Hero Red

[MooniesBBQ]

Hey there! Just registered, looks like a great site to discuss Ranger Tugs. I don't currently own a Ranger, but have done my research and I'll be looking at a new 29 cb for my wife and I to do some adventuring. I guess my first question is about the colors. I currently have a searay sitting on Lake Lanier in Atlanta, and like all boats by the end of the year its filthy. I LOVE the Hero Red color, but I'm concerned about the color long term. Is it better to get a darker color, or are hero red owners happy with the finish after a couple years of use. Looking forward to years of adventuring!

Moonie

 

[Red Raven]

We are very happy with our choice of the Hero Red color. It looks great after 3 years. However, our boat is kept in a covered slip in the summer and in the garage in the winter. I think this would be a different story if it were not kept under cover, especially in Atlanta.

Curt

 

[Brian B]

Do a search on "colors" and you will find a lot of discussion about your question.
Here is a more recent one. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8576&p=59893&hilit=colors#p59893
Personally if you go with red or blue in GA you must really love to wax the boat a few times a year or have deep pockets to have it done. I'm North of you in RI with a Blue hull, now 7 years old, and it requires a lot of work to keep it looking good.

 

[adventres]

We love our Hero Red on our RT29CB. So far no issues for the past year and half. We are moored in Elliott Bay Marina all year.

 

[Newf]

Mine is a Hero Red 2014 21EC. After 1 year the brow had faded. I trailer my boat and park it at my house. The port side, bow section of the hull is exposed to the sun. Very noticeable difference in the fading on this section compared to the rest of the hull. I'm not one to spend time and effort waxing/polishing to keep her looking new and pretty. She's pretty enough as is, so she will just have to age gracefully like me. LOL

 

[baz]

This one looks faded.... not sure of the boat's age.... but it's in a covered slip.

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0i59UlCqNQObe

 

[Just Dreamin']

Just Dreamin' is a MY 2009 R25 classic (build date 2008) which we purchased new in 2010 and she is Hero Red. Our choice came down to Hero Red or Dark Blue with the Hero Red winning out as a color for tugs. The boat stays in an open slip 6 months of the year on Lake Erie and 6 months in a heated barn. Going on her 7th year and in our opinion looks as good as the day we purchased her. Yes, the brows did fade but that will happen with any color one chooses; therefore, this past winter I removed the brows and off to local paint shop - good as new with a more durable paint. Each winter I use Buff Magic, Pro Polish and finish off with 3M Marine paste wax. Any color one selects will require a little maintenance, so go with what makes you happy. Hero Red did it for us.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

We had Hero Red on our 2012 R27 and I'd have to say it does require regular detailing once per year or more. After 5 1 /2 years it still looked great. We had the same problem with the brows as others have said and recently I heard that RT was not gelcoating the brows in colors other then white. We liked the Hero Red well enough to order the same color on our R29S.

Jim F

 

[baz]

We had Hero Red on our 2012 R27 and I'd have to say it does require regular detailing once per year or more. After 5 1 /2 years it still looked great. We had the same problem with the brows as others have said and recently I heard that RT was not gelcoating the brows in colors other then white. We liked the Hero Red well enough to order the same color on our R29S.

Jim F

Jim: I'm starting to warm up to the Hero Red myself. Can you say how much the hull needed attention for keeping it looking in pristine condition ?

Did you keep your Hero Red R-27 covered or exposed to sun/weather when not in use ?

For me, I have always used a covered slip for not only protection from the sun/weather/bird-droppings but for allowing protection when getting ready to cruise, working on the boat and just lounging in the cockpit on sunny days having lunch etc. In the Seattle PNW area we get a fair amount of fine rain for many months so having the boat sheltered is a nice thing to have.

I keep selecting the 'color chips' for showing how the R-23 looks like in its various colors and the Hero Red is now starting to appear in my short list. 😱

WE've had Midnight Blue on our R-25 and Ranger Gray on our R-21EC. The blue is certainly the traditional RT color and the gray which is a recent additional color does look nice and very conservative/smart for sure. I was starting to like the Fighting Lady Yellow but for some reason I'm now steering away from it. So now I'm left with the Laurene Green and Hero Red selection.

The Hero Red does make for a striking presence for sure and I like that the red contrasts with everything one sees around the PNW waters and scenery for being seen/found in an emergency.

The Laurene Green is sort of pastoral, yummy, attractive, different, easy on the eyeballs, less likely to show dirt and grime and should do well in holding its color against strong sunlight and weather over time.

So for me at this time.... it's Hero Red vs. Laurene Green. Both look good to me on the R-23.

Can't wait to see your Hero Red R29S racing along on our PNW Puget Sound later this year. 😱 😎

Now that I've mentioned "racing" I'm thinking the Hero Red R-23/OB model would be complimentary/appropriate to its WOT speed of close to 40 mph. 😎 :lol: 😳

BTW.... Some here have asked why White is not offered. My understanding is that the a white gel coat is the cheapest one to apply in the hull's mold.... and Ranger Tugs would, I'm sure, do a 'white hull' if a customer were to ask for it.

I like that the eye brow (sun visor) is now ALL white.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Hi Barry:

You'll do well with either Hero Red or Laurene Green. We never had the opportunity to have a covered slip but maybe we would if we stayed in one location long enough. When we were not boating and the boat was out of the water in a storage yard for any length of time we covered the boat, so I'm sure that helped. We did store the boat inside on three separate occasions for stretches up to 4 months, in the winter, which kept the boat out the elements....this probably helped with hull maintenance as well. With that said the boat still needed to be maintained on an annual basis to maintain a like new appearance and to protect the gelcoat from the sun, salt and heat.

Are you looking seriously at an R23? We look forward to seeing you this last August/September.

Jim F

 

[baz]

Jim:

Yes.... I'm seriously looking at the R-23/OB model.

The R-23/OB meets all my current requirements and keeping it in a covered slip is now more cost effective for me as my kids are chipping in $s for its monthly cost. 😀 With the grandkids always want a boat ride I need a boat with a bit more cabin space and the ability to get from point A to point B faster now that I'm back at the Port of Edmonds and facing the Puget Sound waters. Tooling around the Washington Lake at 5, 6, and 7 Kts was fine for the R-21EC, easily trailered and engine maintenance was a dream.

The R-23 outboard means the engine is fully exposed and lessens the challenges that an inboard diesel engine has. The outboard will also be enormously quieter than the inboard diesel engine.

I very much like what Ranger Tugs as done with the R-23, the new 2018 R-27 and the newish R-29S which you've ordered. I recall being impressed with the R29S a year or two back when it was first shown to the public at the Seattle Boats-Afloat in. My son, grandson and I were very impressed with it as Andrew showed all of us around it. My son and grandson were really excited with it. I'm always interested in hearing what the 'younger generation' have to say about things. Changes in boat design/materials is ongoing and the modernization RT has accomplished for these newer RT models is absolutely excellent IMO. For the R-23 and 2018 R-27 with the outboard Ranger Tugs has successfully maintained the Tug's look regardless of the outboard hanging out the back, which really is the only thing that is kind of non RT-like. When on/inside the boat it's still a 'Ranger Tug' experience with all the nice touches that they include and improve on each year... and of course there's the RT Customer Service that's second to none.

So maybe we can team up when you get your R29S here in the PNW with my R-23 right up against your stern we can show RT what a R-52 would look like. :lol: