First time tower - just bought boat
03-11-2019, 06:24 AM
#21
Senior Member
Like others have said, you need to practice reversing with a trailer.
Dont be be the guy who goes to a major fishing boat ramp at 8am on a Saturday and tries backing in for the first time. You’ll have a lot of impatient people pressuring you and possibly laughing at you.
have fun with the boat and congrats on all your new toys, I can’t wait to get back into boating
Dont be be the guy who goes to a major fishing boat ramp at 8am on a Saturday and tries backing in for the first time. You’ll have a lot of impatient people pressuring you and possibly laughing at you.
have fun with the boat and congrats on all your new toys, I can’t wait to get back into boating
03-11-2019, 08:36 AM
#22
I didn't read all of the responses so I apologize if this is redundant. You can ask your boat dealer to level the trailer and then measure how far from the ground to the bottom of the hitch plate. That will tell you where the top of your hitch should roughly be (not the ball, it goes up inside as you probably know). You can literally measure to the top of your receiver slot to know if you need a drop and how much. By now, I probably have 5-6 receivers after towing for many years, start your collection!
03-11-2019, 08:59 AM
#23
Do you have a 7 blade RV socket on the back of your truck? If so, you could simply use an adapter to go from 7 blade to 5 flat.
If you can't get any of that in place in time, ask the boat dealer if they will provide the reverse lockout key for the trailer (it is used to keep the coupler from actuating the brakes when backing up without power
to the reverse light circuit). Or, you can simply not try to backup your trailer (not very practical).
Here is a wiring diagram (the magenta lines are for reverse circuit)
Last edited by dirtydeed; 03-11-2019 at 09:10 AM.
03-11-2019, 09:01 AM
#24
If buying from a dealer:
Their prices may be just a bit higher, but buy the hitch and ball from them. That way you can be sure to have the right one.
As others have said, inquire about the required plug and make sure you are good to go there before arrival.
Agree on the spare tire, but as with the hitch I'd get it at the dealer. A few bucks more but you'll get a nice matching wheel and tire, and they may have a good mount setup available.
I have tow mirrors but probably wouldn't if I didn't tow a full width enclosed. One of the bigger reasons for me is that I need them to see my trailer tires while on the move. Not needed with a boat trailer.
Their prices may be just a bit higher, but buy the hitch and ball from them. That way you can be sure to have the right one.
As others have said, inquire about the required plug and make sure you are good to go there before arrival.
Agree on the spare tire, but as with the hitch I'd get it at the dealer. A few bucks more but you'll get a nice matching wheel and tire, and they may have a good mount setup available.
I have tow mirrors but probably wouldn't if I didn't tow a full width enclosed. One of the bigger reasons for me is that I need them to see my trailer tires while on the move. Not needed with a boat trailer.
03-11-2019, 09:09 AM
#25
Senior Member
Like others have said, you need to practice reversing with a trailer.
Dont be be the guy who goes to a major fishing boat ramp at 8am on a Saturday and tries backing in for the first time. You’ll have a lot of impatient people pressuring you and possibly laughing at you.
have fun with the boat and congrats on all your new toys, I can’t wait to get back into boating
Dont be be the guy who goes to a major fishing boat ramp at 8am on a Saturday and tries backing in for the first time. You’ll have a lot of impatient people pressuring you and possibly laughing at you.
have fun with the boat and congrats on all your new toys, I can’t wait to get back into boating
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TrickyNicky (03-11-2019)
03-11-2019, 10:07 AM
#26
Senior Member
Just curious. How much does a 21 foot boat and trailer weigh?
03-11-2019, 10:23 AM
#27
I'll chime in as a new tower too - the stock mirrors are fine for anything < 8' wide. This I can attest to after buying my 7x14 enclosed trailer last month. I had no issues with visibility with my stock mirrors and my trailer hooked up.
Also, like a couple of others have said, buy your ball & bar from the trailer dealer - so long as they are knowledgeable folks! My trailer dealer is fantastic and knows his stuff, and he set me up with a 4" drop bar for my trailer.
I'll second the others - practice, practice, practice! I have 2 little ones at home, so I parked my trailer and will try to get some time later in the spring where I can practice in the large parking lot near my house. It makes a huge difference.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is security. You may want to invest in some locks. Tri-Max sells a 3-piece kit that consists of tongue lock, pin lock, and receiver lock. They're all keyed the same, and will help prevent someone from either stealing your trailer when it's parked (tongue lock) or connected to your truck (pin & receiver locks).
Oh, and enjoy the new boat!
-John
Also, like a couple of others have said, buy your ball & bar from the trailer dealer - so long as they are knowledgeable folks! My trailer dealer is fantastic and knows his stuff, and he set me up with a 4" drop bar for my trailer.
