new tugnut ?????

[Kevin White]

Hello. I am in the process of buying a 2009 Ranger Tugs R-25. I was wondering if other 2009 owners have done upgrades or added accessories. I saw a picture of a stove and sink addition where the bait tank is and also a folding seat. Where can I find an online resource to purchase upgrades? I'm also interested in seating arrangements on the cockpit deck. Are there folding bench options similar to the 27.? My family is concerned about the step up to the gunwale/walk around and overboard situations for our toddler grandson and small dogs. Has anyone added something for safety? Does the 2009 R25 come with autopilot as standard? Thank you.

 

[GZigmont]

Hi Kevin,

I don’t have an R-25 (we have anR-29), but just wanted to welcome you aboard. If you do some searches on the forum, you should be able to find some pretty cool mods for the R-25. There are photos of the mods in other forum members’ galleries.

 

[doke01]

We have a 2007 R-25. Check out my photo album (camera image to the right). I've done a ton of upgrades over the years. I'm going to be putting in a folding bench in the Spring (I updated the original seating already), I wanted to get the Raptor Deck in first. We have two smaller dogs and have never had an issue. The boat is very safe. I've had many small children on board over the years, including my son who is now 15 but was 3 when we bought the boat. Until he was 13 he had on a life vest anytime he was not in the cabin, but the setup is great and he was really able to enjoy himself. I can say my son never fell overboard intentionally. He did enjoy jumping off intentionally to swim though. One of the puppies slipped off the swim platform once when he got too excited at anchor, but we grabbed him quickly. Come to think of it, the wife slipped off once when she decided to wear fuzzy socks and climb forward to pull anchor when there was also dew on the deck. She wasn't too happy 🙂. My luck has held, but I probably just cursed myself.

We did add small fenders that we put across the step openings in the gunwale to keep the dogs from jumping off. It works great, and they are easy to swing out of the way if you want to get on/off. Other than that, normal safety equipment, including life vests for the dogs when using the dinghy to get to shore.

Depending on what you want to do I can point you to different resources.

 

[Kevin White]

Thank you for the information. You have a beautiful boat and your upgrades are amazing. I was wondering if there is a website where I can browse for upgrades or modifications. For instance, I am interested in replacing the bait tank with a stove and sink the is under a folding seat. I have seen a couple of these and it looks very specific and made for that space. I am also interested in a larger swim step and a railing that wraps around the back of the step. Thanks, Kevin

 

[Bruce Moore]

Check out the Owner Customization forum. Over 400 threads.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[Shangie]

Welcome! We are relatively new to the Ranger Tugs line and have been thrilled with our 2013 21EC thus far even though we have spent quite a bit in parts and maintenance on a well maintained boat with only 280 engine hours, understanding these expenses are normal for any well maintained boat. You may already know this but maintenance can't be stressed enough and this forum offers a wonderful opportunity to explore all the maintenance required so you can always have it done, or do it yourself if you are qualified. Boats are called a hole in the water in which one throws money for a reason but the pleasure is worth the expense of maintenance to many of us. I can't imagine navigating incredibly beautiful watery wildernesses without knowing our boat is in top mechanical shape. This help this forum provides is why we moved forward on our purchase. Best to you and enjoy!

 

[Kevin White]

Thank you Shangie and Bruce for your insight. Would someone be able to tell me what I should expect to receive for a Cummins 2.0 diesel yearly maintenance. Maybe I should be asking what I should do for yearly scheduled maintenance
Any information would be helpful. Thanks