looking at an 05 explorer i can get at a GOOD price(family discount) my consern is it has the 4.0 V6 and my boat is an alumicraft navigator 175 cs, now 99% of the time i tow my boat 10 blocks down to the river and go fishing. very rarely do i do long trips. my question is can this vehicle fit my needs?
thanks to all
I have an 07 Explorer with smaller V8. I also have a similar boat. I think with the V6 your not going to like the long trips, but if it’s 1-2 X a year to Mille Lacs, you can deal with it.
My Alumacraft 175 seems to push the truck around (weight wise) but for short trips it is manageable.
You really have to ask yourself about those long trips. If it’s more than 1-2 X a year and perhaps 6-8 hours a trip, that might be tough.
Going 10 blocks to the river will be no problem.
ET 
I used an ’04 Explorer XLT to pull my Nav 175 tiller rig for 6 years. I will say that the boat is wider than the vehicle and so I purchased extended after market towing mirrors to help see around it. The brakes are maybe a little light but I never really had any issues. I bought mine at about 36K miles and turned it over to my son at about 125k miles for him to drive. I did have one issue on an ice covered ramp where the boat pulled the truck down the steep ramp a bit but other than that it worked well. Most of my towing is SE MN up and down hills and my average trip to the river is from 45 minutes locally up to 2 hours to Red Wing and 5 hours to the Hayward, Wi area and never any issues. Generally would see 13-14 mpg while towing.
Good luck
Got an ’02 Explorer with the same engine and pulled a 20′ trailer with all my sons possession in it to Ohio and didn’t have a problem with it. Your boat pulling should not even compare to that.. 
I have a 98′ 4.0 ranger that I have pulled my dads 175 alumacraft with once before. Really didn’t do too bad. Just a lot of boat behind you for a smaller vehicle…
Its got a cracked/leaking head gasket now, but it has 179,000 miles on it.
Is this going to be an every day driver, or just a tow vehicle is what you should be asking yourself. If primarily a tow vehicle opt for a v8 and sacrifice a little gas mileage. You also should compare gas mpg on a site like fueleconomy.gov and see what similar vehicles get for mpg and do v6 vs. v8 comparisons.
I was just looking at a similar year and the mileage difference between the v6 and v8 was only like 1 or 2 miles per gallon.
DT
I pulled a 17 foot Tyee with an Explorer for a few years. Took a few long trips each year. It was what I had at the time so I used it. It sure didn’t do the transmission any favors, I can tell you that. If you plan on having the vehicle for a long time and also towing the boat frequently I would go with a V8 and possible an Expedition or F150.
thanks for all the replies, yes it will be an every day vehicle but gas milage is not impotant seeing as the farthest i drive is the 20 miles to work. also i am not a ford guy, never owned one, my 98 chevy with 260,000 miles is on it’s last leg, my brother is selling this vehicle and i can get it at a REALY good price.
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Got an ’02 Explorer with the same engine and pulled a 20′ trailer with all my sons possession in it to Ohio and didn’t have a problem with it. Your boat pulling should not even compare to that..
I had the ’02 as well. Used to pull a 20 1/2 foot fiberglass boat with it. Leave plenty of space for braking and brake early and it was just fine.
My rule is to stay away from a relative with a good deal… The deal is generally too good to be true. My buddy pulls his 19 ft Tuffy with an explorer but he has the benefit of trailer brakes.
Should tow it fine. I had 2003 with 4.0 v6 and towed my 19 ft bass boat for years. However beware they have weak transmissions and tend to go out. Very expensive fix. Another weak point are the valve springs. Very common to see them break after 100,000 miles. went through both issues and found out the hard way they are very common on that motor and transmission. Do some research online and you will see.
I had V8 and V6 Explorers and noticed about a 6 mpg difference.
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