MX5 towbar...and yes, I'm serious!

[Hard-Drive]

Been facing this dilemna for a couple of months, I have some sailing events that I need to tow my boat to this summer, and annoyingly I'm not allowed to put a towbar on my company car, a 150BHP TDI Bora. It's a pain, it would be the perfect tow vehicle.

I had thought about buying another cheap old car just for these events but it's a lot of expense just for that (although a Mk1 or Mk2 Golf GTi would be nice!)

However I notice that you can actually get a towbar for an MX5 for under £150 DIY which might just be the answer. Has anyone got one of these? And don't worry, heaviest dinghy I will tow weighs no more than about 120kg all up (including A frame unbraked trailer/trolley).

Our MX5 is a Eunos import so sits a little lower than a UK car. So I guess the main questions would be...

Can you fit it without hacking away at the bumper (so it can come off again and not look crap)?

Does it affect the ground clearance at all?

Are there any DIY wiring issues with an imported car's loom?

Roughly what height is the towball at when fitten and unladed?

Thanks!!!

[flat_steve]

The '5 isn't officially rated for towing so I suppose it's mostly down to how big/heavy the boat is, though I've heards of a number of people who use their 5's to tow small trailers and the like...

[TVR man]

What sort of dinghy is it?

[cptsideways]

Easy peasy, only the later 5's aren't rated for towing

[Hard-Drive]

TVR man said:

What sort of dinghy is it?

The one I really need it for is a Cherub (05 rules twin trapeze) but I also have a Fireball. The Fireball is the heaviest one at 79kg for the hull, plus a bit more for mast sails and foils. Trailer is a single spine job and you can lift the roadbase clean off the ground if you've had your shreddies that morning.

I'm going from the Midlands to Largo, Scotland. A mate can take the mounutain of sailing gear and camping equipment because that is not going to fit!

We used to tow the Fireball behind an ancient 1.4 Peugeot 309 and even then you really didn't even know it was there. Behind my old Alfa 156 2.0 Veloce I remember *ahem* racing and saying cheerio to a Lax Power Novaberry away from the M6 tolls...his mates in the back did'nt half take the p*ss out of him when I let him past when I'd made my (immature!) point after taking his cherry-bomb and bass-bin bait (one day I'll grow up...). The boat's 16' with another few feet of trailer and mast sticking out each end and was covered up and looks quite big (although of course his 2 mates probably weighed more than the boat did!)

[bint]

I learnt to sail in a Fireball

Sorry not a particularly helpful post.....

Just buy a banger like an old pug estate ?

[sawman]

not sure if its any help but I used to tow a variety of dinghys with my mk1 MR2, went like a train, ride height wasnt A great issue although i did knock the exhaust off in an uneven dinghy park!, I think I had to get new rear shocks after a while and I went through rear tyres ;like nobodys business, the tow bar cost a packet, had it fitted at indespension., but I also used it for a bike carrier - so double utility. The biggest thing I towed was a kestrel dinghy, Probably a bit heavier than your fireball, but it was helpful having a 16 foot boat to pack all the kit in!