Are we crazy to dream about trailering R27-29 around US?

T

tugnewbie

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Joined
Sep 19, 2020
Messages
7
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Non-Fluid Motion Model
Grady White Freedom 375
Vessel Name
Sundance
Hello, I just semi retired and we THINK we want to sell our 36' day boat and get a R27 or R29 we can trailer to dream destinations around the country for cruises of a few weeks at a time. Like an RV but on the water. We'd use it on weekly day trips in the summer around Cape Cod, maybe a few local overnights to MV, ACK, Block Island, and at most we'd take 3 trips a year for the next few years to special places that seem better to explore by boat.....

Key West
Bahamas
Great Lakes
Canada
OR/WA
Maine
Lake Powell

We have a 7000# 25 foot Airstream and a 1 ton truck so not new to towing but acknowledge the Airstream weighs less and is shorter/narrower for sure.

The reason we are thinking about this we have more fun on the few overnights we do each year on our express boat around Cape Cod. We like the comradery of fellow boaters in marinas and feeling adventurous navigating the seas and weather. When we go to places such as Maine we look at the people staying on boats in secluded bays or harbors and think we wish we were doing that instead of staying in a crowded RV park. But our boat is not designed for cruising or for trailering, so not suitable for doing more of that.

Further we do not have the time or interest at this point in our lives in the long cruises to and from these destinations. I'm guessing it's like 10 hours through rough seas just to get from Cape Cod to central Maine at 15 knots. Not for us. We do not want a huge boat like a Sabre or Back Cove with all the headaches, being hostage to hauling out at a specialized boatyard, waiting weeks for repairs, and the expense, having to take 2 weeks each way to cruise it down the ICW to FL and back. We discussed chartering boats but there is something rewarding, perhaps irrational about experiencing/conquering these destinations on our own boat that appeals to us. So we came across the idea of a more manageable, transportable Ranger tug we can tow (or even have shipped if that makes more sense) as a potentially ideal solution to our dream.

This all sounds good on paper but we've never done this before or stayed on a 27-29' boat for 2 weeks so to those who have done something similar, have you been happy with that choice and what were the negatives that we might not be considering? For example:

Seaworthiness/comfort of the R27 or R29 vs. our 20K# 36'x 13' beam Grady which is a beast designed for offshore fishing
Difficulties towing something larger than our Airstream...permits, how do you fit a 10' boat through toll booths, traffic
Finding marinas to launch and store the boat or park our truck
Finding slips
Room for 2 people and stuff on a 27 or 29 for a couple of weeks at a time
Maintenance headaches on any boat...are these user friendly?
Room for our ebikes...cockpit?
Inland transportation to shopping and restaurants once you are staying on the boat (I guess there's always taxi)
Rain, bad weather spells on a boat with a smallish cabin
Sleeping on a small boat for 2 weeks, (ours has loud "hull slap" so takes some getting used to)

For once I am taking this slowly and methodically over this fall and winter..I have bought a few ebooks and subscribed to forums like this and a blog. People paint a very appealing picture but I want to make sure I know what we are getting into before we make this big financial and time commitment.

Thank you T
 
We’ve done what you’re asking and or thinking about for the last 10 years, so call us crazy if you’d like!! I’ve attached a link to our blog that covers most of this time period, for you to check out if you’d like. Additional we write a book “The Upside of Downsizing to a Trailerable Trawler, you can also find that on our blog or Amazon. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us.

We’ve been to all the places you mentioned except Maine n the Bahamas and much more in either our R27 (prior boat) or our R29S. I do know many people that have also been to Maine n the Bahamas on there RT’s .

Jim F

https://trailertrawlerlife.com/
 
Jim thank you very much, yes I bought 2 of your ebooks and subscribed to your blog yesterday, all of which are very well done, super helpful and encouraging us in this direction!
 
1) Listen to Jim. He's as much of an authority on your Mission Statement as anyone here.

2) The "Are We Crazy" subtext of your question quickly gets to downsides. The downside is NOT the Ranger / Cutwaters as a boat selection. They are built for your Mission.

