About to pull trigger on R21 EC, Im in new york bight area

saltydog

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Jan 18, 2016
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Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C SE
Hello tugnuts, we are looking very hard into the 2016 EC21 and had some questions for those owners with experince with this boat in choppy seas? Im in the new york bight brooklyn, manhattan, queens area and typically we go out fishing for fluke and striped bass. We used to have a parker sport cabin XL and it was good but it was a gas guzzler. So we are looking into a more manageable boat since the last one has sold. So any advice? I hear and see a lot of owners talking about taking out on a lake. I will be using it in the ocean typically 2 to 3 foot swells on a regular basis and a few miles here and there travelling from one hole to the next sometimes will hit the wrecks for some bottom fishing. But anyone have experience on the east coast or offshore??? Any advice would be appreciated thanks in advance!

Harry
 
I don't have any experience with the ranger tug 21, but I would question if its a good candidate for an off-shore fishing boat? Aside from the narrow beam (6'8"), it is relatively slow for a fishing boat with a top speed of less than 10 knots. I think you might find this slow to move from fishing hole to fishing hole or trying to outrun bad weather if offshore. If you don't want a typical fishing boat, perhaps something like a C-Dory 22' Angler would be a better fit, as it is fairly light weight and C-Dory claims 26+ knots with a 90 hp outboard.

Jim
 
I have a standard cabin R21 and I take it out on the ocean frequently. I've had it in 6 to eight foot waves and as long as I could take them bow-on or quarter into them the boat did alright. It's not a comfortable ride though. The boat has a short whippy roll to it that will have you hanging on.
Beam seas of that height, especially if they're breaking, are a different story. With the R-21's short draft and low freeboard the boat will take water over the rails. I've never taken a full on wave over the side but I've taken plenty of splash from breaking seas. It's not a good situation.

Since the cockpit isn't self bailing everything drains to the bilge. If you have only one bilge pump and it goes out or, more likely, clogs a screen you can get into trouble real fast. The R21 has a shallow bilge and it doesn't take much water to fill. Get enough water into the hull and the free surface affect will make the rolling worse.
Running before seas of any height can be a chore. Once again, the boat is light draft and there isn't really enough mass below the waterline to help you track straight. Following seas, especially if the wind is quartering you and the fetch is short, will move you around and make keeping a straight track almost impossible. Again, I'm talking six to eight foot seas.


The R-21 is a good little boat but it's a feather on the water. It's supposed to be. That's part of it's appeal and it's a feature of the boat that I enjoy very much. Within the limits of the boat it does a fine job.
Try the boat out in light chop, heavier chop, and seas of different heights. Build up to it slowly and you'll find out just what the boat, and you, can take. Don't be afraid to say "enough" and head back in. There are always better days.
 
Good advice.

At one time Ranger had a link telling about a trip made by R21's to Alaska. Interesting reading.

Seamanship and boat design are key. For years, the J24 (a sailboat) was touted as being the safest small boat available. Finally, one was sunk in the Sea of Japan in heavy weather due to the companionway hatch boards not being installed. Since then, several have been sunk.

Even though I'm on my third R21EC, I've never been really pleased with its design, safety wise. I think it could have been better with double hull, floatation foam and etc.. That being said, I go with what a friend, Harold Gilreath (a great sailor), once said to me, "I'd never take any boat under 24 feet offshore."

I've had my tug out in horrible conditions and never felt in danger, but it was a rough ride. However, I've always been where I could choose a course the boat (and I) could handle; and wasn't in the open sea without a close port.
 
Greetings fellow New Yorker,
I bought an R21EC last year. The Hudson River by West Point is my Port. She handles well on the river. That hasn't stopped me from trailering her and embarking on the Piscataqua River to the Gulf of Maine off Portsmouth New Hampshire. I also took her to Rhode Island and went underway from Point Judith to Block Island. I constantly checked the weather , currents and tides. You have to do a little more research before you go out due to her size. The day I went out to Block Island the water was smooth like a lake. Not so on the way back. I had a 2 day window to return before the waters got really rough. 3-5' seas with 25 knot winds ......scary, another 30 minutes I would have been chumming. I made it back safely but it was truly a learning experience. I learned one other thing ....I'm a great land fisher man. I caught one fish, First time boat owner the only way I learn is to go out and do it. Good luck on your decision .... JJF
 
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