Interesting Ranger Tugish Boat

[cruz-in]

in my search for a Ranger Tug, I stumbled upon a Nimble Nomad.

While a very diffferrent boat (light weight, not designed for too rough of water, etc.) the Nimble Nomad is an interesting boat. It is the boat that the late yacht designer Ted Brewer chose for his retirement boat.

Decent looks, very trailerable (fully rigged wieght of about 6K),moderately spacious nice accomadations (boat is 24'6" long and a full 8'6" wide), quiet smooth outboard powered, airy cabin with front and rear doors, and interresting dual cockpit design.. Like the R21, it won't plane. Full throttle speed with the 50 HP is about about 10 knots. Here is a link to picts of one for sale on Craigslist:

https://orlando.craigslist.org/boa/5847225543.html

Figured you all might find it interesting also...

 

[R Baker]

This a really neat boat. Very compact. A great canal / river boat but will bang going thru any chop.

 

[cruz-in]

This a really neat boat. Very compact. A great canal / river boat but will bang going thru any chop.

Concur....was not trying to equate the rough water capabilities to ranger tugs...

Interrestingly enough, some have done the great loop in them. A lot are used in/around the Florida keys, Quite a few on the Chesapeake Bay also. There used to be a marina in Annapolis that must have had 10 of them moored there.

 

[Just Dreamin']

Last month we trailered Just Dreamin' to the Erie Canal and used Mid Lakes Erie Canal Marine Macedon, NY as our start and end point. In the slip one down from us was a Nimble (dark green vessel) next to canal boat Dragon Fly. Had an interesting chat with owners and yes they are very unique.

 

[cruz-in]

yeah...too bad Nimble (for all practical purposes) quite making these boats. The Nomad was their most popular model. They made about 140 or so before the owner of the company passed away.

I say "for all practical purposes" because the current incarnation of the Nimble Boat Company does not appear to produce them. They apparently make boats by special order. Kinda confusing from thier website.

 

[Automaticman865]

Years ago there was a guy selling them in Massachusetts. Always remembered his name Bill Graham. I later took a ride down to Ct. and went out on a test ride on the Nomad. Definitely a slow water boat. But it was a head turner just like the Ranger Tugs. I still have one of the old brochures kicking around here someplace.

Stuart

 

[cruz-in]

Yeah they are definately slow...they cruise at about 7 knots...with a 50HP WOT is 10 to 11 knots...

Pretty much like am R-21.

 

[RMSVet]

My wife and I have owned a 2002 Nimble Wanderer trawler since June of 2014. At 30 (or 32 ft - it is described both ways) it is the largest trawler Nimble made and with an 8' 6'' beam, is legally trailerable without a permit. It was also available as a motor sailer version.

In some ways they very similar to the Ranger Tugs and in some ways very different. As near as I can tell, they built just a handful a year from about 1997 through the early 2000s. Not enough to support an active owners group, which is why I check out what's going on here on Tugnuts just about every day. This site has been very helpful to me!

Jerry Koch, the builder of the Nimble Nomad and Wanderer trawlers passed away and the company was resurrected ) to an extent) by one or more of his suppliers. They have been good about communicating with me on several occasions, but it is clear that there is not a lot going on there. They still build the Wanderer on a custom basis and as of last week told ne they have one that was a one-off special order partially completed but in limbo due the the prospective owner passing away.

These are very unique (and somewhat quirky) boats. And just like you Ranger owners describe often - attract a lot of attention from others.

 

[JamesTXSD]

We have a neighbor who used to own a Nimble Nomad. I was always fascinated by the boat as we brought our sailboat by it on our way back to our canal... it is the boat that made me consider going to a powercruiser. I finally went to meet the owner and ask him about his boat, telling him we were considering a change to some kind of powercruiser. He is the guy who first told me about C-Dory boats (this was before Ranger was making the original R25).

I still remember him saying, "If you want a boat that you can do some serious cruising with, you probably won't be happy with a Nomad - that flat bottom pounds." We became friends. Buddy boated on sailboats (he also had a sailboat). I took him out on our C-Dory... and by that time, Ranger was just starting to produce the R25. They wound up buying a Ranger 25. Leonard has plenty of experience on both of those boats, but I don't think he participates here (may be reading, though).

From my perspective, the Nomad and the Ranger are very different concepts. While they are both cabin type, trailerable boats, the similarities end there. The Nomads were a modified Sharpie hull design, very flat. Displacement hull. Outboard power (seems that most had a Honda 50).

I still really like the "art deco" styling; the front and rear cockpits. We saw a couple of these when we cruised the Erie Canal - they would be a good boat for that protected water. Not as versatile as a Ranger (IMHO).