I am looking at getting a Nissan Pathfinder, and someday a boat...

The Pathfinder book says it can tow 3,500 lbs. How much does a standard bass boat + trailer + gear + batteries + gas, etc. weigh?

Think it can tow it?

With a 3,000 pound tow weight, I think you had better be looking at aluminum or small glass boats under 17 ft.

My 1987 Stratos 169V (16' 9") with 115 Merc and  gear on the trailer weighed 2,700 lbs

My 1989 Stratos 285 (18' 5") Pro with a 150 Johnson and gear on the trailer weighed a little over 3,100 lbs.

I've never weighed my Javelin R20 DC (little over 20') with 225 rude but I would guess it's close to 3,400 loaded on the trailer.

The newer glass boats are usually a few hundred pounds lighter than their older counter parts but loaded and ready to fish sitting on the trailer, they will still push your tow weight near the limit if you go above 17'.

Actually, i just checked the book and it says 3,500 towing weight.

thanks for the different weights... The interesting thing about this pathfinder is that the tow weight for Standard transmission is 3500 but in automatic it is 5000.... hmmm...

I am not a car guy, but found these specs: "All the '99 models come equipped with a 3.3 litre single-overhead-camshaft (SOHC), V6 engine which manages a respectable 168 hp at 4,800 rpm and produces 196 ft-lbs of torque at 2,800 rpm. Moreover, the Pathfinder's very flat torque curve (with more than 90% of the engine torque available between 1,500 - 1,800 rpm)"

Kinda weak horsepower, no? Does this help at all in figuring out the tow capacity?

Your size of brakes and whether or not you have a tranny cooler would be very important to me.  Smaller bass boats and alums. don't tend to have trailer brakes.  Stopping is very important.  Summer time pulls even short distances can really heat up a tranny.  I hear my cooler kick in every once in a while in July and August on trips of under 50 miles.

Actually, where you live has more to do with it.  Being in Florida, you have very little in the way of hills to deal with.  Towing on flat land makes life much easier.  Stay out of overdrive (with either trans, auto or man) and you will probably have very little trouble.   I towed my 285 Pro from all over Ga and Fl for about four years with a 1989 4WD Toyota four cylinder 22R motor.  On the flat roads I would cruise a 70 mph with it.  Now, this is not totally recommended, but I did it.  Now, stopping 3,000 pounds in a hurry on a wet road, that's totally a different ball game.  That truck is going to get mighty little and mighty light real quick, been there, done that.   Took a couple of months for the crease to come out of the seat under my butt.

I've got a '01 QX4 which I believe is basically the same vehicle as the Pathfinder.  It said 5000 lb towing capacity.  I tow my Stratos 295XL Pro (specs say 19.5 ft but measures 18.5 ft) with 200 Evinrude HO with no problem -- at least as yet.  It seems to pull real good and stop just fine.

I tow my 16' fiberglass boat with 80hp motor and all accessories with a 1987 Chevy Blazer S-10 with a 2.8 liter V-6 and overdrive auto trans. It's kind of short on power and braking so I leave plenty of room to stop and look well ahead for safety. This rig works fine for me, towing speed @ 55-60 mph. I added an aftermarket trans cooler rated at 5000 pounds. It keeps the fluid cool even in our 113 degree Arizona summers. Do not tow in overdrive!!!!

i just towed my 16 ft stratius bass boat its about 2000 lb with tralor thrugh a snow storm for about and hour drive with a 2002 chrysler town and country mini van in ny and thers lots of hills here and it did just fine

Will it tow it? Yes. Is the most practical vehicle to tow it with? No. Personally I might look into something a little bigger. Not saying it won't tow it for years without any problems, just my .02 cents.

It really depends how big a boat you get.   My next boat, I'm going to get trailer brakes.  All the guys I know who have them really like them.

Like others have said, in flat FL, you're fine, especially if you stick to improved ramps. And in my experience most of the FL ramps are pretty good on the big lakes.

I have a '99 4runner w/ a V6 that I bought new that has 200K miles on it and it has been towing a 19' Ranger around (with trailer brakes) on a pretty regular basis for all those years. It has towed it up and down the east coast many times and has spent most of its life in hills of NH.

