3 per gallon using a truck 8,000 miles 20mpg vrs 15mpg equals: $1200 vrs $1600.

Consider the wear on an engine that is just managing to pull your boat, not to mention the stress as you struggle to accelerate into traffic and the $400 per year becomes less meaningful. If you want a big boat you need a big truck.

454 cid is still too small. But thats all I can afford. Size does matter.
Bill

Meat Pie,
I have an 18' Alumaweld Intruder w/ a 90Hp Merc and a single axle Rouge trailer about the size of the Super Vee you're looking at. With the trailer and motor it weighs just under 2000 pounds and doesn't have any brakes on the trailer. I've never had any problem with braking with the 2 F-150s I've pulled it with, I just have to remember to give everyone a little more room as it increases your stopping distance a bit.

When I first bought the boat, I only had a F-150 with a 4.2 liter engine to pull it and was still able to take it over the mountains to Lake Chelan while cruising the speed limit through Snoqualmie and Blewett passes. On Blewett I had no problem with the downgrades and turns and had plenty of power to pass the RVs on the flats.

Where I noticed the lack of power was at the ramp when I was trying to pull the boat out under less than ideal circumstances. I always felt that I was pushing the engine when trying to unstick the trailer wheels from the soft sand that accumulates at Mukilteo ramp or on a ramp with a steep grade.

Long story short, I think that if you buy the Super Vee, your truck may be able to handle it, but you'll always wish you had more power. I've since purchased an F-150 with the 5.4 liter engine and a limited slip rear axle and am much happier when retrieving.