Gail and Bob,
We owned our R-25 Solitude for 2 1/2 years and loved everyday of it. Even when we drove her up on a submerged mountain in Lake Mead....... Quite a shock, motoring along in over 200 feet of water and crunch! Hard aground! And I mean HARD aground. Solitude did much better than we did. We were devastated. We had only had her for six months and here she is sitting in six inches of water on solid rock! All was not lost. After using every flair and smoke signal we had, even the expired ones, a fellow boater and his wife spotted the last of the smoke signals and came to the rescue. They towed us off with no further damage and we headed for the marina. After spending three months getting repaired, she was better than new!
It was not a tough decision moving up to the R-29, it was just a tough period of negoiation. While Jeff is a salesman through and through, I was a buyer for a large retailer for many years...... put those two factors together and you will end up with a headache for sure.....
We loved our R-25 but wanted a boat that we could spend more extended time on. We knew that we would be leaving her in the PNW and commuting. Comfort was definently the name of the game. We use all of the equipment on board including the head and shower (even when in port). Knowing this was going to be the case, we wanted a larger head. The R-29 offers it.
We wanted a boat that could take the weather. We are not fair weather boaters. We go out when the wind is blowing, the rain is falling, and even when there was a very (and I mean very) thin layer of ice on the water in the marina. We have made night crossings of Puget Sound as well been out in some light fog. Karma has handled 95 percent of every type of weather we have encountered with no issues whatsoever. The only time we were very concerned and uncomfortable was when we had very LARGE following seas.
We also wanted a boat that you could entertain six people on and be comfortable. The R-25 was great for two to four but was a bit crowded with more than that. (we do not sleep six, our motto is; Sleep two, entertain six…. That’s why they have hotels!)
To say the R-29 is perfect would be a lie.
First thing I would change are the stairs in the cockpit. They are too big and make it very difficult to store anything under them. You have to figure out what goes where and it must go back in that location. They also take up a tremendous amount of the cockpit. I would prefer the setup that the R-25 and R-27 have.
I would also love to have a couch. The only way to do that though is to eliminate the mid ship cabin. While we would be good with that, the majority of people would not.
A bigger rudder would be nice also. Better handling at lower speeds.
These things being said, I am not sure there is the “perfect” boat out there. The boat has a lot of pluses.
The island berth is great. No more climbing into bed!
The head is just the right size and the electric toilet……. Very nice….. although a bit noise at night!
The galley is just right with just enough storage. The more storage, the more stuff you don’t really need ends up on board. We carry a service for six of Fiesta Dinner Ware as well as enough glass ware and coffee cups for eight. Yes, glass glasses, and ceramic dishes!
Servicing the motor is very easy for someone of my size, 5” 8” at 140 pounds. I can get into most any nook or cranny necessary.
However, after this is all said, I will go back to my previous post. You need to buy the boat you are comfortable with and can best afford. The last thing anyone wants is a boat that is too big for them to handle or too expensive to operate. Buy what you can afford, buy what you can handle, then go out and enjoy the water! That is what it is all about!
