That is a very good point. Which makes me wonder if i purchase pre-owned vehicle, would I look for factory installed hitch or buy one without to insure I have the right one installed (which a friend said is class III, whatever that means)?
The pitfall with this choice is YOU must know the option codes that allow a 3500 lb tow rating before you look for a car. Salesman will lie to you - “Of course this can tow 3500 lbs!” Yeah, not without the optional transmission cooler, heavy duty rear springs and the trailer wiring option. You need to know that when buying new off the lot as well.
I’ve bought several vehicles, specifically to tow, all off the dealer’s lot, knowing which final drive I needed, suspension package, tow package and the rest to get the tow rating I needed.
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How much does the boat’s trailer weigh?
Unless you have the world’s lightest trailer, you would likely be going several hundred pounds over the vehicle’s towing capacity.
Well, in that case, maybe this would be an ideal vehicle.
We all need a boost to our ego every now and then, and it sounds like this vehicle would provide it.
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If 3500 pounds is the boat manufacturers’ weight for the boat, my guess is you are looking at around 4500 pounds or more with trailer, gas, and gear.
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I’ve never ordered a factory installed hitch. Either had it done or bought from etrailer and did it myself. A class three will have the 2" receiver and not the smaller 1 1/4" for a class 1. The mounting to the vehicle will be sturdier. Our camper was about 2000 # and towed it all over the country with no problems with a standard sedan. No problem stopping in snow, rain, or dry without trailer brakes.
The boat is 2750 and the boat and trailer is 3600lbs. My boat manual says I should have a vehicle that is capable of towing 3500 - 6000 lbs depending on my boat model. I don’t know the tongue weight.
And looking further, I see my boat (and trailer) is the lightest in its family at 3600lbs.
One of the Escapes has a class II already. Hitches are confusing to me 
For just twice a year you could rent a Uhaul that tows.
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If they have them, that was my plan for 2.5 hours north of the twin cities, uhaul, sorry no pickup trucks north of the twin cities, check availability.
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I can get a UHaul truck for less than $60 with a 8000lb tow capacity. i think that is a good back up plan. And I think I’m going to proceed with planning to purchase the Escape. The one I’m looking at has the Class II already installed and if I get too leary to try towing the boat, I’ve got the Uhaul option which is cheaper than getting a more expensive gas gussling tow vehicle. 
Thanks everyone for your input!
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I don’t think you can get 4wd from U-haul. You can from some other rental companies like Avis or Enterprise. If your vehicle can’t pull the boat out because of traction, the U-haul won’t either. But the others may not come with a trailer hitch and they won’t allow you to put one on.