anyone TOW their 2520 from their home to Ramp each Weekend?

[Smittles1179]

Question number one:

I went to the Providence RI boat show over the weekend and saw my first Parker. Nice, but much larger than in the pictures I have seen. I’m interested in a 2530 and my question is this: Does anyone TOW their 2510, 2520 or 2530 from their home to the ramp every weekend or do you keep it in the water at a SLIP?

I thought after doing research that the dry weight on a 2520/2530 was about 5000lbs, add fuel, gear and other stuff and total TOW weight would be 8,500LBS give or take. So I went out and bought my first truck (ever) about 8 days ago: a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 which can TOW 10,425 lbs – (I bought this thinking I would TOW back and forth every weekend) Now after seeing a 2520 I don’t think TOWING was my best idea. Maybe to get it to the slip and home in the winter, but maybe TOWING a 2520/2530 isn’t the thing to do. (Question #1 Part B) What are you guys using to TOW your 2520/2530’s with? And do you do it all the time? Is it Easy or Hard to TOW? Can you do it alone or do you need a friend?

Thanks,

Smittles

 

[sparky]

We tow, but we've got an '01 F350 Powerstroke.... we tow a 8000# Stanley Landing Craft all over the place for work, from Cape Cod to Albany, Syracuse, Midcoast Maine, NJ, all the way to DC even.

I've done it alone, but our company policy is to never tow alone, too many chances for trouble.

The 2520 doesn't tow very well either, its very bow-heavy. I sure as heck wouldn't tow even a 2520 with a 1500. 2500, maybe, but certainly not a 1500, unless your ramp is very nearby and has no hills between you and it.

 

[miky2884]

bryan2530 can chime in on towing a 2530. He also has a dodge ram 1500, ive been there to help him put the boat in the water in the spring and take it out in the fall, in my opinion the 2530 is a big boat to be towing in and out every weekend, im sure he will give you his opinion

 

[Bryan 2530]

I have a 2530 and a Ram 1500 and I tow twice a yeard to the ramp down the street.

I pulledd it about 20 miles from where I bought it but would not make a habit out of it.

Unless you are close to the ramp, technically you need a oversize permit..

Get a slip, you'll use the boat more.

 

[GoodChance]

I tow a 25 Parker PH 2x per week from April through December. Approximately 15 to 20 miles each way to the ramp. I am using a Ford F350 7.3 diesel and a HD 2x axle trailer. Before the F-350, I used a Chevy 2500 gas and had absolutely no problems at all. I prefer to bring the boat home each day/night for a good cleaning and so I can sit in the cabin at night while on the trailer just to imagine being on the water.

 

[Smittles1179]

That was very helpful information. Thank you. I am about 5 to 7 miles from a ramp I think. But I go fishing every Saturday from March to October. I will take your advice and get a SLIP because it just seems easier than the TOW. Although I will take it home for the winter and bring it back in the spring with my Dodge Ram 1500 I just bought last week. I get married in two weeks and we are remodeling the Kitchen and Bath in the spring, so I'll be running the Tracker Grizzly 1448 Jon Boat for a couple years yet. I'm just planning ahead and starting to ask my questions now for my future Parker. Thanks.

 

[miky2884]

BUY THE PARKER BEFORE YOU GET MARRIED!!!!! :lol:

 

[coolbreeze]

I tow my parker 2520 to the coast every weekend I get a chance about 2.5hrs each way ford 08 f250 without any problem .. let me recomend 10,000 tandem trailer plastice slides on bunks and e rated tires.. you will not be dissatified!

 

[Burtona]

I don't have a Parker 25, but not too long ago I had a Bertram 25 with twin I/O. It's larger and heavier than the Parker 2520 and I towed it for each trip to the ramp (about 15 miles) with an F-150 Ford pickup and later with a 1500 Suburban. Stopping a boat that large is much more of a problem than towing it so you need more brake and less power than you might think. A couple of times a year I pulled it to Cape Hatteras (100 miles or so each way). I'd want a larger tow vehicle if I routinely pulled long distances but for a 10-20 mile trip to the ramp and back a light pickup will work, unless you just want to spend a lot more money on a truck.

 

[snowdevil]

I recently purchased my first parker this fall after seeing the xl 2520 @ the newport boat show. I had planned on a 2320 but realy liked the 2520 after spending some time aboard. I Had to tow it home about 100 miles after the sale and my truck pulls it no problem but it is a big boat to be hauling around all the time . I have a 2011 f350 crew cab w/ 6.2 gas motor and the boat makes the truck look tiny.
We are getting a slip in R.I. for the season to make things easier but pulling it around once in a while will be no problem but you are not sapose to pull a 9.6 beam without a special permit..

was the boat you looked @ from don,s marina in triverton? if so that is the same boat that sold me on mine.

 

[Smittles1179]

Nice! Thanks, your making me feel better about my new truck purchase. My first pick for a truck would have been the Ford Raptor all decked out, but Base price was $42,000 and decked out $52,000 - so that was a no-go. Next up would have been ANY Ford on the lot. But the Fords were all closer to $40,000 - another No-GO but as I was driving past the East Providence Elmwood Dodge and stopped in. I explained I had about $30,000 and was looking for a truck - They hooked me up with a Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT BIG HORN Quad cab 4X4 - with a 3.92 axle ratio; anti-spin differential, a 5.7 V8 HEMI MDS VVT Engine, 5-speed Automatic 545RFE Transmission with Dual rear exhaust, 20-INCH X 8-INCH Aluminum Wheels, Chrome Tubular Side Steps by Mopar, a Class IV Receiver Hitch and Trailer Brake Control with a spray in bedliner FOR JUST $29,500.00 - needless to say: SOLD! Now I've never owned a truck before but this truck...well...all I can say is...HEMI.

