www.iFourWinns.com

Well, as the subject says I'm thinking about getting an '00 268 Vista. The more I think about it the more it feels like the perfect upgrade for us, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

My main concern is...can I tow it? I've read a couple of threads on here where people are or have been towing 248, 258, and 268s with 1/2-ton vehicles and I saw that as a sign of hope!

The boat doesn't have A/C but it does have the Volvo 7.4Gi DP and radar arch, it sits on a painted FW trailer with aluminum wheels. It also has radar, GPS, fish finder...

My truck is a Nissan Titan with a 9400lb tow capacity, most trips are going to be within 60-70 miles of home on flat highways and some small rolling hills. We may do a yearly trip up I5 from socal to the Sacramento delta, but that's yet to be decided.

So, generally speaking, how would you all rate this setup? I've been towing for years so by no means would this be a new experience, my biggest issue so far has been finding actual boat+trailer weights for the 268 as well as finding people that tow their 268 and what they tow it with. We don't have any truck scales that are convenient to where the boat is located so it would be difficult for me to get this exact boat on the scales.

Any info and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

IMO your tow rig will be marginal at best. The boat, engine, fuel,batteries, accessories and trailer weigh 9000, -9500 lbs. Now add in fresh water, and any stuff you may load in and you are well over your tow rating. When I first bought my 268, I had a 1/2 ton suburban and I thought for sure I would be OK. Granted the tow capacity on the burb was like 7500# I think. It didn't take long to realize that it wasn't cut out to pull the boat. Any sort of hill was tough for it. I ended up trading it in and now use a 07' 2500 HD with the duramax/Allison combo.

I think your truck would probably be OK for short hauls, but you have to think about in the event something happens and you are pulling something over the capacity of the vehicle where that put you in the whole liability food chain.

As far as the boat, we love ours, and with the big block in it, even better. We have the 5.7 and I wish we had alittle more power to get up on plane.

Hope that helps

Here is the specs for the '00 268 http://assets0.fourwinnsmarketing.com/past_product/specs//2000/19%20268%20Vista%20(p116-119).pdf

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

As Jeff noted.....

Your current vehicle will certainly move the 268 around. However......

If it will live on the trailer (as ours does) and every use will be a tow, your plan should include an eventual swap to a 3/4 ton vehicle. And .... remember that you are not only pulling 10,000 pounds (!), but it is over 30' long and high. I want a tow vehicle that is comparatively heavy (not to get tossed around so much, by the towed rig if things were to get less than ideal) and long. That boat/trailer is twice as long and twice as heavy as your truck.

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Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner

I tow our 248 with a F350 crew cab long bed, works well. Wife has a chevy tahoe, tow rating at 8500 lbs, I have tried to tow the boat to 'test' it out, it can move the boat, but IMHO it can not tow the boat, around here there are too many hills and the little car is just to light, short and underpowered.
What I have found towing camp trailers and boats over the years, if I am going to pull over 5k lbs, I want a 3/4 ton min. The 1/2 ton does ok with less than 5k lbs.

You will love the 268!!! and the little truck may get you by for a season while you find your next truck.

Good luck and happy boating.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

Do yourself 2 favors:

1) Buy a 3/4 or 1 ton (I prefer Dodge with a Cummins). Now is a great time to buy.

2) REBUILD (or at the very least SERIOUSLY INSPECT) the trailer hubs and verify that the trailer brake system works *before* pulling the boat ANYWHERE! I spent a few days in Dalhart Texas when I went to pick my boat up in Colorado after torching a bearing on the way home to Dallas. It's hard to find hubs/bearings in the middle of nowhere. Trust me.

Craig C.

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2003 Vista 248, VP 5.0 GXi-C, DP

Thanks for the input, everyone.

Upgrading to a 3/4-ton may be an option. I wasn't planning on financing much or any of the boat, but I could potentially defer some of the funds in order to trade my truck for a 3/4-ton. This is something I'd been wanting to do anyway, but the problem is getting the CFO (aka wife) on-board with that idea. I have a feeling she may take the stance that we just need to be looking at smaller boats.

On the other hand, she really really likes the 268.

