Other brands to check out?

S

serpa4

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2020
Messages
286
Fluid Motion Model
R-23 (Sterndrive)
Hull Identification Number
FMLC3051D818
Vessel Name
DayLo
MMSI Number
368173760
I've been shopping for a "boat". Temporary live-aboard such as a Ranger 31 or CW30. Both are 10' and have good slow speed and the CW (preferred choice) decent cruise speeds. However, they both lack the ability to go over about 250 miles at 15kts. I then looked at the CW 302 with a 300 gallon tank! And the boat test said 1.34 mpg!!! However after a bunch of reading, this is complete BS and almost everyone gets about 0.9 mpg at various speeds and trim. This makes it no better than a CW30.
I'm still very open to other bands of boat to consider that are trailerable, have a nice bed room, bath, gen, ac, etc. Almost exactly like the CW and Ranger boats, but may have more range on a single tank. I'd really like to be at about 300 miles after accounting for a 20% reserve.
Any suggesstions on what to look at? I've found some nice Beneteau boats, but they tend to be 11+ feet beam and thus not trailering. I don't' prefer gas or diesel, inboard or outboard. I'm not turning up much.
I ask here because I assume that most people have researched competition before buying a CW or Ranger.
 
The Aspen C100 30’ hull and 10’ beam with the optional 120 gallon long range fuel tank. I wasn’t that impressed by the fit & finish of a used one I looked at at Roche Harbor last year though.

Like this one;
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2014/a ... 0-3596240/
 
In any boat you pay a big price in range to get speed.

Or pay a price in speed to get range.

I think you will find this line of boats can give you one or the other but not all you are hoping to find.

I also don't think you will find another choice that can do that, either.

Especially on a trailer.

You mention Beneteau, so it seems you like that modern styling. If so, you can check these too. They can't give you what you are looking for either, but you can take a look.

https://www.jeanneauamerica.com/en/boat ... 1-nc-1095/

https://nimbus.se/boats/305-coupe/

Before its over you are going to have to ask yourself which are you willing to give up? Trailer? Range? Speed?

Cut your speed requirement in half and its easy. Cut your range requirement in half and its easy. Eliminate the trailer and more boat choices open up.
 
FWTMD":3p4qn5cz said:
In any boat you pay a big price in range to get speed.

Or pay a price in speed to get range.

I think you will find this line of boats can give you one or the other but not all you are hoping to find.

I also don't think you will find another choice that can do that, either.

Especially on a trailer.

You mention Beneteau, so it seems you like that modern styling. If so, you can check these too. They can't give you what you are looking for either, but you can take a look.

https://www.jeanneauamerica.com/en/boat ... 1-nc-1095/

https://nimbus.se/boats/305-coupe/

Before its over you are going to have to ask yourself which are you willing to give up? Trailer? Range? Speed?

Cut your speed requirement in half and its easy. Cut your range requirement in half and its easy. Eliminate the trailer and more boat choices open up.
Click to expand...

I don't really have a prefered style. My favorite is the Ranger 31, but it has the smallest range of all at 15-20kts. I'm definately not looking for speed such as a C302 at 45-50kts!!! Dang that is fast. I'd be very happy with a WOT of 30 mph/27kts. I'll check out the links, thank you.
 
Just for clarity, Boating mag. tested the c302 at 43.2 knots (49.7 mph), not 45-50 knots. Once over the hump maximum speed and range were at WOT but you wouldn't want to run there all day.
 
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12880&p=87058&hilit=r29+fuel#p87058

Baz posted those speed and fuel stats when his R29 was brand new, clean bottom, and still lightly loaded. He is an experienced tug owner so I'll take it as a given he had it trimmed optimally.

At 15 knots it burned 1.6 kmph. With a 145 gal fuel tank that's a range of 232 nautical miles, or 266 statute miles. The R29 still has speed room overhead so you should be fine to run at that speed all day. But that leaves you no reserve. Its almost what you want, but really not quite. Add in a reserve, load up the boat with gear, and get even a little bit of junk on the bottom and you won't make your goal.

I'd guess that's as good as you will find.

The current version of the R29 is closer to the speedboat end of the spectrum under water. More so than the R31. If speed is critical to you, that can matter.
 
Check out the new Nordhavn N41. It’s a true blue water trawler, at the size of the Ranger 41. The N41 is an amazing vessel loaded with high end equipment and many redundant features. Brand new cost is just over $720,000 delivered to the U.S. east coast.
 
As noted, there are many options and the main trade-off will be between livability (larger is better), speed (smaller may be faster, depending on hull design), and economy (smaller engines and hull speed are much more economical).

For livability, I would add more traditional trawlers to the list, such a s Nordic Tugs. They will not go 15kts, however (at least not for long and not enjoyably).

As for 250 miles at 15kts ... could you say why that is the goal? That would be roughly a 17hr trip! I can see reasons to go 250 miles without fuel in remote locations, but would personally break that into multiple days at a slower speed.

FWIW, my C30 carries 180 gallons IIRC and gets 1.4-1.6 nm/ga at 15-16 kts. So that would meet your requirement on paper (252-288 nm). Maybe carry another 10ga for emergency slow-speed top off fuel. I still would not recommend such a long journey or so close to fuel exhaustion!
 
