1st Boat purchase in Family since Grandpa died

[navajas]

I realize I am from the conservative fly over midwest so my views do not reflect mainstream america, nor the actions of the federal goverment.

How does this matter? Even a little? :|

 

[bob daily]

I'm not sure when asking a question became advice, but for what it's worth I would reference
Proverbs 22:7 ( the borrower is the slave of the lender )
Signed, Big Brain Billy Bob !

 

[Bruce Moore]

Please return this thread to the discussion of the relative merits of various boat models and makers. While this may not be the best forum to discuss the advantages/disadvantages of boats built by brands other than our sponsor, it certainly is not the place to argue financing preferences. And, it is never a place to disparage other members, cleverly, condescendingly, or otherwise.


Thank you.


Bruce

 

[navajas]

this may not be the best forum to discuss the advantages/disadvantages of boats built by brands other than our sponsor

Thank you.


Bruce

I think I should point out that were it NOT for me being able to voice some concerns I had with Ranger Tugs (while highlighting how favorably Fluid Motion boats compare to their competitors no less) and receiving reasoned, rational and experiential responses to them via this forum and its users, they would still be categorically off the list of boats we are considering.

Stifling conversation about the merits of Ranger Tugs ON a Ranger Tugs forum seems counterproductive if you're goal is to safeguard your sponsor, but, whatever floats your boat, so to speak. I can take my inquiries elsewhere. If someone has a suggestion for a more appropriate forum for me to talk about boats I'd be happy to explore it.

Thanks for your time everyone! 🙂

 

[SJI Sailor]

My 0.02 is that this forum is very open to honest discussion of RT and CW -- that benefits all of us and benefits the brands.

However, because most folks here are RT and CW owners, our views are not a representative sample of other brands. So I view the caution as not about stopping discussion of boats, but rather as realism about our knowledge base.

Beyond that, discussion of things beyond boats is intentionally limited as Bruce noted -- which helps us all get along and stay focused (thank you, Bruce and RT!)

 

[navajas]

Bit of necromancy here, but I think it's warranted given the above.

For what it's worth, and to put a something of a bow on this thread, we just submitted an offer on a 2019 R29cb as our first boat. Was about a six month process that started with a starry eyed infatuation with a Ranger after a chance marina stroll, to completely ruling out anything at all Fluid Motion built due to maintenance / QC / structural concerns, to hoping to hell the seller accepts our offer and the survey comes back clean wo we can get out on the water.

Life you know. Takes you places.


Cheers,

navajas

 

[OverTime]

And speaking of that, does anyone know anything about the "Commander 34" for sale just across the border? I can't get a hold of this Morley guy to save my life. If I combine the apparent sale of the company to the Shanghai yacht builder "Bracewell", three different numbers for this Morley character, none of which he'll answer, email contacts that aren't returned, the fact that I can't find any information on this Commander 34 apart from a single 3.5 minute video on YouTube I get a somewhat sketchy "hands off" vibe from the thing. However, the price is very right, it checks just about every box, seems to exist in a happy medium right in between all the gaps in the Jeanneau vs. Cutwater paradigm and comes with a legacy Commander brand name on which I can't find much dirt.

In my search for a boat, I became frustrated with "ghost" listings...boats that aren't really for sale...maybe they were at one time...or it's a generic listing....same boat, same photo, different brokers. I took possession of my boat awhile ago...I see it too is still "for sale".

 

[OverTime]

Bit of necromancy here, but I think it's warranted given the above.

For what it's worth, and to put a something of a bow on this thread, we just submitted an offer on a 2019 R29cb as our first boat. Was about a six month process that started with a starry eyed infatuation with a Ranger after a chance marina stroll, to completely ruling out anything at all Fluid Motion built due to maintenance / QC / structural concerns, to hoping to hell the seller accepts our offer and the survey comes back clean wo we can get out on the water.

Life you know. Takes you places.


Cheers,

navajas

I feel you. My buying process was definately a roller coaster of emotions...for weeks! 😀

 

[William Sanborn]

Hi! I'm also a first boat buyer thinking about similar boats. My take on the 'hull truth' is that one person can do a LOT of damage in an online environment and that side comments about RTs having problems is really just someone reading/remembering hull truth and passing along what they remember, amplifying one person's experience.

Tugnuts is a place with a LOT of people and so I think any problems are not necessarily more common with RTs, but that they have a voice. Also, Cutwaters are made by the same folks that make RTs (at least that's my understanding) and so I don't think quality would affect one but not the other.

This is not to defend RTs. I have never owned an RT or any boat for that matter and I'm still in the early stage and not sure what we'll end up with, but I certainly like the RTs and take the one person's experience and random comments of others with a grain of salt. Good luck with your search!

What you see on TUGNUTS are folks who are using their boats, which by the way are about as complicated a Boat as any made... they have stuffed all the options into a tight package, and they are a mechanical machine with systems that overload, wear out, and get abusesed. We share how to keep our boats in Service. I feel good around the Yacht Club, folks who have some really nice boats lust after my Ranger 27 cause of what it is.

 

[mik]

“Signing up with local USPS, but unfortunately looks like they take a hiatus for the next few months. Did my ABC thing in the meantime, but real classes aren't even scheduled at this point.”

There is a lot of stuff to learn about cruising but learning to dock your boat really boils down to one simple rule….dont approach anything any faster than you are willing to hit it! Has served me well over the years.