Retiring Sailor/New Boat Search

[sailor]

Retiring from our larger cruising sailboat and currently am trying to determine what that "next boat" should be. I am looking for an easily trailerable, good quality, displacement or semi-displacement power boat that could be used for short trips of up to a week as well as a good day boat. The only production boats that I come up with are the R21 and Rosborough's 22' Sea Skiff. Are there other boats out there that I am overlooking?

Would certainly appreciate some candid feedback from R21 owners on some questions I have about these sweet little boats.

Cruise Speeds: Brokers I have spoken to refer to a cruise speed of 10kts. At 75-80% of max RPM, doesn't seem possible to me. What are you experiencing in real life conditions?

Seaworthiness: Have read of some impressive trips in these boats. Primary use will be on the Chesapeake Bay with some trailer trips north and south on the east coast. My wife's initial reaction when we first looked at one was not positive when she experienced the roll when she boarded the boat. Light displacement and a narrow beam makes for a tender boat; but, assume these boats have excellent final stability. Beam seas tough?? Thoughts??

Refrigeration: A major luxury for us on a sailboat has been DC refrigeration. It seems that a popular option on these boats is a 12volt/110AC refrigerator. Is there a place to set up a larger battery house bank so these refrigerators can be used when anchored out? Can't imagine this working out without at least a 200 amp hour house bank.

Quality: My impression is that there is a very good build quality in these boats. Was impressed that the builder participates in the forum. Thoughts on quality? Are there any weak spots/problem areas I should look for if I look for a used boat in the brokerage market?

Any other ideas that I should be considering in making this big change?? Thanks.

 

[ron cowan]

Sailor,
Being a Ranger owner I lean toward the Ranger. It is a niche boat and your use is very important. It is a well built boat and is "cute" beyond words. It does exactly what it was designed to do and your use will determine if you can live with the speed and limited space available in a 21' boat. It is easy to live with a fuel burn of 1/3 gal. per hour and to be able to enjoy the trip. Being an inland waterway cruiser I can not speak to the sea handling and realize that I can quarter into large wakes and minimize the roll. The little pilothouse allow the wife to enjoy the cruise regardless of the weather.
I have all praise for the Ranger but if money is not an object a few other boats would be C-Dory, Rosborough (as mentioned), Eastern (lobster type), and Atlas (also lobster type). All of these would make great day boats at displacment or semi-displacment speeds.
As I have told others, go to the C-Brat web site and look under Forums for My Rangers All The Time. This will have a lot of great info. on Ranger tugs. There is more on 25's than 21's but good info. If you have specific questions please PM me on ask them on this site. I have found the folks at Ranger to be more than helpful with questions. This site is new and just building but can be a great help. Other boats were mentioned because you asked. The Ranger tugs will stand up against any of them if their design meets your intended use.
Ron

 

[j&lgray]

I'm looking over the shoulder of my close friend who owns (and loves) a Ranger 25. Make sure to include a Rosborough RF246 in your search. They are available used in your area if you don't want to go with new.

We often comment that if we want to go in a very pretty and comfy boat we play in his Ranger 25. If we want to go faster, in rougher weather, or go SCUBA diving we go in our Rossy which tends to be much more utilitarian.

Enjoy your hunt!

Norman
Sea Meadow RF 246
Borrowing Laurie Anns log in

 

[rt11002003]

Hi Sailor,

I'm also retired from sailing (after more than 40 years) due to a herniated disc in my cervical. We had owned a small trawler, an Albin 27 Aft Cabin, for the past couple of years, in addition to an S2 sailboat. We started looking at larger trawlers, 31 to 39 feet, but finally decided that we wanted a vessel that was trailerable. We'd like to expand our cruising grounds. Sold both of the boats, kept our kayaks.

I'm still unable to decide between the two Ranger Tugs, the R-25 or the R-21. We've seatrialed both on different occasions and on different waters. I've piloted both the 110 HP Yanmar R-25 and the 150 HP Cummins R-25. The smaller engine results in a somewhat slower boat, a couple of knots (?). The Cummins is slightly quieter. I'm a Yanmar fan, the extra speed isn't so important to me, so I'm likely to buy the Yanmar vessel, if I go with the R-25.

The R-25's handling reminds me of our Albin. The Albins are desended from North Sea boats and handle rough weather well. I piloted the Cummins R-25 in Rock Hall, MD on a day when it was so windy the harbormaster wouldn't let us go out into the open Bay. It was easy to handle in the sheltered harbor, tough to dock (even with two thrusters) because of the wind.