Its hard to compare a Ranger to a Nordhavn. The Rangers are a semi-displacement hull that leans more to the planing side of things, and built to trailer. Nordhavn's are of course built for blue water distance passage making, and generally full displacement.

This 41 seems to straddle between blue water and coastal cruiser. With more lean to semi-displacement.

No one can argue about Nordhavn's build quality. But there are others out there that also have top build quality for one third less money. Look at the Helmsman Trawlers 37, 38, and 43. Or the North Pacific line. Both of which are built to be distance coastal cruisers capable of handling rough ocean water, but not to cross oceans.

For both the Nordhavn and Helmsman you need to factor in the addition of electronics, generators, AC and other customizations. For the Nordhavn, with that hull shape you would very likely want a stablizer, and the last time I saw a price on that it was about $40k. The Helmsman's don't really need them.

All 3 lines are beautiful boats. But at a very different price point. And very different intended purpose.

Helmsman does make a 31. They bought the molds from Camano when they ended production of the Troll. Lots of used Trolls around. Helmsman made huge improvements to it. That's a great small cruiser hull that is very efficient up to about 15 knots. You don't want to add more engine to go above that because the hull becomes unstable at around 15.
 
I picked the R31CB because I wanted the biggest trawler I could trailer, ac, creature comforts, etc.... Also, another one of my requirements was a flybridge.

Fortunately, I got everything I wanted. I did have to buy a new truck, though.

Bobby is happy with his choice!
 
You really have to be careful about doing your homework on alternatives. There is a lot of marketing-based deception involved on some brands.

I don't like to slam someone's boat, but the Beneteau Swift Trawlers are one I'll mention because it seems most guilty. Its a brand I love to hate.

That hull has virtually no relation to a "trawler". It is pretty much a speedboat hull with a modernized trawler cabin top. See one in a yard, and to my eye they look very top heavy.

They pack engine into it, with small-ish tanks, and advertise speed. But put a close eye on the review YouTubes that show it underway on the water in something other than dead flat water. At speed it seems to be very unstable. In the smallest of chop it slams and slaps pretty hard. The motion seems pretty brutal in rough water. It has a collapsible transom that would give me the willies in a following sea. At best, its a week-ender where you stay close to home and pick perfect weather. Its a snazzy thing to take to the nearby sandbar, maybe stay the night and maybe head home.

Owners complain about the hard chines in the bow. At anchor or in the marina you can't get a decent sleep because of the sound of water slapping under those chines.

That's not what folks usually mean when using the word "trawler".
 
If you like the C30 for a temporary live aboard. Take a look at the 32 Back Cove. Unfortunately it is not trailerable. It is almost 12 'beam and weighs 7000 lbs more than the 30 Cutwater. The performance numbers are very close to the C30 both with a 435 Volvo. The performance specs of the Back Cove are WOT 27.4 kts and at 15.3 kts the fuel economy is better than my C26 @ 9.6 gph 1.82mpg this gives the 32 BC a little over 300 mile range with a 10% reserve. I have been on board a few of these boats and the quality seems to be there. The difference in performance is Cutwater inboard is not a true planing hull as is the Back Cove. Which is probably why better fuel economy and speed. If I were to search a larger cruising boat the Back Cove would be on my list. I doubt I will ever go bigger. (There is a better chance I would go smaller Grady or Whaler most likely)
 
"As for 250 miles at 15kts ... could you say why that is the goal? That would be roughly a 17hr trip! I can see reasons to go 250 miles without fuel in remote locations, but would personally break that into multiple days at a slower speed."

I agree, I'm not into the 17hr trips otherwise I'd just stick to my Lagoon 400. However, I am down sizing and want large...trailerable. 10' is the max I'd do.

But as for the range, some places in the Bahamas are pretty far between fuel stops. So, I can boat and stop at different spots/holes for the night (or day or two) that have no marinas and then continue on the next day. Hence the range is important to me. I don't' ever foresee a 17hr trip without stopping, but it may be 200+ miles between fill ups.
Also, I'd like to alleviate most night travels so speed is important. At 15kts "almost all" of my trips would be a single day hop, not over night. Hence speed is important.

I'm highly leaning towards a 2016+ CW 30. Seems to be the best choice....even if my wife really likes the Ranger 31 interior.
 
If you give up trailerability, the American Tug 365 / 395 gives you a range of about 800 nm at 8 knots and about 360 nm at 15 knots with a 10% reserve. The extra 3'3" in beam allows for much larger tanks.
 
hulla":3f2prxnj said:
If you give up trailerability, the American Tug 365 / 395 gives you a range of about 800 nm at 8 knots and about 360 nm at 15 knots with a 10% reserve. The extra 3'3" in beam allows for much larger tanks.
Click to expand...
Thanks, googe-ing now to see.
 
To the original poster: I had an R-31S for a few years. You note that it has a small range at 15-20 mph - depending on how much weight you have in the boat, and the condition of the bottom, you are looking at WOT (wide open throttle). The boat shouldn’t be run that way, and it is definitely the least fuel efficient speed range. My R31 got a great range if I ran it at hull speed (about 7.5 knots).

If you desire to run those speeds, a Cutwater would be more suitable. It has a different hull configuration and will give you those speeds, although I can’t speak to the mpg....

You may want to pick your two highest priority features and see if you can find a boat that fit. Best of luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top