Date:    Fri, 23 Mar 2001 23:11:22 -0500
From:    John Brush <jbrush@AROS.NET>
Subject: Re: can 85 westy pull boat?

>> Do any of you tow a fishing boat with a stock 1.9? I want to buy a 14ft boat
>> to pull with my Westy. If you do whats it like as far as handling, stopping
>> and esp backing the trailer in and out of the launch. Any info would be
>> appreciated.

Yes, a 14 ft boat can have a rather large weight range, everything from very light all the way to really quite heavy fiberglass. Sooooo, here's my perspective. The 1.9 is kinda tough except for
the head gasket thing, but pretty underpowered as is (duh). If it was me, and I was really not interested in buying a cheap tow vehichle, I would stay with a real bare bones light aluminum boat.
Then I would just use that ole 1.9 with synth oil, run it at TDC or a couple before (premium gas), maybe add a MSDS air cleaner and maybe even a SS header, and tow away. You will shorten the life
of the 1.9 some, but how much? Personaly I'd say (depending upon how much you tow it), 15-40%. It kind of depends upon whether or not you can live with the concept of an engine that fails
earlier. If your barely able to manage the repairs you allready have then it might not be such a hot idea, but if you can "roll your own" (repairs), it's really not that big of a deal. Hey, it's
only an engine! If your able to do your own rebuilds or you can afford to do a replacement once every 10 years, then why not? The only thing that will have increased wear is the engine, diff,
tranny, mounts, and CV joints. The van itself is definitely heavy enuf to be a decent tow vehichle, make sure your brakes are in top shape and I'm sure it will "handle" just fine.

Mark...