Recommendations for first Ranger Tug?

[rheimb1]

Welcome to the obsession. You don’t give us a lot of detail, so I’ll make a few reasonable assumptions.

If it were me, I’d look hard at a used Ranger Tug 29. It gives you more room and amenities than the 27, which you’ll appreciate when friends and family come along. It’s wider, longer, and simply more comfortable for cruising the San Juans and north. It’s also still somewhat trailerable, which keeps your options open.

That said, I don’t own a 29. I run an RT-25-SC, and it fits my needs very well. Like most people, I always thought I wanted a bigger boat, and the 29 is exactly what I’d move up to if I did. But here’s the reality: most of the time it’s just you and maybe your best mate. That makes single-handling important, and the 29 is still very manageable, especially if you make sure it’s equipped with thruster remotes for docking.

I suspect you’re thinking bigger and will likely moor the boat or keep it on the hard, which I recommend anyway. The 29 handles bigger water better than the 25, but don’t kid yourself—any of these boats have limits. I’ve crossed Rosario Strait in my 25 when I probably shouldn’t have, and once I was across, I remember thinking, yeah… that was a mistake.

Bottom line: buy used, don’t rush, and choose a boat you’re truly comfortable running solo. The perfect tug is the one you’ll actually use.

 

[Larry55]

Going from a sail boat to a power boat, here's a good overview of what to expect in the ways of cost of boat ownership for a powerboat. This is based on the R27-OB, but will give you a good idea on the diesel inboards as well, as their costs will be similar.

Cost of Boat Ownership of a Ranger Tug R27

Hello. Excellent review. What would you expect the depreciation expenses to be years 0-6(% or $)? Or what % would you estimate your depreciation expense to have been? Thank you!

 

[Submariner]

Hello. Excellent review. What would you expect the depreciation expenses to be years 0-6(% or $)? Or what % would you estimate your depreciation expense to have been? Thank you!

My boat is a 2021 model, purchased in June of 2020, at the beginning of Covid.

My boat has actually held its value really well. That puts my “depreciation” at essentially 0% (or about +1–2%) over this period, which is pretty rare in the boating world. Ranger Tugs have had a strong resale market, especially in the PNW, and that’s helped keep values up.

The used boat listings today for an R27-OB, from the 2020-2021 era, are selling today, for about what I paid back then for new. I would say this is not normal, and is probably a direct result of Covid and as a result of the inflation we've seen over the past 5 years. But I'm not an economist or financial advisor. I'd be the first to tell you Dave Ramsey is wrong about boats. Buy the boat. 😀

I don't focus on resale value as I measure by smiles per mile. I do upgrades to my boat to make the boat more enjoyable for my family which causes us to want to use the boat even more. A boat's a liability and depreciates which is worse if it's not being used.

 

[mjuzenas]

Hi a "new" Tugnut here as well - I have been lurking for a while and this is a very interesting and useful thread as we are also pondering an movr. I partnered with a friend and we bought a Jeanneau NC795 a few years ago, which is a 10' beam 26' long, 250HP outboard boat, sleeps 4 but has a few downsides which I think a Ranger Tug can fix.

We live in Vancouver, B.C. and our use is two fold - one to go on day trips in the harbour and Indian Arm with guests for a simple day out on the water, and the other is to head out up Georgia Straight to potential destinations like Pender Harbour, or even cross the straight to the Gulf Islands. If we can do Desolation Sound it would be fantastic. We are finding our 795, being a "C" class boat, does not handle rougher water well, and the space is cramped, so we have not been going out into the open straight very much.

No one focused on sea worthiness as a criteria, I think this one to me is close to #1 on priorities. A 25' foot boat will not be as safe in unruly conditions as a 29' or 31' foot boat, that is basic physics. Our 795 does not handle rougher water well, last summer I got into a situation off with mixed seas where the water was going over the boat, it was pretty scary and my wife declared "we need a bigger boat!".

We are looking at the R27 and R29 as potential upgrades, with a used R29 being at the top of our budget. We have a slip that will fit a R29 , but not larger. Slip space here is hard to get so we need to fit into our spot.