The R-21 reminds me a nimble, lightweight sailboat. Haven't had it in rough water, but did maneuver it thru the heaviest wakes I could generate, or find. The R-25 punches thru, the R-21 needs to be sailed (piloted) thru. I've always liked small, light sailboats in a big breeze, 15 to 25 knots, so the R-21 appeals to me. I have concerns about the low freeboard toward the middle of the boat. It also concerns me that the "self bailing" is one bilge pump. I'd add a second, high capacity pump.

I share your concerns about the electrical capacity of the R-21. It has a rather small battery charger, but a good sized alternator, I think it was 80 amp. I'd probably put in 6 volt golf cart batteries to increase capacity, if I could find enough room. I'd also consider a Honda genset and/or solar panels to help keep batteries up without running the main engine.

I ran the R-25 w/Yanmar at either 15 knots, or MPH (WOT), according to the GPS. I forgot to check the GPS setting. Didn't have the battery connected for the GPS in the R-21 and left our hand held Garmin in the car. I'd estimate close to 10 knots with the R-21; it was faster than our Albin. I've either seen or heard a top end of 12 knots for the R-21. I think that's stretching it.

Quality is good on the Rangers, both contruction and assembly. I'm more used to J Boats, Lindenbergs (semi custom) and S2s (Tiara), which I've recently owned. From all I'm able to observe the Ranger ranks with them. I think the quality is better than SeaRay and Albin. Very good quality for a production boat.

I favor a single inboard diesel engine in a boat with a keel or skeg that helps protect prop and rudder. I like the Rosbourgh boats, but they don't offer that. In addition I've learned to dislike I/O drives; the Rosbourgh diesel is I/O drive. But, these are personal things.

Please keep us posted on what you do. I'll make up my mind between the two boats, R-25 vs R-21 within the next week. After owning one for awhile I'll get back with more of my opinions.

Gene

 

[ron cowan]

Gene, As stated in an earlier post, You can't go wrong with the Ranger. Having taken both out You certainly see that the difference in the 21 and 25 is a lot more than the 4ft. length and increased beam. Your intended use such as time to be spent inside and the number of days to be out will speak loudly on which of these fills your bill. The 21 is very good as a day boat and can meet needs of slightly more time out but is not even in the league with the 25. The 25 fills the bill of a long time out but is not in the league with being nimble and easy to get around. The price difference is so great that it is hard to justify meeting needs that are not in your intended use but at the same time it would be a total disappointment to not be able to meet the needs in your use.
Good luck with your decision, having walked this road and not taking the time to really lay out my intended use has led me to understand how important this step is. After we get a boat our use will change but you can not be too careful in laying it out before the purchase is made. The 21 pulls and launches with ease and the 25 is in another league also.
Ron

 

[rustednail]

My observations of my R21EC:

The beam is narrow and will roll more then a wider beam boat will, however; when underway, she seems to stable right on out. Not steady, but drastically more stable. The feel in this boat is: It's the biggest little boat I have ever been in. My primary boating location is in the James River and lower Chesapeake Bay. The roughest water I've been in so far is about 2 foot white caps. While underway she took that waves better then my former 24 foot cuddy cabin. My course had me cruing into these waves about 20 degrees to starboard. I did stop and let her drift to take the waves abeam, she rolled quite a bit. Most land lubbers would have been uncomfortable. I should have made an about course to get a feel for what rear quarting waves felt like, but I was trying to get to the ramp before dark.

At WOT calm water and winds, I get somewhere between 10 and 11knots. I have seen 12.8kts on my GPS but that was with a tail current.

I have heard of some owners moving their batteries to under the rear seat all the way in the back, and I think the new boats delivered with airconditioning will have an extra battery pack located back there as well. Could be a vialbe option to extend the running time of your fridge.

Me and my wife have not stayed overnight in our tug, but plan on doing so this coming spring. I think it will be a great boat for an overnighter and maybe a weekender.

Sailor, Have you visited the folks over at Gratitude Marine in Rock Hall? They are good folk and I am sure they would take you on a test cruise.

 

[Tom Ray]

I've piloted both the 110 HP Yanmar R-25 and the 150 HP Cummins R-25. The smaller engine results in a somewhat slower boat, a couple of knots (?). The Cummins is slightly quieter. I'm a Yanmar fan, the extra speed isn't so important to me, so I'm likely to buy the Yanmar vessel, if I go with the R-25.

Gene, Ranger is coming out with the option of a Yanmar 150, so you can have the big engine AND have it be a Yanmar if you'd like.

 

[Stella Maris]

One question I have...... If people are buying a trawler, why do you need such a big motor to go fast with? Why not buy a Searay if speed is what you want. We like the slow leisurely pace of "trawling". Everything that I have read says, once you put that big motor in, you have to go fast or risk fouling the motor. Life is too short to be going so fast on the water. Slow down, enjoy the beauty around you. Burn less fuel, have more money to buy the additional toys for your boat.....