As a wanna be Ranger 25 owner l am looking at inboard options. My experience is with a 22 Cdory with a kicker motor on the stern. In the event of an inboard engine failure or a serious prop strike, are there any get home options on the Ranger 25? I know the swim step was not designed to handle the stress of an outboard, but would it be possible to use a small kicker in an emergency?
Get home motor
- Thread starter Lochsa
- Start date
Red Raven
Coupeville, Wa
- Joined
- May 14, 2015
- Messages
- 1,884
- Location
- Whidbey Island, Wa
- Fluid Motion Model
- R-27 Classic
- Hull Identification Number
- FMLT2734C414
- Vessel Name
- Red Raven
- MMSI Number
- 338190767
On our R27 Classic (inboard) we have a bracket mounted on the swimstep that will allow us to use our 6hp dinghy motor as a “get safe” motor. We have never had to use it and I doubt we ever will. Why? Our dinghy sits up on the Weaver davits and would have to be removed to use the bracket.
If we are adrift with an engine failure without a buddy boat we have several options as follows:
1) If in deep water and in no danger of grounding I would just call Towboat and wait.
2) If in danger of grounding I would immediately drop the anchor and then call Towboat and wait.
3) Only if very near a safe anchorage would I consider trying to use the 6hp as a kicker as it likely will not be able to make much headway (possibly none if there is any significant current or wind). And by the time I go to the trouble of dropping the dinghy it would be just as easy (or even easier) to lash the dinghy to the side of the tug and push the tug to the anchorage that way. With the 6hp we wouldn’t be going very far anyway.
The bottom line is after 12 years of owning the tug I have never had the need and can’t see even trying to use the bracket anyway. In retrospect I wish I hadn’t bothered installing the bracket.
On the other hand I have heard of others who modified the swimstep to mount a larger kicker permanently on the swimstep for fishing which could also be used as a “get home” motor. I don’t think it would be worth the cost to do it just for “get home” though.
My 2 cents,
Curt
If we are adrift with an engine failure without a buddy boat we have several options as follows:
1) If in deep water and in no danger of grounding I would just call Towboat and wait.
2) If in danger of grounding I would immediately drop the anchor and then call Towboat and wait.
3) Only if very near a safe anchorage would I consider trying to use the 6hp as a kicker as it likely will not be able to make much headway (possibly none if there is any significant current or wind). And by the time I go to the trouble of dropping the dinghy it would be just as easy (or even easier) to lash the dinghy to the side of the tug and push the tug to the anchorage that way. With the 6hp we wouldn’t be going very far anyway.
The bottom line is after 12 years of owning the tug I have never had the need and can’t see even trying to use the bracket anyway. In retrospect I wish I hadn’t bothered installing the bracket.
On the other hand I have heard of others who modified the swimstep to mount a larger kicker permanently on the swimstep for fishing which could also be used as a “get home” motor. I don’t think it would be worth the cost to do it just for “get home” though.
My 2 cents,
Curt
NorthernFocus
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2014
- Messages
- 1,469
- Location
- Alaska
- Website
- www.northernfocusphotography.com
- Fluid Motion Model
- R-25 Classic
- Hull Identification Number
- FMLT25910808
- Vessel Name
- Divine Focus
We have a Yamaha 9.9 high thrust mounted on the old style plastic step. It took some modification to make it work. In calm conditions it'll push us about 4.5 knots. We've used it once for real in a 10 knot headwind and 2 ft seas and we made about 3 knots. Which was way better than zero. Need to make sure that the cavitation place is as close as possible to level with the bottom of the boat.