I just was at the Vancouver Boat Show and will be at the Seattle Boat show this year just to see how the various boats layouts and size feel.

For the owners here who take their boats out to say the San Juans or Georgia Straight, any feedback on how well the different sized Rangers handle sea conditions? I don't plan to go out when it's rough, but you need to plan if you get caught out there.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Maggie Anne]

I think the R29 would be a good choice. Has some speed if you need it. Plenty of fuel capacity for longer trips, say up to Princess Louisa. I owned a R27 outboard for several years and loved it and have had it in some very rough water, not pleasant for us but boat handled it well. We had a nice trip up Indian Arm last year.

 

[Submariner]

No one focused on sea worthiness as a criteria, I think this one to me is close to #1 on priorities. A 25' foot boat will not be as safe in unruly conditions as a 29' or 31' foot boat, that is basic physics. Our 795 does not handle rougher water well, last summer I got into a situation off with mixed seas where the water was going over the boat, it was pretty scary and my wife declared "we need a bigger boat!".

We are looking at the R27 and R29 as potential upgrades, with a used R29 being at the top of our budget. We have a slip that will fit a R29 , but not larger. Slip space here is hard to get so we need to fit into our spot.

Seaworthiness:
You can't go wrong with the R27-OB (or the R29). We took our R27-OB from Everett to Glacier Bay. Across Georgia Strait, Seymour Narrows, Dent Rapids, Johnstone Strait, Cape Caution, the Dixon Crossing, and all throughout SE Alaska. Spent 2 nights in Glacier Bay. 2,600 miles, 55 days as live-aboard. We had 3 adults and 3 dogs onboard. There were actually three R27-OB's traveling together on this trip. LemonDrop, Channel Surfing and Annie Time.

Johnstone Strait in 2-4 foot seas.


Clarence Strait, Ketchikan, AK.


Clarence Strait, Ketchikan, AK


Glacier Bay, Alaska.

 

[Submariner]

No one focused on sea worthiness as a criteria, I think this one to me is close to #1 on priorities. A 25' foot boat will not be as safe in unruly conditions as a 29' or 31' foot boat, that is basic physics. Our 795 does not handle rougher water well, last summer I got into a situation off with mixed seas where the water was going over the boat, it was pretty scary and my wife declared "we need a bigger boat!".

More fun photos of R27-OB's regarding seaworthiness. I always advocate for heading out into good weather, but on this day, we found some bad luck.
Just know, inside the cabin, all three boats crews were calm, cool and collect. Our biggest complaint was that we could only do 10 knots or less in this, and had 35 miles to Port McNeill. We felt like we were never going to get there. We arrived 3 hours later than we'd planned.

Annie Time, R27-OB, Johnstone Strait, 2-4 foot seas, 26 knots of head wind.


Lemondrop, R27-OB, Seymour Narrows. Janet solo's her boat.


Channel Surfing, R27-OB, Johnstone Strait. 2-4 foot seas, 26 knots of head wind.

 

[Submariner]

Nothing beats video.

Johnstone Strait

Mastering the Waves in a Ranger Tug R27-OB

 

[mjuzenas]

Thanks Martin! I actually have watched your channel (and am a sub), and it good to see some video to get a feel for the boat and what they can handle, way more than I can mentally! Out of curiosity, did you do any specific boat handling training on how to handle those conditions safely or just based on experience? That trip looks awesome!

To the original poster Brahe, what did you eventually decide?

Cheers,

Mike

 

[Mihn]

May I ask the main reason for selling so soon please? Thanks.

Get biggeritus. We live out of state. Travel overhead translates into fewer but longer stays on boat

 

[Submariner]

Out of curiosity, did you do any specific boat handling training on how to handle those conditions safely or just based on experience?

Based on experience, talking with others, YouTube videos. You want to have a basic understanding of boating. Things like nav-aides (buoys, markers, etc..), how to read charts to keep the boat off the rocks. In our waters, it's not uncommon to look outside and see 2+ miles of water, but it's all tide flats, dry ground at low tide.

