Pulling a Boat with Front Wheel Drive (Is It A Good Idea?)

When I first got into boating over 10 years ago, all I had to pull my jet ski was a minivan. I was so excited to get a PWC and get on the water that I didn’t stop to think about my towing rig. I towed my jet ski around with my front wheel drive minivan for a few years and learned a lot in the process. Let me share my experience with you.

You can unquestionably pull a boat with a front-wheel-drive vehicle as long as the vehicle’s towing capacity is rated for the weight of the boat and trailer combined.

There are other factors to take into account if you are trying to decide whether or not to use a FWD (front-wheel drive) vehicle to tow around your boat. Keep in mind that when towing your boat, you want to keep your investment safe as well as looking out for your personal safety and the safety of those around you.

When you go on the road with 3,500 lbs lost behind your vehicle, you have a big responsibility. Before you do this, make sure your vehicle can handle the extra weight safely. Keep in mind that it is not all about been able to pull it; you also have to be able to stop and maneuver it.

Important Things To Consider

Vehicle Size- Most front-wheel drive vehicles are on the smaller side, and with a small size comes a lower towing capacity. Smaller vehicles usually will have smaller engines and smaller brakes. Imagine pulling and trying to stop a boat bigger than your towing vehicle, this could definitely get ugly.
Tongue Weight- This is the weight that the hitch of the vehicle is going to support. This is very important when towing and especially when towing with a FWD vehicle. The more you push down the back of your vehicle, the more you lift the front of it. In other words, too much weight on the back can make your front-wheel drive vehicle to lose traction. This creates a hazard, especially when going up heels or on the boat ramp.
Towing Capacity- Most front-wheel drive vehicles are limited to 3500lb. This is what the manufacturer says you can pull safely with the vehicle. Take into consideration that the combined weight of the boat, trailer, fuel, and everything else on the boat can’t exceed 3500lb. This limits you to smaller boats probably 18ft or less.

Front-Wheel Drive And Boat Ramp

You can use your FWD vehicle to launch or retrieve your boat, taking some precautions. Do a visual inspection of the ramp before attempting to go in it. If you find gravel, ages, excessive leaves, slime, or the ramp is too steep, you should mitigate the hazard.

There is not much you can do other than trying to clean up the ramp or finding a different boat ramp. This can be a hassle, but it is way better than losing your vehicle on the ramp

Always have someone in the vehicle ready to push on the brake or the gas pedal as needed. Trying to launch a boat by yourself can be a challenge, especially with a Front-wheel drive vehicle.

WHAT IS A FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE?

Front-Wheel Drive spiked in popularity around late 1970 in North America. These vehicles are usually smaller in size and price tag. To simply describe it, on a FWD vehicle, the front tires are the one’s doing all the pushing leaving the rear tires just to follow. Although they have a much lower towing capacity, FWD vehicles are still an option for towing smaller boats or jet skis.

Here is a list of its Pros and Cons to give you a general overview of FWD.

Pros

Good traction due to the added weight directly on its drive wheels.
It has a lower price since its power trains are not that complex to build.
It also generates more space and legroom at the back because the bulk of the equipment is at the front.
Has a better fuel economy.
Generally, easier and less costly to maintain.

Cons

Lower Towing Capacity.
Front tires tend to wear out quickly since those are the parts that are being overused and overworked.
Low performance and even “less fun to drive”, according to power enthusiasts.

WHEEL DRIVES’ CLASSIFICATIONS

If FWD towing is not for you, here we describe the other options available to help, you decide which one is best for you and your needs.

One of the vital aspects in determining the most suitable wheel drive for you is the road situation, which is why your location should be taken into consideration first and even the places on which to visit with your boat.

Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD)

-Balance and Handling
-Heavy Lifting/Towing
-Acceleration
-Maintenance
-Braking

Four-Wheel Drive (FWD)

-Best traction in off-road conditions (e.g., sand, rocks, muds, gravel, etc.)
-Allows you to turn it off to improve fuel economy

All-Wheel Drive (AWD)

-Better traction in slippery conditions (e.g., ice, snow, muds)
-More grip; best in terms of acceleration rate.

So, What is the BEST Wheel Drive for Towing A Boat?

Overall, it can be concluded that Four-Wheel Drive is the most ideal, most suitable, and the safest one in terms of towing boats. Most experienced boat owners will not tow with other than a FWD vehicle.

Towing itself might not be the issue, but getting your boat in and out on the boat ramp can be a real challenge with a front-wheel drive vehicle. Most boat ramps are either steep, slimy, and poorly maintained that it can be near impossible to use them without four-wheel drive. A quick YouTube search will show you a lot of unfortunate events where vehicles slide back into the water.

List of popular front-wheel drive vehicle’s towing capacity

Kia Sportage 1,653 lbs
Honda CR-V 1,500 lbs
Toyota RAV4 1,500 to 3500 lbs
Ford Escape 1500 to 3500 lbs
Chevrolet Equinox 1500 to 3500 lbs
Kia Soul 1,200 lbs
Toyota Camry 1,000 lbs
Honda Accord 1,000 lbs
Nissan Rogue 1,102 lbs
Toyota Corolla 1’500 lbs

List of popular lightweight boats

Bayliner VR4 Approx weight with trailer 3,522 lbs
Bayliner 170 Approx weight with trailer 2,153
Yamaha AR195 Approx weight with trailer 3,170 lbs
Yamaha AR210 Approx weight with trailer 4,224 lbs
Chaparral H2O 19 Sport Approx weight with trailer 2,540 lbs
Chaparral H2O 21 Sport Approx weight with trailer 3,100 lbs
Regal 2000 ES Approx weight with trailer 3,400 lbs

Take away

Yes, you can tow with a front-wheel drive vehicle; in fact, around the world, a lot of people only pull with that setup. Here in America, we are spoiled and usually tow with big trucks.

The important thing is to make sure your towing rig is capable of safely pulling your boat. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and use common sense. Doing this will get yous safe to the water and back.