Ranger 21EC behavior in a choppy sea?

[sketchrbob]

About a week ago I went to see a R21 EC. The boat was out of the water so we could not have a sea trial. I took a friend who was knowledgeable about boats both small and large. I myself have had some experience having owned 13 boats up to 30 feet over 50 years. After looking the 21 over for two hours we left and my friend commented that "Well its a cute little boat but I wouldn't want to go much further than the harbor entrance, or if so, I would want to be back by noon before the Southerly builds up." The "Southerly" can build up to two or three feet by mid afternoon and any boat is going to roll in the trough. He was obviously concerned about the 6' 8" beam which in today's terms is narrow for a 21 foot boat. I feel that with the keel, flat bottom in the stern sections and relatively hard chines it wouldn't roll any worse than any 21 foot boat.
So how about it Tug Nuts? How does the 21EC behave in choppy water?

 

[dloop]

I'd suggest trying to get out on the water in one. I was out today in 2' chop and my daughter fell asleep in the vberth.

It behaves bigger than it looks.

dave

 

[terraplane]

I own a Ranger 25, and even with that larger boat, i get the same type of comment from other boaters....until they travel with me.
The designers of these boats are known for their sea smarts. There are many articles referenced about the seaworthiness of the 21, and 25 models.
The fact that so many Rangers are on the water in the Puget Sound, Alaska bound waters is enough for me...

 

[rt11002003]

The R-21 EC reminds me of a cork or maybe a duck. 😀 It just bobs along, drives thru or over the waves; I've gone thru/over waves as high as the top of the bow pulpit (viewed from the helm) without problem. It rolls when taking waves from abeam, not alarmingly so. Fun to steer when taking waves from the aft quarter; it helps to know what one is doing. 😉 Waves from the forward quarter will cause one to make course corrections.

All in all, a very nice small vessel. I think it steers/handles better than the R-25. However, I piloted a R-25 in a harbor one day up in MD when the weather outside in the Bay was sooo bad the Harbormaster wouldn't let us out and the R-25 handled beautifully. Conditions in the harbor were such that it took about 12 to 15 people to dock a 52 foot sailboat (with thrusters), six onboard, the others on the adjoining boats and slips.

gene

 

[tugboatjeff]

I have r21 that I fish with in the Delaware Bay and their are times when I am the only boat out. It will
roll some and throw water over the bow in steep head seas but generally rides like a duck. All of
my fishing buddies laughed when they heard how slow it is but they all like fishing in it and they
say that they dont feel beat up when we get back.
Tugboat Jeff

 

[Shaun]

This is a movie I made of my 21-EC the Rub N Tug. Mostly taken from a trip to Catalina Island which you'll see on the left side of the screen. Of course the camera doesn't do it justice but it was a solid four foot wind chop and the boat just bobs along with an occasional pound when the whole bow comes out of the water. This movie was not made to try and showcase my boat in big water but just a fun afternoon project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k49DU-W-o_k