My First Towing Kill - Titan vs. Ram

[dman]

Haven't been on the site much lately but I just want to share my first Dodge Ram kill...both of us towing boats.

Me: Completely stock '04 Titan 2 WD, CC, Big Tow Pkg.
Him: '00-'02 Dodge Ram (previous gen), 2 WD, Single Cab, Short Bed, V-8 (360 ci) - NOT a hemi, dual exhaust.

Boat I was towing: 23' Yamaha Jet Boat with Twin Engines, Boat Weight (excl. trailer) about 3000 lbs.

Boat the Dodge was pulling: 20' pontoon (i.e. Party Barge) w/o motor, maybe 1400 lbs (excl. trailer).

He is one of my Dad's employees, a loyal Dodge fan, big Nascar guy, etc, etc. He is always very competitive and likes to think that Dodge is tops.

Well we were both towing these boats back from the Dallas Summer Boat Show. He left the show just a minute or so before I did and sure enough I end up catching up to him on the highway outside of Dallas. As I started to slowly go around him on in the passing lane, he hammers on his Dodge as I was creeping up on his bumper doing about 60. At that point I realize that it is ON. I floor the Titan. He had already gotten the jump on me so by the time I got on it my front bumper was at the front of the pontoon he was pulling. By the time we hit 80 mph his front bumper was at about the mid point of the 23 footer I was towing and I was pulling away faster and faster before he finally let off.

Sure he had less horsepower but I was carrying much more weight (the Titan weighs more and I was towing approximately 1600 more lbs than he). Needless to say I thought it was a pretty damn good kill.

Titan 1, Dodge Ram 0.

[Mydog]

nice! racing w/ boats in tow..I love it..

Fook Dodge...lol

[QWIKWHIP]

If I were you I wouldn't go braggin about towing your trailer at 80mph. That's just not safe. Your probley gonna get flamed.

[Squid]

If I were you I wouldn't go braggin about towing your trailer at 80mph. That's just not safe. Your probley gonna get flamed

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__________________
I think you just did?

[SmokenTitan]

Here's one for you...

Me pulling an empty U-Haul

Older dodge, like he described, single cab, not sure what engine, could have been v6, but I dont think so...

I dont think he realized I was pulling a U-Haul, it was dark, I wonder what his reaction was to me pulling very strongly away from him and then him seeing that I was towing...

For all he knew, that U-Haul could have been full, but it wasnt...

Silly Dodge Owners...

[phillipyang]

at 80mph? no comment

not worth trashing $60k on a dodge race.

i wouldn't even be posting this ****, you will get flammed by other dodge owners.

now, do we want to become the new punks?

[Nuckle]

Next time go 100, thats what I would have done.

Flame On!

Nuck

[dman]

Originally Posted by phillipyang

at 80mph? no comment

not worth trashing $60k on a dodge race.

i wouldn't even be posting this ****, you will get flammed by other dodge owners.

now, do we want to become the new punks?

Ah well, I was just preserving the Titan's honor. Normally I would never race nor do anything this childish, but I just had to put a Dodge in it's place in this instance.

[senna1]

dman - I'm interested in your opinion of your Yamaha boat. Is this the AR230? Does it work well for wakeboarding and skiing? I'm looking at upgrading my boat next year and the AR230 looks pretty interesting but I haven't been able to find much info about them and I've never seen one on the water. Any feedback would be appreciated.

[Titan4metoo]

My only comment is that is the dodge wouldn't have left off you could've gone.... Hmm what is our speed limiter again ???

[OnebadSE]

""My only comment is that is the dodge wouldn't have left off you could've gone.... Hmm what is our speed limiter again ???""

???? huh?

[SupraTitan]

Originally Posted by QWIKWHIP

If I were you I wouldn't go braggin about towing your trailer at 80mph. That's just not safe. Your probley gonna get flamed.

