Trailer or Motorhome...For a Boater/Fisherman-Which Rig?

[Baja_Man]

Travel Trailer or Motorhome?

For those of you that love to fish and boat……what RV did you choose?

Whichever we decide on it will be 30’ or less.

Motorhome would be used; Trailer could be new or used.

Budget: $40K

We’ve owned a Class A, Class C, Travel Trailer, and a 5er. We have been RVing for 20 years.

We are at a crossroads in our next selection of a camping rig. I’m retiring at the end of this June (58yo). Wife and I would like to spend travel and adventure time with our 16yo son who has Autism. He is a great kid, well-behaved, and enjoys traveling and camping! Our 22yo son just graduated from college and is enrolled in grad school; he will travel with us when off from school. So we will be traveling/sleeping three and occasionally four. A couple of small fur pets will join us when we travel with 4.

Over the next few years, we want to travel the Southwest/PNW (CA, NV, AZ, NM, ID, OR, WA, CO). Our trips will be between 2-3 weeks, 3-4 times per year. There will be trips when I travel alone for some fly fishing; these are in addition to family trips. No boat would be towed on these trips.

I own a small Arima 15’ Sea Sprinter boat and would love to take it with me, as we love places that have water….rivers, lakes, ocean/harbors. I use my boat regularly near my home so I get plenty of water and fish time!!!

I own a 2003 Ford F-350 V10 so towing a trailer is not an issue. I use a camper shell so no 5er for me.

Trailer:

Pros: Currently own a low mileage tow vehicle in great condition; cost is less to purchase and maintain. Tow vehicle is used to explore surrounding areas. If truck were to break down, trailer can be used while waiting for repairs. I could purchase a 12' raft and small outboard for use as needed. I can also fish rivers, lakes, surf without a boat.

Cons: Unable to tow my boat; long rig between trailer and truck; a little more work to set up

Motorhome:

Pros: Passengers have access to restroom; passengers able sleep on longer trips; can tow boat; small length when not towing boat; a vehicle can be towed in lieu of boat; if no vehicle to tow…a car can be rented locally

Cons: More expensive to maintain; no vehicle for visiting surround areas; smaller interior/living space vs trailer

Conclusion:

I really enjoy my boat and would love to take it along, but we also love to explore the areas we visit. Not sure a motorhome is conducive to using as a vehicle for sightseeing? I could purchase a 12’ raft and small outboard to use if I went the trailer route…it would allow me to access the water with 3-4 people.

What am I missing in my thoughts?
Other considerations?

Thoughts from those of you have been or are currently in this situation....RVer, boater, fisherman,....what did you do?

[mgirardo]

A Porta-Bote is a good solution if you decide to go with a Travel Trailer. It folds down to about the thickness of a Stand Up Paddleboard (7" at its thickest spot). We have the 12' version that weighs about 90lbs (without the benches) that I can put on the roof rack of our Honda CRV by myself. The 12' version can handle a 9.8hp outboard. A lot of people also use trolling motors on the rear. Works great on lakes and calm rivers. People use the Porta-Bote on Lakes, Rivers and the Ocean with outboard motors. They are very stable and float even when completely filled with water. I could unfold the bote myself and have it ready for the water in less than 10 minutes. With a helper, it went even quicker.

When we first bought it, we carried it in our Motorhome. We put the bote in through the emergency exit window and laid it on the floor standing up. Our Class C was 32', so even with the bote in it, we could still move around and access the entire motorhome. Once we got the roof rack on the CRV, we carried the bote on the roof of the CRV.

-Michael

[valhalla360]

Is the 16yr old reasonably tall and strong?

My dad used put a 16ft aluminum boat upside down on the roof of the van. It took a little hefting but with a little thought, you could set up a rack and winch it up on a pickup.

[steveh27]

I have a 21' Class B, Xplorer 230 XL. It is the tow vehicle for my 21' Starcraft boat, which weighs just under 2,000 lbs. I do not even feel the boat when towing. I have slept 3 in the B, but 2 is better. This would not work for you, but it does for me being single and retired.

[Bionic_Man]

It is all about compromises. A raft or port-a-boat would work with either option. You could also look into renting a boat when you get to your destination instead of renting a car.

Toy hauler and putting the boat in the garage is a good idea. We live in a state where towing tandem is legal, so that is what we do. 32' 5er and a 17' Ranger. But that certainly isn't for everyone.

[JimK-NY]

Truck camper. Easy to set up for pulling a trailered boat. Popular on the East coast for driving out on the beaches.