That being said...The pictures snowdevil are an excellent bonus and I thank you. I shall drop off and pick up my (future) Parker so it's at the house for winter and I shall get a slip somewhere near Providence RI I would think. I might have to start a new thread titled: suggestions on where to get a slip in RI.

Yes, Don's Marina from Tiverton was at the show. I met both Don and Tom. I look forward to the Boston Boat Show next month as Tom thinks they may have a 2530 at the show. I need to see one before I can decide.

Thank you everyone for your input.
Smittles

 

[sparky]

First of all, you need to check the GVWR of your truck, and add up all your gear. Weight of truck, trailer, boat, fuel, etc. If you exceed the truck's rating, and you get in an accident, your insurance will not cover you. Its not so much the power, but the brakes, suspension, and steering that are important. A 1500 is really light for what you are asking.

 

[Megabyte]

Get a slip, you'll use the boat more.

I towed my previous boat to the ramp every weekend, but for this one I got a wet slip.
As Bryan said... you'll use it a lot more.

 

[tara11]

I am about the same distance from the ramp to my house, 10 minutes max, we have a 2009 F250 4X4, I use the $ wheel drive to put in the water and pull out, we had a slip and it was great, the price of the slip went up 3 times in one year so we brought it home, for me, actually it is easier in the water as far as less work, cleaning and washing after a lobster trip of a fisihing trip or after any boating trip, that is what Jose gets paid to do on all the boats daily, however, when the boat is in my driveway, I can watch it, tinker with it, just enjoy looking at it everytime I come home, if I want to check, or do anything, it is in my driveway, when we go for a fishing trip, we always go for a min of 2 nights out at the islands, so it is 100% easier to load and gear up in my drive way, than packing the truck and going to the slip and hauling everything down to the boat, we always forget something, so I like it at home and I save money not paying the slip fee and the odds of it getting broken into is pretty slim but it is nice to run down and fire up the motor and go, also, it is kind of hard to flush the motors with it sitting in the water, and we had ours ina bottom liner in the slip, and once the bottom liner fell apart, we painted the bottom, now I wish I never painted, as we will have to either repaint, or have the pain removed and made shiny and smooth pretty soon, sorry for the long naswer, but that is my take on it and I have a 2520 fully loaded with everything and a tower !

 

[soohoo]

I tow my 2510 from northborough to new bedford about once a week durring the season. I have a F350 gas 5.7 and it will tow it faster than you want to go . I also have a gmc 1500 5.0 it also will tow it but it really wants to sway the truck real bad and it takes a long way to get it going straight again . If I were you I would put air bags or a sway arm attachment to help

I also have a mooring in salem that I use in the spring for cod , it does seem like if the boat is in the water it gets used more but I have been reluctant to paint the botom and I dont like all the stange marks down the side of the boat after it has been on the mooring for a while, like I was being used in a bumper boat contest but I was not invited to

I might also look for a slip or a rack down south some where but for now I will be towing its nice to have the boat at the house to clean and work on

 

[TheOtherLine]

I bought a pickup truck to tow my boat 4 times a year for cleaning, maintenance and the occasional hurricane.

While many don't think twice about towing all the time, I can tell you that if I had to tow my 2520 for every trip, I'd pick a different hobby.

I recently bought an old Suburban 2500 with a 7 liter and tow setup. It pulls the boat easier than the pickup ( Lincoln Mark LT), but it doesn't stop it as well.

Fortunately for me, the ramp is less than 3 miles away....

Did you add in the weight of your trailer in your calcs? By my estimates, I'm pulling every bit of 9500 lbs.

An F250 or equivalent is probably the right tow vehicle for the 2520.

 

[tara11]

I would guess with a full tank of fuel, 170 gallon at about 8 lbs a gallon and all the ice chest etc............ 10,000 lbs plus my boat weighs, that was what we figured way back when we were doing what you are dong now, I am lucky, I have 4 F250 4X4 trucks for plumbing , so once I get tired of a newer truck, we remove the bad and put on a utility body, but I think I am finished with Fords, my new F250 Deisel (2010) get at best 10 to 11 MPG and my 2005 F250 Deisel gets 17 to 20, bot numbers are around town, I hate me new Ford, but we are not talking about trucks here

 

[jeffnick]

Testimonies are great, but you're the only one who can decide what you're comfortable towing. I was terrified of towing something big until I bought a boat on eBay and had to bring it back to SC from Las Vegas. She was a well behaved lady behind my van and I'll not hesitate to take her anywhere, anytime. Big Duck is 28' X 8' with 12' air draft on the trailer.

 

[Megabyte]

Nick... Have you done any more work on that boat lately?
Would love to see it in the Projects section. :wink:

 

[jeffnick]

Nick... Have you done any more work on that boat lately?
Would love to see it in the Projects section. :wink:

See Projects.