Buying Decisions Help: North Idaho

B

Bulljon

Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2026
Messages
5
Fluid Motion Model
R-25 (Outboard)
Non-Fluid Motion Model
Stealthweld
Vessel Name
NA
We are now serious about purchasing our first Ranger tug after 10 years of contemplation. My main question surrounds the practicality of using a newboat in two locations. The primary home would be on Lake Pend Orielle in North Idaho. The boat will be in a private mooring year-round. I want to be able to set the boat up for fishing, think Salmon Trolling, including downriggers, planer boards and rod towers etc. Some of the best fishing takes place in November and December so the added comfort of a heated cabin is obviously very appealing. The second use would be an occasional trip to Puget Sound or potentially Vancouver Island for salmon, fishing, crabbing, etc. I’m currently leaning toward the R 25 as the front runner for a few reasons. Seems like the extended back deck around the outboard would be well suited to fishing. I would like to be able to attach a secondary kicker and operate it through some kind of remote or auto pilot system. Not sure if this is practical? I have a Ram 1-Ton Diesel Dually as a tow rig. It should easily handle the weight of the 25 foot boat. Would it be a stretch to think that a R27 could serve this purpose better? Day trips in North Idaho will generally have family members on board with very limited overnight stays. Overnight trips to Puget Sound would be with two passengers sleeping aboard. I’m very interested in thoughts on this matter. Should I be thinking about a larger boat? Diesel vs. Outboard power. We are thinking about a preowned boat and hope to find and purchase something by the end of 2026. Appreciate any insights and comments.
 
1000006286.jpgWe do lots of fishing on our R27. This is how we were rigged for our trip last summer up the Inside Passage. Prawn trap and crab trap on the swim platform. Scottie downriggers. Salmon, jigging, and halibut rods in holders on each side of the bimini. 9.9hp kicker.
 
The R23 has room on the swim platform than the R25. Also IMO a larger cockpit due to the narrow stern section.
 
Fishmagnet said:
View attachment 26948We do lots of fishing on our R27. This is how we were rigged for our trip last summer up the Inside Passage. Prawn trap and crab trap on the swim platform. Scottie downriggers. Salmon, jigging, and halibut rods in holders on each side of the bimini. 9.9hp kicker.
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That’s a nice looking set up! Have you trailered your boat much or do you keep it on the water full-time? I really like the idea of the extra comfort of the R27. Without getting in one and comparing it side-by-side with the 25 it is hard to imagine the difference. Maybe you could shed some light. Also, how do you steer your kicker? Thanks for the response. I really appreciate it.
 
Robert said:
The R23 has room on the swim platform than the R25. Also IMO a larger cockpit due to the narrow stern section.
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I noticed in the specs that the length of both the R23 and R25 were identical. Dry weight difference is 500 pounds more for the R25. Is the floor plan slightly different? I like the idea of something easier to trailer.
 
We trailer our boat about two hours one way, each time we use it. It's stored in our garage when we're using it. Been to Puget Sound and back twice from Northen Wisconsin. Trailer is an Integrity triple axel aluminum trailer.
 
Fishmagnet said:
We trailer our boat about two hours one way, each time we use it. It's stored in our garage when we're using it. Been to Puget Sound and back twice from Northen Wisconsin. Trailer is an Integrity triple axel aluminum trailer.
Click to expand...
Great info, that helps. Thanks again. JM
 
Bulljon said:
That’s a nice looking set up! Have you trailered your boat much or do you keep it on the water full-time? I really like the idea of the extra comfort of the R27. Without getting in one and comparing it side-by-side with the 25 it is hard to imagine the difference. Maybe you could shed some light. Also, how do you steer your kicker? Thanks for the response. I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
 
Its been a while since I've been on a 25 so can't comment on the space. We like the 150 gallon fuel tank on the 27 for the range. Kicker is tied to the main engine for steering so the autopilot is one way we steer it while trolling.
 
The R-25 is actually longer than the R-23, but as Robert states, it has more room on the swim platform. That’s because it has the motor mounted on the back of the swim platform. This means that the actual dimensions of the R-23, minus the swim platform, are shorter than the R-25. This length largely is in the v-berth, and as a result, the R-25 has more privacy than the R-23. The head in the R-23 is open to the v-berth, whereas the one in the R-25 has a door to close it. The sink in the R-25 is inside the head, whereas in the R-23 it is outside. This means the R-25 has a wet head that you can shower in. I suppose you potentially could on the R-23 as well, but it doesn’t seem as comfortable. In the salon the two seem rather similar, so I think most of the extra length went into the v-berth.

