Will a Jeep Launch a 28 ft boat ??

[02Essex]

I am considering purchasing a new Wrangler Unlimited sport 4 door . Will it have any problems Launching my 28 Magic Deck ? Boat is stored 10 miles from my place in parker.
Just curious before I decide to shell out the money . Thanks

 

[LHC30]

The Unlimited's tow rating is about 3K pounds...I suspect your boat/trailer are a tad more than that. Will it pull it - sure, but will the brakes hold up? Will the heavy boat and trailer tend to push the back out on turns?

Let me know...

 

[McRib]

If a BMW suv can tow a 32 ft cat across the desert at 70. You jeep will launch ur boat just fine.

 

[Kylemenz1]

Hell yes it will. You most likely don't want to tow long distance ,but around town no problem.

Put it in 4 low when retrieving, and just idle it out of the water. You'll be fine.

 

[Crazyhippy]

I wouldn't.

 

[relaxalot]

I wouldn't either. It would pull it out ok but driving 10 miles in the hot climate is looking for problems. It is not set up to pull that much weight. S

 

[relaxalot]

BMW tow capacity is rated at 6k double the Jeeps rating.

 

[DeltaSigBoater]

I towed a 32' Center Console (10,000 lbs), with my '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (6K Tow Cap) from the downtown Huntington Beach area 8 miles to the launch ramp at Sunset Aquatic.

 

[mbrown2]

I have a 4 door wrangler and launch a 23 Malibu wakesetter...pretty heavy boat for its size. Tons of Stereo and Batteries, etc... It launches no problem ...I mainly use it to launch and retrieve from the storage garage which is less than a mile to our launch ramp...but have used it to tow from Parker Dam to Havasu for service. It is dog slow towing (lift, gears, 35 tires, etc), but for a once in a while trip it works.

 

[cb5505]

Another concern would be the boats tongue weight. I have seen magics drop the ass end of 3/4 ton truck, so I could only imagine what it would do to a jeep

 

[TCHB]

We would launch our Howard 22 Offshore with our Jeep Wrangler with no problems. We only went about 4 miles each way.
The boat trailer had about 200# of tongue weight.

 

[2Driver]

Its only the 20 mile round trip part that would concern me. A slippery steep ramp might drag the JKU backwards if you are not careful.

We launch a 21 Ultra with our 2 door Rubicon (has coils from a 4 door JK installed) and it still sags BUT our ramp is in front of our house.

LOL we used to launch and tow home (to the top of McCulloch Blvd) our 21 spectra with an old CJ-5

 

[HTMike]

I had a late 90's Jeep Cherokee and a 22' Wellcraft Scarab years ago. The Scarab Pulled the Jeep down the ramp on 2 different occasions.

 

[ka0tyk]

is it worth it to lose your boat and jeep when/if something were to go wrong? your insurance wouldnt cover you because you exceeded your towing capacity.

im surprised the jeep has such a low towing capacity... for a car with a full frame and "tons of suspension" it couldnt even carry a couple fatties home from a night at golden corral...

 

[spectras only]

I towed a 32' Center Console (10,000 lbs), with my '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (6K Tow Cap) from the downtown Huntington Beach area 8 miles to the launch ramp at Sunset Aquatic.

Had the same [ 98 GC LTD], tow capacity is actually 6500 for these. Towed my boat [ 8300lbs w/trailer combined ] no issues but wasn't legal to do, so bought the Navigator [ 8900lbs cap ] that's legal. The only reason the GC and Jeeps in general are not rated higher is because of their short wheelbase and overall weights. The GC has 235HP but weighs only 4000lbs. The Navigator has 300HP, weighs 6050 lbs on a F150 frame with longer wheelbase. More HP doesn't give me any better going uphill because of the extra weight penalty but the Navigator is balanced better to pull the boat. Also, the Navigator has large discs on all four for great stopping. On level, you could tow 10k lbs with a GC in an emergency situation. Tow capacities by the manufacturers are given with a decent margin calculated in. Don't care if you have a Freightliner, towing a boat at 70-75 [ like you peeps doing down there ] if a soccer mom cuts you off you aren't going to be able stopping in time trying to avoid killing her. Operating a moho or big rig at highway speeds requires 4 sec from accessing the situation and applying the brakes. In four seconds you have traveled the distance to the Moon

 

[02Essex]

Thanks for the replies !! I will try it once and if it's too unsafe i will just use my superduty

 

[Tom Brown]

I think it will tow no problem. The issue will be retrieval, if there is one. 4-low on the ramp, for sure.

 

[spectras only]

I had a late 90's Jeep Cherokee and a 22' Wellcraft Scarab years ago. The Scarab Pulled the Jeep down the ramp on 2 different occasions.

When you have a lighter vehicle like the Jeep [ had a CJ7 pulling my 20 Spectra ] you don't let the unit roll down on the ramp, you put in four wheel low and drive the unit down the grade without applying the brakes. Once the boat/trailer getting in the water the weight is taken off from the tow vehicle. I see this all the time at the local ramps people making the mistake applying the brakes while backing down the ramp. If it's slimy, you'll definitely going to slide in the drink.

 

[Paul65k]

The Unlimited's tow rating is about 3K pounds...I suspect your boat/trailer are a tad more than that. Will it pull it - sure, but will the brakes hold up? Will the heavy boat and trailer tend to push the back out on turns?

Let me know...

Unlimited is rated at 3500 lb towing capacity. I launch and retrieve my 21' Schiada RT with my Unlimited (2006, 2DR) on a regular basis towing it up the hill almost to the top of McCulloch with no issues towing or launching/retrieving. As others have said you can use 4L and just let it creep up the ramp, I just put it in 4WD and I've never had an issue.