[jdc1]

I think this really depends on two or three things. How often do you go anywhere a toad may be needed? You could rent a car (deivered). How often do you use the boat (rent one)? Do you want that added maintenance of a motorhome? You will get an added 5-6' interior useable space with a trailer vs a motorhome (I have owned class A's, B's , TT's and 5th wheels). Do you want to launch a boat with your motorhome? I wouldn't, even if I had a front hitch.

[Grit_dog]

Every setup has it's limitations....
Couple thoughts, depending how big a boat will float your boat while campering.
Toyhauler idea. If ya do that right, you could stuff a small trailerable boat inside. Cons, we just bought a toyhauler and it's so nice inside I cant see pulling toys in and out all the time.
The other downside is the toy needs to come out every night at a minimum to comfortably use the camper with your family. More of a destination thing than a nomad type rig. Different if it was just a dirtbike or something small you could "live" around.

Moho will tow whatever boat you want and honestly is IMO the second most versatile choice for towing something and RVing at the same time and the best choice for interior room and towing.

The most versatile, but short on interior room is a TC on your F350 and then you can tow with that.

Best of luck in your decision and your future!

[hotbyte]

We have 24ft class C so we can tow boat. The C is small enough that we haven't ran into many situations where we couldn't get around it so don't miss a toad.

[IAMICHABOD]

Have you thought about a Toy Hauler? I saw one at Newport Dunes a few years ago,pulled up,dropped ramp and unloaded boat and trailer using a winch,left and returned with truck and launched the boat.

Great fun to watch the launch ramp while having a bite at the Back Bay Bistro

There were a few old posts here on the Net about that but the pictures have all gone away. I think there are YouTube videos too.

You might ask over in the Toy Hauler sub forum,they are a pretty tight group and very helpful.

[Seon]

I'm a fisherman and know exactly what you're faced with. I've owned class a's and b's when towing the boat. But now own a TT and leave the boat at home. I do have an e350 van that has a sofa/bed that I tow the boat when fishing for a day or two but leave the wife at home. Lol

With a tow vehicle I had to choose between towing the boat or trailer
With a MH, I had to choose between boat or toad. But can always rent a car when towing a boat.

The adage "You can't have your cake and eat it too" comes to mind. LOL.

[AJR]

If I were younger and felt safe getting in and out a boat and wanted to fish (my passion). I would stow an inflatable rubber floating thing of some kind in my Terrain along with a motor of some kind. I helped roll up a white-water kayak once and four would fit in the back of my Terrain with ease. Heck, a collapsible hard sided boat could go on the car rack. With hand trailer and motor in the back of the car.

I would not give up the convenience of my 2014 class C with, one slide (I almost never use) for travel. In your case a Class C with a cab over bunk would work fine for you folks if it was 28’ or 29’ long.

One other thought is look into used rental class Cs. Lot of folks love them.

A long thread but worth reading.
Rental RVs

[CA_Traveler]

I have 2 friends with MHs that tow a truck and a boat (16') and trailer ON the truck. Ramps get the trailer up on the bed and a single channel with winch extend up and over the cab. Weight considerations would be a consideration depending upon the MH. A larger truck towing a trailer is an alternative but no truck bed cover.

For one the trailer wheels were inside the truck rails and another the wheels were on top of the rails.

[lampooner]

There used be rigs available to carry a boat above a truck bed.
I believe even with a camper shell in place.
There was a winch to launch & retrieve the boat as I recall.
Search the internet to see if still available if interested.

[IDman]

Another MH con: When MH is in shop, all of your things are with it, including where you live and sleep.

[DrewE]

I think you have the pro's and con's pretty well covered. You have the experience to understand them pretty well, after all.

Touring around with a smallish motorhome is certainly possible, though less convenient than using a tow vehicle. How much less convenient partly depends on the size of the motorhome and the area you're touring around in. I've done a fair bit of travel with my 32' class C and no towed vehicle, and have not generally felt the need to get a toad; however, that's partly because I've chosen to go places where having just the motorhome works out relatively nicely (either because things are within walking distance, or there's public transit available, or there's reasonable parking, etc. available for the motorhome).

Launching a boat from a trailer behind a motorhome might be problematic with some boat ramps, depending on the angles and such. It would stink to have to dip the back end in the water much, or to have the trailer angled at a really steep angle down because the part of the ramp the wheels are on is less sloped. I think it might work out better to install a front hitch for boat launching and retrieval purposes, though switching the trailer around end for end would probably become annoying.