2008 25ft Dinette Berth

[lobster1972]

Hello All,

About to purchase a 2008 Classic as a starter boat for my wife and two kids and appreciate in advance feedback from the community.

The first question I have is the dinette when converted to a berth. When I removed the two cushions with velcro and placed on the lowered table there was a gap. Does anyone have any insight or pics on how to properly convert the cushions so it's flat?

Has Cummins Mercruiser QSD 2.0 L turbo diesel that checked out well with the survey. Any feedback on this specific engine would be appreciated. I heard it was manufactured by Fiat but have very little info other than the survey which lists as 600 hours.

For the cockpit, I was curious if folks have changed the OEM bimini to anything more user friendly. Also, any chair/table combos that have worked for such a small space.

Thanks!

 

[GaylesFaerie]

I have a 2012 R27 so I'm not sure if you have the same setup but it might be. Mine came with a cushion that fits perfectly into the dinette space once you drop the table top down for sleeping. That cushion was stored in the quarter berth. Maybe yours is missing? I do have one cushion that is velcro removable (passenger seat flip fold seat) but that just seems to make more leg room available rather than be used to fill the dinette gap. See pics attached...

Dinette down: https://photos.app.goo.gl/sF2L7TLsDcy6ozks9
Cushion in place: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YKM3xpKhzh4vyC1C8

 

[scross]

Someone else with a 2008 R-25 Classic had this same exact problem posted on the Facebook tugnuts group. The dining table should be 41” as measured from bow to stern. Anything shorter than 40.5” will fall through the fiberglass flanges just below the seat cushion. The other poster was going to make some 41” long plywood slats to use when the bed was needed.
The reason for having the narrower table seems to be the very tight fit (14”) between the full sized 41” table and the seat aft seat back. Hate to admit it but 14” is a bit tight for me.

 

[doke01]

It came with a cushion designed to fit it once the table was dropped into berth mode. You should ask the owner/prior owner to see if they still have it. Unfortunately, it was difficult to store anywhere on the boat, so mine is up in my attic.

 

[PanaSeaAh]

scross and doke01 are right on on the table and cushion.
The original cushion that belong there fits well. The others are only mounted with velcro, not intended to be removed for the bunk. I have both the original table and cushion, and a substitute table with more room for the aft seating position (custom made by previous owner) that will not support the bunk. If you don't find what you need I can get to mine in storage and get you photos and measurements.

See below on engine so I don't repeat.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16614&p=108854&hilit=qsd+mercruiser#p108854

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

For chairs in the cockpit or to take ashore Pico is a remarkable chair. They fold down to the smallest of footprints, light weight, storage bag and well made. We’ve had 2 of them for 5 years as many fellow Tugnuts have. Made by GCI Outdoor.

Jim F

 

[Alpina]

For chairs in the cockpit or to take ashore Pico is a remarkable chair. They fold down to the smallest of footprints, light weight, storage bag and well made. We’ve had 2 of them for 5 years as many fellow Tugnuts have. Made by GCI Outdoor.

Jim F

Jim,

Where the feet hard plastic? Did they scuff/scratch the fiberglass?

Franco


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[scross]

I know Jim likes the Pico chairs by GCI but I’m not a fan of their products. Have had three of their folding steel chairs and two failed within 3 years. Seams gave out. And the steel frames, which are “rust resistant powder coated” rusted really, really badly. The rusting occurred despite the fact that they sat inside the garage at home 8 months of the year and the frames were sprayed with WD-40 at the end of each season.
The Pico has an aluminum frame so it may be better, but I’d still worry about the seams coming apart. Moved on to other brands. Got a free GCI chair in the garage if you want to pick it up. Not worth shipping!

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Franco: The feet of our Pico telescoping chairs have a rubber pad on them. I have not experienced any rusting or seam problem, however ours are kept in there carrying bag and only brought out when we want to use. The good news is that if there are problems there website states they have a lifetime warranty. Not sure what that covers but I have heard of someone getting replacements for some reason. That same site stated the chairs I have are made of aluminum and steel.

Jim F

 

[CaspersCruiser]

We have two of the Pico arm chairs mentioned. The weak spot with them are the rubber pads on the chair feet. They erode easily. I’ve seen a lot of mitigation strategies such as using Ty-Raps to fasten split open tennis balls over the feet. Our mitigation strategy is to avoid scooting the chairs.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

To add to what Bill stated about the tennis balls, this also helps when you have flexi teak teak n holly on the cockpit flooring. This keeps from making indents into the rubbery surface.

Jim F

 

[j&lgray]

We had a 2008 R-25 for 7 years. Loved it and did a few modifications. Check out our website for photos and information: http://www.laurieann-ranger25.com

If you have questions, feel free to contact me.

 

[NorthernFocus]

...Has Cummins Mercruiser QSD 2.0 L turbo diesel that checked out well with the survey. Any feedback on this specific engine would be appreciated. I heard it was manufactured by Fiat but have very little info other than the survey which lists as 600 hours...

The engine is made by a company in Italy called VM Motori which is currently a division of Fiat. Previously the company was owned by GM and Detroit Diesel and before that it was independent. They've been around for over 50 years and have produced hundreds of thousands of truck, off-road, industrial, and marine engines. They directly market marine engines including the same 2.0 liter engine as can be seen here:

https://www.vmmotori.it/en/products/marine-engines.html

Mercury marine also still markets the same engine in their marine diesel line as can be seen here.

https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/engines/diesel/mercury-diesel/20l-tier-3/#specifications

I'm not sure what Cummins had to do with it other than perhaps licensing their name for marketing purposes. The only Cummins part I've found fit it is the secondary fuel filter.

We have a 2009 25 classic. When we purchased the boat in 2014 the engine had 400 hours on it. Since then we've put over 1000 hours on it ourselves mostly at low RPM. The three most common complaints I've heard are (historic)starting problems, parts availability, and difficulty locating service. We initially did have the starting issues but they were easily resolved by increasing the capacity of the starting battery. I've not had any problems finding parts on-line at various suppliers. And if you look for Mercruiser service and not Cummins there's no issue with that either. Overall judging by threads that get posted here in the forum I don't see that parts/service is any more difficult to find than with either Volvo or Yanmar.

Due to the age of the engine I'd inquire whether the timing belt has been changed. It's due at 1000 engine hours or 5 years(?). If it's not been done and you purchase the boat it should be done ASAP. Any competent auto mechanic can do it or if you're handy that way you can do it yourself. It's not at all difficult. Costs about $400 in parts and takes a couple of hours.

Hope this helps. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.

 

[Gunner065]

We have a 2010 R25SC. The previous owner had the cushion for the dinette table split into two separate cushions as a means to make them easier to stow away and it works like a charm.

As we recognized over our first season, the table extends into the passageway in the salon. As such, we ordered the pedestal (with drink holder and handle bar) found on newer R25/27 versions, from our local Ranger Tug dealer. I'll install that pedestal and alter the table to fold like the newer models. This should provide more wiggle room when the table isn't used (i.e. underway and not during meal times).

We have the Pico chairs as well, and I'll echo previous comments. The rubber feet are by far the weak point of these chairs. If moving around, the feet will damage the gelcoat. Ways to prevent that are tennis balls and/or carpet under the feet.

Our cockpit is fully enclosed with removable side panels (all around). Being in the Vancouver Island area, this affords us the ability to significantly extend our cruising season and/or cruise in foul weather and enjoy our "outdoor" space year round. It might seems like an expensive addition, but if well maintained, will pay for itself over time. Plus if it's raining outside and need to conduct some maintenance on the engine, you're covered...