Seeking Advice - Living on R29 for Six -Eight Weeks

[dfogal]

Hi Everyone:

Our summer trip this year will be a long one. We will go from near Detroit on the Detroit River, down along Lake Erie, through the Erie Canal, up to Oswego, across Lake Ontario and up the Rideau Canal to Ottawa. We will likely come back along the Trent-Severn.

Do you have advice for making the R29 more liveable? We have gathered up several suggestions already:
- Thule on the roof for extra storage of lawn chairs and life jackets
- Tribraid cord for drying clothes and towels
- Many safety suggestions (TowUS, Garmin inReach, EPIRB)
- Cellular data plans

What suggestions would you have to manage storage, improve comfort and help with the ‘spousal approval’ factor? I got pushback on going up to the North Channel for six weeks because of the liveability factor. So we will stay close to civilization.

Thanks!

Daryll
‘As You Wish’
2015 Ranger Tug 29S

 

[S. Todd]

We spent 4 weeks last summer going to and from the North Channel from Grand Traverse Bay. If we had not had obligations back at home, we could have stayed another 4 weeks on our R29-S and been happy. Everyone has their own ideas of a good time so what we do may not work for you.
Take a good book or more for the bad weather days.
Don't have a schedule, beyond some general goals. The weather can dictate when and where you go.
Mix up whether you eat on the boat or eat out - enjoy the local people and fare.
Visit with your neighbors - we met some great people along the way and still communicate with some of them.
Don't put your Life jackets up on the roof in a box - if you need them, you want them handy.
Take along some toys - inflatable standup paddle boards are our choice. Bike expands the exercise options and gets you out into the county for a change of pace (especially if weathered in due to wave heights on the water).
Don't worry about taking everything you need in the way of food or drink. You are not going into the wilderness, and you can find plenty of places to restock. Laundry facilities are also frequently available (laundry soap pods travel well and are far less expensive than buying soap from a laundry).
Take a good pair of your favorite walking shoes. You don't need to stay on the boat the whole time.
If you take along a labradoodle and a golden doodle you will find the floor space of the boat a little cramped, but you will get to use those walking shoes for miles a day and meet even more interesting people.
Don't fret the small stuff and enjoy the fresh air and the freedom to stay or go every day.

 

[Bosn Mate]

Daryll:

My wife and I have lived on our R29 on several cruises lasting 60-90 days with no problems but....it has been a continual process over 5 years to get there.

At the beginning of each season, we start with a blank list and as things arise, we write them down. Then at the end of the season, we review and select the high priority ones for completion before the next season. At first, there was lots of safety items and a few comfort but now its more livability/comfort.

Here are a some of the things we did:

* Installed 3 fans to improve air circulation.
* Bought a Blueair air purifier to cut down on the dust in the cabin.
* Created inside hatch covers (I sew canvas on a Sailrite) to cut down on the heat.
* Eliminated the propane stove and converted the space to storage. We do have a propane BBQ grill. We replaced the propane with an induction cooktop which our house batteries can easily accommodate while at anchor.
* Many mods to access storage under the bed; see recent post. In addition, we invested in a Yachtbedding mattress topper; big $$ but worth it.
* Bought an Engel refrigerator and placed under the messdeck table. This was huge for us as it feels like home when we can cook and have the ability to bring extra provisions.
* We bring our IPADs and display Netflix, YoutubeTV, etc. on the tvs.

The big project this season is a cockpit enclosure which will add some additional space.

Hope this helps!

Mike

 

[dfogal]

Thanks for the great advice.

Don't put your Life jackets up on the roof in a box - if you need them, you want them handy.

Safety advice is always welcome!!

We have our two main life vests with us in the cabin. We have kids and grandkids and keep theirs in the Thule when they are not on board. I was actually thinking of putting them in the garage for the summer trip. If the kids join us - we can ask them to pick them up from the garage.

 

[dfogal]

Hi Mike:

Thanks for the great suggestions. We have a few of them done but I was curious about these two.

* Eliminated the propane stove and converted the space to storage. We do have a propane BBQ grill. We replaced the propane with an induction cooktop which our house batteries can easily accommodate while at anchor.

* Bought an Engel refrigerator and placed under the messdeck table. This was huge for us as it feels like home when we can cook and have the ability to bring extra provisions.

Do you have pictures for the stove replacement? We were thinking of something similar - use the space for a couple cooking appliances and an induction cooktop.

Do you have the model number for the Fridge? I think making the whole galley a bit more homey might be the ticket!

 

[scross]

The contact info for a good divorce attorney?
Seriously though, we love our portable cockpit freezer. Stores about 2 weeks worth of protein and frozen veggies. Makes enough ice to keep all beverages cold 24X7. We removed a Scotty Downrigger socket and put in a cigarette plug in its place. Easily reversible if necessary. We went with an Iceco 45 quart but there are other well reviewed brands like Dometic and Engle as well.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

internet connectivity was a hard requirement for sustainable living on the boat (we did 12 months on our cutwater when we were between houses)

outside of that, limit yourself to a carryon size of clothes each (but lose the hard cases 🙂 ) you really don't need much
food provision on a 2-3 day timeline.
we cooked a lot on the BBQ and simple meals like oatmeal in the microwave - with dinners or a lunch out.

the hardest item for us was lounging space as the interior chairs are not comfortable for long periods. outside reclinable sun chairs are important for the cockpit - especially if you have enclosure for all weather.

marina selection with nice shower blocks and laundry make it incredibly more manageable and nicer.

love the idea of bikes or electric scooters but space and weight are an issue. renting lime bikes or equivalent in cities can give you freedom without the weight and space taken on board. Uber is your friend.

honestly you really don't need much.

 

[Mastercraft]

Systematically organize everything so that you can find stuff. Have a system where you know where everything is, from tools, boat parts, cooking supplies, toothpaste, towels, etc. It will keep you from going crazy looking for stuff.

 

[CaspersCruiser]

Here are my suggestions from five seasons of cruising experience on my 2012 R27 Classic.

Get the boat organized and keep it that way. Have a place for everything and keep everything in its place.

Pack clothes for seven days. As S. Todd wrote, you're not going to be in the wilderness. There are laundry facilities at many marinas. Take 3-4 rolls of quarters and plenty of laundry pods and fabric softener sheets.

I will provide a counter to the suggestion of removing the propane stove/oven. We eat well on our boat. We use both stove and oven all the time. We cook modest meals on the stove and there's nothing better than warm break and bake cookies for an evening snack. We also have a grill, but sometimes wind makes it untenable to use.

When you provision the boat, remove as much packaging from the food as possible to reduce the trash generated on the boat. Don't use paper plates and plastic cups and utensils.

Make sure your sleeping quarters are comfortable.

Have entertainment. Books, magazines, DVD movies, music.

Have a complete first aid kit, bug spray, over the counter medications for headache, pain, stomach issues.

Do not avoid the North Channel. There are tons of nice anchorages, but all kinds of civilization: Little Current, Blind River, Thessalon, Gore Bay, Meldrum Bay in Canada and DeTour Village in the U.S.

And #1- Happy wife, happy life!

 

[dfogal]

. We also have a grill, but sometimes wind makes it untenable to use.

I thought this was just my Magma grill. I was planning on taking it apart us cleaning the propane burner. I figured that after a long day I could BBQ and we could eat - but so far the BBQ has been a miserable failure.

Thoughts? And thanks for the advice. I’m taking all this onboard.

Daryll.

 

[CaspersCruiser]

I thought this was just my Magma grill. I was planning on taking it apart us cleaning the propane burner. I figured that after a long day I could BBQ and we could eat - but so far the BBQ has been a miserable failure.

Cleaning the burner can never hurt, but my experience with grilling in the cockpit is that wind will make it a challenge.

For meals after a long day, we have easy to prepare items on the boat-- frozen vacuum sealed meals made at home before the cruise, brats, pasta, soup. We have a 22qt Engel freezer on our boat in which we keep the frozen meals from home, meatballs, homemade soups, French fries. We use the oven to make garlic bread and French fries.

Before you take your long trip, make some meals and eat them onboard. Get your system down.

 

[Texas Tuggernaut]

I upgraded the regulator on our Magma grill to the High Output model. It puts out a lot more heat and stays lit better in windy conditions. I also have a hose that connects it to one of the 5lb propane tanks in the propane locker so I don’t have to carry the little green bottles. Worthy upgrades.


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[Submariner]

We lived on an RT27-OB for 55 days. 3 adults, 3 dogs, 2,600 miles, on our trip to SE Alaska.

We just brought extra clothes and stopped for food at the grocery store about every week. We've had many folks tell us our boat's too small, how did we do it? do we still get a long as a couple? We don't understand any of that. The boat is plenty big enough for long cruising.

Modification I've made to the boat, not really specific for the trip... more specific for the boat in general, as we spend a lot of time on the boat.
Internet (Cellular and Starlink for those times we're away from cellular service).
LFP conversion (so we get hot water on a boat with an outboard engine).
Solar (400 watts) so we can anchor more often.
Mattress foam topper for a comfortable nights sleep.

 

[dfogal]

Thanks for all the kind suggestions and inputs. We are stealing liberally and learned quite a few things!

 

[EasyE]

We were out for 9 weeks last summer on our R-29 going up to the Broughtons and back. Just chiming in on items we found useful.

Mattress topper: Definitely worth it.

A working watermaker would be nice once you get that remote. We carried extra water.

Cell service was good a lot of the way, and completely not there in places. Starlink is nice. Starlink on a friend's boat is nicer. We did get a Garmin InReach for emergency situations, WhatsApp is better for text messaging when cell service is spotty.

We resupplied with fresh food as often as we could. for longer stretches we had canned and frozen and freeze dried meals. but it's really about the creativity. catching a fish or crabs helps.

Solar is essential, power management is a thing to get good at.

I had no problems grilling on my magma grill, but I did replace the burners and such before I left, so it was pretty much a new grill.

Trash management is an issue. Definitely want to reduce unnecessary packaging. I had a couple of plastic bins strapped to the front deck.

We carry kayaks and an inflatable sup to get out and about, also hiking boots and bear spray. and we have a couple of comfortable folding chairs that we use in the cockpit.

I had a cheap freezer from Amazon that fit into the lazarette. It stopped working after about a week, and draws a lot of power for being so small. Basically just used a cooler with ice for beer, etc.

It helps to have an easygoing wife.