First Boat? Get Your Towing Setup Right

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The water is calling, and you’ve just bought a new boat or you’re seriously considering it. It’s a decision that opens up a whole new side to Brisbane life – from family days out on Moreton to catching a feed at Jumpinpin.

Before you make it to the boat ramp, you have to make sure your vehicle is set up to tow it. It needs to be safe, it needs to be legal, and it needs to be capable. Here’s what you need to do to get everything in order.

Check Your Vehicle’s Tow Capacity

This is the starting point for all towing adventures, whether it’s a boat, caravan or trailer.

Your vehicle has a maximum towing capacity set by the manufacturer. Your boat, motor and trailer combined have a loaded weight. That weight needs to sit comfortably under the tow capacity of your vehicle.

It’s easy to figure out your tow capacity – just check your vehicle manual. You’ll find it there, along with your maximum ball weight. If you find it confusing, check out our guide to towing terms and acronyms, or just give the Speedy team a call.

Tow Capacity Isn’t a Target

This is important – tow capacity isn’t a target to aim for when you’re pulling your boat. Towing close to your vehicle’s limit puts strain on your engine, brakes and suspension. It also affects how the whole rig handles on the road. At Speedy Towbars, we recommend keeping your loaded trailer weight at 85% of your vehicle’s rated capacity or under.

Get the Right Towbar

Once you know that the boat you have your eye on sits comfortably within the tow capacity of your vehicle, it’s time to get the right towbar fitted.

Class 4 Heavy Duty Towbars

A Class 4 heavy duty towbar makes sense for towing most boat and trailers. The towbar will be rated to your vehicle’s maximum capacity and come with a 50mm removable hitch. If you’re not towing, you can remove the hitch and potentially save your shins!

A Class 4 towbars will be vehicle-specific, meaning it’s engineered to bolt to the factory mounting points of your particular make, model and year. You get the exact right towbar for your vehicle.

A Lifetime of Towing

At Speedy Towbars we supply and install towbars from trusted Australian brands including TowRite, Hayman Reese, Trailboss and TAG. Every installation comes with a lifetime warranty on the towbar and wiring. If you need confidence in your setup, the Speedy guarantee will have you smiling all the way to the water.

Wiring and Your Boat Trailer

Your boat trailer comes with indicators, brake lights and trailer lights. These all need to be wired into your vehicle’s electrical system – its one of the things the police will definitely check for when they’re doing a blitz on Queensland traffic. Add the fact that your trailer plug is going in and out of water every weekend, and a cheap or poorly done wiring job will cause you headaches fast.

7-Pin Flat Trailer Plug

Most boat trailers in Australia run a 7-pin flat trailer plug. Your vehicle needs a matching socket, correctly wired to your tail lights, indicators and brake light circuit.

On modern vehicles, sensors, integrated safety systems and canbus wiring mean a vehicle-specific harness is the most seamless way to get your vehicle tow-ready. The harness will plug directly into your vehicle’s existing wiring and keep all your factory electronics working as they should.

When Speedy Towbars takes care of your towbar installation, you know the wiring will be done to spec and won’t let you down. It’s all backed up by our lifetime guarantee.

Do You Need a Brake Controller?

If your boat trailer has a loaded weight over 750kg, Australian law requires a braking system on the trailer. (This guide will give you insights into the legal requirements of brake units on trailers)

Smaller tinnies might get away without needing one, but most medium to large boat and trailer combinations sit above 750kg. It’s worth checking yours and opening the conversation about which electric brake controller you’ll use.

Our Favourite Boat Trailer Electric Brakes

We supply and install a range of brake controllers at Speedy, including:

Not sure which is the right one for your boat trailer? We’re always happy to guide you through it.

Let’s Get you Set Up to Tow Your Boat

Getting the right towing setup sorted before your first trip makes everything easier. When you’re towing your boat for the first time, that’s exactly what you need.

The Speedy Towbars team can take care of the towbar, wiring and brake controller in a single visit, so you leave our Everton Hills or Slacks Creek workshop with everything you need. We can also organise a mobile installation where we come to your home or office and get your towing rig set up there for you.

Get a free quote here or call us on 1300 604 060. Let’s get you out there.

Jordan Rand

Jordan is the co-owner of Speedy Towbars and a trusted source of towbar knowledge for Queensland drivers. When he's not installing towbars, he treasures time with his family and hitting the road for caravanning adventures!