The R-25 also has greater capacity in every respect. It has a larger fuel tank, larger water tank, larger waste tank, and a larger motor. All those mean you can stay out longer, if that’s what you’re looking for. The range on the R-25 is around 600 nm if you are relatively careful with the throttle and have the stock setup. If you get some aftermarket tuning, you can probably do better. The R-27 is a significant step up from the R-25 in nearly every respect as well. We had a 2024 R-25OB (Fluid Motion has it now to sell) and it was comfortable for 4 days or so for two people. I know people who spend weeks on an R-27. But, in return, it is a bigger boat to trailer.

In terms of fishing, the swim step on the R-25 is wonderful. You get around the motor, which you don’t on the R-27 and the R-23. I found it very helpful, especially for netting fish. Both the R-23 and the R-25 have an open cockpit with no Bimini supports, meaning you don’t have to pass rods around those if you keep the downriggers and rods forward of those supports. That’s quite helpful in my opinion. I’ve lost fish having to pass the rods around the Bimini supports before. However, the cockpit of the R-27 feels substantially larger, so it does have more room to move around.

They’re kicker motors, if you get them from the factory, are mounted on the port side of the swim step. On the R-25 the swim step is modified and shortened on the port side for the kicker. I thought the reason for that was that you attach a steering rod to the main engine from the kicker and that’s how you steer it, but the options on the new boat say they have “electric steering and a wireless remote”. I didn’t have one on mine, and I don’t know exactly what that means, but the factory is usually great about answering questions as well. @Submariner has a helpful video on the kicker motor on his R-27 that may help:

They’re all very capable. You will likely love any of them. Every boat is a trade-off. For us, the R-25 was a great sweet spot that ticked all the boxes at the time.
 
Jesperjo said:
The R-25 is actually longer than the R-23, but as Robert states, it has more room on the swim platform. That’s because it has the motor mounted on the back of the swim platform. This means that the actual dimensions of the R-23, minus the swim platform, are shorter than the R-25. This length largely is in the v-berth, and as a result, the R-25 has more privacy than the R-23. The head in the R-23 is open to the v-berth, whereas the one in the R-25 has a door to close it. The sink in the R-25 is inside the head, whereas in the R-23 it is outside. This means the R-25 has a wet head that you can shower in. I suppose you potentially could on the R-23 as well, but it doesn’t seem as comfortable. In the salon the two seem rather similar, so I think most of the extra length went into the v-berth.

The R-25 also has greater capacity in every respect. It has a larger fuel tank, larger water tank, larger waste tank, and a larger motor. All those mean you can stay out longer, if that’s what you’re looking for. The range on the R-25 is around 600 nm if you are relatively careful with the throttle and have the stock setup. If you get some aftermarket tuning, you can probably do better. The R-27 is a significant step up from the R-25 in nearly every respect as well. We had a 2024 R-25OB (Fluid Motion has it now to sell) and it was comfortable for 4 days or so for two people. I know people who spend weeks on an R-27. But, in return, it is a bigger boat to trailer.

In terms of fishing, the swim step on the R-25 is wonderful. You get around the motor, which you don’t on the R-27 and the R-23. I found it very helpful, especially for netting fish. Both the R-23 and the R-25 have an open cockpit with no Bimini supports, meaning you don’t have to pass rods around those if you keep the downriggers and rods forward of those supports. That’s quite helpful in my opinion. I’ve lost fish having to pass the rods around the Bimini supports before. However, the cockpit of the R-27 feels substantially larger, so it does have more room to move around.

They’re kicker motors, if you get them from the factory, are mounted on the port side of the swim step. On the R-25 the swim step is modified and shortened on the port side for the kicker. I thought the reason for that was that you attach a steering rod to the main engine from the kicker and that’s how you steer it, but the options on the new boat say they have “electric steering and a wireless remote”. I didn’t have one on mine, and I don’t know exactly what that means, but the factory is usually great about answering questions as well. @Submariner has a helpful video on the kicker motor on his R-27 that may help:

They’re all very capable. You will likely love any of them. Every boat is a trade-off. For us, the R-25 was a great sweet spot that ticked all the boxes at the time.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the comprehensive explanation. All of the information is very helpful and I appreciate the time you took to offer your experience.

I am leaning toward the R 25 for many of the reasons that you mentioned. At this point in time it would not be likely that we would spend more than a night or two on board. We live part of the year in Kansas and 5 to 6 months of the year in Idaho where the boat will be stored. One last question, I would really like to have an opportunity to get on board and compare all three models. At one time, one of the boat dealers in the North Idaho area had a couple of range tugs that we looked at. It does not appear that they still carry that line or our simply out of them. Is there anywhere that you can think of that would offer the opportunity to compare all three models in person?
 
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