I am very impressed with the R-23 and am thinking about ordering one. I live in Galveston Texas and my wife and I enjoy cruising the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway but we also like heading offshore 40 - 50 miles to fish periodically. Occasionally afternoon winds can stir up 3 - 5 foot seas on the return trip. Is the R-23 designed to operate safely in those kinds of conditions? Thank you for any help you can provide.
R-23 Offshore Safety / Performance
- Thread starter BlueWave
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In 3 to 5 foot waves the R-23 will be bouncy and rock&roll. I have the R27/OB model and it has same beam dimension as the R-23 and I've had it in 2 to 4 foot waves and it bounces about. You slow down for these type of water conditions to make the ride more comfortable.
I have no issues using my R27/OB in the above water conditions and suspect the same for the R-23. Both are safe and the boats can endure a lot more than the Captain can.
You'll be just fine. 🙂
I have no issues using my R27/OB in the above water conditions and suspect the same for the R-23. Both are safe and the boats can endure a lot more than the Captain can.
You'll be just fine. 🙂
YukonRon
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We've been in 3-5 foot waves in our R25, and as Baz said it can get a bit bouncy but feels quite safe. We have only been on coastal inland passages, so the waves tend to be closer, steeper and breaking with whitecaps. Not a problem head on, but in a following sea we have had some uncomfortable situations. The following waves tend to pick up the stern and sometimes try to push you sideways. It can be tricky trying to pick the right speed to minimize the effect. Just wondering if the R23 might be a bit more prone to that with its shorter length and lighter weight. When those afternoon winds pick up, are they following you onshore?
Yea.... I find following seas a real bugger and can be disorienting for the Captain.... and suspect most boats don't behave very well with this conditions. I tend to use my auto pilot on a 'heading engaged' mode and let the auto pilot deal with the wallowing boats movements. The alternative might be to set a zig-zag course to minimize the issue.
Yes, in my part of the world it would be following seas heading west back in to shore. Prevailing winds are from the south east here. an occasional rough ride is not a concern. Taking on water from an odd wave concerns me. Does Ranger Tugs have a flotation hull similar to Boston Whaler? And are the bilge pump capacities sufficient for the unexpected wave over the stern?
I greatly appreciate everyone's feedback.
I greatly appreciate everyone's feedback.
nzfisher
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Blue wave
The short answer is no. No flotation, bilge will not pull out a wave over the transom. If you take a big wave over the transom you are in trouble. Depending on how much water ends up in the cockpit it would add a lot of weight. That being said it has never happened to me and I offshore my R25sc off the coast of Oregon and have been in some nasty situations with following seas coming back into port in Newport. Make every effort to stay on The back side of a wave in these conditions- trying to “surf” in is not a good idea. Taking a course at a bias to downhill is a good suggestion in bigger seas but not possible coming into the jaws in some river entrances. Watching tidal actions and currents are essential in these conditions. Open water one can adjust course to minimize issues. Watch the weather before going out and plan around tides when returning to port from open water.
The short answer is no. No flotation, bilge will not pull out a wave over the transom. If you take a big wave over the transom you are in trouble. Depending on how much water ends up in the cockpit it would add a lot of weight. That being said it has never happened to me and I offshore my R25sc off the coast of Oregon and have been in some nasty situations with following seas coming back into port in Newport. Make every effort to stay on The back side of a wave in these conditions- trying to “surf” in is not a good idea. Taking a course at a bias to downhill is a good suggestion in bigger seas but not possible coming into the jaws in some river entrances. Watching tidal actions and currents are essential in these conditions. Open water one can adjust course to minimize issues. Watch the weather before going out and plan around tides when returning to port from open water.
Chimo
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You mention Boston Whaler. Having been a big B-W fan in the past I can only ask you not to think in the same terms. Our 23 Conquest Whaler was incredibly forgiving of bad seamanship. A true deep V she would land well going airborne at 40 knots. The flotation almost encourages bad practice. A wave over the stern can be fixed by opening the transom door though it’s scary! I am much more attentive and careful in our 25SC but I believe the boat is safe if handled properly and I’m sure the same is true for the 23. I could imagine the boat would act similar to the 23 C-Dory we had previously. More like a cork than the bulldozer approach of the 25.
I asked the question on TugNuts a while ago whether anyone knows of a Ranger being lost other than by accident or storm. There were no reports. If you get any new boat then take your time to become familiar with rough conditions progressively. In time take some trips out on those rough days when you would usually stay home. That way when you get caught in conditions you didn’t expect you will handle them with confidence based on experience.
I asked the question on TugNuts a while ago whether anyone knows of a Ranger being lost other than by accident or storm. There were no reports. If you get any new boat then take your time to become familiar with rough conditions progressively. In time take some trips out on those rough days when you would usually stay home. That way when you get caught in conditions you didn’t expect you will handle them with confidence based on experience.
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