Maiden voyage towing the boat!
Love it
Man, that is a great looking little boat.
Probably cost more than the car, if I know anything about boats!!!
Nice setup! How does it tow compared to the Prius?
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Apr 12, 2026, 10:32 PMMan, that is a great looking little boat.
Probably cost more than the car, if I know anything about boats!!!
On the used market, prices would be similar for both.
New, the boat is about $40k.
Quote from: Firm on Apr 12, 2026, 10:33 PMNice setup! How does it tow compared to the Prius?
It tows much easier than the Prius, though the Prius didn't struggle per se. The Bz4x is far more powerful so that's why it feels easier. The efficiency was about 90 MPG equivalent while towing in the BZ.
One of the things that was "alarming" is the BZ is so quiet, I can hear ALL the noises from the trailer quite clearly. Rattling, clanking, bumping around, etc So it initially sounds alarming because you don't hear any of that in a normal car.
My brother used to grease his trailer ball which I thought was a terrible idea, but I'm tempted to do the same with how loud it is compared to the vehicle lol. Maybe try graphite lubricant first so it's not as greasy?
What km/kWh or kWh/100km does that translate to for those of us imperically challenged? I guessed 23.6 kWh/100km based on 1L = 9 kWh but I could be wrong.
Quote from: dkazzed on Apr 14, 2026, 02:32 PMMy brother used to grease his trailer ball which I thought was a terrible idea, but I'm tempted to do the same with how loud it is compared to the vehicle lol. Maybe try graphite lubricant first so it's not as greasy?
What km/kWh or kWh/100km does that translate to for those of us imperically challenged? I guessed 23.6 kWh/100km based on 1L = 9 kWh but I could be wrong.
Ya, it's about 24! Good guess!
Lol standards are good once in awhile. ;D
Quote from: dkazzed on Apr 14, 2026, 03:35 PMLol standards are good once in awhile. ;D
https://arba.app/l_100km_calculator/
Awesome setup
Quote from: dkazzed on Apr 14, 2026, 02:32 PMMy brother used to grease his trailer ball which I thought was a terrible idea, but I'm tempted to do the same with how loud it is compared to the vehicle lol. Maybe try graphite lubricant first so it's not as greasy?
I used to grease the balls all the time also, but just got tired of dealing with greasy balls.
Maybe we should have a poll; greasy balls or dry balls
And ya, nice setup Ron.
If you drive on gravel roads wouldn't great just collect a bunch of dirt and cause it to wear out?
Ron, how much is your range impacted by towing? I know it's not a big deal for you, just curious.
I grease the inside of the coupler on the trailer, not the ball itself. I also don't leave the ball in place when I am not towing...dangerous for the shins, looks ugly, and causes wear/rust on the ball & mount.
It doesn't look like there's much tongue weight at all, which could contribute to the rattling and bumping around. Might try adding a little weight on the front end of the trailer to smooth things out. I have a little single axle utility trailer than felt absolutely terrible, especially when empty, ratchet strapped a bag of pea gravel on the front end of the trailer and it improved it dramatically.
Quote from: Bridgecity on Apr 15, 2026, 10:55 AMQuote from: dkazzed on Apr 14, 2026, 02:32 PMMy brother used to grease his trailer ball which I thought was a terrible idea, but I'm tempted to do the same with how loud it is compared to the vehicle lol. Maybe try graphite lubricant first so it's not as greasy?
I used to grease the balls all the time also, but just got tired of dealing with greasy balls.
Maybe we should have a poll; greasy balls or dry balls
And ya, nice setup Ron.
Am I the only one who caught the true meaning of this?
Or have I just been hanging around degnerates for too long?
^ Everyone else is just more mature than us, haha.
Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Apr 15, 2026, 12:41 PMQuote from: Bridgecity on Apr 15, 2026, 10:55 AMQuote from: dkazzed on Apr 14, 2026, 02:32 PMMy brother used to grease his trailer ball which I thought was a terrible idea, but I'm tempted to do the same with how loud it is compared to the vehicle lol. Maybe try graphite lubricant first so it's not as greasy?
I used to grease the balls all the time also, but just got tired of dealing with greasy balls.
Maybe we should have a poll; greasy balls or dry balls
And ya, nice setup Ron.
Am I the only one who caught the true meaning of this?
Or have I just been hanging around degnerates for too long?
You better grease your degenerates just hanging around. ;D
Quote from: Tortoise on Apr 15, 2026, 11:36 AMIf you drive on gravel roads wouldn't great just collect a bunch of dirt and cause it to wear out?
Ron, how much is your range impacted by towing? I know it's not a big deal for you, just curious.
I dunno yet.
Give me a few outings.
Quote from: Firm on Apr 15, 2026, 12:35 PMI grease the inside of the coupler on the trailer, not the ball itself. I also don't leave the ball in place when I am not towing...dangerous for the shins, looks ugly, and causes wear/rust on the ball & mount.
It doesn't look like there's much tongue weight at all, which could contribute to the rattling and bumping around. Might try adding a little weight on the front end of the trailer to smooth things out. I have a little single axle utility trailer than felt absolutely terrible, especially when empty, ratchet strapped a bag of pea gravel on the front end of the trailer and it improved it dramatically.
Most people have the wrong rise or drop of the ball receiver.
I haven't had a vehicle yet where I didn't have to buy a new ball receiver for the correct Rise or Drop.
So bust out the level, tape measure and see.
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/820358888408901008/
Quote from: RRocket on Apr 15, 2026, 02:11 PMQuote from: Firm on Apr 15, 2026, 12:35 PMI grease the inside of the coupler on the trailer, not the ball itself. I also don't leave the ball in place when I am not towing...dangerous for the shins, looks ugly, and causes wear/rust on the ball & mount.
It doesn't look like there's much tongue weight at all, which could contribute to the rattling and bumping around. Might try adding a little weight on the front end of the trailer to smooth things out. I have a little single axle utility trailer than felt absolutely terrible, especially when empty, ratchet strapped a bag of pea gravel on the front end of the trailer and it improved it dramatically.
Most people have the wrong rise or drop of the ball receiver.
I haven't had a vehicle yet where I didn't have to buy a new ball receiver for the correct Rise or Drop.
So bust out the level, tape measure and see.
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/820358888408901008/
My balls always used to be up higher, especially when I had trucks. Lately though, my balls seem to be a lot closer to the ground. I dunno, must be because I'm
getting older driving cars
My turn!
(https://i.imgur.com/SqlGWSS.jpeg)
Nice and level. New purchase ?
Quote from: dkazzed on Apr 30, 2026, 01:46 PMMy turn!
You probably don't even know it's back there....
The only time I notice it is when I'm in one pedal driving mode and trying to stop, but I infrequently use one pedal driving anyway like in heavy city traffic and at car washes when I'm maximizing the pre rinse and drying time. Also observed 28.5 kWh/100km at 105 km/h but I'm going to verify it on our first mini trip this weekend.
It's our third summer with this popup actually. With the insurance payout of the original Mazda 5 I bought in 2024, I was able to buy another Mazda 5 and this camper. Definitely felt the camper behind the 5 lol but it wasn't terrible. Refreshed the interior, added solar, lithium, USB chargers, and LED lights, it's been a good setup so far. A hard side camper is planned in 3-5 years, we're going to rent a camper on RVEzy or Outdoorsy just to try some layouts out, and see what the range hit is.
(https://i.imgur.com/0Zkjj5S.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/M9Mj9N5.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Uu28faC.jpeg)
The little popup is in great shape for an older unit, nice find!