Puddlejockey
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- Sep 28, 2018
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Hey there everyone:
I'm a new member posting for the first time; as well as a "not yet" Ranger boat owner!
Sorry in advance for the long post.
I need your help! I've done a tremendous amount of research online ( great forum btw), as well as talked to a few former and current trawler owners, but I'd love your input and thoughts on my great debate. I understand that much of what I'm asking about is subjective and hard to pin down- but what's the internet for, if not conjecture and opinions? 😀
Here's the skinny: I'm considering another boat, and I've clearly fallen victim to "tug love." . But our boating use/ environment is different enough that I can't get a handle on whether I'm even thinking in the right direction- and as we're based in central NC getting access to, and taking out, any of the Ranger Tugs in question is a big enough PITA that it requires some baseline decisions before we go down that road.
My lovely bride and first mate is a primary deciding factor- and her opinions seem to be wholly based on experience at the time, rather than formed in advance ( she can easily tell me we made the wrong choice- AFTER it's made...lol)
We're boating primary on Lake Norman, which is an inland Lake with some unique features. It's 34 miles long, only 1.2 nm wide at it's widest point- and has 522 statute miles of shoreline because of all it's "bays" and coves. Our lake has significantly more boat and moron traffic than it can safely support. It's a very popular "wakeboarding" lake, as well as a very convenient place for our local bank executives, Racing celebrities, and Car dealers to play " mines bigger than yours" . There are boats ranging from 20- 44 feet on this little lake. For that reason, Lake chop that's wholly wake driven can be an issue- as well as crowding in some narrower passages. 2-3' of lake chop isn't uncommon; and the occasional 4-5' wake does happen! I've seen 18 foot runabouts get swamped from taking a wake on the beam.
For that reason, we enjoy boating in the evenings during the week, as well as the "off season" when the lake is somewhat less crowded.
I have some freshwater boating experience, and grew up sailing the Great Lakes- but very little blue water boating experience other than day trips wherein I wasn't the captain. Our use will be 97% as a "day cruiser" on the Lake.
We had a Hunter 27 for awhile that I restored, and my wife LOVED that boat on our intermittent trips. I'm pretty sure what she enjoyed was the stability and sense of safety, along with the quiet joy of sailing. That was a full deep keeled boat with 3' of freeboard, and I picked her for her stability and ease of sailing. I sold her for those same reasons- and the fact that while I 'm surrounded by people who think they love to sail- I'm really surrounded by people who love to BE sailed. My frustrations with her ( the Hunter) was that under power with the 10hp Yanmar- we topped out at about 4 knots- and couldn't outrun the flies, nor get anywhere within 2 hours.
We've also had "go faster" planing hulled boats- which I enjoyed for the sake of err.....going faster...but my bride very much disliked for the lack of cabin to get out of the sun, lack of amenities, and the bounce of a full planing hull while on plane.
This led me to thinking about a trawler- which led to Ranger Tugs- which led to a video online of a 25 classic cruising up a river. I may never forgive whoever posted that video. 🙂
So- what we're looking for are those amenities and comfort ; that sense of safety and stability comparable to- or at least reminiscent of - a full keeled blow boat. As a "day cruiser" , I'd hate to pay a fortune for a larger cabin, etc that will almost never get used. Typically cruising would be my wife and I 25% of the time, 4 adults 50% of the time, and the other 25% being myself single handing her, me with a buddy trolling for stripers or big cats, or my wife and I with our two large dogs. We'll probably plan on trailering it to other larger bodies of water, and never get around to doing so.
Considering both the 21EC and the 23 OB - and potentially other ones as well? But even spending 100K on a boat we don't live ( or sleep) on is a tough pill to swallow.
My concerns with the 21EC- which would be otherwise perfect- would be the narrow beam since it's virtually impossible to tack through wake chop being driven in different directions; her sense of "safety" since the cockpit is below the waterline- and the fact that my ideal cruising speed - 7-10 knots- its the upper end ( and max) of what the 21 EC is capable of. HUGE plusses for the 21 EC are the price; the AC that can be used underway- and what looks to be very comfortable seating.
That brought me to the R23 - wherin my concerns/ questions are: As a hull identified as a "modified full planing hull"- does that mean she rides well as a displacement hull but "can" be brought up on plane when she's kicked in the pants, or is the R 23 designed TO BE run on full plane? How does the R23 OB run at 7-10 knots? All of the full planing hulls I've owned have to be run up on plane, for both trim and steerage issues as well as fuel consumption- so I'm a bit confused on this. From pictures, the cockpit area on the R23 looks more open, but less comfortable and well appointed, than the 21EC. A huge advantage of the R23 is that she's gorgeous- she'll run a lot quieter, and the obvious maintenance advantages of a bolted on fully accessible engine. BUT - are there options for AC that can be used while underway with an OB motor? Heat and humidity is a horrible thing, but I'm not sure about adding house batteries and an upgraded alternator to an OB...I literally have no idea if that's doable.
So- 6342 questions:
What are YOUR experiences with those two different hulls? Is the R23 an "experience boat"- or a "destination boat?" How does she handle cruising off plane? How is the 21EC in crowded seas? How is it day cruising with 4 adults, or the mass equivalent? Is there another boat - Ranger or not- that I should consider? because I just can't get that ranger look and feel out of my head. Can we convince the factory to build an "R23 Angler" with a larger, more appointed cockpit and slightly less cabin, HVAC that's effective and usable undeway- then sell it to me for LESS than the factory cost on a one - off custom boat that doesn't exist yet? :roll:
Help! Thoughts?
