'03 CRV Towing Capability??

We have a 2003 CRV I am thinking about getting a hitch for to tow a boat.

The CRV is rated at 1500 pounds tow capacity and that is just about exactly what this boat weighs, including the trailer:



The hitch I'd get is 2000lb rate and 200lb tongue weight.
The tongue weight is not much on this boat. Maybe 40 pounds. Most of the weight is at the motor.

My concern is overheating the transmission with a loaded CRV and pulling this boat.

Do I need an after market tranny cooler solution?
Better yet, will it be okay to tow this boat with this vehicle.

Right now I tow it with an '81 Toyota 4x4 truck but that is not a vehicle for any trips for distance.

Thanks for any help!

getting a qualified person to properly install it is another. Best parts source is www.summitracing.com. You should always have "extra capacity" but you are on the edge here from my experience. The CRV motors aren't torque monsters but mileage makers so you may find yourself dipping into the throttle more than you think.

We had a 2004 at the dealership and to me it seemed like a basic transport vehicle. If you have the AWD version, you may have a better final drive ratio than the 2WD for towing.


Good luck.

PS

A used 95-04 Chevy Blazer with V6 has 4500LBS towing capacity. Maybe down the road you could find one just for boating???

GM our mileage may suck but we haul the groceries!

pulling it up the ramp when you take it out of the water. I've seen a lot of folks struggle with small cars and boats at the ramp.