All the Ranger Tugs are very solid boats, but with very specific tradeoffs. The biggest tradeoff is money. As
@Submariner points out, it’s not just the cost of the boat but the fuel. And insurance. And storage/moorage. You won’t go wrong with any Ranger Tug or Cutwater you decide on. Many of the owners are on their second or third one. They started with one and decided to go (usually) bigger, or occasionally smaller. Start with your budget, and include fuel costs, insurance, maintenance, and moorage. The R-23 is relatively inexpensive, on all counts. At the other end, the R-43 has two engines to service and feed with diesel, and moorage alone on that can cost as much as a payment on an R-23 depending on where you put it. Figure out how much is reasonable to spend. There are great used ones to be had too for a bit of a discount. I’m not trying to sell it, but we have a 2024 R-25 on the market right now, for instance, because we’re going bigger.
Second, figure out what you want to do and how much comfort you want. If there are two of you, the R-23/25/C-248 are probably going to work out OK. You get a little more privacy in the 25/C-248 than in the R-23 with the enclosed head in those boats. If you add children, you can store them in the mid berth but you probably don’t want to put adults there for any length of time. If you are cruising with four adults, those boats get really cramped, and if you are staying overnight with four adult-sized persons, you should be pretty good friends first. If that’s what you want to do, and you can spend the money, the R-27/C-288 will be a better option, although still a bit cramped for overnighters. If you’re used to sleeping in a cot on a navy boat, you’ll probably be OK, but if you want a little more comfort, probably should try to go bigger.
Then there is cruising speed, like
@Submariner said. No amount of fuel will allow an R-29/31 to get to the San Juans from Seattle as fast as an R-23/25/27. If you’re willing to spend the money on it, however, you could do that on an R-43. If you’re used to doing 8 knots on a sailboat, and happy to keep doing so, the diesel boats are economical and a great option. If you want to cruise the inside passage with family, in comfort, you may want to look at an R-31. The mid berth is usable and has a separate head, and it’s a bit wider. You’d probably be cruising at 11 knots or so though. If you want to do that at 25, you’re looking at either the R-27 or an R-43, or a C-288/32
If you can specify a little more what kinds of things you want to do, and the budget you want to stay in, several people here are happy to give you better answers. The Seattle Boat Show is coming up at the end of the month and would be a great opportunity to see the boats, ask questions, and even meet some of the owners who will be there.
@abastos has some great insight on the basic differences, but to get more advice, you need to ask yourself some more questions such as:
1. How much are you interested in spending on the boat? How much on fuel/moorage/insurance?
2. How many people will you have on board most of the time? How many max? How often?
3. How fast do you want to go getting there?
4. How long do you want to stay away from home?
5. How long do you want to stay on anchor or away from a marina?
6. What else will you do on the boat? Fish? Crab? Kayak?
7. Do you want to be able to trailer the boat?
8. Any small things you want, like a dual seat at the helm?
9. Anything specific you absolutely do not want?
10. How important is a more full-featured galley?
Others can probably add some additional questions.
