'01-'02 Chevy Z71 with 5.3L, ext cab, short bed, auto tranny and I think they come with 3.73s. I tried to scroll through pages, but was not having any luck, and I hated to post, but you guys know more than me. I plan on towing a 21' boat on a dual axle trailer with surge brakes, weight is about 3500 lbs, with no gear. I want to be able to take it on vacations, up to a couple hundred miles away. Truck could potentially be used for other light towing duties, but probably not any bigger of a load than the boat. I know gas mileage will suffer during towing, but Im not really concerned about that. I am curious about overall pulling power, steering and stopping. Does it have enough power for what I need? I just want to be able to cruise at 65 mph for a couple hundred miles, possibly some inclines, but nothing major.

I am very unfamiliar to the towing world. I have pulled my boat around town, <10 miles, with my 3.4L v6 '01 4runner, and it gets us where I am going, but it just feels bogged down terribly. I would hesitate to get it on the interstate, but maybe I am just too cautious?

Any info would be great. I appreciate the help. BTW, Im not really interested in Ford or Dodge. I just dont like them as much.

The Chevy will be fine for what you want to do, no doubt about it. Surge brakes arent the best, but they are better than nothing, and with only 3500lbs in tow, itll be more than adequate. Towing this load at 65mph should not be a problem at all, the 5.3L motor is pretty powerful for what it is. It will be a world of difference compared to towing with a 4Runner. Go for it, the truck will do fine.