New Ranger R-23

Maybe Dave Turner will do one of his great video tours of the RT-23.
 
FYI:
We are very excited to announce that the R-23 will be at the New England Boat Show, February 13 - 21, 2016.
Many thanks to Fluid Motion for making this happen!
Peter and the Crew
Winter Island Yacht Yard
 
Has anyone taken delivery of the new R-23. Would really like to hear some feedback.

Thanks,

Jim Schu
 
There is something just plain wrong about an outboard hanging off the back of a boat labeled "TUG." The OB ruins the lines, in my opinion. An I/O would be criminal. Just my opinion. I like the tugs and the C-Dory because of their "salty" lines.
 
I love the R-21EC hull and have always wanted to have an enlarged version of this hull. Perhaps a 42? Have the engineers determine the correct horse powers to be offered and a selection of interior options. I prefer an open area without too much clutter. My 2008 21EC is a wonderful little boat and I would have a hard time parting with her unless I could have the identical hull form, just enlarged.
 
harry ames":qh4z0ai8 said:
There is something just plain wrong about an outboard hanging off the back of a boat labeled "TUG." The OB ruins the lines, in my opinion. An I/O would be criminal. Just my opinion. I like the tugs and the C-Dory because of their "salty" lines.
Click to expand...

I agree with the principle but there is a counterpoint with the endless posts about the inboards and issues with same. The advantage of the outboard is Honda and Yamaha have made millions of them. All of the problems, except the most extreme percentage manufacturing failures, have been solved.
 
I for one am not a big fan of I.O. drives in general. On the outboard thing; I think some people find the whole inboard engine hard to work on, more complicated in general, and more expensive to maintain. C-Dory isn't really tapping into the market segment as they don't do much in the way of marketing. Their boats have not changed much and the R.T. 23 and the Cutwater 24 will allow them to take advantage of C-Dory's weak position by offering a more upscale boat with a company that's known to provide great customer service. I think the benefits of the outboard powered boat far out weigh the change in looks. Time will tell.
 
Good points Dave. I also think the ride on the 23 will be better than the C-Dory. The outboard definitely has advantages, especially being able to lift the prop and get into shallower water without fear of dinging the prop. Also clearing a fouled prop will be a great advantage. My only criticism is that they have packed quite a bit in the 23. I am not sure if the entire head situation could have been toned down and given more space in the v-berth. A hand shower off the swim platform and a porta-potty under a cushion would work for me. At some point you just have to accept that a small boat is a small boat. I wonder how many people will actually use that shower. I see the 23 as more of a day boat or a few nights on board. Maybe one week at the most. Then again, you adapt. I have friends with large boats who think we are crazy to be on ours as long as we do. Oh well, a hat for every head. No pun intended.
 
The R23 interior is basically the tug version of the Cutwater 24. I haven't had the chance to tour the R23 yet, but my wife and I loved the interior of the Cutwater 24. Alas, as our daughter is still in college, we have a couple of years until we buy our boat. The R23 with the outboard is at the top of our list. Besides the extra storage room, an outboard would be easier to service/get serviced. The outboard also lends itself for an easy re-power when the time comes. Of course, if at the time, I could find a late model Cutwater 26 at an insanely low price, that (even with the more expensive diesel maintenance) jumps to the top of the list! 😀

Jim
 
I have to agree with Dave and have spoken to Mike about the 23. I currently have a 27 and have decided to down-size to the 23. I had visions of doing what some of you have been fortunate to do and that is, long waterways trips and exploration. Life have once again gotten in the way and retirement pushed way out. The 27 has become a weekend and day tripper down to the local sand bar or beach and back again. This requires me to also drag the skiff along. With the 23 I can just run it up to the beach, lifting the motor.

My dealer in Salem MA had sea trials on some of his boats and the 23 was one of them. It had the Volvo diesel so the cockpit configuration was different from the outboard. It was blowing and there was a 1 ½ foot chop. I usually cruise at 10 to 15 mph and it banged through the water very much like my 27 and was not affected by the wind. It also felt fine at 23 to 25 mph. She has a very tight turning radius and I enjoyed doing some figure eights, not something one does with a single screw.

I have to go along with the fact that the designers seemed obligated to cram everything into this boat that are in the larger ones. The head area is one of the big offenders of wasted space. I am taking out the marine head and installing a porta potty. It will also become a closet for hanging things and a pantry for the galley. As I did with the 27, the black tank will be converted to fresh to give 33 total. The shelves above the sink are very nice but with nothing to prevent items from toppling off in anything but calm seas, some sort of gate will have to be installed. And now the shower! The 27 was like bathing in a phone booth where this one is like bathing at the foot of your bed. No, aint gonna happen. There will be no v birth showers. I also did not see a hot water heater (burrrr) in the specs and I'm ok with that. Tested my solar shower and in two hours warm water. Ive cockpit showed may times, no problem.

I am happy with the way it handles and have stated some complaints. She is a 2/3 version of a 29 and I like her lines and what they did at the helm, galley and dining area. Yes the out board breaks up those lines, whatever. That’s why I'm getting one. Oh, it can also go up to 40 mph if you have the need for speed!


As Mike said, it's a small boat, accept it and use it as such. I am sure I will enjoy the fun and security that all Rangers have to offer in this 23 foot vessel.

John DeCaro
 
Agree with everything John DeCaro stated. With the outboard, the 23 is a great day and weekender boat. I understand Ranger wanted to keep it "in the family" with all the cruising equipment but wish they had a day boat version without all of that stuff but add in (removable) cockpit seating as in the Jeanneau Merry Fisher line. That way it can be a great weekender with good social spaces and used for cruising and fishing.

Jake
 
Can anyone give me some docking tips. Thanks.
 
Here a useful link on docking.

http://www.boatingmag.com/how-to/single ... cking-tips

If you want to have more discussion you may want to consider creating a new topic for dicking tips as this topic is focused on the R23 which has different docking attributes than the R25 if the R23 is configured with an outboard. Docking with an outboard is very different than docking with an inboard like the R25.
 
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