I am looking to purchase a used bass boat in the early spring.  What I am trying to figure out is if my current truck will be plenty for it.  I am looking to purchase a 18'-19' boat with probably a max of a 175 hp motor.  What I have for a truck is a 1998 Chevy Silverado Z71 extended cab with a 350 under the hood.  My truck also has a transmission cooler installed.  Should I be alright pulling that boat with this truck?

I pull my 20ft with a V-6 F150 with out a problem. You should be fine.

Talked to a guy with a Chevy colorado with the I-5 engine extended cab Z71 4x4 (which is exactly what I have).  He pulls a 19ft Triton with a 175 so yeah...you should be fine.  I'm going to be getting a 17'9 Nitro when I get back from Iraq and pull it with that Colorado.  You should have plenty of power for that boat.

You'll be fine.

Piece of cake!

Ronnie

No problem! My dad has the same truck and even though I have a 3/4 ton Dodge I have to say, those Silverados with the 350 are sweet.

no problem at all

Not exactly!!!!

One of these day's you will see a check engine light, the fault code will be P1870 and the transmission will be making hard 1 -2 shifts.

The 1998 4L60E is one of the worst transmissions GM made, and they have made some bad ones. Actually, towing is only part of the problem, the transmissions are not very good even when not towing. It would pay you to have a shift kit installed that corrects a couple of the main problems in the valve body that causes early failure.

Trust me, I speak from experience, I also happen to own the same truck as yours, been there, done that. Mine lasted 115,000 miles. When I rebuilt it though, I modified it so it can tow 5,000 lbs in overdrive if I wanted to, but it's gets better gas milage when towing in 3. I built my own and still spent $700 valves and other special parts, but it will tow a freight train now. I tow a 20' Javelin, with 225 and dual axle trailer all over the place, in some rather hilly country with no problems now.

I guess I should also mention, this response is in reference to the 1500, not the 2500. The 2500 has the 4L80E which is a much heavier transmission, much more suited for towing.

I towed the same exact rig as you plan on towing with a 1988 Silvarado/350 4X4 and didn't have a single problem with it. A friend of mine tows with a 2003 and hasn't had any problems either. His has the smaller, new generation of small block. Just don't tow in overdrive.

I tow with a Ford F150 now, but I believe that my next tow vehicle will be a 3/4 ton. I'm leaning toward a diesel because I started towing trailers heavier than my boat.

   As a ASE certified mechanic, here is my .02 . Make sure that your trans fluid is up to par, find a shop that has a BG trans flushing machine and have it flushed. Also make sure and I mean positive that your truck does not "PING" while towing. Other than that my man, you own the truck to tow it with.

I know I'm just an old dumb country boy that don't know a whole lot so I have one Suggestion.

Talk to one of your larger trans rebuild shops. They see more problems a month than most on here will see in a life time. While there, ask if they think it would help to install a shift kit before it does screw up. If they do suggest it, Just make sure it's with a good shop, not everybody does the whole kit installation because theres a couple of things in it that are a pain in the butt to do. Will probably run $150 - $200 for the kit installed. You will probably find they tell you they rebuild three or four of your transmissions a week. See if they mention the TCC regulator valve being a problem. This is one of the main problem childs in it, when it starts messing up, it causes the torque converter to overheat and burn up.

However, as menitoned, it's your equipment, you can run it however you please, nobody has to pay the bills but you when it breaks.

your truck has plenty of muscle. I tow a 17'/115 hp with a 4banger s-10, and have no problems. Just give yourself plenty of time to stop.

O ya you have enough power to tow more than just that boat if you go to certain websites or ur dealer u can find out the exact capcity of ur truck and i bet its close to double the boat.

One time i saw a guy with a real big old cruising boat probably 24 ft but big and bulky and the was towing it with a 94 four banger ranger i was like r u kidding how did u even get that to the ramp the trucks bumber almost touched the ground