[Fr. Frank]

Go ahead and pull it with the V6 Tacoma. The issue is not the engine so much as it is the the transmission. With the right transmission, you can move a freight train with lawnmower engine. Just be sure you use engine and transmission oil coolers. It's heat build-up that kills them. I pull my 20' Seafari with an '02 Taurus.

I have a 20' Seafari (1811 lbs hull weight), which I once weighed fully loaded on our way to the Keys. 150 Merc, fuel & the cabin stuffed full of camping gear, bicycles on the deck, ...everything! I have a Tragic Trail tandem galvanized trailer that weighs 595 lbs, and the whole contraption together weighs 3492 lbs.

I have had no problem pulling it with my wife's '95 Toyota 4Runner with a 3.0 liter V6 automatic 4x2, or my 3.0 liter V6 '02 Ford Taurus(NOT the 24v DOHC). Towing fuel usage with the Toyota is 12 mpg city, and 14 mpg highway. Towing with the Taurus it is 14 mpg city, and 15 mpg hwy. When I used to tow it with my Grand Cherokee 4x4, (with its 7500 lb tow rating), I got 12 mpg city, and 13 mpg hwy.

I installed both heavy duty engine oil AND transmission coolers on both vehicles. I have used the Toyota to pull this rig 560 miles one way in one day without problems 4 times. Longest pull with the Taurus is 135 miles one way, also with no problems. I also used the Taurus to pull a friends' '23 Tsunami about 70 miles after his van broke down on the interstate on the way home form the Keys. I disengaged the tranny overdrive, accelerated very slowly, and kept the speed at about 50 mph. Other than the fact that he had more tongue weight than I was used to (about 275 lbs), the Taurus pulled it without any difficulty at all. His rig weighs about 6400 lbs. (Because my buddy is also my mechanic, I was willing to do this.)

I gotta tell you though, a little 2002 Ford Taurus pulling a 23' Seacraft looked absolutely ludicrous. The boat is twice the size of the car! We took a picture when we got to his house, I'll see if I can load it for y'all.

NOTE: ONLY "Police/Fleet" model Ford Taurus' come rated to pull 3500 lbs. Standard max towing capacity for an ordinary Taurus is 2500 lbs. If you have the 24 valve DOHC engine OR the dual fuel engine, the tow rating falls to 1200 lbs. The fleet models come with a rather large external tranny cooler already installed. I just piggybacked another 14K lb rated cooler in sequence.