New R-31 CB is finally here!

R

RJM1953

Active member
Joined
Oct 2, 2018
Messages
31
Fluid Motion Model
C-302 SC
Vessel Name
Jackpot II
Happy New Year everyone! So, in February 2019 I joined this site and posted about the possibility of purchasing a new R-31 CB. As so often happens, life gets in the way and I had to weather some tough times; my beloved Mom's declining health and her passing on, my handicapped daughter being the victim of domestic abuse (now getting divorced), and the Covid pandemic taking the lives of some friends. Having already having buried a son and my wife, I finally decided to go ahead with my plan and indulge myself a bit.

That being said, my new R-31 CB arrived at Winter Island Yacht Yard in Salem Massachusetts several weeks ago! She will be 'sleeping' there all winter. Once she is dealer prepped in the Spring, I will retain the service of a delivery captain who I will accompany to take her down the coast to her permanent berth behind my townhouse in Stamford CT. I ordered her in Claret Red and optioned her out with the cockpit steering station, carpet runners, dingy and motor on Weaver davits, and Garmin weather antenna. Dealer installed options will include extra canvas, two bridge deck bimini tops and an aft cockpit roll-up enclosure, rudder angle indicator as well as a trim tab indicator. Peter Haywood of Winter Island Yacht Yard and his crew have been especially exceptional to work with. I pray for the eradication of the pandemic this Spring/Summer and hope to see some of you other Tugnuts on the water..!
Richie
 
Congrats on your purchase!
Hopefully the Ranger will bring a brighter future for you.
 
Congrats on your purchase!

I grew up in Greenwich and Stamford, and learned to sail and boat on Long Island Sound. What a great place to have one of these boats!
 
Thank you FlyMeAway! Yes, I certainly agree. Lower Long Island Sound is a great place to boat. My late wife and I had some nice adventures boating in this area with our Albin trawler. I hope to have the same good times with my Ranger!
 
After a bit of delay, most of it as a result of the pandemic, I took delivery of my new R-31 CB from Winter Island Yacht Yard in Salem Massachusetts last month. The pandemic has created a supply chain problem including the acquisition of Sunbrella for my dual Bimini tops as well as from Garmin for my rudder angle indicator. Finally when all was in order, I attempted to employ the services of a delivery captain to accompany me on the journey from Salem MA to my home port in Stamford CT. To my surprise, I could not find an available captain who was not busy despite making a multitude of phone calls both in and well out of my area as well as searching the internet. Finally, Peter Haywood the owner of the Ranger Tug dealership agreed to take my tug down with me as far as Newport RI.

We left early in the morning in a heavy rain and strong gusty winds. As soon as we cleared Salem Harbor, we were in 5-6 foot seas. I looked at Peter and asked him if we should turn back. He said we would be fine and that the boat could easily handle it. Quite frankly, I didn't know if I could. We got beat up all the way down to the Cape Cod Canal. There were no other boats in sight except for an occasional fishing boat in the distance. Things calmed down when we entered the canal. When we got into the notorious Buzzards Bay, the wave pattern changed to sharper waves with more frequency and an uptick in the winds. Again, we got beat up all the way into Newport. In Newport Peter got off of the boat and headed back to Salem as planned. My girlfriend Kara and I took a slip and spent the night hoping to enjoy a good meal and get some well deserved rest.

The next morning we cleared Newport Harbor only to find a new wave pattern, this time with large building swells. My tug motored up the swells, down into the trough, and back up again, only to repeat this over and over again. We finally got to the "Race" and entered Long Island Sound. Although it was not flat water, I welcomed the 2-3 foot seas as a respite from what we encountered earlier. We ran close to the Connecticut shoreline the rest of the way down and finally reached home in Stamford CT.

So, what did I learn? I learned that without an experienced pilot aboard such as Peter Haywood I would not have elected to have left Salem MA. But I also learned that this tug performed admirably in very nasty seas without ever skipping a beat. There were no rattles, moaning or groaning from the superstructure, nor any moments when I felt unsafe. I now know what this boat can take, and that is certainly more than I am willing to take if I have a choice. I also learned that these Ranger Tugs attract attention wherever they go. At Newport that evening when it finally stopped raining, a number of people came over to admire and ask questions about my Claret Red hull Ranger Tug. Keep in mind that I was slipped very close to some enormous mega-yachts. Even at my marina, people that would normally not even say hello to me such as sailboat owners have come over to my tug to ask questions and ask to come aboard to see this unique 'pocket' yacht. As an aside, we recently here in the northeast experienced some terrible storms. Two weeks ago we had a day where it rained an incredible 9 inches in a 24 hour period. Although many of the boats in my marina took water from leaking hatches and the like, I didn't get one drop of water in my tug!

Finally, I would like to thank the crew at Fluid Motion for building such an outstanding boat. It is a quality build in every sense. Thanks to Peter Haywood, Diane, Wagner, and the crew at Winter Island Yacht Yard in Salem MA. They were a pleasure to do business with from the time I ordered my tug right up to the delivery. They are honest, reputable, and committed people in every way! I would recommend them without reservation.

I look forward to the spring and the enjoyment I know my new Ranger Tug will provide me!

Rich Manzino
R-31 CB "JACKPOT II"
 
Congrats on the new boat. I am sure you will have many wonderful experiences. You learned your first important lesson, the boat will take it better than you! Figure out what conditions you are comfortable with and let that be your guide. Get- thereitis can do you in.
 
Very happy for you Richie...also very inspiring.
Happy days ahead for you!

Keith
 
I love this post. I have a 2019 r29cb In New England
and agree! The 29+ RT are excellent. 3 foot seas are a daily thing in NE and in Maine with the afternoon sea breeze. No biggie. In fact, no one even notices on the boat. 5 feet becomes an issue. Not for the boat, but for the guests.
 
I'm glad you are enjoying my tread Sandro. Yes, the boat certainly did better than I did this past August when we hit bad weather and angry seas on the trip from Salem to Stamford CT. My girlfriend and I would really like to head up to Cape Cod, specifically to Provincetown this coming Summer, but I am a little hesitant with regard to hitting really bad weather again. In any case, I recently mentioned on the TugNuts page on Facebook that it would be nice to get a rendezvous going in New England this Summer. I know one was planned to take place in Bedford MA a few years ago when I first ordered my boat, but never happened. The Pacific NorthWest owners seem to always have something going on, perhaps East coast owners could do the same thing!
 
YOLO would be all in for a New England Rendezvous. We spend most of August "down the Cape".
 
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