3) Moving from a day boat to a cruising boat involves adding in live aboard amenities. A lot of stuff to fill those needs is stuffed into as little boat as is possible (small, to facilitate towing). What that means is there are more systems and gadgets to maintain, repair, trouble-shoot, and winterize. Because its all stuffed into a small package, begin each maintenance chore with the assumption that the thing you need to work on is behind something else that needs to be removed or reached over to do the job.

So in essence, you have boating experience, so you know there is more to it than turning the key and going.

The total experience is more than about a glass of wine in the cockpit watching an amazing sunset in a quiet cove. It includes that, for sure. It also includes skinned knuckles and grease under the fingernails. Once you get a grip on the balance of those two things, and are fine with that tradeoff, you'll be good to go.
 
You’re not crazy go small go now! Life is an adventure. Jim and Lisa are much more in the planning each trip. I on the other hand am more spontaneous. Maybe a destination but no planned route or stopping points. I have an RT 27 ALICE J 2011. I use it as my RV and my boat I have about 30,000 road miles with the boat and about 2300 hours on the engine from Florida to Alaska down through all the national forests out west to Big Bend, Texas back to Florida to the canals of Canada the great lakes and I’m presently on the Cumberland River in Tennessee. I drive till I’m tired use a rest stop or truckstop to sleep, or pull in to an RV site and I’ve never been turned away from. I anchor in a pleasant cove or find a neat little hiddie whole drop the anchor and spend a quiet night. Last winter I spent seven months in the Bahamas. No marinas just pleasant anchorages from the Abacos down through the Exumas, to the Georgetown and Long Island returning back to Florida. With the ALICE J I have made four round trips across the Gulf Stream and through the islands of the Bahamas, yes occasionally some big seas but I pick and choose my weather carefully, the boat is very capable. The RT 27 is the right size for trailering with no permits. Two persons will find adequate room on board and storage for most of your gear.
 
I agree with AliceJ about the R27 being a great boat for what you are planning. The R29 would be better for comfort, but the need for overwide permits makes it harder to just pack up and go. If you think you can fit what you need on the 27, that would be my choice.
That said, I have a 29 and love the comfort of the island bed versus a v-berth, and the extra space and stability afforded by the 10 foot beam. I don't trailer my boat, so towing permits are not needed.
 
Thank you everyone for the super helpful advice. I wish there was a way to "like" your responses as on FB maybe there is...

I have finished reading the 2 ebooks by Jim and a lot of posts

My takeaways are

1. We are not crazy since others have done this too
2. Permits or no permits, trailering any 27-29' boat over these distances is not for the faint of heart
3. While we'd prefer the space, displacement, beam and seaworthiness of the 29, we would have to be a lot more careful towing the 29. Towing the 8'6" wide Airstream we have encountered scary situations where you suddenly get squeezed in construction lanes or toll booths...we'd need to do a lot more planning.
4. We are still open minded between the diesel/semi displacement hull on the 29 or older 27's vs. the gas outboard/planing hull on the newer 27. Seem like pros and cons to both for our intended use. Really welcome anyone's thoughts on this.
5. Covid permitting we will visit a couple of dealers and see both boats first hand to assess living space and storage
6. We may try to charter a Ranger in the SE this November or December to gain firsthand knowledge.

Please let me know if I missed anything and I am feeling encouraged by your responses, so thank you all again!
 
You mentioned having a one ton truck. You did not mention if it was diesel. If it is gas you will struggle on inclines. The 29 is a great boat, but keep in mind that it will require oversized/wide load permits. That adds to the complexity of towing, but not necessarily a deal breaker for some. My wife and opted for the 27 for that very reason. We are a bit spontaneous and the permits would have taken that out of the equation. Bigger is always nicer, but I have learned that you are better off buying the smallest that will fit your needs. No mater what your choice is, it is all about compromise.
 
knotflying":1z114qve said:
You mentioned having a one ton truck. You did not mention if it was diesel. If it is gas you will struggle on inclines. The 29 is a great boat, but keep in mind that it will require oversized/wide load permits. That adds to the complexity of towing, but not necessarily a deal breaker for some. My wife and opted for the 27 for that very reason. We are a bit spontaneous and the permits would have taken that out of the equation. Bigger is always nicer, but I have learned that you are better off buying the smallest that will fit your needs. No mater what your choice is, it is all about compromise.
Click to expand...