I'm a new member posting for the first time; as well as a "not yet" Ranger boat owner!
Sorry in advance for the long post.
I need your help! I've done a tremendous amount of research online ( great forum btw), as well as talked to a few former and current trawler owners, but I'd love your input and thoughts on my great debate. I understand that much of what I'm asking about is subjective and hard to pin down- but what's the internet for, if not conjecture and opinions? 😀
Here's the skinny: I'm considering another boat, and I've clearly fallen victim to "tug love." . But our boating use/ environment is different enough that I can't get a handle on whether I'm even thinking in the right direction- and as we're based in central NC getting access to, and taking out, any of the Ranger Tugs in question is a big enough PITA that it requires some baseline decisions before we go down that road.
My lovely bride and first mate is a primary deciding factor- and her opinions seem to be wholly based on experience at the time, rather than formed in advance ( she can easily tell me we made the wrong choice- AFTER it's made...lol)
We're boating primary on Lake Norman, which is an inland Lake with some unique features. It's 34 miles long, only 1.2 nm wide at it's widest point- and has 522 statute miles of shoreline because of all it's "bays" and coves. Our lake has significantly more boat and moron traffic than it can safely support. It's a very popular "wakeboarding" lake, as well as a very convenient place for our local bank executives, Racing celebrities, and Car dealers to play " mines bigger than yours" . There are boats ranging from 20- 44 feet on this little lake. For that reason, Lake chop that's wholly wake driven can be an issue- as well as crowding in some narrower passages. 2-3' of lake chop isn't uncommon; and the occasional 4-5' wake does happen! I've seen 18 foot runabouts get swamped from taking a wake on the beam.
For that reason, we enjoy boating in the evenings during the week, as well as the "off season" when the lake is somewhat less crowded.
I have some freshwater boating experience, and grew up sailing the Great Lakes- but very little blue water boating experience other than day trips wherein I wasn't the captain. Our use will be 97% as a "day cruiser" on the Lake.
We had a Hunter 27 for awhile that I restored, and my wife LOVED that boat on our intermittent trips. I'm pretty sure what she enjoyed was the stability and sense of safety, along with the quiet joy of sailing. That was a full deep keeled boat with 3' of freeboard, and I picked her for her stability and ease of sailing. I sold her for those same reasons- and the fact that while I 'm surrounded by people who think they love to sail- I'm really surrounded by people who love to BE sailed. My frustrations with her ( the Hunter) was that under power with the 10hp Yanmar- we topped out at about 4 knots- and couldn't outrun the flies, nor get anywhere within 2 hours.
We've also had "go faster" planing hulled boats- which I enjoyed for the sake of err.....going faster...but my bride very much disliked for the lack of cabin to get out of the sun, lack of amenities, and the bounce of a full planing hull while on plane.
This led me to thinking about a trawler- which led to Ranger Tugs- which led to a video online of a 25 classic cruising up a river. I may never forgive whoever posted that video. 🙂
So- what we're looking for are those amenities and comfort ; that sense of safety and stability comparable to- or at least reminiscent of - a full keeled blow boat. As a "day cruiser" , I'd hate to pay a fortune for a larger cabin, etc that will almost never get used. Typically cruising would be my wife and I 25% of the time, 4 adults 50% of the time, and the other 25% being myself single handing her, me with a buddy trolling for stripers or big cats, or my wife and I with our two large dogs. We'll probably plan on trailering it to other larger bodies of water, and never get around to doing so.
Considering both the 21EC and the 23 OB - and potentially other ones as well? But even spending 100K on a boat we don't live ( or sleep) on is a tough pill to swallow.
My concerns with the 21EC- which would be otherwise perfect- would be the narrow beam since it's virtually impossible to tack through wake chop being driven in different directions; her sense of "safety" since the cockpit is below the waterline- and the fact that my ideal cruising speed - 7-10 knots- its the upper end ( and max) of what the 21 EC is capable of. HUGE plusses for the 21 EC are the price; the AC that can be used underway- and what looks to be very comfortable seating.
That brought me to the R23 - wherin my concerns/ questions are: As a hull identified as a "modified full planing hull"- does that mean she rides well as a displacement hull but "can" be brought up on plane when she's kicked in the pants, or is the R 23 designed TO BE run on full plane? How does the R23 OB run at 7-10 knots? All of the full planing hulls I've owned have to be run up on plane, for both trim and steerage issues as well as fuel consumption- so I'm a bit confused on this. From pictures, the cockpit area on the R23 looks more open, but less comfortable and well appointed, than the 21EC. A huge advantage of the R23 is that she's gorgeous- she'll run a lot quieter, and the obvious maintenance advantages of a bolted on fully accessible engine. BUT - are there options for AC that can be used while underway with an OB motor? Heat and humidity is a horrible thing, but I'm not sure about adding house batteries and an upgraded alternator to an OB...I literally have no idea if that's doable.
So- 6342 questions:
What are YOUR experiences with those two different hulls? Is the R23 an "experience boat"- or a "destination boat?" How does she handle cruising off plane? How is the 21EC in crowded seas? How is it day cruising with 4 adults, or the mass equivalent? Is there another boat - Ranger or not- that I should consider? because I just can't get that ranger look and feel out of my head. Can we convince the factory to build an "R23 Angler" with a larger, more appointed cockpit and slightly less cabin, HVAC that's effective and usable undeway- then sell it to me for LESS than the factory cost on a one - off custom boat that doesn't exist yet? :roll:
Help! Thoughts?