The Ultimate Boat Towing Guide

Now that summer has finally arrived, British Columbia boaters are getting ready to hit the water for sunny afternoon cruises, weekend fishing excursions and swimming or watersports with the kids. But if you don’t live directly on the water, you have to find a way to get your boat to the nearest lake or river. If you’re new to boat ownership, you might not have had to deal with trailering and towing your boat yet, so it’s smart to brush up on this valuable knowledge.

Bill Howich RV & Marine in Campbell River is proud to be your British Columbia boat dealer. Here are our top boat trailering and towing tips to help assuage your anxiety when it comes to getting your boat where it needs to be so you can start having fun.

Obey Weight Restrictions

The trailer for your boat needs to be able to handle the boat’s full weight, and you probably had some assistance in locating a suitable trailer when you bought your boat. But your towing vehicle has to handle the weight of the trailered boat, and this can be more of a challenge to achieve. 

The manufacturer of your vehicle has set a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) that you can find in the owner’s manual, online or in the driver’s side door. This weight includes passengers, cargo and everything that’s being towed. The bigger the boat you have, the bigger and more powerful your towing vehicle has to be.

Hitch Up

In order to hitch your trailered boat to your towing vehicle, you’ll want to get your trailered boat and your towing vehicle ready to go and in the same vicinity. Set your ball joint lower than the hitch before slowly reversing your towing vehicle until the hitch and joint are on top of each other. You’ll want to have someone outside to spot you and keep an eye on things since you won’t be able to see what you’re doing that well.

Once this occurs, park your towing vehicle and lower your hitch until the joint locks into place before securing the hitch with its pin or clasp. You’ll want to cross your towing chains underneath the hitch in an X shape and hook them to your trailer. These chains will help to keep your trailer and vehicle connected in the event the hitch fails, giving you enough time to pull the whole towing setup to the side of the road safely. Double-check the security of your hitch and chains and test out your trailer’s brakes and lights to make sure they function.

Drive With Caution

Now it’s time to hit the road! You’ll need to use a great deal of caution when towing a trailered boat, as it’s a heavy and cumbersome item that limits your visibility. Try to avoid changing lanes as much as possible; let other vehicles pass you and give yourself more space to bring your towing setup to a complete stop. Be wary of vehicles that try to take advantage of the cushion you give yourself. Avoid going any faster than the posted speed limit: ideally, going a little slower will help you to stay in control of your trailer and vehicle.

If you are truly new to towing, you may want to take your setup to an empty parking lot to put in some practice with turning, reversing, braking and parking. Set up cones to represent a boat launch so that you can back into them until you feel confident.

We hope this guide helps you to safely tow your boat to the water this summer. Still searching for the perfect boat? Browse our website to see the great selection of new and used boats for sale that we have at our Campbell River, BC, dealership location. We even offer financing options to help you get the boat you want. Bill Howich RV & Marine proudly serves our customers throughout the province, including those of you coming from the cities of Courtenay and Nanaimo, BC.