Engine hatch and the R25's cabin door issue

[baz]

Is there any easy way to modify the engine hatch and/or the cabin door to allow the engine hatch to be opened while the cabin door is latched open. It really bugs me me that the cabin door HAS to be closed so that the engine hatch can be opened up.

I've not spent much time evaluating this issue and how to resolve it, and wonder if any other R25 owner has found a 'good' solution -- without having to upgrade to the R25 SC or R27... :lol:

 

[Levitation]

We just live with it...
Close door
Open hatch
Open door

 

[wefings]

The best fix is an R 29 .Then you dont even have to lift it by hand !
Marc

 

[baz]

Hey -- joking aside.... let's have some serious suggestions for remedying this very poor design decision made by Ranger Tugs. 😉

 

[doke01]

The best solution I've been able to devise is to modify the engine hatch. Someday I will do it. Probably the day I decide to sell it, if ever. Upgrade or live with it is probably the best advice at this point. If you do figure out something better, let me know.

 

[baz]

The best solution I've been able to devise is to modify the engine hatch. Someday I will do it. Probably the day I decide to sell it, if ever. Upgrade or live with it is probably the best advice at this point. If you do figure out something better, let me know.

I'm thinking a simple change from two single hinges to two double hinges for the hatch might do the trick. Pull up hatch and the double hinge would allow for some rearward displacement off the hatch lid as its opened and enough to clear the open cabin door. If I can locate such a hinge I will post back.

 

[baz]

Here's what I'm thinking as an example...

 

[commander bill]

The R29, R27 and newer R25s do not have this very agrivating problem. I think it is one of the early complaints for which Ranger decided to change to design. I have seen no real fix for this so far but I know all of us with earlier R25s would like to see one.

 

[hal4cal]

Any problem can be fixed if your willing to throw enough money at it. I'm sure that a person skilled at working with fiberglass could fabricate a custom engine cover and opening that would allow the cover to clear the open door. I agree with the writer who suggested this is one you should probably learn to live with. Ranger has eliminated the problem on all of the current Ranger boats and should be applauded for responding to customer input.

I owned a 25 before I bought my 27 and although I found the door clearance situation an inconvenience, I bought the boat anyway and enjoyed it immensely. Calling it a, "a very poor design decision by Ranger Tugs" seems a little unfair and only adds to the increasingly negative tone of this forum.

 

[bbrh842]

I agree with hal4cal. It is a minor irritation on an otherwise great boat.

 

[Stella Maris]

I have to agree with Hal. This forum has taken on quite a negative tone as of lately. While the boats are not perfect, I would challenge anyone out there to find one from another manufacturer that is.

The thing to remember is, while the boats are not perfect, the factory responds and makes the correction in future products. Everything from the electric lifts on the R-29 engine hatch to defrosters on the windshield. Does anyone really think that Sea Ray would listen to their owners and make these changes?

I know of one dealer that has stopped referring prospective buyers to this site due to the negativity. They actually had one customer say he would not have bought his boat if he had gone here first.......

With that all being said, this is a great forum to discuss issues and ideas. Let's just mix it up a bit with some great cruising stories and ideas as well as great design changes that people have made to there boats such as Yolo's cockpit seating.

 

[SlackwaterJack]

I'm still trying to get a handle on the problem...
On my S-2 (30') I had to remove the salon table, remove stairs, remove the engine cover and drag it to where the table was. Then, to exit the cabin while engine was uncovered required stepping on the exhaust elbow and a handhold on the cabin door frame and hoisting yourself into the cockpit.
On my Albin 25 I had to remove 2/3 of the cockpit floor to make clearance, then remove a section of bulkhead, lift the engine box back (like the R-21's). Access was good but now very difficult to reach controls etc in the cockpit.
As for various boats with outboards...don't ask how I know engine covers float and most tools don't.

Shut door-open hatch-open door(if needed) then-shut door-close hatch doesn't seem to be a big deal...but I have been known to miss the nuances of things... (such as why my college-bound daughter needs a macbook and not a $400 laptop PC :? ).

