Suggested Improvements from a Prospective 29CB or 31CB buyer

[Spraggini]

Hi!
My husband and I are strongly considering the purchase of a new or late model 29CB or 31CB. We have studied the boats pretty carefully, in person and online. One big hesitation we have is the lack of an inviting group seating and lounging area anywhere on the boats.

In the cockpit there are two problems. One is that the benches are at different heights - the transom bench is higher than the port and starboard bench. And on the 29, the convertible indoor/outdoor seat is even higher. This is awkward for dining and conversation. We'd like to see at least the three cockpit benches on the same level.

On the 31 the flip out hull benches seem to be too far away to use the dining table. So it seems awkward if you are dining for 4 at the table.

Another problem in the cockpit is that the seats are not contiguous and they are all narrow - none of them are long enough for lounging or putting your feet up. We want to put our feet up without getting into bed! We would love to see a larger L-shaped connected seating area, or even better, a U-shaped seating area in the cockpit that fills the entire cockpit.

In the salon/cabin, there is a similar problem with nowhere to lounge or put your feet up - unless you want to turn the table into the bed configuration. What we would like to see is to have the bed filler piece come in two sections, so that with one section installed against the outside hull, you'd have a small U-shaped seating area, without the table in place. It would provide a new option to the configuration - lounging. So you could set it up to either dine, lounge, or sleep.

On the command bridges the opposing seating around a dining table is kind of awkward. Again, we'd like to see a seat configuration for lounging and conversing. We don't always want to sit at a dining table up there - we want to have a comfortable seating area, perhaps with a table at coffee height. For us, comfortable seating is more important than a dining height table.

Anyone else have comments about these design suggestions? Or other ideas for improvements?

We love these boats and Ranger Tugs has so many clever designs built in, I am sure they could figure out how to improve the seating areas.

Jodi

 

[Beardco]

I've ordered an R-31CB, to be delivered in February.

I had a very different take on the layout of these boats. I was impressed with the amount of equipment and usability puzzled into the available space. I lived in a Sprinter van RV for three years traveling the U.S. and Europe, and I was appreciative of having a shower, toilet, microwave, stove, king size bed, all in a vehicle that fit in a standard parking space.

When I look at other boat builders' products, I see them simply accommodating the appearance of space or the ability to lounge. When actually living on this boat (because a trip to Alaska would mean just that), I need a refrigerator, stove, etc... and I'm willing to convert the dinette to a bed to have all that. Your suggestion for a two-piece cushion leaves me with the problem of still having the table across the entire space, and making the other half unusable.

I looked at your suggestion of a wrap around seat in the cockpit. That would be workable but, it would mean compromising access to one side of the stern. And then you're talking about a more purpose built product instead of one built to satisfy all needs.

If I lay out everything that Ranger has included in a 10 foot beam, and try to incorporate your ideas, I lose equipment. So, your suggestions would be interesting in an actual diagram. Or, you could look at the R-41. It has a layout that better fits what you're looking for.

I'd like to know what boat you end up with, even if it's not a Ranger.

 

[FreeSoup]

Some good assessments, there are definitely trade-offs made, but all to fit all the features of a much bigger boat into a trailerable package. Better lounge area is tough at 10' beam, but also with the 2nd cabin which is great to have. Love the huge cockpit, and we have two folding chairs that allow you to sit at the table with 4, or take up to the CB (our '13 doesn't have the extra seating up there, but we are in the process of re-locating the solar panel to have more room, and light/air in the kitchen hatch. Being able to flip the CB seat to face back would be nice, on our longer-term potential list. Good luck!

 

[bill46]

We love our 31. The Helm door is great, makes it possible to single hand it.
Cockpit table was too small, bought a folding one from IKEA.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/aepplaroe- ... d-30419794.
We can get 8 in cockpit, 2 each seat, 2 on steps.
It works well. We have a 2014 so no CB table or 2nd seat, so do not congregate up there.
Look at our pictures, I show many little improvements.
Need 3-4" foam for bed, and move TV up higher.
Added a second clothes rod at rear of cave behind AC panel.
Made matching curtains for windshield.

 

[Haifisch]

With just a 10' beam, gathering a group of more than four around the table is not practical. The fold out seats on the 31 are great for just hanging out with 6 or so people. We use some nice higher end folding chairs to gather 4 around the table. They have a recline feature.

Kicking up your feet on an RT of any size is a lacking feature. With our two folding chairs which do recline a bit, we face aft and use the seat there to kick back.

 

[Sharron]

We are 6 months into owning a 2015 Cutwater 30 CB. I too miss the lounging aspects of our previous, larger boat. We often sit across from each other at the dinette with our backs against pillows propped on the exterior wall, legs out. We watch shows & sports on a laptop set up on the opposite end of the table. More relaxed than sitting together on one side of the table looking up at the salon TV.

We tried watching TV sitting on the bed with backs against the bow wall. With pillow, it was comfortable but that TV does not have an HDMI jack that's accessible for our Roku so we can stream our shows. We do not have a collection of DVDs nor do we want them taking up limited storage onboard. Has anyone figured out a way to stream on the cabin TV? Is it casting? If so, I don't know how and would appreciate directions.

About the cockpit and those flip out seats. When docked you can only use one of them. Also, they cannot be used when underway. Now, after 6 months, what looked like a great feature isn't, and I wish we had fold down seats on both sides like some models. This would also expand the area where someone can step when coming aboard. With covers over the flip out seats, no one can see the "not a step" warning. Can be a problem if a workman is getting on when we are not there.

In the command bridge, the forward seat when reversed is too far away from the table for comfortable dining. It's still good seating for conversation among 4 people.

We love our boat and how easy it is to cruise and dock. The multipurpose features much like a tiny house on land are what convinced us to go this route. Really happy we have the flybridge. Glad we are no longer on the bigger boat. And check out Yacht Bedding for a great 3-4 inch mattress topper and pad. You won't regret it.

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

Drinks 6, Eats 4, Sleeps 2 holds true for the Cutwater and Ranger Tugs line on boats.

 

[dclagett]

I have to agree with Bob except IMO for RTs under 29’ it is drinks 4, eats 2 and sleeps 2. Having had 9 boats over 60+ years from runabouts to motor yacht, every boat was a compromise. I personally look at the Ranger line of boats designed for a cruising couple, not a party boat. Fluid Motion has done an excellent job of designing space and packing systems necessary for serious cruising into a small format. Maybe in the future FM will go to a format such as you can get with Sea Ray’s, etc.

 

[SJI Sailor]

Agree with 6 for drinks, 4 to eat, and 2 (maybe 3) to sleep, on a C30. As for the cockpit seating and table, we carry 2 West Marine folding directors chairs. They are much more comfortable and versatile in the cockpit and make it easy to configure around the table. They are better even when it's just 2 of us, for dining as well as reading and hanging out.

 

[FWTMD]

The one thing Fluid cannot do is manufacture more space inside the trailerable dimensions. Those are hard points designed into. The 41 breaks free from that limitation, but the rest are designed into max trailerable specs.

So then it becomes what would you give up, to get what you want? Willing to give up the cave berth for a better settee? Willing to give up cockpit space to get more cabin space? Or give up cabin space for more cockpit space?

Some boats give up the port side second mate seat, and run cabinets / galley into that space, to get more settee space.

Are you willing to give up the trailer capability? If so, then designs are free from that restriction. You have the Swift Trawler whose smallest is 35, or Helmsman 31. In both cases you have a small cockpit, larger cabin, and the primary outdoor living space is up top in more expansive flybridges built on the larger roof over the larger cabin that results from the smaller cockpit. But don't even think about trailering, because its not remotely possible.

Or check out Jenneau. Nimbus has some of what you want in 33 ft, but personally I am not fond of some of the tradeoffs. The Nordic 26 is less boat, and Nordic 34 has more and is more in a bigger boat, so neither are fair comparisons, but different to cast an eye on. The smallest American Tug is a 36.

No free lunch with space utilization. Apart from minor tweeks, I am doubtful you can do more inside of 30 ft. A design philosophy (like the Fluid trailerable philosophy) either works for you, or not. That doesn't make a boat good or bad. Just a case of whether it is the right basket of pros and cons for YOU.

 

[FlyMeAway]

I see your current boat is a Jeanneau 42. As an former (and probably future) cruising sailor (and former liveaboard), I can tell you that you have to adjust your expectations when switching to power. Until you get into multi-deck megayachts, a sailboat is nearly always going to have more (and probably better designed) living, socializing, storage, and sleeping space than a powerboat of the same LOA. To get what you're used to in your 42' sailboat, you might have to move up to a 50'+ power boat. My Ranger Tug 31-CB (35' LOA) has significantly less space than the the Catalina 36 I used to own.

It's a trade off!

 

[willer]

Has anyone figured out a way to stream on the cabin TV? Is it casting? If so, I don't know how and would appreciate directions.

This was quite easy for me, first try, perhaps because we’re AppleTV based? I just stuck an AppleTV on the back of the tv with gorilla tape and used a short HDMI cable to connect to the tv. The AppleTV can stream from any service I can think of.

 

[RJM1953]

This is an interesting thread for sure. I think the important thing to remember is that EVERY boat is a compromise in some way. We view a potential purchase not just with an objective eye but also a subjective eye as well. When my late wife and I purchased our Albin 43' trawler in the mid 1980's, a Ranger Tug would not have ever showed up on our 'radar' as a potential candidate to purchase. But as I muddled through the journey we call life, my priorities changed, hence my recent purchase of a new R-31 CB. As FWTMD suggested in his post, Fluid Motion cannot manufacture more space in the trailerable dimensions of these boats. But for me personally, I think they did an incredible job at providing the many amenities that I was looking for in a smaller package for a boat of this size. If I had a choice, I would have eliminated the extra cabin and have provided more space in the salon/settee area. But I did not have that choice and will live with an extra cabin that I probably will seldom use. So be it, as everything is a trade-off or compromise if you will. However, the Ranger had more than enough features that I was looking for and won out over other boats that I seriously considered. Again, piggy-backing on FWTMD's post, I looked at the Beneteau Swift Trawler and although I thought it was a good boat, the interior cabin left me feeling cold; a subjective decision. While the Nordic Tug 32' is a great boat as well, I didn't like the fact that you had to step down from the cockpit into the salon. I did not like the sight lines when sitting in the salon. Another subjective decision. I did really like the American Tug 36, but when I configured the boat the way I wanted it including a bridge deck and other items that were standard on the Ranger, it was more money than I was willing to spend. A great boat for sure, but I passed on it for subjective reasons. So in the end the Ranger won out for a variety of reasons; a comprehensive list of FACTORY installed features like bow and stern thrusters, an excellent Garmin electronics package, generator, air conditioning, a huge cockpit for a vessel this size, and for me, a bridge deck. Again, both objective and subjective decisions.

 

[Kaptajnen]

This is a response to Sharron’s request in a post above

Add A Chromecast “Dongle” to Watch Netflix
Postby Kaptajnen on Mon Apr 08, 2019 5:59 pm

Adding a Chromecast Dongle to the Jensen Display gives us the ability to stream anything from our iPad (Netflix/Photos/Videos etc. etc.) and view it on the screen in the main cabin. Added to that, instead of the rather puny sound from the display, the sound track from Netflix is also sent via Bluetooth to the Fusion system.

We get the Netflix stream from a “hot spot” fed by our wifi. Your iPad or other device must be set to have Bluetooth enabled.

I have uploaded a screenshot of the installation to my photo album.

 

[Spraggini]

My suggestion is not focused on a desire to accommodate more people. I just want more comfortable seating & lounging for my husband and me. Knowing Ranger Tugs’ design ingenuity, I think it could be accommodated within the size constraints of the 29 or 31.

 

[Matty]

I think the answer to that is no. It is just not what the company is trying to be. Others can tell me i am wrong but the way I see it the Ranger Tug is a pacific northwest fishing/cruising boat that is trying to offer a few accommodations to to the wider market such as the east coast. For me that works just fine. For others looking for more room and comforts they may need to look at a different manufacturer which is perfectly ok as there are many out there. One thing that seems to be true for sure is ranger tugs is not about customizations options. Again, that is OK with me but might not work for others. I believe price will change upward for that to be true. To each his own.

 

[Sharron]

This is a response to Sharron’s request in a post above

Add A Chromecast “Dongle” to Watch Netflix
Postby Kaptajnen on Mon Apr 08, 2019 5:59 pm

Adding a Chromecast Dongle to the Jensen Display gives us the ability to stream anything from our iPad (Netflix/Photos/Videos etc. etc.) and view it on the screen in the main cabin. Added to that, instead of the rather puny sound from the display, the sound track from Netflix is also sent via Bluetooth to the Fusion system.

We get the Netflix stream from a “hot spot” fed by our wifi. Your iPad or other device must be set to have Bluetooth enabled.

I have uploaded a screenshot of the installation to my photo album.

Thank you for the reply. I checked the album but can't figure out which picture. Where will I plug in the Chromecast if I cannot access the HDMI without unmounting the cabin TV?

 

[Sandro]

I know I am replying to an old post here.. but I took delivery of an r29cb in June 2021. In our first season we found that the boat is an incredible confutable place to be. In fact with guests on board the hours literally just fade away. The cockpit is the place to be. Yes, you can lounge with feet up.. back to the transom feet to the bow. Both port and starboard side. No need for extra chairs (I bought them and never used them). We have had 4, 6 even 10 out on afternoon cruises.. some hanging in Cockpit. Some up on the CB. Some swimming off the platform. When it’s just me and my wife the cockpit is great. I have my seat. Legs up. Port side flip down. My drink. Music. Some apps on the table. I get bored with that I go starboard side. Same set up. Bored with that I flip the transom seat and face the sunset. Bored with that I go up on the CB. Flip the seat and face port, back against the rail. Really, All good. Guests always think they are in heaven. Which is actually pretty weird as it’s really just an affordable, 30 foot boat. But it has this weird vibe that just feels right.

(Btw. I am a life long sailor and, yes, I do miss the dead quiet when underway)