New to Tugs

[Larryo]

New to the forum and tugs.

Looks like a great group. Thx for allowing me.

I'm thinking of a tug type boat, could be anything, that will give me short range cruising (perhaps up to 500 miles at times, mostly ICW, anchorages and marinas. Just cruising fun. Need a dink for exploring, or at least a kayak. And want a flybridge.
Perhaps 30 to 32 feet.

What would I be looking at?

And do most of these have the ability to get up on plane and go, if needed?

Thx Much!

 

[Bruce Moore]

Bumping post delayed in moderation queue.

 

[DMD3]

R31CB good place as any to start! Enjoy… [emoji846]

 

[Mike and Sarah]

Welcome to Tugnuts. Lots of great info here.

We started with a R27 outboard and within a year we moved up to R31CB.
The 31 will slow cruise at 7-8 knots and sip fuel but it has good get up and go too. Our max speed is about 20 knots. Most of our fast cruising is at about 15 knots. Slow cruise 5-8 mpg and fast cruise 1.6-1.9 mpg. So you could easily get 500 mile range at slow hull speed but fast cruise gives about 250 miles with a reserve. Fuel capacity is 180 gallons of diesel.

The Cutwater 32 is also an option but with the twin 300 outboards you will not have the range you are looking for.


We love our R31CB. We have the stock dingy tilted up on the swim platform.

 

[RJM1953]

Hello Larryo,
I did a lot of research and running around when I decided to downsize from a larger trawler to a tug. You basically have several choices; Nordic Tug, American Tug, and of course Ranger Tug. All of them are great boats with regard to quality of construction, fit and finish, etc. After much deliberation, I ordered a new Ranger R31 CB from Winter Island Yacht Yard in Salem MA (a fantastic dealer by the way). My decision was based on the fact that I really did not want to go larger than 32'. I also wanted a vessel that I could single hand myself and Ranger offered a third steering station in the cockpit which I ordered. The Ranger also had a plethora of standard equipment features that I wanted such as bow and stern thrusters, Garmin electronics that are duplicated at the upper station and are FACTORY installed, underwater lights, TVs in both the salon and master stateroom, etc. I opted for their dingy and Weaver quick release system as well. As others on this thread have stated, the boat is very economical at displacement speeds but is quite willing to kick up to 16+ knots on demand with its semi-displacement hull making it faster than the Nordics and American tugs. I really love my Ranger and am very pleased with my decision!