Question

The Boat Trailering Guys

Your section along with the rest of the publication is one I eagerly await for with each issue. I recently bought a cargo carrier rated at 500 pounds for my 1995 Nissan Quest which has a factory installed towing package rated at 3,500 pounds. The company is well known for its hitches etc. They told me I could get the carrier with a 2' receiver attached to a welded reinforced end so I would be able to use the carrier and tow my 16' Dockrell sailboat. The boat weighs about 1,000 pounds. They said the rule of thumb is if you can move the boat on flat ground the weight factor is fine. What is your opinion?

Answered on: 6/2005

MIKE: When I was purchasing trailer products for BoatUS catalog and marine centers, I had purchased a similar product. The carrier was rated for 300 lbs. This was the total capacity which would include the tongue weight of the trailer. In this scenario if 150 lbs of gear were put on the carrier, you then had the capacity of adding a trailer with the tongue weight of 150 lbs to meet the 300 lb load total limit. The overall weight of your gear and loaded trailer would need to meet the capacity of the towing vehicle. With that said, it sounds like your vehicle has adequate towing capacity for the load, but I don't think you received a satisfactory answer regarding load capabilities from the company who manufactured the cargo carrier. They should be able to give you a definitive answer on the tongue weight capacity of the cargo carrier and/or if it just needs to meet the overall 500lb limit regardless of how you load it. Do not settle for their "rule of thumb" answer.

The Boat Trailering Guys: Mike