A good rule to follow, 1/3 of a tank of fuel to get there, 1/3 to get back, 1/3 reserve. On our SE Alaska trip I modified that rule to 2/3 to get to the next fuel dock, 1/3 reserve. When you find yourself in 3-5 foot seas, the last thing you want to be worrying about is running out of fuel. Bad seas will burn a lot of fuel and I want to be focused on driving. The three of us R27-OB's in Johnstone Strait were getting 0.8-1.0 mpg at 5-7 knots, crashing through the waves. (about 25% more fuel burn than normal)

The R27-OB's are really stable and safe. Inside the cabin all of us were calm. We were more frustrated in the fact that we couldn't do 25 knots to cover some ground. Operation wise, drop the engine all the way down, put the bow into the waves at a 45 degree angle. Sometimes I have to tack into the waves, back and forth. If you have a following sea, match your speed to the waves to always have the bow going uphill. You don't want the wave to push your bow into the bottom of the wave in front of you. Be patient, take your time. If there's a nearby anchorage or cove, some place to hide, that's an option to wait it out. There is no shame to run and hide. We are intercostal cruisers, not open-ocean blue water boats. Look at the direction of the wind, if you can run to one side or the other of the channel to get land to break the wind, the sea state will improve over there. Just as the day started out great and tuned bad, it can turn great again with a few miles and some time. That day of ours in Johnstone Strait, we opted to turn off into Port Harvey and run the Broughtons. It was a longer detour that got us out of Johnstone Strait. As soon as we made the turn, the seas went flat as glass, we hit the throttles and were doing 30mph and had a fantastic cruise through the islands on our way to Port McNeill.

This photo was taken about 3hours after the above photos in Johnstone Strait. We were cruising the Port Harvey cut-off as we call it.
Fantastic detour around Johnstone Strait. We passed Little Elsie, an R31 along the way.

 

[Jesperjo]

Just adding to the discussion: I found this video from Motorboat and Yachting to be quite informative on handling rough seas:

.

We took our R-25 up to Victoria last summer. We had glass water in Admiralty Inlet, but once we rounded the Port Townsend peninsula all the forces of the oceans broke loose. We had 6+ foot waves coming at us from the west. Windy told us the swells were 1.1’ as it was breaking over the rails. The apps are often great, but sometimes, you have to look at the conditions and make a decision on the fly. We took some water in through the roof hatches, which had been left cracked open as the waves washed over the top of the boat, and it definitely wasn’t a comfortable ride. It took an extra two plus hours, but the boat handled it incredibly well. The seaworthiness of these boats far outstrips at least my willingness to test them. It was quite impressive.

I wouldn’t worry about seaworthiness on any of these boats, but the bigger the boat, the more comfortable the ride. They will all do more than most of us are interested in doing for recreation though.

 

[Bob&Jilly]

Welcome to the obsession. You don’t give us a lot of detail, so I’ll make a few reasonable assumptions.

If it were me, I’d look hard at a used Ranger Tug 29. It gives you more room and amenities than the 27, which you’ll appreciate when friends and family come along. It’s wider, longer, and simply more comfortable for cruising the San Juans and north. It’s also still somewhat trailerable, which keeps your options open.

That said, I don’t own a 29. I run an RT-25-SC, and it fits my needs very well. Like most people, I always thought I wanted a bigger boat, and the 29 is exactly what I’d move up to if I did. But here’s the reality: most of the time it’s just you and maybe your best mate. That makes single-handling important, and the 29 is still very manageable, especially if you make sure it’s equipped with thruster remotes for docking.

I suspect you’re thinking bigger and will likely moor the boat or keep it on the hard, which I recommend anyway. The 29 handles bigger water better than the 25, but don’t kid yourself—any of these boats have limits. I’ve crossed Rosario Strait in my 25 when I probably shouldn’t have, and once I was across, I remember thinking, yeah… that was a mistake.

Bottom line: buy used, don’t rush, and choose a boat you’re truly comfortable running solo. The perfect tug is the one you’ll actually use.

Good advice indeed - for us the major variable was the outboard and ease of trailering for the R27 OB which suits us well
I suggest several test rides