Assuming everything isn't full, meaning we fill up with gas and water at or near our destination, how much difference would that make? I don't want to be "that guy" and drive over my truck's capacity, but if I can stay within my limits and get the wife to understand the need for a bigger truck then that would definitely make a solid argument for getting a 3/4 ton by the end of the season.

I need to crunch the numbers and see how they look. Is a smaller boat an option? Sure, but I don't want us to end up regretting "settling" for less than what we wanted.

This will be at least the 2nd time having a 1/2-ton truck has bit me. I've had a Ram 2500 Cummins in the past and that's what I'd upgrade to now, at the time I bought the Titan I never anticipated actually needing a 3/4-ton. Oh well.

What type of terrain will you trailer through? What distances??


I tow my 248 full with my 05 Tundra that is only conservatively rated for 6.5k#. Sure it is not the safest and I am overloaded but the highest mountain we have here is a speed bump and my ramp is just a few miles down the street. Depending on your application I think your Titan would fit the bill.

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Walter

2003 248 Vista - VP 5.0 GXi
2009 Toyota Tundra SR5 5.7L 4x4

1) Buy the boat

2) Tow it with the current truck

3) First couple of times go fine

4) Scare the &$#^# out of her on one trip (just don't kill her....) .... explain that it is due to the truck being "too small".

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Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner

The terrain is mainly flat or slight grades with some hills that aren't more than 1-2 miles up or down on the freeway (Basic southern CA rolling hills).

Distances would be 30 miles to the closest lake we like or to Oceanside harbor, farthest would be down to San Diego Bay (60 miles) or Newport Beach (75 miles), though we may just launch from Oceanside when going to Catalina. Not sure.

We don't have the luxury of living just down the street from decent water, unfortunately.

Loving this idea!!!

With that said, I think you're going to be "OK" towing with your current setup. It's not ideal and you'll be close on your capabilities, but if you're careful, prepared and take it slow, you should be fine.

Ideally, a 3/4 or 1 ton would be best for that boat, but, IMHO, you could tow it for a season without doing too much wear to your 1/2 ton. This is particularly true if you tow it without much equipment and low fluid (i.e., gas, fresh water, and waste) levels.

I tow a 258 with a Yukon Denali and it has done an admirable job. I highly recommend the Equalizer weight distributing hitch. It's awesome.

Good luck!

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2006 Vista 258
2007 Yukon Denali

So for the heck of it I went out this afternoon and took a look at some new and used Rams.

Let me tell you, those guys at the dealer are evil. EVIL. I could put myself in a new '09 2500 Cummins and pay nearly $140/mo LESS than I am for my Titan. Actual loan principal...yeah...the new truck is going to have a bit more initially, in the end it will end up being cheaper due to 0% APR and I'll have saved a good $5k.

EVIL!

Now I just need to convince the wife...

You won't regret a Cummins. Best diesel engine available. Think of it as an *investment*.

Craig C.

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2003 Vista 248, VP 5.0 GXi-C, DP

No doubt the motor is awesome, I just can not bring my self to own a dodge, that is like towing a Sea Ray behind my truck!!

Kidding aside, buy the 268, tow couple times, then do as M3eater suggested. Then show admiral the cost savings of the new '09 3/4 dodge, you should be sitting pretty by the end of summer this year.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

I have a 2000 268 and tow it with a 3/4 ton Suburban powered by a 8.1L the boat is heavy I put it on the scales and I think it was around 8000lbs-8500lbs. My old boat topped the scales at 5K with 50 tuna and 75 bags of ice, my buddies Tahoe could tow it but it struggled on the hills. I wouldn't want less of a tow vehicle than I have for this boat.

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2000 268 Vista "Reely Nauti"
http://www.facebook.com/#!/rivercruiser

Hmmm, that's interesting. 8000-8500lb as it sat on the trailer? Do you happen to recall any specifics (Fuel, gear, etc)?

I'd have no problem with that and will likely end up upgrading the TV next season. If I can, I'll get the boat we decide on weighed prior to purchase.

I decided to hold off on upgrading the TV now and will see how things pan out in Oct when we're ready to buy the boat.