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand how a tiny thing like this may become a minor irritation to some owners, so... maybe someone could provide pictures illustrating the interference problem (for us non-25er's)...it might help us find a simple solution.

Secret message to anyone wanting to buy a Ranger Tug of any size...get one! They're probably the best factory support people you'll EVER run across, and that's why they're so successful selling boats to probably the smartest and most discerning boaters, in a market that has other builders making excuses for everything from low quality to low sales figures.

 

[doke01]

Is this forum really that negative? I don't see it. Maybe on a couple of threads, but that is it, and that is usually from newbies to the site and/or people who don't know/own the boat and expect it to be like all of the others they have owned. The engine hatch question is a fair one to ask. This forum makes the Ranger's more valuable, not less. It is boat manufacturers that hide their problems and keep their owners away from each other that is the problem. If the dealer mentioned really stopped referring prospective buyers to this site then they are being foolish and/or are not explaining the benefits properly to potential customers of having a site like this.

I have an R25. It is hull number 7 and many improvements have been made to this model over the years. I can say, without a doubt, that it is the best boat I have ever owned, even without those improvements. I put the boat in the water last week and everything just worked. After I cleaned, polished, and waxed it, it still looks new! I was just commenting to my wife the other day what a difference this boat was to our prior boat (at just 3 years old). That old, new boat was already falling apart.

Of course you have to take care of any boat. Just like you have to take care of your house, car, health, etc. If you are not going to buy a Ranger because you don't like how a hatch opens or because you might have to maintain the engine then boating is not for you. You are ignoring the big picture related to design, quality, customer service and community that Ranger has and, frankly, I think it would be better, in that case, if you bought another manufacturer's boat that didn't care about those things.

Here is are a few pictures from last week:

 

[baz]

Hey guys... Gill and I love our R25. The question about the engine hatch and cabin door combo is IMO a fair question to raise about what must be seen as a poor design no matter how you may view things. An unfortunate oversight to be sure during initial design.

I've even suggested a fix for this with the double hinge -- which of course has yet to be proven. This is not -ive but surely helpful.

I agree with most here... Ranger Tugs is a great company with marvelous after sales service, advice, friendliness, etc and for me best of all, is that they are local to me as well as well as having many other Tugnuts in the area.

I'm simply asking for advice and sorry if my words "very poor design' struck the wrong chord with you.

Take care.... Barry

 

[JerryE]

If this is as negative as things get on a forum; e.g. asking for ideas to modify engine hatch entry–I think its pretty lame. So the engine hatch 'really bugs' Baz. That's negative? :evil: I don't think so...

I suspect there are moments of frustration and complaint for many of us, but then we can all 'backdoor' contact Andrew for that via his email, or even his cell phone. His success in dealing with the inevitable complaints that arise from owning a complex and expensive product is reflected in the 100% positive tone of this forum. I've never read a real complaint about the factory or the boat that was aired on this forum. That's remarkable, and I looked hard for those complaints before I dared buy a boat.

I read every entry on this forum, took me quite a while, up until 11/10 before I bought the boat. I found nothing but reasonable issues and questions and many solutions (often funny or tongue-in-cheek). I've wondered if denny-o is really as irascible as he seems in some of his posts? Remember his post when he discovered his R25 was OBSOLETE; whoa, he didn't sound like a happy camper. Yet, we dealt with it, and there were 18 responses to his point which I bet many R25 owners were also thinking when the sc model came out. There ain't no thought control with denny-o, or captd or many others on this forum–which makes it genuine and I'd like to meet these interesting guys at a Rendezvous sometime.

Remember that this is, I believe, the only boat owners forum sponsored by the boat manufacturer. That denotes tons of confidence by the manufacturer in their product. Its fair to debate all manner of stuff here where we can even 'ask the factory' for direct comment, and that should not be perceived as negativity. Open criticism of the boat, factory or other forum users would be negativity, and we would see that show up here if there was a boat owner truly aggrieved by almost anything associated with a Ranger. I still read every post and have never ever seen anything approaching this definition of negativity on this forum. Let's not sweat the little stuff when the big stuff is doing so well.

PS. I'm removing my glass door and replacing it with a bamboo curtain to gain decent access to the engine, finally!