R-27/OB Video/photos-Maiden Voyage - Mystery Bay/Marrowstone

Strangle enough the boat is now perfectly balanced when at my slip... I bet it was the re-designed V-berth forward saloon table re-work that did it. 😉

Yes I agree, RT cannot balance for all options placed on the boat. I'm happy 😀 with things as they are and even if there's a slight imbalance it's easy enough to trim out when underway.... that's what the trim tabs are for, right ? 🙂
 
Today I started to figure the best method for installing my SeaEagle 365ft FastTrack inflatable kayak which is 12.5 feet in length and some 3 feet wide.

I placed four kayak carriers on the cross bars on starboard side of solar panel and tried this position only to find the side of the kayak overlapped the solar panel by some 6 inches. It's other side was maybe 1" inside of the VHF antenna so that side was good though. Tomorrow I will adjust the solar panel to be as far over to port as much as possible as the solar panel's wire harness does have some built-in slack. It seems RT had the forethought of allowing some repositioning of the solar panel thank goodness.

I will move the bow stem of the kayak to be just over the starboard side's eyebrow to avoid its stern from touching the cockpit canopy which will happen if I mount the kayak upside down. The kayak's bow and stern bend upwards some so having it right side up might be the right approach and allow better fore and aft positioning flexibility. There are two drain ports in the aft section of the kayak's floor so these can be left open if mounted right side up and to allow water sources to drain out.

I need to give some thought as to how best to tie down the kayak to the cross bars and the carriers. The carriers came with tie down straps so those will definitely be used. I will for safety also run a line from the built-in handle on the bow of the kayak to restrain any tendency for the kayak's bow lifting up under dynamic air force when having the boat move at speed.

One other thought is to not have the kayak inflated and mounted on the cabin roof at all. The kayak weighs some 32 lbs so it's relatively light and can be folded up easily and made small enough to stow in its included bag on the cockpit floor on starboard side or even on the rear platform behind the transom door and strapped down and out of the cockpit area all together. I have an electric air pump with a self contained 12v battery pack and this allows the kayak to be inflated very quickly (I've fully inflated it in about 5 mins) and easily with it laying across the cockpit's port and starboard gunnels which have no rails hindering me. The gunnel surface is nice and flat and some 8" wide allowing good support for the kayak's hull as I inflate it. Then from this position it would be easier to launch rather that getting it down from the cabin roof. Hmmmmm, I think I've just convinced myself to abandon the cabin roof mounting option. 😉 😱 This will allow me to forego having to mess with repositioning the solar panel and even though the kayak weighs only 32 lbs the 3-feet by 12.5-feet is kind of awkward to get up onto and off the cabin roof..... especially if its windy with the boat rocking about.... and safer for me as well.

The kayak's paddles are sectional and its high back seats fold down flat and all can stow neatly in the cave.
 
Well, after getting the kayak on top of the cabin and onto its carriers I will be leaving it there for a bit to see how things go. I'll put up with its overlap on the solar panel as trying to move the solar over a few inches today was harder than I thought it would be. Getting at the solar panel support brackets and the two bolts that secure each one was kind of difficult for me. It seems the bolt nuts can't simply be removed without the head being held; the bolt simply spins as the nut is rotated. The nuts are easily dealt with but getting a screw driver (philips or straight driver) underneath in their recessed holes was not possible using my two hands and leaning over onto the cabin roof. Are the bolt heads straight slotted or Philip type ? Anyone know ?

Anyways, the SeaEagle is secured on top of the cabin and is upside down as the carriers need the round pontoons to provide the support. I've used two 6' SeaEagle straps linked together at each crossbar to batten down the kayak. I also attached a line to the kayak's front carry handle to avoid any chance the wind causing too much lift on the forward half of the kayak.

If the kayak were to be needed in a hurry, my very sharp knife can sever the straps and then the kayak can be heaved/thrown over into the water.

I still think I will be having this kayak folded up in its bag for future use on the boat.

I now have most of my gear stowed onboard and find I still have an empty center cockpit locker. This is good as this means I'll have no issues stowing 1st Mate's wheelchair there and still have room left for other things.

The stowage area under the stove is huge and nice to have, as is the one under the lower step at the Nav seat location.

I happen to notice the refrigerator door had been re-swung (now swings forward and away from the sink area) during when boat was at the factory during past week. As suspected it opens to just shy of 180º. It does seem better for this change.

I received my REI 1" thing air mattresses and they fit perfectly to the width and length of the V-berth's two bunk cushions. They inflate in seconds and when rolled up are no bigger than a small round log. I lay on one and with it and the stock bunk cushion underneath me I felt very comfortable. I'm pleased with this addition.