When towing our snowmobiles me and my buds pretty much never go below 80 mph. That going through mtn. passes and sometimes snowy roads, when the snow flies throw it in 4 wheel high and keep truckin. Pulling a trailer in TX at 80 is nothing.

[dman]

Originally Posted by senna1

dman - I'm interested in your opinion of your Yamaha boat. Is this the AR230? Does it work well for wakeboarding and skiing? I'm looking at upgrading my boat next year and the AR230 looks pretty interesting but I haven't been able to find much info about them and I've never seen one on the water. Any feedback would be appreciated.

There is one word to describe the Yamaha jet boats..."AWESOME." There are now a total of 3 models in the 23' size...The SR230, SX230, and the SX230 High Output. It appears as though they have done away with the AR230 which was the same boat as the SR and SX but was black/red and had a standard wakeboard tower. I believe that this tower is still an option for the other boats however.

The jet boats are so popular that at the dealership my dad owns, we have pretty much stop selling the other runabout lines we were carrying there.

These boats really have some advantages over the traditional inboard/outboard boats like your Bayliner. Probably the biggest is acceleration...the 23' Yamahas (the 280hp models) holeshot is incredible...planing time is around 3 seconds versus a traditional I/O's holeshot of 7 or more seconds. The new High Output model should be even quicker yet (320hp and about the same weight). If you aren't careful when pulling a skier you could really do some damage to someones arms. The other huge advantage is handling. Jets have very quick steering and will put some serious G forces on your passengers when throwing the boat into tight corners. You can literally take these boats at wide open throttle and toss them into corners and even do 360's with them...just prepare your passengers

Here are some more advantages of the Yamaha jet boats:

Much lighter weight especially in the back of the boat which is one reason the boat literally jumps on top of the water when accelerating from a standstill.

Dual engines - 4 strokes, fuel injected, 10000 rpm rev limits. Yamaha's marine engines (2 and 4 stroke) are both ranked #1 in the industry by JD Powers.

Dual throttle controls...when docking you can reverse one engine and forward the other giving you unmatched manuverability...can spin the boat in it's own length.

Dual engines again...if one engine has a problem you can still get back to the dock with the other.

Similar fuel economy as a V-8 I/O boat.

Very low maintenance...change engine and jump pump fluids once a year.

No winterization...which can be very expensive with I/Os.

No outdrives, no gears. When something does go wrong, it is CONSIDERABLY cheaper to fix a jet boat than an I/O and many fewer parts that can fail. Just a straight drive shaft going from engine to jet pump so no hp robbing gears and additional drive shafts.

Safer...no exposed propellers, nothing sticking out below the bottom of the boat.

Can operate in much shallower water.

280 hp models will carry up to 10 people and run from 45-52 mph (REAL speed...radared speed, not an inaccurate speedo like most are). I know that doesn't sound very fast but one ride in one of these boats will absolutely sell you. I imagine the 320 hp H.O. should run in the range of 48-57 mph...which is pretty damn fast on the water.

If you haven't seen one in person, you really need to check them out...great layout and features. U shaped seating in the back with cushions that fill in the U making a large sundeck area or bed , front filler cushions to make the front a so-called playpen area, tons of storage, CD stereo with driver side remote and rear swim platform remote. Removable table that will go in either the U-shaped seating area in ****pit or on the rear platform/lounge area. They actually made the traditional swim platform into a little seating area so you lounge back there (when the boat is still). Like I said before, from this area you can control the stereo, have the table back there, and there are padded areas there to lean up against. It is an extremely well thought out boat with great performance, handling, and is cheap and easy to maintain. Worth a very good look if you are considering a new boat.

[dman]

Oh yeah, here are some pics for you too. Also check out the website http://www.yamaha-motor.com/products...bowriders.aspx

[JMC]

If I were you I wouldn't go braggin about towing your trailer at 80mph.

Good Lord! You have never pulled a trailer that fast? Whats up? Is the back of your truck filled with AMWAY products!!!!