age

D

dreamer*65

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 7, 2016
Messages
101
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Is 68 years old to old to sensibly think about purchasing an R27 and truly enjoy cruising around with it for say 10 years?
 
Lots of variables to consider but we bumped into a couple that are doing just that. They are however both healthy and amazingly fit. They are enjoying themselves immensely. But even a five year plan is nothing to sneeze at and five years is a long time to see and do a lot of things. IMHO, I guess my thought is; put together a five year plan. If you can make ‘cents’ of a five year plan then go for it and if it develops into a longer adventure, all the better.
 
I bought my R-27 new in 2011 at age 67 ....been enjoying it ever since and look forward to many more years.
 
I'm 69 on Thursday and I bought my used R-27 2012 this year. My first powerboat,,, I was a sailor. So far so good.

As with anything at this age, you've gotta be prepared, mentally, for surprises. Stuff could happen to me or my wife tomorrow that reduces or eliminates my boating activities.

I guess we've gotta make the best of the time we've got.
 
I am 70 and just bought a new CW 28.
 
I'm older than all the previous responders and I just bought a R27. Its all about your health and agility and it doesn't have to be forever. Do it now, quit when necessary.
 
If you have the means, IMO it's better to buy it now at 67 than regret it and wish you had when your 77...
 
Great subject. We bought one of the first R25s soon after I turned 70. We spent a lot of happy days cruising the Salish Sea. A couple of years ago I found that I could no longer maintain the boat. After I turned 80 we decided to sell it. No regrets.

Didn't really leave the Ranger family though. Just had another boat returned to me that I bought many years ago. Believe it or not, it was a Ranger, a Ranger 12. I probably will never sail it but when I finish with the restoration, it will go to the grandkids. I guess that is what defines an active boater.
 
We bought a 2014 demo / leftover R 27 in April of 2015. I was 67. We trailer it around quite a bit. We have done the Trent Severn Waterway the first year and lived on it for a couple months while bumping around in the Florida Keys. This year we drug it a cross country to Bellingham, WA and spent 6 weeks checking out the coast from Desolation Sound down to Seattle. We use it as a portable ghetto on land (RV parks) and water as are happy sleeping on the boat for a couple months at a time. They are relatively easy to get on and off. We opted for a full enclosure for the cockpit area as it adds another all weather room. I do most of my own maintenance except for impellor changes on the engine. You can meet plenty of really great people on the land and water if you trailer. You will hear I really like your boat often. They hold their resale value pretty well. I would do it and do it now. Once you get too old to use the boat you can sell it. The fond memories and pictures will last you the rest of your natural born days. If I did not have the boat I would be board to tears.
 
You guys sure inspire me and keep the dream alive.

Jake
 
It's never too late ! I bought Footloose an R-29 at age 72 and my first boat at 26. The first owner was in his late 70's.
 
Bought a C28 at age 72 and the trick is to have a younger agile wife to crawl around the engine compartment. It works for us.
 
I just sold our R-29 and purchased a new Cutwater 24-20 at age 75. I'm hoping for a 5 year plan, but maintenance is more of a problem as you age. along with that theme the name of the CW is Thisisit !

Good luck and go for it !
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Did I say thank you . . . ?
 
We bought our first boat ever, with no experience, when I was 61. Eight years ago. It was an R-25 classic. Now I'm 69 and we're on our third Ranger Tug, an R-31 Sedan. I can't foresee the age at which I'll stop wanting to cruise. Go for it.

Cheers,

Bruce
 
Deciding how much of the maintenance you want to do, based upon your need to control, fear of mediocre work by mechanics, desire to understand how to fix stuff if you are stuck on the water, ability to pay seemingly outrageous prices for common parts and periodic maintenance etc. etc. are a big part of how long you can keep your boat in relation to your age and fitness. Decide what you are going to do yourself, budget for the rest and enjoy it. Finding a good trustworthy mechanic is a real help to making boating fun. Talk to other boaters like you to find out about their threshold for working on the boat and use them as a template.
 
At 65 our first Willie's Tug a R21
At 67 our second a R27
At 70 our third a R31 Sedan
At 72 we took our R31 from Seattle to Sitka and return
At 73 we captained a very large boat for us (74' overall) on the Gulf ICW from South Texas to Louisiana until the flooding stopped us. Returned to South Texas safely.
As Bruce stated, I plan to boat as long as I can do so safely.

Go for it you are still a young man.
 
With reasonably good health and a strong desire to boat you'll be just fine. A friend of mine, when he was in his early 80's was in between owning a boat, just selling one and on the hunt for another. When asked by someone who only knew he had sold his old boat if he was getting out of boating he replied..."did you hear that I died?" This is the sentiment of a truly committed boater, we don't all need to be like him we just need the desire, reasonable health and a little money to keep the lifestyle alive.

Jim F
 
Bought my tug at 72 and it will be up for sale when I'm 92 (roughly) :mrgreen:
 
We, too, are in your age bracket and love cruising on our R27. We started with the 25SC in 2011 and moved up to our current tug in 2015. Now both in our 70's, we spend weeks at a time cruising, and it is amazing how many boaters we meet along the way are in our age bracket, too.

Dan and Lois Cheney
North Star R27
www.boatdays.weebly.com
 
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