Family boat with kids or only for retirement!??

[rocklobster]

Hello,

Our family is in the market for a boat. We used to have a 33 Sea Ray sundancer that was destroyed in hurricane Sandy. I said I would never own another inboard. I could barely fit (6'2") in the bilge to work on the two V8s, Genny, etc. It was very painful, frustrating and sometimes impossible. I think they put the engines and everything inside the boat before they put the top on!

That aside, I'd be willing to go inboard on a single diesel. My wife and I also really like the accommodations, ability to trailer and space in the back etc. We are really impressed by the boat. We were considering a 27.

My question is this. I heard the average age for a Ranger Tug owner is in their 60's. Does anyone have Ranger Tug's with young families (with young kids) or are they more used in retirement?

Thank you.

 

[rwatts1205]

We ordered a 2018 R27. And myself, my wife and 3 kids (9,7,7) can't wait till spring!

 

[ixlr8]

Hello,

That aside, I'd be willing to go inboard on a single diesel. My wife and I also really like the accommodations, ability to trailer and space in the back etc. We are really impressed by the boat. We were considering a 27.

Thank you.

If you go for the new 2018 RT27, then you get an outboard instead of an inboard diesel. The outboard is much easier to work on and you get more storage area in the boat. Although it looses some of the Tug look.

 

[jkurlanski]

Hello,

Our family is in the market for a boat. We used to have a 33 Sea Ray sundancer that was destroyed in hurricane Sandy. I said I would never own another inboard. I could barely fit (6'2") in the bilge to work on the two V8s, Genny, etc. It was very painful, frustrating and sometimes impossible. I think they put the engines and everything inside the boat before they put the top on!

That aside, I'd be willing to go inboard on a single diesel. My wife and I also really like the accommodations, ability to trailer and space in the back etc. We are really impressed by the boat. We were considering a 27.

My question is this. I heard the average age for a Ranger Tug owner is in their 60's. Does anyone have Ranger Tug's with young families (with young kids) or are they more used in retirement?

Thank you.

Here! Family of 3. And friends, nephews, cousins, etc.
I discovered the 21' is a perfect boat for small kids. They can stand at the railing and look down at the water with worries about them falling in.

Sent from my BBB100-3 using Tapatalk

 

[knotflying]

It is all about you and what you find comfortable. I have seen a family of five on an R-27. My saying is cocktails for six, dinner for four and sleeping for two, but that's me. Remember, it isn't only the people, it is what they bring and the supplies.

 

[aculverwell]

Family of 4 (including 2 teenage sons) + 2 dogs

Originally owned a 2011 R27 and were able to squeeze everyone onto the boat, but found it a bit cramped. The mid-ship berth was too small for both kids, so one kid had to sleep on the dining table.

Moved up to a 2016 R31CB this year and are much more comfortable. Both kids can sleep together in the mid-ship berth (albeit somewhat grudgingly) and there is simply more space for everyone. We did a 2 week trip this summer to Desolation Sound and everyone returned home still speaking with each other... so it works.

 

[Seaquel]

Years ago we enjoyed cruising with our five kids on a Bayliner 38 (named "Take Five"), so have a lot of experience boating with kids. That was 20 years ago, and we purchased our 2013 R27 as our "retirement" boat and we could not be more pleased with our choice. While we have brought some of the kids (and now grandkids) along, I believe you will feel pinched for space on the R27 with kids.

Another consideration that has not been mentioned is having a readily-deployable dinghy. For this reason, I would strongly advise staying away from the new outboard models (R23, R27 OB) as my experience with years of cruising with kids is getting out on the dinghy for exploring coves or gain access to the beach (either rowing, or with a small outboard) is one of the favorite activities for kids. With the new outboard models vs. inboard diesel, you will severely limit easy access to a dinghy, and anyone who says you can stow an inflatable in the cockpit stowage space and blow it up when needed has not done it very often.

Another consideration is size of your crew. By this, I don't mean how many, but rather how tall or large. The V-birth on our R27 is adequate for a couple, and we have even squeezed three kids in there. But to do that, the 1st Mate and I take the dinette made into a bed. This works for us because we are small (I'm 5'6" and 1st Mate is 5'0"). But tall, or large folks will not want to make a habit of making the dinette a regular-use bed. The most common reason folks move up from the R25/R27 (8.6" beam) to the R29/R31 (10' beam) is greater sleeping accommodations.

As was appropriately mentioned on a previous post, for everyday use, consider the R27 "cocktails" (or day use) for 6; dinner for 4; and sleeping for 2".

 

[scross]

Vicki and had a great 8 day trip this summer with her son, daughter in law and two young grandkids. Swapped back and forth between them camping at state parks with Vicki and I sleeping on our R25 to all the young ones sleeping on the boat and Vicki and I in a hotel room near the marinas we stopped at.
In the PNW there are lots of state parks with docks and/or mooring buoys with amazing camping sites and lots of marinas with hotels nearby.

 

[baz]

The RT boats are designed for all ages IMO; people (one or two) who are retired and for families with children. I've seen both onboard the RT boats over past 9 yrs. I will admit, more RT owners are above 50 I would say, but this could be that when I've come across other RT boats during the time of year that kids are back at school.

If you're 6'-2" and want to engage in DIY engine maintenance the inboard diesel will be a challenge IMO. It would be best to find a technician to do the work. If you have back or muscle issues getting up close and dealing with getting at engine parts in difficult to access areas will be bad for you.

You may want to consider the newer RT boat models such as the R-23 and 2018 R-27 both of which have excellent/reliable Yamaha outboards.

You may also find RT will not build you a new R-27 (Classic with inboard Volvo Penta diesel) or you maybe get lucky and find a new R-27 (Classic) at a dealership, or maybe a really nice used R-27 (classic). Many people eventual upgrade from a small RT to a larger RT so purchasing a used RT is a smart way to go if you feel you may want something larger later on, especially if you have kids onboard frequently.

Good luck. 🙂

 

[pschnack]

We are a family of 5. When we started with the R-25 (now a R-27 -fire, blah blah) in 2012, the kids were 10, 10 and 12. We frequent Catalina often, and had one or sometimes 2 friends with us, and yes it is cozy, but everyone always has a good time. We manage to take more toys than most larger boats with SUPs, Kayaks, dingy, tubes, masks, snorkels, etc. As the kids have got bigger we are limiting on one friend. We are in the V-berth, one on the dinning table (twins used to fit together), one in the cave and two on the back deck (one often in a hammock as that is their choice). We are not "big or tall" so that helps 🙂.

We love the boat. We graduated to a dinghy that we do have to tow (11' with a 25hp) but it has opened up a whole new world of exploring and fun.

I strongly recommend going and taking a look someplace. Headroom is not a problem. V-berth just check 🙂. You do have to be a little organized and all like the same movie at night, and the 5th or sixth person playing a game at the table, can be a challenge but that is half the fun. :lol: I can still manage to feed everyone, including teen age boys, and clean up without too much crazy.

Also you join a good group of people here, and the boat is always a conversation starter.

Just still a happy owner and love what we do as a family where we have to all be together. We do more games and and family together stuff on the boat. Hopefully that helps and does not sound too much like a walking Ranger ad.

-Peter

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

I don't think there is a wrong answer. If any particular boat works for you and your situation then go for it. We are in our 60's and boat as a couple or with our grandson. If the R27 had been around when Lisa and i started boating 30 years ago we would have bought one and used with our 3 sons.

Jim F