While at the boat today tinkering about making it ship-shape my slip neighbor returned from an over night fishing trip. He had not seen the R-27/OB before and was simply gob-smacked with its beauty and how RT has outfitted the interior. He kept looking and started taking photos.... a real beauty he shouted out. He later said his wife will be all over him once she sees it..... :lol:
 
Just a caution, shadows on the solar panel greatly reduce its performance. Not just by the percent of shadow cast, but by a much greater percent.
 
Kip: I fully understand and that is why I was intent on moving the solar panel over to port by 6". However, I had difficulties doing that as I mentioned. If I do decide to keep the kayak on cabin roof I will certainly be moving the solar panel to allow 100% of its surface area to not be overshadowed by the kayak. Thanks for the prompt to ensure this be done. 🙂

I also understand it's good practice to clean the solar panel surface periodically, right ?

An excerpt from.... https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/solar-panel-cleaning/

Normal Grime Hardly Affects Solar Panels
Dirt on solar panels usually has very little effect on their performance. This is because, for most homes in Australia, rainfall is enough to keep solar panels reasonably clean. Grime will build up, but eventually there will be sufficient rain to wash most of it off.

Cleaning in addition to what is done naturally by rain will boost panel output, since on average they will have even less dirt on them, but it doesn’t help much.

A study done in the United States in Tucson, Arizona, found that cleaning solar panels only improved their output by around 1%. This is in a location that only receives a little more than half as much rainfall as Adelaide, which is Australia’s driest capital.
This doesn’t mean that in your particular location cleaning panels will only improve average performance by 1%. You might happen to live in a dirty, dirty place or have lots of birds trying to turn your roof into the site of a future guano mine. But I would estimate that for most households in Australia, cleaning solar panels twice a year would only improve their average output by around 2%.

Flat Panels Are An Exception – They Need Cleaning
Rain will wash most of the filth off panels, but only if they are at an angle. When solar panels lie flat water can pool on them and have nowhere to go. Eventually it evaporates and leaves grime behind. Worse, things such as leaves and other debris can land on solar panels and just stay there and seriously affect performance. A thin layer of grime will let most light pass through, but a leaf is specifically designed to capture light. After all, it is a naturally occurring type of solar panel.

To avoid these problems, and because it is bad to have any electronic item sitting in water for an extended period of time, it is a very good idea to put solar panels on flat roofs in frames that tilt them at least 10 degrees.

If your panels aren’t tilted then you’ll have no choice but to clean them if you want to keep their performance up. Google found that while cleaning their tilted solar panels wasn’t worth the effort, cleaning their flat ones after they got particularly dirty could double their output.
 
Connerkip":1ygqj6dh said:
Just a caution, shadows on the solar panel greatly reduce its performance. Not just by the percent of shadow cast, but by a much greater percent.
Click to expand...
Yea, depending on the panels internal wiring, a 10% coverage of the panel could lead to over a 50% reduction in output.
 
Jim: "Coverage" really needs defining carefully. Covering could mean...

1) Complete covering such that NO light is received by the panel/cells
2) Partial coverage means some % of light IS received by the solar panel/cells

In my case the small strip of the solar panel being ever so slightly overlapped by the kayak equates to #2 above.
 
Our inflatable kayak covers part of one of the solar panels as well. It only is an issue when we really need the power. When underway or plugged in at a marina solar power is not needed so we just leave it. Also, if we are only stopping for the night and leaving the next day. That only leaves the situations where we will be staying at least two nights. In that case we will likely use the kayak anyway so we just drop it down to the water when we arrive. If for some reason we don't plan to use the kayak but still need full solar power we loosen the tie downs and slide it partway over the side. Not secure for transit but just fine at anchor or at a dock without power. It really is not a big issue.
 
Curt: If I do decide to keep the kayak on the roof where I currently have it installed I will certainly be moving the single solar panel from its center position over to port side. This will remove any overshadowing of the panel caused by the kayak. The one issue with having the kayak on starboard side is the position of the VHF antenna. The antenna can be lowered I suppose to help lowering the kayak to the water on starboard side. The manner by which I placed the kayak on the roof top carriers was by placing the kayak onto and across the bow rails and then lifting it up with me holding it in the air balanced on my head. From this position I simply walked the kayak onto its roof top carriers. The kayak weighs some 33 lbs so this was quite easy at my slip with no wind to speak of. If there had been strong wind I think I would have a problem as 33 lbs spread out in 12.5 feet along with wind pushing it around might be unmanageable for me doing this on my own. I always make sure I can do things entirely on my own with these sorts of things as I boat most of the time solo with 1st Mate tucked away inside hoping I don't fall overboard. :shock: 😉 😳
 
Yes, by all means move the solar panels as much as you can. If you can get it completely clear all the better. Our kayak is on the port side so the VHF antenna is not an issue.
 
