first road trip

[stmack2007]

just did my first long trip in my new pathfinder.....down from barrie ontario canada to buffalo ny....it likes to suck back the gas....im averaging around 17 mpg combined ..not as good as i had hoped for but not the worst either....still wouldnt trade it for anything else

[stmack2007]

my 2007 pathfinder will get a work out putting my boat in the water in a couple of months

[HillbillyJake]

Nice boat. what does something like that weigh?

[stmack2007]

dry its around 5500lbs so i can launch it only ..they charge 100 dollars at the marina to put in the water..ill give it a go myself ..but i wont pull it out with my pathfinder or tow it ..just from my storage spot to the ramp

[amr40509]

I assume you store it at the same marina you are launching at right?


If it were me, I'd pull it out at the end of the season too.


I'd take it down/up the ramp in 4low (keep it in 2WD until you get lined up so you will not be turning on dry pavement in 4wd, then stop and click it in) and just go easy on it.

I've had the trailer tires on our 22' fall off of the edge of the ramp (ramp at a river that was too short, so we fell off of the end) and had to 'bump' it back up on, truck did it easily enough.

Just roll on the gas slowly and don't pull any harder then you need to, just enough to get the job done.

Some people might worry about that boat pulling you into the water when backing down. It might FEEL like it's going to do it, but keep in mind that it will stop dragging you when the boat starts to float (that weight against you will go away when it floats) so you aren't going to get pulled in.

[stmack2007]

yes its stored for the winter at the same marina i have a slip at for the summer...im lucky enough that the ramp is large and wide open...i have watched others launch their boats with ease...i wont have to back in that far to float the boat..its heavy enough that once i let out enough slack on the winch rope it will slide off.the trailer has rollers that makes it easier...i launch it in the spring and leave it in the slip all summer..do you still have your boat

[amr40509]

We have a smaller boat (22' deck boat), but launch it every weekend in the summer. We trailer it about 100 miles in the spring/fall and leave it in storage (on the trailer) and launch every weekend. We also pick it up and take it to different lakes 1-2 times a summer). We used to trailer it everywhere and I'd say my Pathfinder had towed it 5000-6000 miles.

We have it down to an art. My wife gets in the boat at the top of the ramp, while I take off the transom straps and put in the plug and loosen the winch on the bow strap (just a little bit, maybe 3-4inches). I then back it in, she starts the motor, I take off the safety chain from the bow and then loosen the winch to let it slide back into the water. We have a bunk style trailer so I then get in the truck, back up about a foot and hit the brakes...the boat then floats freely back.

Loading is just about as easy. I back in (MUCH easier to back w/o the boat back there, you can actually SEE) deep to get the trailer wet, then pull out so that I'm not in too deep. She lines up and drives onto the trailer. I hook the bow winch and crank it up while she holds about 1000RPMS on the motor to give me just a little help. Motor off and up. Park and finish strapping and wipe it down.

We take 1-2min total to launch after it's our turn, then probably 3-5min to load (have to wait for her to make her approach to the trailer after I back in, so it adds a min or two).

[stmack2007]

now i have the pathfinder...to go with the boat ..all is well.....except for the payments haha