 

[mbrown2]

Its only the 20 mile round trip part that would concern me. A slippery steep ramp might drag the JKU backwards if you are not careful.

We launch a 21 Ultra with our 2 door Rubicon (has coils from a 4 door JK installed) and it still sags BUT our ramp is in front of our house.

LOL we used to launch and tow home (to the top of McCulloch Blvd) our 21 spectra with an old CJ-5

We have a pretty steep and slippery ramp....tried to launch our same Malibu with our old TJ (2door) jeep....it would cause the back to sag, front to lift and drug the jeep back down until the boat hit water (that was a fun experience..once it started to drag, I aimed it between the sea walls and just pointed it towards the water). Once the boat hits water it stops dragging the jeep (as some one mentioned might happen earlier) since the drag weight stops since the boat floats. This was the reason I sold it and got the 4 door JK. I have launched in low conditions where the jeep was on the slippery algae part of the ramp....4 wheel low and lockers on and it pulls out no problem.

 

[relaxalot]

I think the main problem could be under an emergency braking situation. When my brakes have failed on my trailer, it was a chore to stop my
trailer and 28' Howard with my Denali. I would think that a jeep could be "pushed" into a very dangerous place. I think it will pull it OK and launch it ok. Stopping OK is where I think the danger will be. Be careful if you do it and try it on a flat area and simulate a trailer brake failure by disconnecting them and see how hard it is to stop when you are sure no one is in front of you.

 

[OCMerrill]

I had a late 90's Jeep Cherokee and a 22' Wellcraft Scarab years ago. The Scarab Pulled the Jeep down the ramp on 2 different occasions.

This would be my concern. No brakes while backing.

 

[2Driver]

We have a pretty steep and slippery ramp....tried to launch our same Malibu with our old TJ (2door) jeep....it would cause the back to sag, front to lift and drug the jeep back down until the boat hit water (that was a fun experience..once it started to drag, I aimed it between the sea walls and just pointed it towards the water). Once the boat hits water it stops dragging the jeep (as some one mentioned might happen earlier) since the drag weight stops since the boat floats. This was the reason I sold it and got the 4 door JK. I have launched in low conditions where the jeep was on the slippery algae part of the ramp....4 wheel low and lockers on and it pulls out no problem.

Are you at poly shores, i forget

Im concerned about Take Off Point ramp. I have JKU springs and the 2012 engine and ill air down or maybe chicken out

 

[mbrown2]

Are you at poly shores, i forget

Im concerned about Take Off Point ramp. I have JKU springs and the 2012 engine and ill air down or maybe chicken out

Yep Poly 2....I am thinking Take Off is about as steep as ours but they have the deep grooved concrete...I have launched there with the JKU.....are you in a 2 door or 4 door JK? I was thinking the wider track and longer wheel base of the JK 2 door vs the TJ would help it stay grounded backing it in....another scenario at least if you have a private ramp to deal with is put a hit on the front...they don't seem to slip that way.

 

[2Driver]

2 door 2012 white rubicon.

I have a receiver front bumper but I only use it at the end of our trips to put the boat in the garage. Supposedly you don't want to do any backing up under load with the auto tranny in a jeep.

I should just get the covered dock set up like your downstream neighbor with the huge orange ski nautique.

 

[mbrown2]

I should just get the covered dock set up like your downstream neighbor with the huge orange ski nautique.

That is a sick setup....I saw it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was like WTF....million dollar dock in front a dirt lot!

That would be my priorities dock first...house later!

 

[Old Texan]

Thanks for the replies !! I will try it once and if it's too unsafe i will just use my superduty

This is your best course of action.....Only just use the Superduty period.

I personally don't think the Jeep is designed for that size boat and will cause damage to itself or worse.

 

[allblowdup]

I have an 06 jeep Comander and pull my 28 ft Magic all over the place. doesn't squat it to bad and have no trouble at the launch. I have even pulled the boat fully loaded (the jeep that is) with the 7 person limit. The comander is alot heaveier than the wrangle though.

 

[Abc123]

A friend just bought the same Jeep to launch their 28 Hallett. Works great. Hell I see a guy at the Islander that launches his Magic with a Suzuki Samurai.

 

[welldigger00]

I used to launch my 24xs with my Nissan pathfinder

 

[Runs2rch]

This is your best course of action.....Only just use the Superduty period.

I personally don't think the Jeep is designed for that size boat and will cause damage to itself or worse.

+1

 

[ultra26shadow]

I got a buddy who launches his 29' x flight with his four door jeep and he does just fine. Mind you though he has a place at the islander and only tows a couple minutes. He also gets gas in town so not much towing. His jeep doesn't squat too much I gotta ask home more about his setup when I see him next time.

 

[Iman]

I got a buddy who launches his 29' x flight with his four door jeep and he does just fine. Mind you though he has a place at the islander and only tows a couple minutes. He also gets gas in town so not much towing. His jeep doesn't squat too much I gotta ask home more about his setup when I see him next time.

Who's your buddy?

 

[SPL2K]

It will pull it around town with no problem. Just leave yourself plenty of room for stopping, don't try to go too fast, and use 4X4 on the ramp.

 

[BajaMike]

This is your best course of action.....Only just use the Superduty period.

I personally don't think the Jeep is designed for that size boat and will cause damage to itself or worse.

Agree.....!!

 

[BigQ]

How much do you stand to loose if you get in an accident?

 

[TPC]

 

[Classic Daycruiser]

Take it very Slow Slow Slow. That is all I have to say.:thumbup: