Only Boating— May 2025 Photo Contest

[Christian Sommer]

May is in bloom,

Spring is officially here, so to celebrate we are having a forum-wide photo contest! Our theme this month is “Only Boating.” There are so many fantastic experiences that can only happen on a boat — the kinds of moments that make boating special and unforgettable. What's something you've seen on a boat that other experiences don't offer? It’s a whole other world on the water, full of beauty, adventure, and discovery. What have you seen or done while exploring it? Submit your favorite photo of something you saw, did, or experienced that only happens while boating!

To enter the contest, reply to this post with your photo, boat model, and a description about what's going on to accompany it. One photo/entry per user. The Photo Contest will be open until 8:00 AM PST on 5/27/2025. After all the submissions have been collected, factory personnel will vote on the winner.

One winner for each brand will be selected (Ranger Tugs, Cutwater, or Solara) and will win a pair of branded jackets and get their winning photo proudly displayed on he Tugnuts homepage and Fluid Motion social media accounts!

Please Note:
This thread is for contest submissions only; replies which do not submit a picture for the contest will be moderated and promptly deleted. Once voting has started, you are not allowed to edit your entry.

 

[sagechick]

May in San Diego Bay waterfront run! Sea Horse Cutwater 288 loves to dance on the water!

 

[glider4]

One of the many things I wasn’t expecting when we started cruising in the San Juan Islands (2012) is how far our adventures would take us. Or how many friends we would make along the way. This photo is of us beginning to help a solo sailboater who had somehow wedged a log between his keel and rudder in remote Von Donop Inlet. We used a long dock line tied to the log which literally pulled his sailboat sideways as he worked to free the log. Took some doing but it eventually worked. Just one boater helping out another - which it turns out to be a common happening in boating. (Even during the middle of Covid….)
2009 Ranger Tug 25 Classic
Cortes Island, BC 9/10/2021

 

[Sam Bisset]

I'm not entering this as part of the competition but I wanted to share this photo from the dock at Telegraph Harbour on Thetis Island, BC last year on our first official night of the Desolation Sound cruise.

The photo itself is nothing special but I remember the moment and it's definitely an "only boating" thing. It had been a long, hot Canadian Gulf Islands, day. We swam, walked to the little store with fresh produce and pies, took a dinghy cruise through the cut, Kenny and Tim grilled about 100 chicken thighs trying keep the grill from turning into a raging inferno. We had a fantastic dinner and a fun captains briefing. We even had 240 Gordy do a full performance on the dock deck as Gulf Islands Elvis (don't miss it if you haven't experienced it yet).

After such a long, hot, and fun day, everyone gradually made their way down to the boats and started preparing for our early-am departure. After spending about :30 minutes with my head down packing the boat and getting ready for bed, I looked out and saw a big, beautiful full moon. I walked down the dock to find someone with a command bridge to take a photo from. The dock had a low hum of activity as everyone was winding down and enjoying the cooler air and beautiful sights and smells.

For me, that sunset dock experience is something that only happens in boating and I love it. Writing this makes me very excited for summer!

 

[Brian Dickhaut]

I'm not in it for the prize (I'm exempt) but I'd like to chime in with a couple photos. The first is an egg yolk jellyfish that I spotted off the dock in Sidney BC, at our Gulf Islands Rendezvous last year. Just one of many fascinating things you see while out boating. The last two photos are from our appetizer competition, all of which were prepared by our community in their galleys. It was fun to see how much care and detail everyone put into their appetizers, and how much they enjoyed bringing something to share, good times for all.

 

[TRyanC248]

May is in bloom,

Spring is officially here, so to celebrate we are having a forum-wide photo contest! Our theme this month is “Only Boating.” There are so many fantastic experiences that can only happen on a boat — the kinds of moments that make boating special and unforgettable. What's something you've seen on a boat that other experiences don't offer? It’s a whole other world on the water, full of beauty, adventure, and discovery. What have you seen or done while exploring it? Submit your favorite photo of something you saw, did, or experienced that only happens while boating!

To enter the contest, reply to this post with your photo, boat model, and a description about what's going on to accompany it. One photo/entry per user. The Photo Contest will be open until 8:00 AM PST on 5/26/2025. After all the submissions have been collected, factory personnel will vote on the winner.

