Thank you Ranger Tugs for the brilliant 21EC

[Fisho]

We have put on over 200 hours on our 21EC since buying it a few years old about a year ago. We live on the Far South Coast of NSW in Eastern Australia with access to great estuaries, some large beautiful fresh water lakes and some magic inshore coastal cruising. We have slept on it for about 20 nights at anchor to date, usually overnight with the longest being three nights but one week would be no problem. Importantly after owning several large game fishing boats, this is the first boat that my wife loves and is happy to sleep and cook on. We have done lots of modifications to make the boat more comfortable and easy to use. But the big plus is that the basic design of the 21EC for our purposes is almost perfect. The more we use it the more we appreciate the thought and attention to detail that has gone into the design of the boat. Also the support from Ranger Tugs (and Tugnuts) for someone who purchased a second hand boat is nothing short of amazing.Thank you Andrew!

The big plus for the 21EC being 2.1m wide is that in Australia it is the only boat that you can legally tow that has all the facilities to sleep on and cook etc. The maximum width for towing in Australia is 2.5m unless you get a special permit for each trip but the restrictions make it very difficult and not worth the effort. So for practical purposes the 21EC is the only Ranger Tug that can easily be towed in Australia. All other models being over 2.5m wide would generally be moored. To my knowledge there is no other make of boat available in Australia that is less than 2.5m wide that you can comfortably live on - meaning it can be easily towed.

The other benefit with the 21EC is that the combined weight of the boat and trailer is less than 2000kgs meaning you can have a trailer that does not require breakaway electric brakes on both axles - a huge plus for cost and ongoing maintenace. So my trailer has standard cable disk brakes on one axle only. The end result is the 21EC is easy to tow, maintain and easy to launch and retrieve.

So again I want to thank Ranger Tugs for producing a brilliant boat that for us is perfect for my wife and I who are both over 70. I hope in the years ahead Ranger Tugs will again manufacture the 21EC or an updated version.

 

[Shangie]

Thank you for the inspirational post. We are just packing up our R 21 and towing up to Oak Harbor to go exploring for two days. Love the portability of this wee boat in the PNW. Also love the low maintenance thus far. We have owned bigger boats and I just like the feel that this one is not a big deal to get ready for an overnighter because there simply is no space to fill with all the things I thought I needed to bring along to have an enjoyable weekend. I used to backpack most weekends in summer and carried everything I needed on my back. Now we RV and bring the kitchen sink and it is way more work with far less nature. I feel closer to nature in this boat than our larger ones. I did wonder how we would cope as we got older but was thrilled when you mentioned being in your seventies and enjoying overnighters. Thank you for that. I don't know if this is our last boat. I suppose health and other considerations can come into play when choosing a boat. Not being able to overnight with the grandkids is one thought that comes to mind but then again, they grow up and away, as they should so we are trying not to make decisions based on what we might do a couple weekends a year versus many, many weekends. So who knows but for now we are loving our boat just as you are.

 

[Capt’nKarl]

The first mate and I want to commend y’all as well. We’ve had our 21EC about six years now and enjoy her more than ever. Today I completed her yearly oil change and I’m starting on the polish and bright work tomorrow in preparation for our many summer trips. We towed her from Pensacola to Key West last year for a few weeks and had a blast. As you mentioned having the capability of taking her where other boats can’t go into shallow coves and deserted beaches has its advantages. Simplicity, efficiency, portability and comfort are the greatest attributes of this wonderful craft. We plan to continue our excursions and enjoy her for another 6 years.
Cheers,
Karl and Sara