2010-2014 R29s in the reticle: Am I (tug)Nuts?

[navajas]

Back with a topic that won't get me in trouble!

After lots of searching, reading, watching and walking, it looks like we might be narrowing in our first boat. We were just on a modern R29cb at Bellingham which we liked a lot. However, the 31 has a lot of things we'd like a lot more. But, lo and behold, an accident of YachtWorld searching and a suggestion from Nanaimo happened to kick into our path the pre-2015 R29s which packs a couple of the features lacking in the 29 and of which the 31 boasted:

1) Helm door
2) Cave berth for which manipulation of the dinette is not necessary to use

Both are big deals to us

Can someone who has owned one of these models help me suss out whether or not I want to buy a, what, "classic?" R29 as our first boat? My list of drawbacks, besides the obvious age, wear and tear and so on are as follows, and please jump in and tell me I'm wrong if so:

1) Smaller, less fishable, less comfortable cockpit
2) No built in cockpit seating
3) Which means, less seating for five when underway
4) Underpowered (subjective, I know) Yanmar vs. Volvo
5) Different, less efficient hull
6) No little built-in bow seat (wife and boys really liked that on the C30+ and bigger Rangers)
7) No weird shower divider thing (but do those even really work?)
8) Dated RV style patterned upholstery (subjective, I know)
9) No windows, basically anywhere but the main deck salon / pilot house
10) No option for a fly bridge (given if we go the used route we wouldn't get to choose anyway, but we really like the bridge even if just for space to spread)

Am I missing something? How many of the above are in error?

If I had any experience we'd probably just buy a new Cutwater 30+ or a 31CB, but these Classic 29s can be had for prices that are just too easy to pay, get our feet wet (damned if it isn't amazing how many terms and idioms you realize are nautical in etymology once you start looking at boats) and allow us to decide if we really want this level of finish / features / accommodations or if we want to bump up a bit.

Also: Anyone here want to sell theirs? 😀

 

[Firepara36]

Hello Navjas,

I had a 2016 29s, love the boat but moved up to a 31 CB. I did not have a Helm door on my 29 but do on the 31 and I do love that feature. The 31 is not just about the extra 2 feet it actually gets you so much more room in the Lazaretts and galley cabinets. The mid berth has so much more room and we love having the extra head in there for overnight guests to use and not have to come in to the main berth in the middle of the night.
In the 2016 they had moved to the VP D4 260 so I cannot speak to the Yanmar, other than in the classic you hear of the nightmares to work on with the motor placement.
The shower dividers do work well keeping water contained.
We do love our CB after not having one on the 29. It sound like you are like us and have a few guest with you and it does exactly has you described the ability to spread out on the water and when your just relaxing on anchor or at the dock.
I would suggest trying to just start with the 31 it sounds like it might fit your use better then the 29.

 

[dgiles]

The only drawback to the 31CB that I see is the cockpit seating. At anchor, yes a nice feature, but to me, it is unusable any other time. Won't work at most docks and even at low speeds underway the risk of getting very wet makes the seating unusable as well. Therefore, you need to have temporary seating all the time in the cockpit. Unfortunately, I think that is one design feature where they missed the mark.

 

[navajas]

The only drawback to the 31CB that I see is the cockpit seating. At anchor, yes a nice feature, but to me, it is unusable any other time. Won't work at most docks and even at low speeds underway the risk of getting very wet makes the seating unusable as well. Therefore, you need to have temporary seating all the time in the cockpit. Unfortunately, I think that is one design feature where they missed the mark.

That's an interesting take on the fold out gunwale seating, but I'm talking the Classic 29 here which didn't have ANY built-in seating at all, opting instead for those odd gullwing stairs. I think this is a contributing factor to the lack of storage comment from Firepara36 above. Even a single fold down bench off the transom would have been a big plus in our book.

I think.

To be clear, I find the 31CB superior to the Classic 29 in every single way... but this is our first boat and you can't buy 31CBs of any age for under or around $150k. We may very well decide to just buy a new 31CB or C32CB (or something else... but that discussion was toxic). If we don't, the Classic R29 seems like a really easy entry point to test us out. Hence the thread.

