i hope to buy my first boat this year or next season

but i have a problem that i just have a van which tow maximum is 3500lb(trailer w/ brake)

actually i'd like buy a boat about 25' which has kitchen, but they are usually 4000lb.

i need ur suggestion.

should i just use my van? is it very dangerous?

thanks.

A 25 foot boat with a kitchen isn't exactly a bass boat, not a canoe or a tube either.

Not sure you're on the right forum for questions for that size of a boat

That said...

I had a friend buy a Tahoe 22 foot deck boat and pulled it with a full size Dodge Ram van. That boat was a handful going down the road with that van.

sorry about that..but i like to go bass fishing, so it might be bass boat lol

u mean the van is working?

thanks

What kind of van is it?

My wife used her Ford Winstar van to pull her 19' deck boat and also my 20.5' Champion all over the midwest.

What type of rivers/lakes you looking to fish. When I grew up my father had a nice 23 ft citation aft cabin cruiser and my Uncle had a 21 ft Bayliner Trophy. We did a lot of fishing from both. But we fished DEEP. Like Lake Erie and Ontario DEEP. Which the boat you are describing would work fine.

Now I would never consider taking those boats bass fishing the way I do now. Their draft was just too deep. I would have sunk them in 10 minutes in some of the coves I hit on my lake. If you are looking to do some trolling motor, snaking into coves,  and through debris and shallow structures you will want different type of boat.

I assume you want the kitchen so you can do the family thing, go cruising, etc. I totally understand that. So you can do a couple things, get that boat, and maybe find a cheap Jon, Canoe, inflatable that you can spiffy up and use for your bass fishing when you got the itch.

As for towing, I would be VERY careful in exceeding or even meeting the restrictions on your vehicle. My grandfathers neighbor decided to tow his trailer which was just barely over his towing capability 8 hours to FL. He got about 3/4 way there before he ended up replacing his transmission. You also need to consider your wheelbase. My Uncle used to tow his camper with a Dodge conversion van, it was tough, blew him all over the road even with the anti-sway bar. He got a Chevy Suburban and you barely knew the camper was back there anymore.

If your van is rated for 3500 lbs, then I wouldn't go over that limit.  That added 500 lbs doesn't like much, but when you try to stop you will feel the difference.  Then if you go to the lake a lot, then your transmission, engine, and rear end will take some wear and tear and go out faster then normal with the above weight rating.  But if you do get a boat bigger then your rating, then make sure to start stopping earlier then normal and not to pick a steep boat ramp.  You might not be able to pull the boat out if it is to steep.  The biggest thing is going to be your tongue weight.  If it is to much for the hitch then it could break off when you hit a bump, or if it pushes the back down and raises the front up some, then it will be harder to stop because of the lack of pressure on the front and also make the truck made to bounce more because of the lack of front pressure.

I have towed more then the ranting for a couple of trucks, but only because I had to, but I took more cation and don't do it on a normal (every weekend) level.  Maybe once in a blue moon hauling wood to the dump or something.

But to be honest it's more of a feel and and seeing the boat hooked up to the van and seeing how it sits to know for sure.  And it depends on how good you are driving a trailer and confident level with a trailer.  I've been driving trailers around for a decade and started as soon as I was 16, so a trailer is nothing to be.  But if you haven't ever had a trailer behind you then I wouldn't suggest dropping right to a oversized load (boat) first.

I would suggest looking for a old truck full size (GMC/Chevy 1500, Dodge Ram 1500, Ford F-150) just for towing the boat.  Even a full size with a V6 might be enough, becasue the tranny and rear end is better then a midsize with a V6.  Also stopping it is a matter of size vs size, a full size truck has better brakes and weights more so it handle a bigger load vs a mid-compact truck.  It's easier for a 3500-4000 lbs truck to stop 4000 lbs vs a 2000-2500 lbs truck stopping 4000 lbs.

i hope to buy my first boat this year or next season

but i have a problem that i just have a van which tow maximum is 3500lb(trailer w/ brake)

actually i'd like buy a boat about 25' which has kitchen, but they are usually 4000lb.

i need ur suggestion.

should i just use my van? is it very dangerous?

thanks.

Is this for real???    : : :

Well, depending on how strict you are on your definition of "Kitchen". I could think of a way to rig a live well with a pump, a walmart cooler, and a small propane hibachi grill that would fit in a jon boat. i reckon that could be considered a kitchen.

That might almost be fun to try to build too. LOL!

Will it pull it?  Most likely. (but your transmission will hate you)

Will it stop it in a hurry?  Doubt it

Make sure the trailer has independent brakes if you go this route

You've got to admit that this is a strange post. A 25 ft boat with a kitchen for bass fishing.

You don't have anything that will pull that ship safely.

thanks for posting guys.

// i just searched used boats, they were not expensive as i thought (even 25ft)

now i know that i shouldn't use my van

and i decided to get 21ft or buy an old truck first

i promise i'll post my boat pic after

thanks again.