Finally made it to retirement. Wanting to buy a 14 or 16 foot light weight v bottom fishing boat. USED. I think I can buy a nice one for 2000.00. 25-30 hp at very most , 2 stroke , tiller , with some type of floor. 2 seats that fit into floor , transom trolling motor , anchor , typical items in a little fishing boat. Will only be pulling boat 5 miles to the Kewaunee WI marina to launch and fish Kewaunee River and only fishing. Also pulling boat 15 miles to Algoma WI and fishing the Anaphee River. No Lake Michigan fishing. That’s the only places I will be pulling the boat.
Question *** Now on SS I was only able to afford to buy the 2021 Tacoma 4 cyl 159 hp truck. It’s is the cheapest model truck Toyota makes. It had 8900 miles on it and I paid $21,000.00 for it 2 years ago. It has a tow rating of 3500 pounds. I am worried I will pull the guts / transmission out the truck or get stuck at bottom of boat ramp and get the whole thing sucked back into water trying to pull it up the ramp. Ramps are a little steep. I talked to Toyota dealer and they said keep it under 2700 lbs and I should have no problem at all. That would give me a nice buffer. Problem is the word SHOULD. Ha ha. Your thoughts. Some folks around here say a $400.00 transmission cooler could help but I am only pulling it 5 miles and 15 miles each way to the ramps. Your thoughts. Need some good advice.what do you think a boat would weigh like the boat mentioned above ? Maybe I better stay to bank fishing ? Thanks. Marty

You should have no problem. I towed a similar set-up for years with a Mitsubishi 2.6L 4cyl P/U for years.

Getting a transmission cooler is always a good idea when towing.

Pro tip - get the biggest transmission cooler you can find. Only a bit more than a cheap one , but way more efficient.

Flat or hill country makes a difference me I like a V6 and they eat the gas if it local no biggie if it’s a long way there and back I’d think V6 but that’s me.

X2 on transcooler. Heat is what kills autos as slip is a built in feature of autos and slip aka friction equals heat.

Manuals don't have that issue.

Might not be a bad idea to consider oil cooler while you're at it. Probably not needed but towing does add to engine load which can raise coolant temps.

Sounds like the coolers would be a good idea even though I am pulling boat 10 miles round trip 2 days a week and 30 miles round trip 2 days a week. Thanks for the help. Marty

Should be fine

The other thing to consider in towing is stopping. That extra weight back there stops best if it has its own brakes. Without trailer brakes, it tends to run into the braked vehicle in front. Particularly a problem if the tow vehicle doesn't have a lot of weight itself. Most boat trailers will have surge brakes at a minimum.

Aside from that, trailers are notorious for having wheel bearing issues, especially ones that regularly get dunked in water. But that's a maintenance issue, mostly due to being one of those out of sight out of mind things that gets forgotten about until you're broke down on the side of the road.

My 17 ft flatbottom weighs 296 pounds. 40 hp motor probably weighs 200 or so? I think you’ll be ok

I pulled a lot more boat than that, and other things, too, with a '87 Toyota, 4 cylinder, 4WD, 5 speed, for years, and a lot of miles. Never any trouble on ramps, as long as they weren't icy. As said above, the manual transmissions don't have the heat problems that autos do, AND as also said before, that truck will pull a lot more than it will stop. Trailer brakes are your friend.

That rig won't get to 2,000 #, you should be fine

Pull it fine.
Getting up rough, steep, slimy ramps, with one wheel.spinning, as you slide backwards?

If the trucks have a towing package than I they come with a trans oil cooler. Any way the trucks I have had did.

You’re good. Have 2 Tacomas, 2.7L can handle that. Have seen other lanscapers using them for hauling a lot heavier loads

Towing 15 miles max at a time - you'll be fine without transmission and oil coolers and trailer brakes.

My wife just traded her 2024 Tacoma 4 cyl in for a 2025 Nissan 6 cylinder because the Toyota didn't have any get up and go. I say good luck if you get one.

If you haven't already had a FULL transmission service done I would do that first. Then do fluid and filter changes every 30K miles. Maintenance is cheap compared to tranny problems.

And, yes, a big cooler will certainly help.

I hate to think about some of the loads I've towed / hauled with stock, underpowered junk over the years.
With no.issues except the occasional OH GOD, IS THIS GOING TO STOP?

But brakes, etc WAY better these day's

4 wheel drive ??

Some boat ramps suck

my last toyota was 4 cylinder 94 5 speed. I pulled 16' trailer with 100 bales of hay and Over 6000 lb loads of scrap with it. It's not the same truck as yours but that boat is not going to be very heavy and trucks can easily handle more than rated for. Mine had 0ver 300k miles on it when I sold it so over working it didn't hurt it's longevity.

Congratulations on retirement.

Pulled a trailer of wood ‘yes more weight’ but when I went to stop it took a longer time to stop so watch your speed and weight. Some River break hills my 4cyl would really struggle with the climb I added a Weber carb and a header and that helped to crest the hill before I can walk faster.