 

[Firepara36]

I Agree Navjas, That would be a great boat to start!!

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

We have a 2011 R29. Owned since 2018. Two trips to the FL Keys/FL west coast. Just returned from a 5 1/2 month trip to the Keys.

1) Smaller, less fishable, less comfortable cockpit
We don't fish much from the boat so no comment on that. We find the cockpit good for 4 people. 2 in chairs and 2 in the cushioned rests that are built into the forward part of the cockpit.

2) No built in cockpit seating
I agree with the assessment that the seats are not as handy as you might think on the 31s. It all depends where you will be when you want to use them.

3) Which means, less seating for five when underway
we keep 2 folding chairs on the boat that we use in the cockpit

4) Underpowered (subjective, I know) Yanmar vs. Volvo
Its a tug and actually looks like a tug. We cruise at 2.5 gph which is about 2000 rpms.... depending on wind and current, close to 7kts. I do all my route planning at 6.9 kts.

5) Different, less efficient hull
Its a different boat than the newer designs, more efficient for it's power plant. Newer boats are designed to run more on plane.

6) No little built-in bow seat (wife and boys really liked that on the C30+ and bigger Rangers)
You'd be surprised how comfortable those cheap orange/yellow life jackets are as a seat/back rest on the bow.

7) No weird shower divider thing (but do those even really work?)
We installed hooks in the overhead and attach a shower curtain if we want to shower in the head. Keeps everything super dry and folds neatly when storing in the cabinet. Honestly we do 99% of our showering on the swim platform.

8) Dated RV style patterned upholstery (subjective, I know)
buy a boat that has had their upholstery re-done.

9) No windows, basically anywhere but the main deck salon / pilot house
Now we're getting picky 😀

10) No option for a fly bridge (given if we go the used route we wouldn't get to choose anyway, but we really like the bridge even if just for space to spread)
We were completely okay with that. Their is so much air flow in the cabin its crazy, especially with the sliding door open.

 

[navajas]

Great input, exactly what I was hoping to receive.

Thanks Mr. Menches!

Quick responses:

9) No windows, basically anywhere but the main deck salon / pilot house

Now we're getting picky 😀

Meh. It opens up that cave a lot I think, and the forward stateroom looks a little sad without the water view through the windows. Maybe it's because we're new to boating, but the novelty of the view is a big plus for us.

10) No option for a fly bridge (given if we go the used route we wouldn't get to choose anyway, but we really like the bridge even if just for space to spread)

We were completely okay with that. Their is so much air flow in the cabin its crazy, especially with the sliding door open.

With a planned semi-regular load of five people, we're more concerned with a bit of extra space than ventilation. Plus driving from up there looks fun as heck. We'll do without if the price is right obviously!

Thanks again, I really appreciate your time and input.

 

[gswearin]

Hi Navajas,
You are asking great questions and getting some great answers. As you know boats are very much a trade off of different things. However, you might want to focus on the one thing you need--space for 5 people much of the time. I love my R29 but I know I'd be pretty miserable if i always had 4 other people shuffling around and trying to get by each other. Just my 2 cents.

 

[The lyons den]

If you are interested in traveling with five people, I would recommend making that your priority when making a decision. Just keep in mind that a cushion on a dinette table does not always make a comfortable bed. Kids and thirsty buddies might be happy sleeping in the cave but others might be uncomfortable.
You might want to look at trawlers with forward and aft berths. They offer a bit more privacy.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Rangertugs but I would need the 43’ if I were traveling with five people.

 

[navajas]

Yep, and understood. We are looking at lots of boats, and most of the non-Fluids under consideration are trawlers, trawler-ish or at least have two real staterooms. Trying to keep this thread PC though, and the pre-2015 R29 seems to be an easy very bare minimum for us to try out.

Also, unless I miss my guess, easy enough to flip if it ends up a no-go.

Then again, reading the market, I wonder if there aren't about to be a whole bunch of used bigger boats about to hit the market in a year or three. Might stop gap and then trade up.

Anyway...