You will be fine, and it will do it with ease. If your worried go to NAPA or Advanced and get a universal tranny cooler and take it to a mechanic to install it.  What county do you live in?

Get a good trans cooler, change your trans fluid on a regular basis (I do mine every year just to be safe), and do not tow in overdrive.  You should be fine. 

i had a 2001 explorer sport with 4.0l v6, it had the same tow rating. it pulled my 16ft tracker pro angler easily. just traded it in for an expedition with hd tow package. it tows 9000. probably wont be able to feel the boat at all.

you can pull a medium seized boat but it will strain and take the life of your truck sooner than normal.  i would suggest getting a bigger truck or smaller boat

MY 2 cents, you will be fine. If the boat you buy doesnt have trailer brakes you can have them installed for added security if you choose. Stopping the boat is more of a concern than pulling. Ask your car dealer if the pathfinder comes with a towing package. If so, it should come with a trans cooler. I have a 1999 chevy 1500 2wd with a v6 and i tow in overdrive all the time. If you notice the transmission constantly downshifting out of overdrive, then take it out of overdrive and run it in drive.

Check with Nissan direct: They are quoting 6000 lbs. since 2006.

MY 2 cents, you will be fine. If the boat you buy doesnt have trailer brakes you can have them installed for added security if you choose. ...

This is true but it can be very expensive.  In the early 90's I had to add brakes to a tandem axle Ranger Trail and I recall it cost me a small fortune.  :-/

I use a 4.0L V6 Sport-Trac Explorer to pull a 20'8" Nitro w/ 225 hp Merc. No issues at all. It's a little slow getting up to speed on the entrance ramp on the freeway but it does fine when I get to speed. Also I always tow with the overdrive off which reduces stress on the tranny.

I have a 2008 Pathfinder and a 2006 Frontier and both have same engines with following specs

Engine: 6 Cylinder, 4.0 Liter, 266hp

Torque: 288 lb.-ft. @ 4,000RPM

Tows to 6000 lbs.

I can pull my buddies 21' Stratos and my 18 1/2' Ranger is a rag doll. So you should be fine, also my Frontier and Pathfinder came with transmission oil cooler from factory! Make sure you check for your years model features.

In 2008 Nissan Pathfinders also have a V8 option

5.6-liter V8 w/310 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque and towing is rated at 7,000 pounds

can i chime in??

I have a 1987 Astro with a 305 in it. For a few years i've been towing my 16 1/2 ft Sea Nymph in overdrive except up hills. I do have a tranz cooler. This year i'll also be towing a 18ft Nitro.

I see alot of people saying dont use OD but if i did that my RPM's would be too high and mpg would suck even worse. so far i've towed the Nito from Michigan.. the tranny i have is a 700r4. so should OD never be used even on a level road?

Even though you have a trans cooler it is not good to tow in overdrive unless your rpm's will be around 2200, it puts too much stress on your transmission and it WILL burn up over time. I grew up in a tow truck, My great grandfather started a towing company in 1947 witch my dad runs today, trust me when I say dont tow in overdrive or you will break the wallet in time. Transmission coolers are very good to have but they will only help so much.

also the 700R4 tranmission is a very strong tranmission but I will still never recomend towing in OD, gas mileage will still be good if kept at the right speed, if you are doing 80 then the RPM will be high enough to go into OD but if doing 55 you milege will actually be better out of OD because the motor is not working as hard.

700R4 rebuilt tranny is $1300 plus installation so why risk it.

JB i appreciate the info bcuz i didnt know what was best for towing... i guess i was thinking the reverse, meaning if my revs sound higher then the drive gear is too much therefor shift to OD..

so i was just trying to get the scoop since i'll be towing a heaver boat this season.

what about a slightly larger pair of tires on the rear of my van, would that help too?

only for strength but nothing else, it wont hurt it at all unless you go too big without the proper adjustments but anywhere close will not hurt. If you are wanting more strength from the rear look into Monroe Sensa trac/Load adjusters from NAPA it will make a huge diff for rear strength.