R25 Outboard questions

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Lisa and I have ordered an R25 with the 250 Outboard. This will be our third RT but we’ve not owned a 25 before or an outboard in 30 years. With that said I’ll have some questions about the new 25 that I’ll ask Tugnutters and fellow R25 Outboard owners.

1. What type/brand of cargo carries have owners put on the roof of there R25’s?

2. What cooking devices have you added to supplement the single burner electric stove top burner?

That’s it for now, as I have about 5 to 6 months to address my pre delivery questions....I need to pace myself.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Jim F

 

[S. Todd]

Jim: The cooktop used on the R25OB appears to be the same one used on the former R25SC. The only draw back with that stove is that alcohol (for when you are not hooked up to shore power) does not burn very hot. Because of that It takes a longer time to cook or heat water when it is cold out. Not a problem so much in summer weather but in spring and fall boating you will notice it. Our cooking gear consisted of a small crock pot, a tea kettle for heating water for instant coffee or hot chocolate, and two small lightweight pots. Recipes that can be cooked in one pot are the most helpful and reduce clean-up. We also used a credit card with decent cash back rewards for restaurants! (And as you know Anita and I almost always travelled with our dogs so outside seating for them was important.) I am going through the opposite thought process trying to decide what to carry on our new R29S without carrying too much weight and taking up space for stuff we may seldom use.
Todd

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Thanks for the info Todd. As far as chairs, maybe you’ve seen our GCI Outdoor Companies Pico fold up chairs? They fold up, light weight n come with a storage/tote bag.

Jim F

 

[scross]

Jim,
We had one of these electric/alcohol stoves in our Monterey Cruiser 242 and used it for the 9 years we had the boat. Great on shore power but, agreeing with the prior reply, it sucks when using alcohol as fuel. Only did that for 2 seasons before saying never again!
Bought one of these and was very happy with it.
https://www.coleman.com/camp-kitchen/ca ... 20951.html
There are other similar units out there including some dual fuel units - butane or propane.
Benefits: great heat, small, easy to light and durable.

PS: Since the Monterey didn’t have any railing in the cockpit, we also used this Coleman stove sitting in a cooler. Worked ok but really big and bulky compared to the single burner above.
https://www.coleman.com/featured/winter ... 20943.html
Love our Magma Chefsmate propane grill and use it almost everyday at anchor and at a marina.

Also, have two of the older GCI folding steel chairs. Rusted badly and fabric seams failed quickly. Still have one in the garage that I’d be happy to give away!

 

[Hamster]

I got a butane stove for my R23. The stove can also use propane tanks, which is what I use for the BBQ and more readily available. Built a shelf in the cave to store it. https://www.amazon.com/GS-4000P-Metalli ... 0943&psc=1

For cargo, I have a Yakima Carbonite 12 box. Works great.

 

[baz]

Jim: One of the extra cooking devices I employ is a small 12 volt slow cooker. They can be obtained for a very reasonable cost. When I plan a multi-hour cruise I will dread the aspect of having to make a meal at the end of a long cruise as I'm likely to be tired and somewhat hungry etc. The slow cooker can be prepared at home with all the food bits and pieces and then taken onboard at the start of the day's cruise. Plug it in and place it in a safe place so it can't be overturned if bad weather encountered. At the end of the cruise day, you'll have a meal ready to have without having to toil away at the stove.

Yippee skippee.

Another device I have is one of those well made Stanley SS vacuum bottles (flask). I prep it with boiling water at home for maybe 15 mins, and then when I have my hot coffee or tea ready, I empty the flask of its very hot water, and pour in the coffee or tea. I found that the Stanley SS flask will keep its contents very hot all day long. This will avoid having to make hot drinks while cruising along, and of course is safer by not having to build things on the stove while underway.

 

[DillyDally]

We bought two skinny Yakima racks that fit great on either side of our solar panel on our R23. On the one rack I can carry 4 crab pots and the other side I will put our inflatable kayak bag or cooler......
I believe we bought them at REI.
https://yakima.com/products/skinnywarrior
PRODUCT SPECS
Weight: 23.13 lbs.
Dimensions: L 58.00 in x W 23.00 in x H 6.50 in
Minimum Crossbar Spread 24.00in
Maximum Crossbar Spread 38.00in

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Thanks for this information, it’s helps me a great deal. Next question for those that have the 25 OB. When we had our 27 classic we added a foam mattress topper for more comfort but did not feel we needed one on our R29S. With that said what do fellow R25 OB owners feel, as it relates to adding or not a foam mattress topper to the main cabin bed?

Jim F

 

[baz]

Thanks for this information, it’s helps me a great deal. Next question for those that have the 25 OB. When we had our 27 classic we added a foam mattress topper for more comfort but did not feel we needed one on our R29S. With that said what do fellow R25 OB owners feel, as it relates to adding or not a foam mattress topper to the main cabin bed?

Jim F

Jim: I would say a foam topper is a definite option to consider. The bed on my R27/OB was very much like I had on my R25 Classic and the R21 EC, and I found all three of them really did need some extra padding to make sleeping more comfortable. Yes, the berth paddings on the R29s and R31s are very much superior and required no extra padding such as a foam topping.

As you did add foam topping for your R27 Classic, you will find the same is needed for the R25/OB IMO. Since you did add foam topping on your R27 Classic you know exactly what's required to make it fit.

There are other options such as air filled mattresses from REI that could also work for you. I did try these for my R27/OB but found that they were no substitute for the foam toppings cut to fit the stock sectional mattresses.

Let me add more things for you to keep an eye on... (as I found out about these things on my R27/OB)

1) The cabin isle flooring is a stick-on material and is not like you had on the R29 S. It's important to ensure all the edges of this stick down flooring are well and truly stuck down. If the edges start or are already starting to curl up slightly then glue them back down pronto. If this is not done, dirt/crud will quickly find a way in and make it difficult for the edges to be glued back down securely.

2) Question: Does the holding tank have a display of some sort indicating how full it is ?

3) Is it possible for the door to the toilet/shower room to be modified to open inwards rather than outwards. If so, this would mean the cutout of the v-berth's stock center aft mattress need not be notched out. I found on my R27/OB the door opening into the v-berth area was awkward and problematic for me. Another option I've seen mentioned in this forum is the make the door into two vertical pieces and with each section hinged at the center line - making a bi-folding door. I think this an excellent modification to the stock solid one-piece door.

I'll add more suggestions as I think of them.... 🙂

 

[Lesliemcj1]

Hi, We took delivery of our R25 last Sept & spent a month in Anacortes. We worked with a wonderful captain as we are new to power boats, tides etc. We have been sailors for 40 yrs & kept our 27’ Cape Dory on a Mtn lake in CO. We installed Magma rectangular infrared gourmet series II on the port side stern rail. We had to get a center single mount because the stern rail was too short for the 2 position mount. This seemed to work well but we haven’t cruised enough to know if it’s stable in all conditions. We are in the process of moving our flag mount so it’s now in the way of the grill.
We really liked our pour over coffee to minimize clean up & the flavor was great. We plan to get a Coleman Butane Stove for when we are on the hook.
We are newbies & hope to follow you on your journey.
Leslie & Jerry McJunkin