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Tow Vehicle

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/12/2004 : 23:37:05

Guess this would settle a lot of arguements . . .

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=5348&item=2493656690&rd=1

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 10/13/2004 : 08:37:24

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by OJ
 Guess this would settle a lot of arguements . . .
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=5348&item=2493656690&rd=1
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

$63,000 for a Chevy pickup truck

?!?! For a lot less than that, you could get a basic Ford F-650 cab-chassis, put a Knapheide service body on it for about another $4K, and have a REAL tow vehicle with 20,000# towing capacity.

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 10/13/2004 : 09:50:02

For that money you can get a nice Kenworth or Peterbuilt.. or a reasonably decent bluewater cruising boat and forget about the truck.

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 10/13/2004 : 23:45:23

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ClamBeach
 For that money you can get a nice Kenworth or Peterbuilt.. or a reasonably decent bluewater cruising boat and forget about the truck.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

You have a point - I have seen lots of SF Bay Area Catalina 36's (used ones of course), that are available in the $55-$63K range. And occasionally you see an older full-keel blue water "passage maker" in that price range. Those bigger boats hold value too, they won't depreciate nearly as fast as a pickup truck. Of course, the flip side of the "big boat" equation is: permanent, inescapable slip fees of $300/mo average, annual bottom paint and cleaning fees, etc. Guess I'll stick with my C-25 for a while, at least until I retire. It doesn't cost anything to store it in my back yard should I have to take the boat out of regular use for some reason. Have you ever seen one of these big-rig based "personal tow vehicles"? They look like a regular Kenworth or Peterbilt semi-tractor, with a sort of "mini-RV" built in over the chassis, like a sleeper cab, but bigger and with more amenities. The few that I have seen are usually being used to tow really HUGE livestock or RV trailers. These aren't quite converted commercial trucks, they don't have the same kind of big-rig 5th wheel coupler that true 18-wheelers have to pull freight trailers, but from the front, the vehicle looks just like a regular Kenworth. Can't imagine what I new one must cost, considering that many motor homes easily cost $150K and up (gosh, a brand new Catalina 350 goes for about that!).

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tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 10/14/2004 : 02:49:43

Larry, saw one of those on a trip to LA this past year towing a huge RV 5th wheel. I guessed it was so the hired driver could have his own quarters while the owner had the big RV.

Can you imagine the feeling of driving the big PU above when you are pulling your boat and trailer up an ocean ramp and the tide is down a bit. I've seen motor homes with dual rear wheels just barely make it up the ramp. $63k spinning on the ramp with an 8,000 lb weight trying to pull it back into the briny. It would provide a lot of entertainment for the rest of us at the ramp.

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 10/14/2004 : 08:18:09

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by tmhansen
 I've seen motor homes with dual rear wheels just barely make it up the ramp.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I heard a story about 10 years ago, that a member of our sailing club lost his rig on the launch ramp at Richmond, CA. This had supposedly happened back in the mid '80's, before I was a member of the club. The boat was a Catalina 22 and the the tow vehicle a Toyota mini-pickup with 4WD (what they call a Tacoma nowadays, I guess). Richmond is notorious for how slick (with algae) the ramp gets at low tide, and it got this guy one day. He was trying to get back up the ramp after launching his 22, and the truck kept sliding around in the slime, gradually losing ground with each attempt, until water came in over the door sils and he had to bail out, at which point the truck and trailer slipped the rest of the way down and dissappeared under the water. A scuba diver later found the rig and a tow truck was called to hauled it out with a long cable. Interesting that even though the truck was a 4WD, it couldn't deal with the algae. I think everyone in my club is aware of the problem or has heard this story, and we make it a point to wait for high tide when launching or retrieving at that ramp. Monterey, CA. is another ramp with a nasty reputation for being dangerously slick at low tide.

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tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 10/15/2004 : 01:29:59

Yes the worst case I have seen was at Richmond. I have also witnessed the ramp slide at Santa Cruz. Our ramp at Morro Bay seems shallower than others now that I notice these things. My sister used to live and work in Santa Cruz harbor and said losing a tow rig on the ramp was a regular occurance there. Always make sure the kids and dogs are out of the car. More than one pet has been rescued from Santa Cruz's ramp that I have heard about.

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