Thank you you make some excellent points and after another 12 hours of research and reflecting I am strongly leaning toward a 27. While it is a 2017 F350 diesel with sufficient payload and towing capacity for either boat I agree 100% with you ... buy the smallest boat that works because you will use it the most which applies to towing and also for docking, especially since my wife is a bit frail after her accident. I am researching permits and while they seem "doable" even with short notice, and I assume they are affordable, I'm much more concerned about having bad experiences towing a 10 foot wide boat 1' 6" wider than even a standard 8'6" semi trailer. For example getting caught suddenly and unexpectedly at 60MPH heading into a narrow construction lane between concrete barriers which I so far haven't figured out how to anticipate or avoid. We have an RV GPS but that has so far NOT foretold of these. Or toll booths and the resulting stress.

If we have stressful situations, we will not look forward to towing the boat, so then we won't use the boat for our intended purpose of exploring new areas. We'll be right back to where we are now which has been limited to cruising a small geographic area around the same Vineyard Sound waters that we've already been to dozens of times over the last 30 years.

Right now we have a good setup with the Airstream...26 feet long 8'6" wide 7000# and a more than sufficient tow vehicle. After towing it for a surprising 4,000 miles across the country and up and down the East coast, over mountains, etc. just this year I have gotten to the point where I feel pretty confident I can tow it smoothly so there is zero hesitation to pick up and go. I would need a whole different level of planning, discipline and patience to do that with a 10' boat in the Northeast with its narrow roads, traffic, construction, rude drivers.

If I focus on the 27 do you have any advice for me on the pre 2017? diesel vs. the newer outboard for periodic short range cruising e.g. 2 weeks poking around Penobscot Bay. 2 weeks around the FL Keys. NOT the 1000 miles between them or the Great Loop. I've never had a diesel boat before so I would naturally lean toward outboard but I understand it's a whole different hull, semi displacement vs. planing. Speed not so important as user friendly maintenance and seaworthiness.

Thank you very much!
 
As far as getting permits for the 10’ beam 29 vs not for the 27, I have a few thoughts as we’ve owned both boats. As Mike stated it is easier to be able to move the 27 then the 29. No permits and less restrictions with the 27. With that said, if you own a 29 and trailer it, once you get past the initial research and how to’s on permitting the process becomes somewhat second nature....there’s a learning curve. As an example a few days ago I spent about 2 hours going thru the permit process for our pending trip from Washington to Michigan. I have an annual permit for Michigan so I needed 7 permits. With my login and passwords in hand I had all 7 finished in 2 hours. I could also hire a permit company to get get them for me, which would only take 10 minutes but cost at least 2 1/2 times as much money. Either way not insurmountable.

The bigger issue is buying the right boat for your needs. If your needs are to have more trailering freedom then a 27 however don’t let the permit process hold you back if you have the desire to have a 10’ beamed boat, keeping in mind the restriction limits of where you can trailer said boat. We’ve taken our 29 almost everywhere we took our 27 we just don’t wonder very far off of the main roads when going from point A to B.

Jim F
 
Sorry for posting this a few months after your request.

I have a 2014 R-27 on a 2 axle trailer that we bought in June. I pulled it from Seattle to my home north of Denver and then to Michigan and later Lake Powell. It is easy to pull with my F-250 diesel pick-up, just remember that you have a long trailer behind you.

This boat replaced a 35' Seaward 32RK sailboat that was on a trailer that I pulled all over the US and into Mexico. It was 10'6" wide so I needed a permit. Mercury Permit Service got me the permits. The problem is the restrictions certain states put on oversize trailers such as limited to daylight hours, no weekend or holiday travel, and certain insurance requirements as well as needing to follow certain state sanctioned routes.

For this reason we are very happy with our R-27.
 
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