I have been boating in the Portland area (both Columbia and Willamette Rivers) since 2013. My first Ranger Tug was a 27 with the Volvo inboard. I now have a R31 with a larger Volvo inboard. On both boats, my WOT speed has been upwards of 22 knots or more, depending on current and wind at the time. Likewise, my cruise speed has been a comfortable 12 to 15 knots, again depending on current and wind (both of which can be formidable in the area).
One big caution: speed in these waters is not just a function of your boat’s power through the water, but is a function of safety. Many times a year, the waters around here a full of hazards. In all but the driest of the summer months, boaters need to be on the watch for logs, branches and similar debris that wash off the banks of the rivers and head west to the mouth of the Columbia. If you are lucky, you will see the logs or other debris floating at the surface. If you are less lucky, they are water-logged and floating below the surface.
If you hit that stuff, you will fare much better if you are going slow. I participate in the Christmas Ships parade throughout December on both rivers. Log and other debris is a big concern. I have hit some logs and other debris more than once. But I have always been going 5 knots or less. Later haul outs (for bottom paint) have confirmed that I incurred zero damage. I chalk up good fortune to the combination of (1) slow speed and (2) the stout construction and protective keel of the Ranger Tugs.
By way of contrast, a friend hit a submerged log on the Columbia in August when he was going about 11 knots in his yacht.. He describes his yacht (and it is a yacht, not a boat) as “totaled.” But it wasn’t really totaled. It incurred about $100,000 worth of running gear damage that is all being currently repaired. It was totaled in the sense that he has been embroiled in insurance disputes and a seemingly endless process of getting it repaired. So it feels totaled to him because he has lost his use of his boat for the last many months and doesn’t know when it will be usable again.
My point is this: in the waters you want to boat in, be very cautious about your cruising speed. Just because a boat can go fast doesn’t mean it should. In perfect conditions (summer, no recent run off), you will see high speed boats everywhere on both rivers. But talk to the tow and salvage operators, and you will learn that those boats don’t always fare well, even in those seemingly ideal conditions. Potential hazards are still there, and can rise up to bite. During the off and shoulder seasons, the hazards are much more prevalent, and caution is the word of every boating day. Don’t assume you can or should go at your fastest cruising speed. I cover a fair amount of water on both the Columbia and the Willamette rivers, and as a rule, I have little desire to go faster than 15 knots, and often prefer going much slower.
For what all that is worth.
Gini
