R-21 EC How many hours on your tugs?

[Shangie]

Hello TUGNUTS! What a fantastic sight!!! We are considering a R-21 EC and notice that when the used ones come up for sale they have extremely low hours which concerns me because I wonder why anyone would buy a boat in 2009-14 and only put less than a hundred hours on it. Any feedback is appreciated. I see a lot of love for these boats and would like to hear from those of you who have put lots of hours on yours - Thanks!

 

[Newf]

Mine is a 2014 21EC (Volvo-Penta engine) and I'm almost at the 1900-hr mark. Use it pretty much exclusively for fishing so mostly low RPM hours on it except for the time running to and from the fishing spots.

 

[bob daily]

Shingle
I can't speak for other users of the R-21, but for me I put about 100 to 120 hrs a year depending on my fishing schedule, I find that due to the speed of the boat I pick fishing spots that have a short run time to get to, so most of the time on the motor is actually fishing time vice cursing. Due to other summer activities ie camping, horse back riding,hunting, farming, not to mention being a pool maintenance boy for the grandkids. I'm lucky to get in about three weeks of fishing and a few days of crabbing. Looking at other models of tugs and other boats the 21 usually has fewer hours logged in but not by much, if I could spend all summer fishing and cruising I would have a bigger boat, that said the R-21 is perfect for me to handle myself, loading and trailering so I don't have to depend on someone else's schedule.

 

[scross]

Boats and airplanes are the same in this respect - If you use them a lot you don’t sell them. If you don’t use them enough it’s hard to justify the expense and they get sold.
That said, how you use them makes a big difference on engine hours. We spend 30-40 days+nights a year cruising the PNW on our RT-25 Classic but average just 75 hours a year in the engine. If you are using it for day fishing trips you could put that much time on the engine in a month!

 

[johnniethek]

My boat, the Red Ranger, is a 2009 EC and I have about 975 hours on it.

 

[Gin]

Boats and airplanes are the same in this respect - If you use them a lot you don’t sell them.

Sheesh. I wonder if truer words have ever been spoken.

 

[greeninbetween]

My 2012 R21-EC has about 300 hours on the Yanmar, of which I put about 125 hours in the last two years. The past summer was eaten up by a major house renovation project, so the boat languished in the boatshed. We are also involved in classic cars and motorcycles, so the boating time falls victim to these activities. Short trips to local waterfront restaurants and leisurely creek cruising comprised last years tug-boating...……...hopefully 2019 will see some over-nighters to Tangier Island and other Chesapeake destinations. Low hours do not equate to lack of interest, so much as lack of time attributable to too many interests!!

 

[Pilotnavigator]

My 2015 has has around 350 hours. We pit 100 hours on it each summer.

 

[hames57]

825 hours on my 1997 Classic. Mostly cruising hours since I've owned it. I don't think it was used much for fishing in the years prior to my getting it. Probably most of the total hours are cruising. Four summer trips with about 10 hours of engine run each will be the normal for my ownership.

 

[Catch22]

Just to change the story line a bit......a friend of mine had a 1999 John Deere f1145 with a 28 HP Yanmar( don't know the model)......he logged near 4000 hours commercial mowing.....he wore out the tractor and mower deck ...engine was still strong and he sold it for another application.
He always maintained his equipment well....we know that is the key...especially in marine application.
My 21EC Yanmar is virgin by comparison......it should serve my classic tug as long as I do my part.......

 

[Newf]

As noted above, I'm nearing 1900hrs on mine. A year or so ago I spoke to a couple of marine mechanics and both felt that if these engines are maintained properly you should have no issues getting 4-5000 hrs before you would be looking at a major overhaul. I perform the regular scheduled Maintenance and I've had a couple of engine issues. (one related to the heat exchanger and also had to replace the engine mounts). I am certainly hoping I can at least more than double my hours from where I am now. If I was buying a boat, getting one with low engine hours would be one of my least worries especially if I felt that it had not been neglected.

 

[TugScout]

I think a lot of the R-21 EC's that come up with low hours are from folks that made a purchase and quickly decided to upgrade to a 25 or 27. We love our little 2016 "Scout" and purchased her last august with 12 hours on her. We now have almost 70 hours and she has performed flawlessly. We're very happy for now, but once mama retires in a few years we too will be on the upgrade path to a 27 or 29. Maybe sooner if the "right" deal should rear its ugly head.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Shangie]

Thank you all so much of the enlightening information. Now it appears the only other mystery I am pursuing an answer to is where do people put a porta potty for night use so that they don't have to wake a sleeping partner up?-Do not know if the cabin is large enough to place one by the door- so much to consider when downsizing- Will ask you Tugnuts all about the potty issue in another post. Hope to be a bonafide Tugnut within the next two weeks if sea trial and survey come out fine! 😀

 

[hames57]

WE set up the porta potti out in our full cockpit enclosure area for use day and night. We have a "pull around" curtain for privacy when in use that is attached to the cockpit canopy.

 

[Shangie]

Thank you Hames57. How did you attach a sliding curtain to a canopy? Do you have pictures you could send via email? Thanks- I knew someone would have an answer.

 

[cstpt]

Last season was the first for our 2017 21EC. We put 80 hours on her in four months, doing nothing more than harbour tours and spending a lot of time at anchor for the afternoon not far from home base. Given the speed of the boat, trying to travel any distance would put some hours on the meter!

 

[Fisho]

I purchased my 2012 21EC 8 months ago with 172 hours. The couple who had it developed health issues and had not used it much for several years. Since I purchased I have done over 100 hours. I expect to do about 150+ hours a year. We are in Australia so can use every day of the year. I also have a boatshed, boat ramp and jetty etc so access to water is easy. Agree, engine maintenance is the key. 4000+ hours should be doable but I doubt I will do more than 1500 hours.

 

[GA-Midnight Cruise]

2003 R-21 Classic 3GM30F bought it with 325 hours 5 years ago. Now has 1,790.
2005 R-21 Classic 3YM30 230 hours bought it in Nov of 2018.
1998 R-21 Classic 350 hours. (2 cyl, 2GM) I loved this little engine. Sounded so good on the low end and ran like the wind WOT.
1993 R-21 Classic 3GM30F 320 hours.

Don't be scared of these low hour gems. Run them wide open. Rotate your fuel. Run clean oil,filters and just make sure your injectors are spraying efficiently. I've seen a 3GM with 10,000 hours on it. Make it your goal to put as many hours on that boat before you become an angel.

GA-Midnight Cruise

 

[REO6205]

We bought our 2014 with 170 hours on it two and a half years ago. We use it for both work and play and now have almost 1200 hours total time. No problems with the boat itself.
We got the free new engine that Volvo/Penta mandated last year, had a faulty MDI replaced under warranty this year, and other than normal routine maintenance it's been a trouble free boat.
I change my oil at 100 hours because the engine spends a lot of time at idle. New fuel filters every 200 hours. I had an oil analysis done on the new engine at 100 hours and again at 300 hours and everything looked good. I pulled the exhaust off for the first time last week and there was very little carbon
I showed the oil report to a good marine mechanic I know and his statement was..."just keep doing what you're doing and that engine will run forever".