One winner for each brand will be selected (Ranger Tugs, Cutwater, or Solara) and will win a pair of branded jackets and get their winning photo proudly displayed on he Tugnuts homepage and Fluid Motion social media accounts!

Please Note:
This thread is for contest submissions only; replies which do not submit a picture for the contest will be moderated and promptly deleted. Once voting has started, you are not allowed to edit your entry.

 

[TRyanC248]

Joyful in New England! Our new C248 with lights on at night. Sometimes it OK to just sit at the dock🙂

 

[venajeff]

As we entered into the Berkeley Marina the "Harbor Master" landed on our bow rail and inspected the vessel.



ROSY, 2022 Ranger Tug R27
Berkeley, California, April 21, 2025

 

[William Sanborn]

In my over 50 years of boating as a kid with a canoe, owing a Capri 14 Sail Boat 3 years, a Catalina 22
Sail Boat 18 years, a Kalik 30 Sail Boat for 27 years we have had a life time of Memories on the Water with family and friends, Cruising and Mostly Racing.
In 2021 "We Saw the Light" and went to the other side with our 2011 Ranger Tug 27. We do enjoy the Boat and in 3 1/2 years have put on over 300 hours. Except when the wheels fall off the wagon, Like broken motor mounts, Forward thruster Motor failure, steering pump leaks, mircowave door wont open, or any number other small ache to be addressed.
My photo is of one that I needed professional help to find. The Engine would crank, but not fire. ( I had spent my whole working life exploding Diesel fuel to make things go) New Fuel filters filled no help, and after lots of testing found a burned out relay and holder for the fuel transfer pump, fuse tested OK.
So my Story is that while we have had so many fun and great boating adventures, but some times as they say "Cruising is Breaking Down in Exotic Places", and if your lucky it is a your home Marina.

 

[Rocky Lou]

When it came time to decide what I wanted to do for my Birthday, I said let's cruise to Angel Island for a hike, then head across Raccoon Straights for lunch at https://samscafe.com/ in Tiburon. As can be expected on a weekend day, Sam's was packed with a 2 hour wait for a table, but, no problemo, they served lunch for all of us on the Cutwater c302C...then, a leisurely troll for a few Halibut on the way back to the Harbor...birthday wish granted! And, for the record, the Captain only had half of that beer in hand and the Admiral finished it on a bumpy part of the bay throwing some in the air, much to the delighted laughter of her two daughters (sorry, I'm prohibited from posting that pic.).

 

[bob daily]

Slowly chasing the pot of gold on a R-21

 

[Hamster]

I don’t think it is probable to catch a halibut without a boat. The R-23 is a great fishing and cruising boat.

 

[Todd Tugnut]

I liked Bob’s photo so much that I put in one of my own. Chasing the pot of gold in an R21!

 

[Ourgoknot]

Opening day with Mukilteo Yacht Club, Port of Everett

 

[deezknotz]

May is in bloom,

Spring is officially here, so to celebrate we are having a forum-wide photo contest! Our theme this month is “Only Boating.” There are so many fantastic experiences that can only happen on a boat — the kinds of moments that make boating special and unforgettable. What's something you've seen on a boat that other experiences don't offer? It’s a whole other world on the water, full of beauty, adventure, and discovery. What have you seen or done while exploring it? Submit your favorite photo of something you saw, did, or experienced that only happens while boating!

To enter the contest, reply to this post with your photo, boat model, and a description about what's going on to accompany it. One photo/entry per user. The Photo Contest will be open until 8:00 AM PST on 5/26/2025. After all the submissions have been collected, factory personnel will vote on the winner.

One winner for each brand will be selected (Ranger Tugs, Cutwater, or Solara) and will win a pair of branded jackets and get their winning photo proudly displayed on he Tugnuts homepage and Fluid Motion social media accounts!

Please Note:
This thread is for contest submissions only; replies which do not submit a picture for the contest will be moderated and promptly deleted. Once voting has started, you are not allowed to edit your entry.

