www.iFourWinns.com

Where are you going in Georgian Bay the 30,000 Island area? I'm really curious about this area as it's supposed to be some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. It sounds like you've spent some time in the NC, how would you compare the two places? Thanks!

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Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

Thanks for checking it out! Which marina do you keep your boat slipped at? We spent a few days in Charlevoix at the Municiple Marina, but also played on the lake so you might have seen us around there. Hopefully you don't recognize us from cutting you off or something and if that's the case I hope you don't remember

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Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

Hands down you already covered the best part of georgian bay which is the north channel. We are going to stay south of Parry Sound for a week. Southern georgian bay is quite a bit buisier especially in the peak season. I think when we do the NC we will have our boat loaded up and trailered up there to save time and money.
The cruising is awesom especially since you can stay on the small craft route and not worry about the "big water"
If you get the Ports Cruising guide it pretty much spells it out in there

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

Nice video for sure! I'm astounded that you even attempted to tow that beast with a little Toyota though! I bet that was a white knuckle ride!

Ruh Ro..... thems' fightin' words Matt. Ben knows more about his Tundra and what it will do safely than most people know about breathing.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

LOL - no offense meant for sure, but a Tundra is still a Tundra, and not something I'd ever think about yanking 10,000 lbs+ around with. Even with my old 1/2 ton Ram, it was white knuckle driving. The 100 mile tow home from where it was purchased was interesting to say the least.

Amen Cap'n...Amen!

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2008 Vista 278 Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi 375 hp
1999 Horizon 220 5.7 GSi

No offense taken, everyone has their favorite truck. Rather than going into a log winded speech about how overbuilt the Tundra is compared to other 1/2 tons I will just say this...towing with it is such a non event that sometimes my wife has to elbow me to keep me awake. It's a serene and enjoyable experience. Passing, steep grades, emergency stopping(deer) it does it with ease all while cruising highway speed at a soft purr of 1800 rpm @ 10-11mpg. It's simply amazing and I'm just being honest from my personal experiences. I hated towing before that truck, and now I get excited about it.

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Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

Out of interest (and completely off topic from this thread), does Toyota have a SUV which would be a good tow vehicle (Land Cruiser/Sequoia)? I'm towing with my '03 Tahoe which has 220,000 miles on it, and will likely need to be replaced soon(ish).

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

I have a Sequoia and love it for towing, but I'm only towing about 4,000 lbs tops. We looked at the Tahoe but the 3rd row seat folding deal took it out of the running. The sequoia tows between 7,200-7,400 lbs depending on model.
The Platinum has an adjustable rear air suspension that some love, but there also seem to be some issues with. It's also about $20,000 more than the SR5. Land Cruisers tow 8,200 lbs but are pretty hard to find at dealers, and you are looking at a $80,000 starting price.

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2013 H190 RS
VP 225 V6

I

The Sequoia is an awesome truck and with the 5.7 has plenty of grunt for towing. Towing spec with 5.7 is 7400 but that's based on the new standards of SAE J2807. Last I heard Toyota is the only one following these new standards, as they switched to them in 2007 when the Tundra came out. I've always been really impressed with the ride and quality!

I don't see very many Land Cruiser's around here because of the steep price tag like robopath stated...at 80k you might as well look at a Lexus in my opinion

Some info on SAE J2807 http://www.trucktrend.com/features/news/2013/163_news130410_j2807_truck_towing_standard/

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Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

I had an '04 Durango with a WD hitch that had no issues pulling my 268 around to local lakes. Once I stepped up to a Ram 2500, not a diesel, but Hemi, it had no issues taking it up to Lake Michigan from Indy.

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2007 358 T-5.7GXi IB
Previous Boats
'08 H240, '08 V318, '04 268, '04 225

Yep; the '97 Ram 1500 had a 7200 lb. tow rating, and it was not very fun. Of course, the 5.9 gasser was indeed underpowered compared to nowadays, so that was probably the reason. My '98 Ram 2500 with a hot-rodded Cummins tows it great; accelerates faster, stops quicker, handles better, and does it at a comparable fuel economy as the '97 unladen. It's crazy wicked fast, as if the boat isn't even there.

*Read a classic novel while sitting on a bluff,smoking a cigar, and sipping on a fine Scotch

Now that sounds like a good time!

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1969 Chris Craft Commander 47
1999 Four Winns 328 Vista - SOLD