cleaning up the '05 R-21

[SlackwaterJack]

Hi,
I'm starting the cleanup of my new (to me) R-21 and I have a few questions;

1--Are the portholes for the V-berth solid bronze or plated? mine need a major polishing but will I go through the plating ? are replacement screens available?
2--Any product recommendations to restore the colored gelcoat? the sides are real nice but the "visor" is a bit faded.
3--Has anyone shortened the mast? (by about 2 feet). If so, how? lessons learned? able to retain the "boom"? It seems to me that the easiest way would be to just remove the "topper" and about 4-6'' of the mast below it. That would retain all the original rig geometry. I would need to fabricate a new "cap". I'd like to retain the mast, but there is 1 bridge that I need to go under that varies from 10 to 16 ft of clearance, depending on River level. It does lift but there is never anyone to raise it unless you make arraingments a couple weeks ahead of time.

As an off-season project...
Has anyone thought about or actually relocated the batteries and/or fuel tank into the rear storage seat? Is there room under the floor to run new longer fuel lines and longer (heavier guage) battery cables? I'd really like to be able to check the packing gland, bilge, and pump without a tool kit and all the hassle.


All comments appreciated.

 

[tuggertoy]

We just purchased a 2006 R-21 in august. The former owner of our tug did move the batteries into the rear compartment. It also gives great access to the stuffing box when the batteries are moved. Maybe he will see this post and chime in. If you would like - we could PM you some pictures of what was done.

My husband started his working career in the autobody industry - so he has a great knowledge of paint, compound and wax. We also found a great book by Natalie Sears on Boat Detailing. She has a boat detailing business on the west coast. The book lists many products by name that she uses to bring back oxidized gel-coat depending on the level of oxidation. We had great success buffing the visor and the red/green panels. I was more than happy to let my husband do that job, I could do a lot of damage with an electric buffer! If you PM us, we can give you the names of the products we used.

I believe the portholes are bronze and mine needed a good cleaning too. I removed the nuts on half the porthole at a time and used polishing compound and electric drill. I finished the job with Wenol (red) by hand. I finish with a coat of wax that helps keep them shiny between polishings. To keep all these harsh chemicals off the gelcoat - I got a piece of heavy clear vinyl from the Jo-Ann Fabric shop and cut out the circle for the porthole. The vinyl piece is large so the spatter hits the vinyl and is easily cleaned off. Just don't do what we did and drop a bronze nut in the grass and spend a half hour looking for it! As for the screens - they are a pain to clean and I just took mine out for now - to cold to need screens! I'm still working on polishing them.

I can't help you with the mast - our tug's mast was removed and a permanent bimini was installed by the former owner.

They are great little boats and we just Love ours!

 

[ron cowan]

As was stated, I moved the batteries in the 2006 and it was the best change I could have made to the tug. With them relocated there is plenty of room to get to the stuffing box and bilge pump. I used the panel the charger is mounted on to to make a junction point for the new cables and the existing cables. Due to the longer run of cables I went up a size on the positive cables. it did require a hole saw to have holes for the cables but that was no problem. The battery tray was relocated to the back. If this does not make sense, a couple of pictures from Tuggertoy should make it clear. This was an easy and inexpensive fix to an area you need to be able to get to.
My first thought was to move the fuel tank as they had done on the EC but that turned out to be a bear and very expensive. I was unable to find a tank that would go through the rear opening The EC is quite different there and the tank would never work. Thought about saddle tanks but again cost said no.
Go for the battery move and you will not be sorry.
Ron

 

[SlackwaterJack]

Thanx for the input...I think I'll do it ASAP. I'm not all that crazy about the charger and batteries being located around the fuel tank OR the engine in an enclosed space due to the possibility of a build up of gases from the charging batteries. The gases emitted by charging batteries are very explosive. The improved access to the bilge is also essential. Your description is clear but I hope Tuggertoy sends me some pics.(worth a thousand words, etcl...)

Now, if I can just decide the best way to get 2 feet off the mast. I haven't looked at it real close yet but it looks like the Mast top is a friction fit(I hope it's not epoxied in place!)

 

[SlackwaterJack]

Ok ...Now that the piece of junk "KING" trailer is roadworthy again (don't ALL trailers need total rebuilds after a whole 4 years? :x ), repaired or replaced low quality/poorly designed/rusted brackets, rusted hardware, corroded wiring, even the safety cables were heavily rusted! I am left to wonder...If this was their "salt water trailer" just how crappy were(are?) their regular trailers? I hope Ranger has had the good sense to change providers.

The Boat is excellent tho'...just needs a couple of "me" things done. One is removing the mast topper to reduce her bridge clearance......Do ANY TugNuters out there know how to remove the "topper" from the old style masts? I'd really like to remove it without damaging it or the mast. I don't want to just start twisting, hammering, or sawing until I find out if someone has "been there/done that" and can shorten my learning curve.

Also, does anyone have a wiring diagram for the pre-EC boats?

 

[j&lgray]

About the gelcoat maintenance, the Laurie Ann has had great success with "FSR" that is sold at boat stores. FSR is a gel that your brush on, let it sit and simply rinse off. It takes off all the oxidation and restores the gelcoat finish. It is also good for host of other stains on boat, cars and RV's. FSR is short for fiberglass stain remover. Then we use a quality wax.

About the King Trailer. We have had a completely different experience with our King Trailer. We have had it for two years and has a bunk system. We launch and retrieve at least once a month and completely submerge the trailer's axles and bunks in saltwater to float the tug on and off. After every single use the trailer is completely hosed off with fresh water. In fact, we probably put more gallons of water on the trailer than the boat's hull!

Our King Trailer has been very reliable and problem-free. It still looks great. We are going to replace the winch strap because the sun's rays has degraded it. This is our third boat trailer (different brands) over f13 years and two other boats. We know that the wiring will degrade in a couple of years of use in saltwater and we are ready for it. We also know that the bearings and disc brake pads will need a complete replacement every two years. The LED lights are much better than the older technology and are maintenance free, so far.

We also have another story about King Trailers. When our truck and trailer jackknifed on black ice near Cheyenne Wyoming, that resulted in a severely bent trailer frame, bent coupler and broke the brake lines, the service that we got from King Trailers was amazing. The coupler assembly could not be found anywhere in the western US, King Trailer overnight shipped a unit from their stock. When we returned home, King Trailer was willing to rebuild the entire trailer and bring it back up to their standards. They say that they do not service their products, they only manufacture them and have dealers to do the service. But they chose to make an exemption and their work, pricing and quickness to finish the work was excellent. We love King Trailers and would gladly use them again.

 

[SlackwaterJack]

Glad to hear that your experience was better than mine (I hope it's because they're learning from mistakes of 4 years ago) But, you understand my frustration at needing to snap and replace 11 severly rusted nuts in order to get the trailer roadable, then needing to straighten and re-install the lower bow roller supports, then run "jumper wires all over the place to get the lights working. The main structural members were all looking good but every nut, bolt, bracket and cable were seized with corrosion.
If the boat sitting on the trailer wasn't so gosh darn gorgeous, I wouldn't have made the effort **....I must have a serious case of Ranger Fever 🙂

** I'll admit that the big chunk of cash back from the seller helped too