Ranger 25 Seaworthiness

[Lunasea2]

Hello... New to the forum, contemplating swapping my GB32 for a Ranger 25. I have 25000 sea miles on the GB and another 25 on other similar boats up and down the Pacific Coast from Alaska to Costa Rica. Sure have seen lots of boats that look terrific (Mikelsons for example) that can't take the pounding and other boats that have been a surprise. I would love to hear from anyone with experience along Pacific Coast either Salmon fishing or cruising... as to the seaworthiness of the Ranger.

Thanks

 

[baz]

This is always a tough question to service...

Seaworthy
Quote from http://www.answers.com/topic/seaworthiness-2
"able to recover quickly from a 180-degree capsize without serious damage and without sinking
strong enough to look after herself while hove-to or lying ahull
seakindly—free of violent, jerky rolling and pounding
well-balanced, docile on the helm, and easily handled at all times
agile downwind and able to avoid most plunging breakers
able to beat to windward, or at least hold her ground, in all but the heaviest conditions
habitable—able to carry ample crew with good headroom and comfort, plus water and supplies, for extended periods
capable of good average speeds on long passages
In Principles of Yacht Design, Larsson and Eliasson note that the seaworthiness of a sailing yacht depends on its dynamic behavior in a seaway; dynamic effects, naturally, are much more difficult to measure or predict than static effects. Larsson and Eliasson propose a “dynamic stability factor” that increases with size, displacement-to-length ratio, and righting moment at 90 degrees of heel (a measure of the ability to recover from a knockdown), but is decreased by several factors, among which are excessive beam (which makes a boat undesirably stable upside down) and excessive sail area relative to displacement.In Sorensen’s Guide to Power-boats, Eric Sorensen equates sea-worthiness with a boat’s “survivability, including its ability to resist capsize,” and with its behavior in rough seas: Can it be controlled, and does it respond in predictable fashion? Capsize resistance is in turn related to stability, just as it is in sailboats. A heavy-displacement trawler yacht with a low center of gravity will fare better in storm seas than a sportfisherman of the same length with a lighter displacement, big open cockpit, and higher center of gravity. On the other hand, given adequate warning, the sportfisherman will outrun a storm that may catch the trawler. Thus, speed can be thought of as a seaworthy feature in a power-boat."

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/seaworthiness-2#ixzz2TlzzhlNQ

I'm no expert on what all is required to state the R-25 is seaworthy. What I can say is that I feel more than comfortable in it while cruising about the inland waters of the Puget Sound area and up between Vancouver Island an BC mainland. I've been in nasty following seas, large waves (maybe 6-feet), strong beam winds for several hours and the boat handles it more than I can. Of course adjusting speed and course always helps to reduce rock & rolling.

If I were to contemplate tackling PNW coastal waters between Seattle and say San Francisco I would opt for a larger boat. In general, bigger boats are more 'seaworthy'.

 

[commander bill]

I wanted a GB32 real real real bad before I settled for my R25 back in 2008. I only found a couple on east coast for sale and they were High$$$$$$. They appeared to be very rare and I was only able to see one close and it was not available for any price from existing owner. My thoughts were it was perfect size for me and I loved the boat. Only drawback was it did not offer trailer option that a ranger owwers.

 

[circusmar]

Hello... New to the forum, contemplating swapping my GB32 for a Ranger 25. I have 25000 sea miles on the GB and another 25 on other similar boats up and down the Pacific Coast from Alaska to Costa Rica. Sure have seen lots of boats that look terrific (Mikelsons for example) that can't take the pounding and other boats that have been a surprise. I would love to hear from anyone with experience along Pacific Coast either Salmon fishing or cruising... as to the seaworthiness of the Ranger.

Thanks

GB 32 (31'11" by 11'6" by 17K displacement) is A LOT more boat than a ranger 25. Boaters are like tropical fish. We grow to the size of our "tanks". You will likely have trouble going to "less boat". There are plenty of places a GB 32 will happily go that a Ranger 25 would not dare to tread. Better comparison would be the ranger 31 from a "bigger boat" standpoint.

 

[TonyM]

Hi there,
I spent last April to October cruising and fishing The Columbia River.
I went across the Columbia River Bar bar a couple times in fairly good weather but still had occasional 7' to 8' rollers.The 25 SC handled quite well with a reserve of power for maneuvering.

The R-25 SC is designed for waters like Puget Sound, The Straits of Juan De Fuca, and going to Alaska on the Inside passage
There are two major draw backs to the 25 SC when it comes to big water though.

1. The rear deck compartments and engine hatch cannot be sealed down to prevent a wave from lifting the hatch and flooding the stern, at least there are two bilge pumps.
2. There are no scuppers on the aft deck to quickly remove water from the stern if the deck becomes awash with a breaking wave.

The times I crossed the bar I practiced bringing the boat about in the slop and there was no issue.

Would not take her out 25+ miles to fish for tuna though. The insurance I have only covers me to 3 mile out. :lol:

My best advice if you are offshore watch the weather and have an exit strategy.

 

[baz]

Tony brings up some good points.

The voluminous amount of water not exiting quickly from the cockpit does present issues. It could flood the battery locker as well! One could leave the swim step door open or maybe shortening it to have a large hole/gap opening at its bottom to let the water exit quickly. Tony... you were brave to negotiate the infamous Columbia River Bar... woweee.

It really is comforting to read about how the Tugs deal successfully with quite severe sea conditions. Thanks for posting. 🙂