Gary, I too have been impressed with the Forester as a tow vehicle (I pulled my Potter 14 from California to Alaska with no problems), so I would be tempted to follow in your footsteps with a new Forester turbo for my 17. How did you get surge brakes on your trailer? Was it a special-order or modified Pacific, or another brand? Is your car a 5-speed manual or an automatic? (Manual transmissions, in my experience, are good at slowing a load down on steep grades with or without surge brakes, but my experience with automatics is limited.) Thanks much for passing on your experiences. Tom Jenkins M17 Scintilla -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Gary M Hyde Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 1:58 PM To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats Subject: Re: M_Boats: Has anyone pulled a M 15 with a Subaru? I pulled an M15 with a standard 2.5 liter Subaru Forester with all the gear in the boat and the 2hp Honda on the transom bracket, no problem. Crossed the Washington Cascades with it. I pull my M17 with all gear aboard and motor mounted on bracket with a Forester 2.5 XT (turbo, 210 hp) with no problem, but I have surge disk brakes on the trailer. It works great! The problem with towing is more often stopping than pulling; trailer brakes are very important when towing with a small car, IMHO. --Gary Hyde 2005 M17 sailboat #637 'Hydeaway 2' We can't change the wind, but we can trim our sails. On Nov 15, 2007, at 7:03 AM, Doug Kelch wrote:
I pulled my M15 with a 2000 Forester for a couple of years. Up and down the Pennsylvannia hills on numerous occasions. It does slow down on the the long hills but does quite well overall.
I keep and tow with a fair amount of gear in the boat. I keep the sails, bumpers, 3 anchors, car battery, lots of extra line, light food (non-canned), sleeping bags, two wisker poles, fishing equiptment, stove and kitchen supplies and a junk box.
I keep the dense items in the back of the tow vehicle - gas, engines, water, and tools.
Thanks
Doug Kelch
Flickasf@aol.com wrote: I have a M 15 and pull it with a 2006 Subaru Forester. I haven't pulled it over any steep mountain passes yet. Have any of you had any experience pulling a M 15 with a Subaru? I hope I do not need to put brakes on the trailer.
Thank you, Bert Felton M 15, #365,Zephyr
************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
--------------------------------- Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
_______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats