Rough weather conditions

[WDTHOMAS]

Getting closer to retirement and have had my eye on Fluid Motion boats for 10 years or so. They keep getting bigger and better!
Have been a boater for 50 plus years . 15 years of it on the Great Lakes.

Believe I have finally narrowed my retirement boat for the purpose of exploring all the Great Lakes at a leisurely pace,( maybe the great Loop as well). Leaning towards a Cutwater 28 as it seems to have some nice big boat capabilities and comfort as well as the potential to put on a trailer ,(without permit hassles) and get out into some of those beautiful Canadian Lakes,(Lake of the woods , Lake Winnipeg, etc.) . Wonder if anyone has had experience with the Cutwater 28 in rough conditions. The Ranger 29 would also be a good choice,( more complicated on the trailering side).

Anyone care to compare these two boats when the weather gets snotty?

Thanks,
Bill T.

 

[Spinner]

I can tell you that the 29 Ranger Tug can handle greater than 7 foot, steep, confused waves, with wind and tide opposing, in a 44 knot gale ...(don't ask!).
Upwind, downwind and quartering up and down. No beam seas at that size. Boat did well, skipper (me) was worried....was able to keep her heading (no auto pilot under those conditions), and turned fast enough to avoid being beam-on.

Having the 10 foot width helped with handling rough conditions, I think.

 

[WDTHOMAS]

Thanks Sue, I agree on the 10 ft.beam advantage...helps in a lot of dif. weather conditions , plus at the dock/anchor stability.
Just a pain on the trailering side !

 

[pleeson]

I think, like most Fluid Motion boats, the CW 28 is more capable than the occupants are likely to be. Waiting out the winter storm warnings on the west coast I finally got tired of the lost days and went for a several mile exposed crossing. Large quartering seas, breaking spray over the entire boat, windshield wipers gallantly trying to deal with it all on high speed, and my wife covering on the floor at the top of the steps down to the Vee Berth. The fact that we haven't repeated the process is all about my wife and not the boat. Very capable, and tres stable for only 8.5 foot beam. We cruise for sometimes two weeks between stops - great boat.

 

[nzfisher]

Although my boat is smaller than what you are looking at, the biggest issue is getting caught where you take a wave that puts a lot of water in the cockpit. My boat (r25sc) will handle pretty much everything else although I have never been caught in 45 knot winds to test this- and hope I never will. Big following seas are orifice clenchers however. If you are cautious about weather the boat is nothing but fun.

 

[Hydraulicjump]

You will see this quote on this site a lot: "the boat can take more than you can." Having tested our little boat (r-27), we have yet to get to that trade-off point where we can't take it. But we have had green water over the top with kayaks trying to break loose and a cockpit with scuppers that cannot drain fast enough. Still, the designers thought this through, and the boat is very durable and its dynamic and static stability is surprisingly high for a skinny boat with a little bitty keel. And our "test" came from the other great adage: "the most dangerous thing on a boat is a schedule." Not to be repeated, thank you very much.

The Cutwater and the Ranger line can take a beating. You may never need it--indeed, you should avoid it-- but it is good to know you have it.

Jeff

 

[aussie]

We have been out in nice big waves and swells here on the West coast (WA) Western Australia waves crashing over our R27 and had no problems of feeling unsafe the boat handled like a dream even when we had to change coarse/direction.
And no breaching either when a following swell 🙂
Cheers
Peter n Ronie B

 

[kskogerson]

Can't speak to the Cutwater, but my Ranger has been in some rough seas off the coast of California and would agree with what was said above. It has a nice big beam and alot of freeboard.
As far as trailering....what problem? Get a BIG truck and there are no issues. I have hauled my 29 from the factory to the west coast to the delta and back many times....never had an issue. We live in Nevada and don't get to go to the coast as much as I like, so the boat is currently for sale. Check it out on the forum, only 85 hours on the Volvo.
Kent

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Although we do not have a Cutwater our R27 handles the water very well. We've been in the Lake Michigan rough chop as this is our home cruising area and feel our boat is does better then other larger boats we've had. We've also experienced the Georgian Straights larger more well rounded waves and although we were not comfortable our boat handled things very well. For a true comparison I know there are many Tugnutters who have had the 8 1/2' beam on an R27 and now have the 10' beam on an R29 or R31, this is who needs to really answer your question as they have first hand experience with both widths. I'm sure there may be a few Cutwater owners who have upsized, what say you?

Jim

 

[CAPTCRUNCH]

I've had my R-27 for about a year and never left Chesapeake Bay, but I'm planning some trips that involve brief (12-hour) ocean passages. After 60 years of ocean sailing, two concerns came to mind the first time I looked at the tug: what happens to our buoyancy/handling when that big cockpit with so little drainage fills with water if a wave breaks into it; and can all that glass take a seawater beating? I'd like to hear about any R-27 experiences with these or other offshore situations. By the way, I wonder if my cockpit worry could be addressed by simply leaving the "back door" in the transom open.

 

[knotflying]

I've had my R-27 for about a year and never left Chesapeake Bay, but I'm planning some trips that involve brief (12-hour) ocean passages. After 60 years of ocean sailing, two concerns came to mind the first time I looked at the tug: what happens to our buoyancy/handling when that big cockpit with so little drainage fills with water if a wave breaks into it; and can all that glass take a seawater beating? I'd like to hear about any R-27 experiences with these or other offshore situations. By the way, I wonder if my cockpit worry could be addressed by simply leaving the "back door" in the transom open.

If you leave the back door open isn't that a double edged sword? It may let the water out, but it may let more water in. I also took out all of the grills in the cockpit drains. It allows the water to pass through much quicker and not clog up with small debris. In 4 years I have not had an issue with the drains clogging because I removed the grills. I di regular flushing with a hose to make sure things are clear and drain. Better drainage is an improvement Ranger should consider.

As far as handling rough seas, we were is some seven footers with our R-27. As they say, the boat did better than us. There have been a few stories about rough seas and all did well, but would avoid the uncomfortable ride again.

 

[Levitation]

Another testimonial for the skinny tug. I have posted the story before so I won't bore the list (again) by repeating it.
I will repeat the old adage that your boat (tug or cutter) can take more than you can.

 

[Lone Star Ranger]

Out on the Chesapeake Bay, we tell folks that the boats handle the bay better than the owners. 3-5 foot waves may not seem like a big deal to some, but when the wavelength is closer together, they can rock your boat as if you are a castmember of the "Deadliest Catch", it's not fun. So I also tell folks that we have to monitor weather reports and small craft advisories. There is a fine line between "This is fun!!!" to " What were we thinking?!?!". :lol:

 

[Dale777]

Bill T.,

Previously, I had an R27 (8-1/2 foot beam) which handled rough conditions well. However, we now have an R31 (10 foot beam) which I can say handles similar rough conditions much better. I would guess the improvement is partially due to the significantly increased weight of the R31 and partially due to the added beam; maybe the added length helps also. The R31 seems to plow through rough conditions much better, rather than bouncing around quite so much as the R27.

However, we have never felt unsafe in either boat.