 

[RichBirk]

May is in bloom,

Spring is officially here, so to celebrate we are having a forum-wide photo contest! Our theme this month is “Only Boating.” There are so many fantastic experiences that can only happen on a boat — the kinds of moments that make boating special and unforgettable. What's something you've seen on a boat that other experiences don't offer? It’s a whole other world on the water, full of beauty, adventure, and discovery. What have you seen or done while exploring it? Submit your favorite photo of something you saw, did, or experienced that only happens while boating!

To enter the contest, reply to this post with your photo, boat model, and a description about what's going on to accompany it. One photo/entry per user. The Photo Contest will be open until 8:00 AM PST on 5/27/2025. After all the submissions have been collected, factory personnel will vote on the winner.

One winner for each brand will be selected (Ranger Tugs, Cutwater, or Solara) and will win a pair of branded jackets and get their winning photo proudly displayed on he Tugnuts homepage and Fluid Motion social media accounts!

Please Note:
This thread is for contest submissions only; replies which do not submit a picture for the contest will be moderated and promptly deleted. Once voting has started, you are not allowed to edit your entry

Cruising back from a great trip up north in our 2019 R29CB, we were greeted by this humpback repeatedly breaching in Puget Sound. With Tacoma/Commencement Bay and Mt. Rainier in the background, it embodies Pacific Northwest boating. This was a very difficult subject to choose for. So many wonderful choices of encounters and scenery to select from. Our command bridge gives me the perfect platform for photography! RICH and NANCY BIRKEMEIER - AVELLANA

 

[DDean]

We spent two nights in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour right up against Stanley Park. WIN!
2024 R27 Skipperjon ❤️

 

[Mike and Sarah]

May is in bloom,

Spring is officially here, so to celebrate we are having a forum-wide photo contest! Our theme this month is “Only Boating.” There are so many fantastic experiences that can only happen on a boat — the kinds of moments that make boating special and unforgettable. What's something you've seen on a boat that other experiences don't offer? It’s a whole other world on the water, full of beauty, adventure, and discovery. What have you seen or done while exploring it? Submit your favorite photo of something you saw, did, or experienced that only happens while boating!

To enter the contest, reply to this post with your photo, boat model, and a description about what's going on to accompany it. One photo/entry per user. The Photo Contest will be open until 8:00 AM PST on 5/27/2025. After all the submissions have been collected, factory personnel will vote on the winner.

One winner for each brand will be selected (Ranger Tugs, Cutwater, or Solara) and will win a pair of branded jackets and get their winning photo proudly displayed on he Tugnuts homepage and Fluid Motion social media accounts!

Please Note:
This thread is for contest submissions only; replies which do not submit a picture for the contest will be moderated and promptly deleted. Once voting has started, you are not allowed to edit your entry.

2026 Solara S 310 SB
Only into week #3 with our new boat and our first trip takes us to Port Neville, along Johnstone Strait where we found this old government dock with the helpful warning sign for low tide access. Indeed it was too steep for another visiting boater trying to take his elderly dogs for a walk until the tide would rise again later.

 

[MrPeet]

Canalside, Buffalo, New York.
Ranger Tug R-31CB

The city breathes differently from the water. This late evening in Buffalo, NY, aboard our Ranger Tug, wasn't just about a beautiful view; it was about feeling the gentle lap of the water against the hull, seeing the familiar transformed into something extraordinary by the interplay of light and shadow, and the quiet hum of the city as a distant lullaby. It’s these immersive, sensory experiences – the kind that ground you in the moment and offer a completely fresh perspective – that are truly unique to the boating life.

 

[JySmith]

Photo contest Tugnuts

A spur of the moment urge found us enjoying an afternoon pleasant cruise. Being on the water made the cares of the day melt away, but we could not have predicted the light show that would develop before us. Boating is sometimes a get away, but some times a slow down and enjoy. This was a slow down. From a nondescript sky, outrageous colors permeated both sky and water as the mirror quality of the St John’s River reflections completed the scene brushed by our wake. This was a slow bloom that could only be seen and fully enjoyed on a boat.

Janet Smith

2023 Ranger Tug 27 LE, outboard

Vessel name MOXIE

904.705.6856