New Tug Owner-any suggestions?

[SEEKER]

We are expecting delivery of our new Ranger 25 in about a month and I have a very general question to ask tug owners....Would you have done anything different if you were to buy a new tug and if so what and why? I'm interested in a little foresight, what can I do, ask or possibly add to my boat that I wish I had done if I had the chance...which is now...clear as mud?

Thanks for any responses.

 

[Levitation]

Well, spelunking through the photos will give you ideas of the changes made - probably too late for the factory to incorporate any, now...
I would have changed the house bank to 4 golf cart batteries - 2 in each side locker and upgraded the charger to the 1240i...
I would have had them leave out the ice chest inside the cockpit cabinet and enlarge the floor hatch in preparation for the day when the stern thruster motor has to be pulled... The open cabinet is perfect for storing hoses, electrical cord, fenders, etc...
I would have ordered all LED lighting - except spotlight of course...
I would have ordered a solar panel charger...
I would have ordered a Garmin MFD, either a 6xxx series with the HD radar or the 540S with the HD radar...
I would have discussed an articulated rudder as the current rudder is useless for docking...
And a coupled autopilot...
I would have ordered a back up, hand held GPS - the MFD is gonna crap out someday...
And memory foam over the factory mattress in the Vee berth...
And a storage bin under the removable section of the vee berth...
And a pair of PICO armchairs for the cockpit...
And a swing down, flat screen TV...
I would not have ordered the diesel generator... An EU2000i does the job nicely and you save seven thousand bucks and save a lot of weight...
I would have ordered 4 Taylor Made, Tuff End, 15" boat buoys in white.. Yes, they are too big to store so I leave them hang over the side when on the water - who cares what the hoi polloi think?
I would have ordered a steel Load-Master trailer...
And angle bracing for the sports rack...
And the over head hatches to face forward, not sideways...
And a roll up bug screen for the doorway...
And sliding windows for the three that don't open...
And velcro mount curtains for the glass that lacks curtains...
And roll out storage bins under the dinette (cave) in place of the mattress...
And a non lowering dinette table that does not crowd the rear dinette seat...
And a rug that fits the companion way floor - sand on your shoes will dull the teak floor in a hurry.....
And cockpit carpets...
And a latch to hold the step up so you can check the engine oil...
And an AIRHEAD toilet...
And the black water tank would now become a 30 gallon fuel tank - or 30 gallon fresh water tank - your option...

Lessee, that's about it... Other than those couple of details the boat is perfect...

 

[Levitation]

Oh yeah <forehead smack> and a camper back...

 

[abcandjrc]

I don't know how the teak is finished on the R25, but on any boat I were to purchase new I would get 4 coats of a good varnish on all interior teak before I even took the boat out for seatrials. I know that impatience will usually override that, but like the old saw about marriage, "repent in liesure". Except what has to be done in the "liesure" is even harder than if the job had been done in the first place. Four coats on interior teak is essentially a "life of the boat" thing, and well worth doing while everything is bright and clean, without water stains and such.

The exterior teak is a personal preference, but I prefer no finish on it if the boat is in salt water where the teak will take on the natural silver-gray color. In fresh water, I'd think about it. Maintaining exterior teak in varnish, or even in the newer, softer finishes, is one of those chores that takes time, and if it gets away from you and starts to break down, is a real chore. Varnish, in particular, looks gorgeous, but takes inordinate amounts of either time or money, and those in "spades" if in southern latitudes as we are.

I speak with a great deal of experience on this, but it is a preference that varies with the person (and the number of times he has had to deal with it :? ). Last weekend I spent 4 hours just stripping the varnish on the small trim frame around the window on the back door of our R21. It had broken down to several bare places before we bought the boat. Today the 4th coat goes on it. I would have left it bare, too, but since those have glue joints I think they will probably hold up better if they have some sort of protective finish. I spent most of the winter disassembling the interior and putting 4 coats on all the teak. It looks great, but was much more work than if done "brand new".

 

[doke01]

For me it would be solar panels, forward facing hatches in the cabin, sports rack, 110v outlet in the v-berth, at the table, and in the cave, installed microwave, electric toilet, stainless pad eyes on the swim platform, radar antenna to go with our Raymarine, led lights, 12 volt outlets under the stereo and in the v-berth, 400W inverter in the v-berth, trailer, 12 volt fans in the cabin, defrosters, auto pilot, fold up TV with DVD, stereo speakers in the cockpit, dingy davits, shades for the skylight ports...

That's all I can think of right now. The newer 25 Tugs have some of these things, and more, already but in 2007 most weren't even an option.

 

[John Shea Jr.]

We really like our 201- R25 except, I wolud have liked to have the option of a propane stove top. It is a limiter if you want to spend a night on a mooring or in an anchorage. it might be my fall-winter 2011-12 project.

 

[Levitation]

My testing proved the EU2000i runs the electric stove just fine... And will for a limited time will run both the airconditioner and the stove...
What is probably more needed is a bulk head heater for cold weather... Best would be a diesel fuel fired heater, though propane would also work... I have spent time pondering the installation of a heater... After reading all the wailing over a Webasto I am a bit gun shy, though it does have it's proponents...

 

[Bruce Moore]

We really like our 201- R25 except, I wolud have liked to have the option of a propane stove top. It is a limiter if you want to spend a night on a mooring or in an anchorage.

Consider a counter-top butane burner. The Iwatani is 10,000 BTU, single-burner, and compact (14" x 11" x 4-1/4" ) and less than $40 at most restaurant supply stores, or online. There are other makes and models.

 

[Stella Karuna]

I would add:
1. Xantrex Link light amp-hour meter
2. Magma Catalina BBQ

cheers Bill

 

[John Shea Jr.]

Hi Bruce,
I use a butane unit now. Lucky for me I did not give it away with our sailboat. I would like a more permanent system. Then the Butane unit would be retired...again. thanks.

 

[doke01]

We have the Wallus diesel stove/heater. I definitely would recommend it! It heats the boats fantastically well on those 20+ degree days and works great as a stove top. I figured out one time you could heat the boat for an entire week on the small diesel tank it comes with (uses 3-6.5 oz.diesel/hr. I've found it is on the lower end). It just needs 12v and some diesel. We've run it 24 hours straight without running down the batteries. It's better then propane because there is no risk of explosion and in a pinch you could use fuel from your main tanks. I believe it can also run on kerosene.

 

[SEEKER]

That's great info. I'm going with the pannels and asking to install a link meter. Anyone running an outboard? If so I'd be interested in how you set up your bracket and if u use a dingy mounted on the swim deck.

 

[Nellie Too]

We, on the Nellie Too, use a strap system which works very and is inexpensive. You can view our system in our photo album. I think we spent about $75.00 for the whole thing and it has been used in 45kt winds with no problem.
Bob