Using an R-23 throughout the Winter?!

[meniku]

Hello everyone!

I have been enjoying the forum for a while, but now have a specific area that I would like to seek help from those of you who may have experience of.

My situation is fairly unique. I am looking to move to Nova Scotia, Canada some time late next year.

I will be living on a small private coastal island that is around 1km offshore from the mainland on the Eastern Shore.

I have set my heart on getting a Ranger Tug R-23!

Given that I will be living on the island all year around, I will need to use it pretty much every day.

It seems most people “winterize” their boats and store them away over the winter, however this obviously won’t work for me.

So I need advice on whether an R-23 would be suitable.

I have also already asked the local residents and have been told that the water between the mainland and island has not frozen for over a decade.

I will look at installing some form of heating in the R-23 and I have also read some techniques such as bubble de-icing devices for docks etc.

So does anyone on the forum use a Ranger Tug in more northern, colder climates throughout the winter?

Thank you in advance!

Cheers Matthew.

 

[knotflying]

My only concern would be protecting the engine from the residual water freezing. I would probably pump RV antifreeze into the static flush and then keep the lower unit submerged in the water. I would also put some antifreeze in the bilge area. Quite frankly I would speak to some of the locals and ask them what they do.

 

[BB marine]

I'm going to throw an opinion out that many may disagree with. The R23 is a real nice boat. It has great lines with nice interior amenities. The exterior Gel coat, stainless, and other exterior finishes hold up ok with continual weekly and seasonal maintenance. Washing, rinsing, flushing with freshwater. The deck drains are marginal at best with normal seasonal use but under the weather conditions you will be experiencing in Nova Scotia marginal will become non existent. Ranger Tugs do not have a true self bailing cockpit. The cockpit drains rely on hatch troughs that drain to drain hoses and then over board. They work but require cleaning and flushing to keep them working. Some of the amenities equipped in the boat, Head, water, shower will not be usable for 8 months a year unless you plan on winterizing after each use. Heating the cabin will be possible but I would suspect a great deal of condensation especially if it is not on all the time. The boats are not isolated and have a lot of nooks and crannies that'll pocket cold air. I personally would not want to purchase a pretty boat like a R23 and use it for a daily commuter. It would not be pretty very long. I personally would want a small pilot house work boat with a diesel close cooling, with easy to drain raw water cooling ( good accessibility) equipped with a bus heater. All white Gelcoat, minimal accessories mounted to the exterior, true self bailing cockpit with sealed deck hatches. You would be better suited to get a boat as maintenance free as possible to protect your investment. I suggest you read the issues that R23 owners ask about here on TugNuts, battery discharge, bilge pump failures, engine brackets holding water, deck drains not properly draining...... All normal issues for the occasional boater and all easily repaired. I would not want to be dealing with these problems in January in Nova Scotia. Your use requires a simple design, heavy duty hull with the basics for trouble free commuting. The R23 would be a beautiful boat in Nova Scotia for summer boating. My opinion

The work boat pilot house design with an outboard would work also if the boat is equipped with a diesel heater. The disadvantage is the outboard would require more frequent haul outs for maintenance if you require the use of the boat everyday.

 

[jagizzi]

There is no coolant in the outboard, and there would be no residual water if you left the unit down in the water. In those climes I would leave the motor down. The water intakes allow rain to intrude into the lower unit if the motor is raised, and then a freezing event would possibly do some damage. Talk with some fishermen up there and see what they do.

You would certainly have to winterize the water system and the head. The rest of the issues would be with the boat and the water conditions but that is a personal decision that we all have to make.

Good luck.

 

[daviddri]

Hi Matthew - congrats on your impending move to Nova Scotia. I used to live in the Dartmouth/Halifax area and dearly love the province. The Eastern Shore is one of my favorite places in the world. I have an R29 and kept it in the water in the Chesapeake Bay (Annapolis, MD) all winter and while i didn't use it frequently, I did use it on occasion throughout the winter. Key for me were keeping it at a marina where they keep it ice-free (Chesapeake and inlets freeze in my area about every 3-4 years) using ice eaters and then installing an engine compartment heater and two marine cabin heaters. I also installed a remote monitoring system where I could monitor on board temperatures from my cell phone, as well as shore power as obviously a loss of shore power could be catastrophic if it happened during a deep freeze and was left unaddressed.

 

[meniku]

Thank you all for your replies! I must admit I feel a little deflated.

I have a limited budget for a boat and had hoped that an R-23 could solve all my boating needs: commuting between to the mainland and back, day trips around the islands of the Eastern Shore and the odd longer trip every so often.

I am beginning to think that might not work.

I've looked at some pilot house work boats, but they are not exactly cheap. I think I will put any thoughts on hold until I move there and have a greater ability to assess the climate and circumstances. I do now have an idea of maybe just getting a cheap used boat initially to cover immediate needs and then decide on a larger purchase later.

Once again for everyone's advice! I will continue to enjoy the forum in the meantime 🙂

Cheers Matthew.

 

[meniku]

Ok, another thought just came across my mind as I searched for some winter use alternatives.

Would an older R-21EC, which has a diesel engine and is more basic that the R-23 work over winter?!

You can obviously tell I'm a bit smitten by Ranger Tugs 😉

 

[Captain Nice]

You would still likely want a heater in the engine box for peace of mind. Have you looked at C-Dory?

CN

 

[kkassahn]

I live 4 miles off the mainland on Hat Island, Washington, north of Seattle. Our R-23 is in the water year round but don't have ice issues other in the Everett Marina. It is freshwater and freezes a couple of times during the winter but very minimal. As far as going back and forth, love the R-23 for speed if flat, the navigation system and heater. Moved down from a 28' boat and have no regrets. Also I have a trailer and pull it out every four months and clean the bottom and check zincs.

 

[meniku]

Thank you for the latest replies on this topic!

I still have plenty of time until next year, so will do a lot more research and see some boats in person before deciding on what to get.

Cheers Matthew.

 

[CaspersCruiser]

Another thing to consider if keeping a Ranger Tug in commission over the winter is that they have no insulation at all and have tons of air gaps. Any type of dockside heating will run pretty much constantly. The same happens to us in warm climates during the summer with air conditioning. At the dock on a hot day, the A/C runs pretty much constantly.

In my work life, from which I just retired, I used to fly over northeast Canada in the winter and look down on the frozen, barren landscape and marvel at the hardy people that inhabit the land below.

 

[Remedy2]

I live 4 miles off the mainland on Hat Island, Washington, north of Seattle. Our R-23 is in the water year round but don't have ice issues other in the Everett Marina. It is freshwater and freezes a couple of times during the winter but very minimal. As far as going back and forth, love the R-23 for speed if flat, the navigation system and heater. Moved down from a 28' boat and have no regrets. Also I have a trailer and pull it out every four months and clean the bottom and check zincs.

I have a C24 I moor year round at Elliott Bay. I keep an air circulator and electric cabin heater plugged in all the time when not cruising. The only issue I had this winter was the helm shower hose froze and split- other than that zero issues. I'm guessing his winter is MUCH different than ours.

**I also didn't know Everett was a fresh water marina. I'm moving to Bothell at the end of the year and trying to decide between Edmonds and Everett. We love Edmonds and I'll probably end up there but I need to visit Everett.