R-29 Is this the boat for us?

[bukster]

Hi everyone. I am new to this site and went aboard a R-29 at the recent Toronto Boat show in Canada this past January. Wow, I loved that boat! The layout was fantastic, seems every inch was well thought out. The fit and finish was very impressive and she just looked like a tough gal who would be a great small boat for a boomer couple and their Westie(thats us). We are fairly new to boating and last summer purchased our second Grady White, a 25 footer for day boating and fishing which we love to do. Then I see this gal and boy....is this the next boat for us? I would really like to get some honest objective feedback from you owners out there. Ninety percent of the time there are just the three of us on board and Allie our Westie does not take up much room. My impression is for a weekender and for one - two week cruising in the great lakes, north chanel the R29 would do us well. I do not want a large boat as my skills make me leary (as does my bank account) am I on the right track thinking of this boat in a year or two. Looking forward to your comments and thanks to all in advance
Bukster
2010 Grady White Freedom 255

 

[Nellie Too]

Bukster,
We have a R-29 we took delivery of in May of 2009; We could not have picked a better boat. We live in the Seattle area so we cruise the PNW and Canadian waters with our cat (Babe). I am sure the R-29 would be a great choice for anyone looking for fun and a very stable and well built boat. My wife loves the Galley layout and the wine cooler.
All the best,
Bob and Nita

 

[Nellie Too]

I forgot to mention , we had a R-25 we bought in 2008 before the R-29 and we loved it to but the 29 gave us a lot more room and privacy.
Bob and Nita

 

[Spirit of Gratitude]

We got our R-29 one year ago to the day. We have already put 300 hours on her without any trouble to speak of.
Me, my wife and a 40 pound goldendoodle spend weeks at a time on her. There is lots of room for all of us. We sometimes have my 20 year old son along when he is on break from collage, and there is still lots of room.
I cannot say enough how much we love our boat. We truly use it as a second home, with beach front property wherever we go.
We also trailer out R-29, so we do not pay slip fee's and do not have the maintenance that one would have by keeping her in the water 24/7. That is just what works best for us. There is no problem keeping the boat in the water all the time.
The R-29 is very seaworthy. We have had her out in over 10'waves in southern Cal and she handles wonderfully.
I do not think you would ever regret buying a R-29, It is the best move we ever made!

Best to you,
Stuart

 

[Zuma]

Janeane and I have spent weeks on board ZUMA with two teenagers during the summer. Works fine if there is ample time for outside activities-fishing, crabbing and exploring. Two aboard is just right for extended liveaboard especially when weather keeps you in the boat.

I agree with Stuart; trailering adds to your flexibility and ease of maintenance. Good boat for learning the ropes of seamanship.

 

[Shared Dream II]

There are many of us that will speak to the virtue of the boat and the company behind it. So, why wait another two years to start enjoying what you could have today?

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

We to were just on a R-29 and feel the same way you described, what a great boat. However we placed an order for an R-27 as we will be trailering our Ranger extensively and the R-29 would be to wide for conventional towing. My point being that if you'll leave the R-29 in the water most of time it will do everything you want it to do however if your future plans might be to trailer a boat out west, down south, etc then the R-27 might be a better fit. Just my two cents worth.

 

[knotflying]

Ditto, The R-29 is a great boat and if our plans were to stay put in one place with infrequent long tows we may have gone with it, but we went with the R-27 because we felt it wasn't as big a deal to tow and have to get permits. There is always a trade off, so only time will tell if we went the right way for us.

 

[Harmony]

There are not adequate words to express how much we love our R-29! It is THE dream boat. Not too big, not too small. Finishing touches of amazing quality. Comfort, oh yes, the comfort. And bless those thrusters! Handles like a dream. Feels luxurious, yet totally classic. Our only problem is all of the attention we get wherever we go.;-) Wink, wink!