Towing your Scot

Submitted by Brian Dellett on Thu, 04/10/2014 - 21:55
Forums: 
Cruising the Flying Scot

What do you use and or what have you seen pull a Scot?
Whats the smallest vehicle you have pulled or seen?
Cylinder? 

sawyerspadre

Thu, 04/10/2014 - 23:31

There is a pretty long thread on this.  The answer lies in how fast, how far and how hilly?  I have a VW Tiguan, 4 cyl, which does OK, but you can feel the boat more than with our Toyota Sienna. We have some fleet members who use Toyota Prius, but mainly to tow from the dry slip to the dock, and back.  If we're going local, or Jersey Shore, we can use either.  Deep Creek means the Sienna, as you have some major hills.
Gutsy 4 cylinders, like the Suburu Forrester seem to work well.  6 is better, like the Sienna, Odyssey, or Pilot.  
8 is more than you need.

Brian Dellett

Fri, 04/11/2014 - 09:33

Thanks Phil
I have towed mine with my Toyota Matrix 4cyl. with no tow rating all over the place including Lake George from NJ with major NY mountains. My friend has a Jeep something and is concerned so I'm just trying to convice him he'll be ok.
I even had camping gear etc in the boat and we were fine.
I love the older posts with people commenting that their old corrolla's and such did fine.
thanks

hot wheelz

Sat, 04/12/2014 - 03:06

Pulling is one aspect but much more important is stopping the whole rig.
Light cars have light brakes that are not up to a long haul on the Interstates,  but might be ok around the parking lot for launching, etc. A Prius is not recommended towing on the highway.
We found that the Outback and Forester can barely stop a Scot at highway speeds and provide some pucker moments in the hills of I-81 towing to and from Deep Creek. 
Recommend a heavier vehicle and we now tow with a Honda Pilot and Nissan Xterra. 
Trailers make a difference too. The low-slung aluminum Trailex is easier to see over when looking aft than the taller galvanized trailers. It is also lighter weight to stop. 
 

glennw_fs

Mon, 04/14/2014 - 15:20

This is called "trailering" your Scot.  Towing is when your boat is being pulled in the water by another boat.

phebejim's picture

phebejim

Tue, 04/29/2014 - 13:24

I trailered my Scot on a Trailex aluminum trailer for 10,000 miles behind a 100hp 1967 Volvo 122s station wagon with no problems. Subsequently I've trailered it behind a 2000 Subaru Outback for several thousand mile--again no problems. 
The towing capacity of a vehicle is available from the manufacturer. I would rely on that data rather than anecdotes from owners (including mine!)

Brian Dellett

Tue, 04/29/2014 - 17:28

I would say "trailering" is the act of putting it on the trailer. You get a tow from a rescue boat and you tow your Scot when it is on the trailer. Hence the towing capacity of the vehicle.

jackalope

Thu, 11/06/2014 - 07:38

I saw the thread from 2007 and was wondering if there was any new information. We have a 1985 tee nee trailer and live in Vermont. We drive all over during the summer visiting different lakes. We need an awd vehicle for the winters and something that will safely tow our FS.
We have been using a 2000 subaru outback but it does seem to have a very long stopping distance. 
We are considering a CRV but with 1500 pound towing capacity our mechanic said it would not be ideal for our area given the weight of the trailer and boat plus gear. Is this good advice?
We noticed that the Lexus 350 has a 3500 pound towing capacity with the tow prep package but we are not really lexus people. Mostly we need something that will be good in Vermont winters and will tow the boat.
Thanks!

Bernie Baker

Thu, 11/06/2014 - 12:24

We have a Ford F-150 pickup truck, so pulling a trailer is no problem.  One vagary we have is the trailer that came with the boat when we bought it last year.  It has rollers, but no center support for the keel or centerboard while trailering.  From what I read it is important to have keel support.  So I slide in a 4X4 and lash it to the trailer frame to provide some center support for the keel and centerboard.  We keep her on Lake Bomomoseen, also in Vermont.

jackalope

Fri, 11/07/2014 - 07:58

Bernie,
I think I have seen your boat on Bomoseen before! We sail there sometimes on our tour of lakes. A pickup is a great VT vehicle but with a 3 year old we need something different ;)
The Lexus is pretty nice, we test drove one yesterday. Pretty cushy for our tastes coming from a 2000 outback though! A CRV looks nice but I am not sure if it will work to tow the trailer, boat, gear, and family.

hot wheelz

Sun, 11/09/2014 - 00:49

We are in Vermont as well. Highly recommend a Honda Pilot over the CRV for trailering as it has more robust brakes and a strong V-6. We towed as far as WI for the NAC with the Pilot as well as all over creation (Florida, NC, VA, QC) and it is up to doing Scot stopping duty. And it would be cheaper than a RX as well. 
We sail on Memphamagogg in Quebec and Mascoma in NH. 
As for published tow ratings, they are a guideline compiled by the lawyers and actual long distance road experience is more valuable than the ratings. While many light cars are rated to tow the weight of a Scot, to try to stop from highway speeds with a Scot behind will give one religion in a hurry when the too light brakes start to fade away In an emergency stop. It is not worth the risk to use an inadequate tow vehicle. 

phebejim's picture

phebejim

Sat, 11/08/2014 - 18:31

Read the owners' manuals!!! They are all available on line.

sawyerspadre

Sun, 11/09/2014 - 19:49

I tow the Scot with a VW Tiguan and it does a good job.  We have a few in our club that use the CRV but I agree that the Pilot would be a better call.  I find the big factors are how far you tow, how often, and how hilly the area is.
We also towed with a Toyota Sienna, which did a great job.  BTW, the VW actually adjusts the shift points, engine controls, and braking/stability control, when you connect a trailer. Very German...
Another funny thing is that the Tiguan is rated at 2000 lbs in USA and 2000 kg in Europe.  I don't know if that was from a typo in the US manual, or VW being conservative based on how many lawyers the US has.
 
 

jackalope

Tue, 11/11/2014 - 21:11

Thanks for the suggestions! It will come down to what my wife prefers to drive since this is her main car. My prius, while awesome, is not the best for towing anything.
So far she prefers the Lexus RX350 but we have not tried the VW yet. She likes a smaller SUV over the larger ones (no to the Toyota Highlander she said).

jackalope

Tue, 11/11/2014 - 21:11

Repost sorry!