Just thinking out loud here...
Why not build a special attachment that would allow a kayak to rest at, say, a 45-degree angle off the edge of the roof line? That would keep the solar panels open and give you a quick 'n' easy place to slide in your kayak. This would work better (i.e., result in less wear and tear) for hard-shell kayaks than soft-shell kayaks. But it might be something worth taking a look at.
 
Hi Baz, enjoyed reading your posts! I am looking at an R27 OB myself; the spec sheet on the website shows a dry displacement of 7000 lbs. Any idea why yours weighed 8300?
 
rangs02jrt":14smyt8h said:
Hi Baz, enjoyed reading your posts! I am looking at an R27 OB myself; the spec sheet on the website shows a dry displacement of 7000 lbs. Any idea why yours weighed 8300?
Click to expand...

Well one must add weight of all the safety gear that RT provides with a new purchase, plus some 60 gallons of gasoline and some fresh water in the tank to that 7000. Also, there's the accuracy of the lift scale to be considered.

I can easily see an extra 1000 lbs over the 7000 lbs for what I mentioned above, and that places it close to the 8300#.
 
Gotcha, thanks. I'm also looking at a competitor boat, the Jeanneau 895. When Jeanneau quotes their dry weights, they do NOT include the actual outboard motor. Is this a standard industry practice? Does Ranger Tugs include the weight of the OB when they say the displacement is 7000 lbs for the R27 OB? If not, that might explain your total weight (the OB is probably 500-600 lbs)
 
rangs02jrt":2b5o728t said:
Gotcha, thanks. I'm also looking at a competitor boat, the Jeanneau 895. When Jeanneau quotes their dry weights, they do NOT include the actual outboard motor. Is this a standard industry practice? Does Ranger Tugs include the weight of the OB when they say the displacement is 7000 lbs for the R27 OB? If not, that might explain your total weight (the OB is probably 500-600 lbs)
Click to expand...
OB motor is 562 lbs according to the Yamaha website. Although when Yamaha tested the 27OB they listed the engine weight as estimated at 575 lbs. When Yamaha did their testing of the 27OB, they had 1/2 tank of fuel (75 gallons- 475 lbs), the 9.9HP kicker motor and their test equipment, they reported the boat weighted in at 8518 lbs.
 
rangs02jrt":h6wcb4i5 said:
I'm also looking at a competitor boat, the Jeanneau 895. When Jeanneau quotes their dry weights, they do NOT include the actual outboard motor. Is this a standard industry practice?
Click to expand...

I must admit if I were in the market for a boat today the 895 Jeanneau would be my 1st choice in that size range. When we were looking for a smaller Tug/pilot house boat I looked at Jeanneau and liked the design. I was set on a diesel, Ranger and Cutwater had that market. We purchased the 26 Cutwater which ended production that year and the 24' outboard took its place. We really liked the 25 and 27 tugs. We were in the process of purchasing a 27 Ranger and switched to the Cutwater because we liked the Cutwaters forward berth.The 25' and 27' diesels are gone. Now that Ranger and Cutwater are going in a different direction (outboards). They put themselves into a different market. Much more competition. If we were purchasing a new boat today the Jeanneau 895 compared to the Ranger or Cutwater outboard line I honestly would pick the Jeanneau. 29', twin 200 hp Yamaha's, equipped, new 180'sK. We like our Cutwater and we are glad we purchased the diesel, defiantly no regrets and don't plan on selling it now. We think Ranger and Cutwater boats are well built but so are many of the other boats in the market today. Good luck on your new boat purchase.
 
That 895 Jeanneau is nice for sure, and it offers a lot and maybe a tad more than does the R-27/OB. Styling is quite a bit different though and I'm sure that can influence a person's mind. They have done a good job with the cockpit seating and the helm side door. Oh.... and the V-berth is done nicely with the walk around berth.
 
Jeanneau has the Merry Fisher 1095 in the works for 2019, as either a three cabin or two with lots of extra storage. I'm not real big on the styling but it's hard to beat the functionality. And they seem to offer a lot for the dollar, too.
 
Yes, I agree about this Merry Fisher 1095. I like the way the outboards are inset into the rear platform and the 3-berth setup is very good. It looks nice from the outside too. The sliding helm door has to be a big plus for many people and avoids having to charge down the middle inside isle when captain want to get outside quickly.

The advantage the R-27/OB has is in the cockpit with its folding seat which when positioned out of the way provide a lot more cockpit area to use when crabbing or fishing etc.
 
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