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Ok, I'm new to towing. I need to tow a 13' whaler using my Honda CRV. My ride is AWD with a cvt, and its towing capacity is 1,500 pounds. Can I safely tow my boat? I'm thinking of getting a blue ox towing weight distribution hitch system to make hauling more stable and safe. Or there's no need for a WDH? Any advice/tips would be much appreciated. Thanks guys!
For 1500 lbs a weight distributing hitch seems to be overkill. We used one on the race car trailer but it was 8,000 lbs. And no, we didn't tow it with a CRV. If you have the boat and trailer set up correctly the tongue weight should be well within the CRV's capacity. I think the rule of thumb is 10%, so about 150 lbs if you're maxed out.
Any idea what the Whaler weighs? You should be able to find a spec from the manufacturer. If it's an older one you'll have to factor in the waterlogged foam.
Many things factor into the max towing weight. The vehicles wheel base, tires, brakes, transmissions, differentials, and suspension all factor into the final number I am sure I missed a few more. 10 percent is what you are looking for on the tongue if you had weight distribution I think it's 20 percent. How often do you plan on towing how far are you going what is the terrain etc. 1500 pounds is not much and the weight adds up fast. With all that said if it's relatively flat secondary roads you could probably push that number a bit by just taking your time. I would not want to be on a highway with much more than the manufacturers recommendations.
We tow a 16' whaler frequently behind a Honda Pilot. No problems with braking and control. Fuel consumption goes up significantly. I don't think I would want to tow much more boat behind the pilot. I think you will be fine.
Thanks guys for the info. I think my CRV will be fine without using a WDH. Will tow my whaler from time to time, and the distance is not too far.