I've had them all.. f250 with 6.7, 5.4 f 150, ram 1500 eco diesel and now an f150 eco boost. If you can deal with the rough ride in the city then 3/4 ton diesel all the way. Those things are getting 18 around town and 13 or 14 towing. Better than every 1/2 ton except the ecodiesel. But man I get a headache driving it everyday in Houston... rough roads, construction, parking, etc.

And if you plan on keeping it 10 year or more, diesel all the way. You'll wear the chassis out before the motor.

Major overkill but that would be one heck of a tow vehicle.

I haul livestock with a 32 ft gooseneck and team rope 3 horse slant load trailer with weekend package plus my bass boat 19' , have ran diesels all my life . When diesel reached the high prices last year and before plus the expense of fuel filter and oil changes I finally paid my last diesel off and bought a 6.4 hemi 3/4 ton love it fair to good mileage a lot cheaper . Do miss the diesel hauling cattle with the 32 ft trailer because of fuel mileage but it pulls it fine . I had rather have a diesel but with the cost diff I'll stay with gas for now!

My Silverado pulls my 20 ft Ranger just fine no matter how far I need to go.

I have a 2013 Silverado 4x4. 7 inch lift and the 5. Whatever engine. Does it pull my 20 '4 basscat? Yeah. Does it pull it just fine? Nope, I think the engine will give up any time I need to go up a hill. And Lord forbid I need to stop if someone slams on the breaks in front of me.

That is your problem.

The truck and motor is more than capable of pulling any bassboat around just fine in stock form. Big wheels and tires suck power and kill braking.

YES YES YES you will get better gas mileage with the diesel than the gas motor. I have a Dodge Ram Diesel and love it.

I would tie the answer to boat length, 20' or less any 1/2 ton in your flavor choice would be more than adequate. 21 and especially 22's and over you're getting into 3/4 ton diesel territory. 1/2 tons can do the job, but stopping and road handling become issues as well as poorer fuel economy. Short occasional trips would be okay but for longer more frequent trips go diesel.

I currently have a ram 4x4 and get about 13 pulling a 22'cc boat. My older 2 wheel drive ram would have got slightly better mileage but may have not gotten back up a slick ramp this past weekend..

I'm at T-bend right now. Pulled my 21' Legend down here and got right at 19. With a pen and paper,not the tattle tale on the dash.
I have a 1/2 tone hemi truck (single cab short bed 4x4) that I use occasionally to pull with.. I hate it. Plenty of power but doesn't handle worth a dang. It gets around 12-14 depending on what lake I'm pulling to.

I think every person in this thread that has owned both diesel and gas say diesel all the way. Typical that the folks who've never owned one would say otherwise.

No
Expedition small v8
Can't even tell the FX21 is there and I get about 14.5 mpg towing.

Going from a 1/2 ton to a 3/4 ton f250 diesel... Not sure I'll ever go back. No more down shifting on cruise control in tow while going up a small incline on the highway, build boost and go.
Yes it's over kill for an 18ft boat. But anything on a tandem axle, I think a diesel is just a plus.

No doubt a diesel will tow anything better than a gasser, I been running them since 2002, doubt I ever buy another gas truck for my own personal use. It is one of those deals where if you can afford it then go for it.

I don't pull my boat with a pickup. I have always thought that it is better to have more weight on the rear wheels via the SUV frame than with a pickup. I haven't totally researched that statement, so I may be full of it but on the surface it seems to me that an SUV would have more weight over the rear wheels. My boat is a 19' center console and my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder pulls it just fine.. Its a 4.0ltr V6.. but stopping it is another question. I find myself staying twice as far back from vehicles as I would when not towing the boat. I think that the 3/4 ton truck would make a big difference stopping. Is anybody towing with a Nissan Armada? just curious

BD

For just a boat, gas all the way. Yes, the diesel is nice, but the added initial cost and the added cost of maintenance just doesn't make sense.

I drive a Chevrolet 2500 HD 6.0 4.10 gears and it pulls and stops my Gambler like a dream.