I Towed My Sea Ray 280 Boat 60 Miles With My 2025 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid And Achieved 13 MPG While The Suspension Handled It Flawlessly

Trucks get bought, modified, pampered, and posted, but not always used. The whole pickup game can feel more like a fashion show for chrome and leather than a workshop for honest work. We talk endlessly about towing capacities, gear ratios, and payload figures, yet few of us actually hook up a trailer and see what happens. 

So when a real-world account surfaces, someone actually using a modern truck for the purpose it was engineered for, it cuts through the marketing haze like sunlight through garage dust. That’s exactly what happened a few days ago in the “Ford F150 PowerBoost Owners 21+” Facebook group, where one owner shared a towing story that reminded everyone what these machines were built to do.

“Here’s a lil towing update for my 2025 King Ranch PB. 

I bought it to daily and to occasionally tow a Jayco 27 RB travel trailer that took a little adjustment, but I’m happy with it thus far. 

I also have a Sea Ray 280 boat that I was worried about after reading many posts on here about the limited payload/tow ratings of PB, especially ones with higher options (like mine). Until I got the F-150, the 280 was towed only by rented/borrowed HD diesels, which did fine. 

When I bought the 280, I borrowed a 06 F350 to pick it up and was surprised the seller towed it with a F-150 STX EB that he said did okay. I knew the STX had more payload, but also the PB has more power, so I thought I’d try it one day. 

At the beginning of this season, I did a test tow by towing a boat roughly 8 miles through city streets with a lot of stopping and going, and the temps/brakes were good. During this season, I put the trailer into the shop to check over everything, including axles, bearings, brakes, and axle alignment, and got 2 axles realigned and all new brake pads and fluid bled. 

This week, nd I decided to try the realtest, est so I pulled the 280 out of water (in 4LO) with no strain or slippage with the rear axle well into the water. I even had to go back in the water a few times to center the boat on the trailer’s bunks since I’m new to this combo. 

Once I had it strapped down, I double checked everything and headed out on a 6060-mile trip, mainly highway, to the storage facility. I left the bimini top on (lazy), so I kept speeds between 45-50, and surprisingly, the truck handled it fine. I was shocked that mpgs were 9+ at the beginning of the trip (good), but by the time I got to the destination, the average was 13+mpg (excellent). I was worried about (sideways) sway and rear up and down movements from our road dips, but suspension dampening is great. I only plan on using it for this twice a year, so I didn’t want to have to trade it in on an SDD, but I wanted to feel safe, nevertheless. 

I’ll try to get trailer and tongue weights next year, but the rear sag wasn’t bad even with tools in bed. 

The last 2 pics show rear bed height with trailer connected vs disconnected for comparison.”

If that sounds like a man working through his first serious tow, it is. There’s no marketing filter here, no studio lighting or influencer jargon. Just a truck owner figuring it out, checking his temps, bleeding his brakes, and pulling a 28-foot boat like it was a garden trailer. It’s refreshingly human. In a world obsessed with towing numbers and marketing optics, Joe Rowe simply did the work, and the results surprised him. The truck pulled without fuss, the suspension stayed composed, and the 13 mpg average spoke for itself.

Commenters, as always, chimed in with a mix of advice and affirmation. Chris Neglia asked if Joe had used tow mode, warning about transmission heat. Joe confirmed that he had, noting that the system activates automatically when the trailer plug is connected. Others, like Billy Hart Jr. and Andy Ramsaran, debated the merits of airbag suspension versus Timbren SES kits, both time-honored solutions for light-duty trucks handling heavy loads. The tone of the thread was constructive, even collegial, real owners helping each other solve real problems instead of arguing over badges or dyno sheets.

The technical details are worth noting. Ford’s PowerBoost hybrid system pairs a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 with a 47-horsepower electric motor integrated into the transmission. The result is 430 horsepower and 570 lb-ft of torque, fed through a 10-speed automatic. That torque figure rivals heavy-duty diesels from a decade ago, and the electric assist smooths out the torque curve where gas engines typically struggle. It’s a powertrain built for exactly this kind of task: steady-state highway pulling, stop-and-go marina maneuvering, and uphill slogs with the A/C blasting.

Fuel economy is where the PowerBoost continues to surprise. Achieving 13 mpg while towing a boat, likely north of 8,000 pound,s is no small feat. By comparison, many traditional half-ton V8S hover in the 8 to 10 mpg range under similar conditions. The hybrid system’s regenerative braking and electric torque clearly contribute here, minimizing gear hunting and reducing load spikes. That’s not just efficiency, it’s mechanical sympathy, the kind of smoothness that keeps transmissions and turbos alive for the long haul.

The conversation eventually turned philosophical. Jeremy Jones noted that manufacturer tow ratings are conservative by design, describing them as “a rating, not a breaking point.” He’s not wrong. Automakers must balance capability with liability, and ratings are often drawn well inside the engineering limits. Ford’s published figures put the PowerBoost’s maximum towing capacity at around 12,400 pounds, depending on configuration, meaning Joe’s setup was likely well within spec. What matters more is how the truck felt, stable, confident, and composed, without the nervous sway or rear sag that can sour a tow.

Here’s a man using a complex piece of modern machinery not as a status symbol, but as a tool. There’s satisfaction in that, an almost old-fashioned kind of pride that has nothing to do with brand allegiance or online bragging rights. It’s the quiet confidence of knowing you hooked up, checked your straps, and got the job done safely.

The PowerBoost, with its combination of brute torque and hybrid finesse, is proof that progress doesn’t have to come at the expense of practicality. Whether you’re hauling lumber, pulling a camper, or towing a Sea Ray through city traffic, capability still matters, and sometimes, the best F-150 stories are the ones that happen far from the spotlight.

Image Sources: Ford Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.