I'll second the others - practice, practice, practice! I have 2 little ones at home, so I parked my trailer and will try to get some time later in the spring where I can practice in the large parking lot near my house. It makes a huge difference.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is security. You may want to invest in some locks. Tri-Max sells a 3-piece kit that consists of tongue lock, pin lock, and receiver lock. They're all keyed the same, and will help prevent someone from either stealing your trailer when it's parked (tongue lock) or connected to your truck (pin & receiver locks).
Oh, and enjoy the new boat!
-John
03-11-2019, 10:36 AM
#28
Senior Member
As mentioned already, the wire plug is important for backing up. Your 2016 will have the big round 7 pin plug. Buy an adapter from that to the 5 flat.
Don't forget about the trailer...just because the boat/trailer are new, don't assume everything is ok. Part of the PDI is checking the trailer over. Give the wheels a quick tug to check the bearings. Make sure the dealer checked them for grease. Also check tire pressure and lug nuts on trailer. The dealer should have paperwork to back that up, but I've run into it several times on new units. I always do my own check up before starting the long road trip.
Don't forget about the trailer...just because the boat/trailer are new, don't assume everything is ok. Part of the PDI is checking the trailer over. Give the wheels a quick tug to check the bearings. Make sure the dealer checked them for grease. Also check tire pressure and lug nuts on trailer. The dealer should have paperwork to back that up, but I've run into it several times on new units. I always do my own check up before starting the long road trip.
Last edited by Dutchmanxtr; 03-11-2019 at 10:38 AM.
03-11-2019, 10:39 AM
#29
Theyre maybe 8-10 bucks.
03-11-2019, 10:51 AM
#30
So my 2016 XLT is my first ever truck, and I recently purchased a 21' starcraft boat. I will be getting ready to head down to FL to pick it up and tow it back, and since this is my first time ever towing anything, I had a few "rookie questions"
- How imperative is it that I upgrade to towing mirrors on my truck? Since I have never had a trailer behind my truck, I have no idea how good the visibility from the stock mirrors are. I have seen the syppo towing mirrors, and these are probably what I would get if you guys told me its an absolute must, but I was curious what everyones thoughts were on the necessity of towing mirrors.
You should be fine with stock mirrors.
- Since I have not tried to hook the trailer up to my truck yet, how am I supposed to know if I need to get a ball hitch that has a rise or drop in it compared to just buying a standard 2" ball hitch?
If you know its a 2" ball hitch and your truck is not lifted then a receiver with a 2" standard drop will be fine.
- Any other items I should purchase or upgrades I should make to the truck that you guys think would help the ease of towing? I am going to be heading down to pick up the boat in about a month so I have some time.
Two things if they have not yet been mentioned...Spare Tire and a jack and wrench to make that switch if you do get a flat. Make sure spare has good PSI. The second most important issue is wheel bearings...make sure the wheel bearings are well greased and packed. If it has bearing buddies just give them a few squirts before leaving.
I appreciate everyones help on these rookie questions!
- How imperative is it that I upgrade to towing mirrors on my truck? Since I have never had a trailer behind my truck, I have no idea how good the visibility from the stock mirrors are. I have seen the syppo towing mirrors, and these are probably what I would get if you guys told me its an absolute must, but I was curious what everyones thoughts were on the necessity of towing mirrors.
You should be fine with stock mirrors.
- Since I have not tried to hook the trailer up to my truck yet, how am I supposed to know if I need to get a ball hitch that has a rise or drop in it compared to just buying a standard 2" ball hitch?
If you know its a 2" ball hitch and your truck is not lifted then a receiver with a 2" standard drop will be fine.
- Any other items I should purchase or upgrades I should make to the truck that you guys think would help the ease of towing? I am going to be heading down to pick up the boat in about a month so I have some time.
Two things if they have not yet been mentioned...Spare Tire and a jack and wrench to make that switch if you do get a flat. Make sure spare has good PSI. The second most important issue is wheel bearings...make sure the wheel bearings are well greased and packed. If it has bearing buddies just give them a few squirts before leaving.
I appreciate everyones help on these rookie questions!
They're the ones that are on the side of the road with a wheel missing!
Trailers are in and out of water all the time and as such the bearings can get compromised if not checked and serviced/greased/packed regularly.
Also, if you haven't already considered it, have a look under your truck and if need be add a hose to the breather line of your rear differential. (pointed up)
This will help keep water out of the diff when at boat launches.
And finally, in preparation to launching and loading boat...go to you tube and do a search on boat launch fails!
Don't be like those guys! 
Good Luck! Enjoy the boat and hopefully some good fishing!