NEW OWNER SAYING HI!

[Bevan Hill]

I'm in Mandurah on the west coast of Australia and have recently bought an R21ec in Seattle. It is actually mine but I have yet to see it in the f(for fibreglass)lesh as it is in the process of being shipped. In fact it has just departed Manzanillo, Panama to come across the Pacific in one of those big red Wilhelmsen "Boxes". It is a 2009 model and will be ideal for us. We live on the Pt. Mandurah canals and we are very excited, anticipating accessing the local waterways. I believe mine will be the 5th to come to live in Western Australia.

 

[sportner]

Congratulations, you are sure to get a lot of attention and positive comments on your new boat.

 

[SlackwaterJack]

I looked up Pt. Mandurah canals on Google images ... looks wonderful, a perfect place for an R-21ec.

 

[Texas_Steve]

Know you will be as happy with your new tug as we have been. They are sturdy, dependable, economical boats. Welcome to the family! You have more Ranger Tugs in Western Australia than we have in the entire state of Texas!

 

[Old Master]

Well, you fooled me. As soon as read that you are Aussie, and your boat was purchased in Seattle, I thought for certain you were going to write, "I'm sailing if from Seattle to Australia." And I would have probably believed you (for awhile,) having met Aussie sailors during my Navy career.

Old Master

 

[walldog]

Know you will be as happy with your new tug as we have been. They are sturdy, dependable, economical boats. Welcome to the family! You have more Ranger Tugs in Western Australia than we have in the entire state of Texas!

Hi Steve, the Texas Tugs are growing. I just spoke with a new 27 owner (Dale in McKinney) that lives near you. I think he takes delivery in June. Then there is Leonard a 25 here in Port Isabel, lives in Long Island Village where Jim B. lives. I believe there is still a R21 over on Canyon Lake. Our 21 just left Texas and is now in San Mateo, CA. So maybe we can catch those Aussies one day. While Willie's Tug was for sale, I had one very interested inquiry from Australia. They ARE getting popular down (up) (over) there.

 

[Texas_Steve]

Had the great pleasure to meet Dale and Karen last Saturday. Charming couple and they plan to use our lake as their first testing area, so it will be great to have other Tugnutters close by! Want to make a trip down your way sometime this summer as well.

Texas Steve

 

[RProffer]

Do they call ya'll 'Texas Rangers"??? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Texas_Steve]

What else?

 

[Bevan Hill]

Well, you fooled me. As soon as read that you are Aussie, and your boat was purchased in Seattle, I thought for certain you were going to write, "I'm sailing if from Seattle to Australia." And I would have probably believed you (for awhile,) having met Aussie sailors during my Navy career.

Old Master

You are not the first to have half seriously put the proposition to me. However I'll content myself with coastal and esturine adventures. I did hear recently that a R21 that is based on our West Australian south coast at Albany, is used by an experienced sea dog who had been taking it out to the CONTINENTAL SHELF (!!!!!!!) in the daunting southern ocean. Recently he misjudged weather and belatedly headed for home as things turned bad. I'm told that it was so rough he broke a windscreen wiper and after an intial period of high alarm he settled down to a rough ride home with growing confidence in his vessel as the time accumulated. Very reassuring.

 

[Here Be]

Hi Bevan, We live on the far north coast of NSW, a little town out from Murwillumbah called Tyalgum. We took delivery of our 21ec about 18 months ago and what a delight it has been. We mainly put her in on the Tweed River but we also quite often take her about 5 to 7 miles off shore to do a bit of reef fishing. We have come home in a nasty 2m swell and never felt threatened !! She just bobs over the swell like a duck on a mill pond.
We are thinking about up sizing to a second hand Ranger 25 or 27 and obviously purchasing in the US to take advantage of our strong dollar at the moment but I am a bit reticent as I have never embarked on importing anything this big. My experience is limited to ebay purchases.
There are a number of second hand boats on this site but I was wondering if you used a broker and how was it packed in the container ie on a cradle or on a trailer and is GST payable on import ?

Garry & Rosemary

 

[B Hill]

I've replied to Garry and Rosemary but I've had to re-register under B. Hill as I've had all sorts of problems trying to log in under my original Bevan Hill. For any other Aussies considering importing second hand Rangers from the U.S. there are pros and cons. I'm happy to go into more detail more directly with anyone. I've certainly learned a lot about all the elements of such a project. With the Aussie dollar being where it is it is a very attractive proposition. The biggest issue is that Road restrictions in Australia limit trailers and their loads to 8'2 1/2", (2.5M). Therefore I found that the R21 EC I bought was fine, provided the trailer I had customised remained inside that figure overall. Someone might confirm for me what vehicle width is allowed in the U.S. I gather it is higher as I see pictures of R25s being road trailed.
Bevan

 

[RProffer]

The World of Ranger Tugs shows a dealer in Australia, in New South Wales. Is it really that much cheaper to buy it yourself and import it to Australia yourself, than to go through a local dealer?

 

[B Hill]

Yes there is the importer in N.S.W. and reps in other places. In reply to the question of the better choice I don't think there is one answer. If one wants to pay the premium for a new boat with full back up support and a boat and trailer that have been made compliant to all the elements pertaining to getting on the water here then a new boat is the way to go. On the other hand if a near new, second hand one, still appeals AND one is prepared to tackle all the intracacies of finding a shipping agent, and handling inspection, purchase, boat prep, customs and quarantine along with Australian shore power and licensing issues then there will be a real saving (while the Aussie dollar stays up). Personally I have enjoyed the project, but I accept that not many would give a moments thought to all of that and only see it as time consuming hassle. In tracking the various dealers and boats on offer in the U.S, and their distance from appropriate shipping points, has meant I have learnt quite a bit of U.S. geography that hadn't been clear to me before. That has been very interesting.

 

[RProffer]

Thanks for the info. I have been learning a bit about Australia also. I have been checking out the locations of new members in Google Maps. I had been under the impression Australia had a few populous centers such as Sidney and was otherwise pretty much barren. It appears to be quite different. My one trip of two days to Sidney back in 1970 did not leave me much time to explore your beautiful country. I had a good time in those two days though.

 

[B Hill]

Clearly Rick, it is high time you made a proper visit to Oz. There is much to see as Oprah's audience discovered. But if you do, you have to make it all the way west. If you do that, then you need to look us up and have a taste of tugging in West Australian waters. My boat is now only a week away from Fremantle so I'll be wetting the bottom soon.
Bevan

 

[RProffer]

Australia is on the top of the list of places I want to explore when I hit the Lotto. I loved the people, the steaks, the curry, the leather shops, the night life, and it happened to be the Queens birthday, so there were celebrations. I saw so much in the two days I was there. I would love to see more.