What are Ranger Tug owners using for stabilization

C

crowleykirk

Well-known member
Joined
May 19, 2018
Messages
67
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Vessel Name
Kirk Williams
With a narrow beam comes major roll. All boats suffer from it but I've noticed it pretty significantly on narrow beam craft like the Rangers. Of course protected water not as bad but I'm wondering what some of you may be using for more open water passage for stabilization.
Thanks
Kirk
 
Nothing, we like rock & roll, part of the fun in boating.

Just kidding. However if you are looking for a level ride you need to be looking at a much larger boat. I had a 40 foot motoryacht on the Chesapeake Bay with a 13 foot beam and on some days you needed to hang on. On smaller boats I would not be willing to give up any space for stabilizing equipment. We pick reasonable sea conditions for our normal travel, but if we need to go we go and put up with the roll.
 
saw a stabilizing unit advertised a few weeks ago for $27,000. I have opted to have my wife be on the ready to counter any rolls of the boat. works best with a slow waltz on most days.
 
Diligence, planning and patience as there isn't room for any other type

Jim
 
LOL... the wife is the reason I'm asking🙂 I've mostly been on larger boat but can't afford a larger boat right now, so we are looking at smaller vessels. I believe in the outboard boats, say the 27 there would be room for a gyro, of course at a costs of funds and space. Just really trying to figure out the best small safe boat for the inside passage. I know folks do it on 25's but no thanks. I think 27 OB is the smallest I'd want but we all have our comfort level. I was just curious if you all are noting it out or have used some sort of stabilization. I stepped onto an R23 at a slip and that thing was rocking and rollin all over the place🙂
 
Not familiar with the equipment but i would think the only place you could free up the room is by eliminating the generator located in the cabin floor storage. Would take some customization.
 
Basically I think one has to accept compromises with the boat they buy. Our Rangers are quite stable for what they are. You have to pick your days and sea conditions. Heading bow into 5 foot seas is very different then 2 foot seas abeam. I would take the five footer on the bow. Trying to overcome sea conditions with a stabilizer on our boats, in my opinion, is not the way to go. Accept the limitations we have and enjoy the advantages of being small and towable or bite the bullet and go bigger.
 
Two other options. 1) Move near inter-coastal where you can avoid 5 foot seas for the most part. 2) since you are doing it to satisfy the wife you could try exchanging her for one that loves a less comfortable ride. I do not recommend this option. Too expensive and you will up with only the dinghy.
As you can see we don’t have a viable solution.
 
Rangers and Cutwaters are coastal cruisers. I would classify all of the fluid Motion line as between Category C and D if the boats were certified. These boats are designed to handle moderate seas and be trailerable. The best advise is know the boats limitations. Plan your days based on wind and waves and overall weather conditions. If you do get caught in some rough conditions pilot the boat according to the seas, trim angle adjustments with tabs or (outboard trim), Speed adjustments based on waves and the angle of approach. A little experience in seamanship goes along way.

There are Rangers and Cutwaters that travel in open water quite often. Waiting for the weather window is key for a comfortable cruise.

I have witnessed the benefits to the Gyro Stabilizers in a 50' boat. There is a noticeable difference in the roll with the stabilizer on. The unit is large and the displacement of the boat is also large. I would not consider adding that option to a small boat. Even if you could take the roll out in 2'to 5' foot seas your still running in 2' to 5' seas. 25' to 30' boats can handle that but it still is not enjoyable. Just my opinion.
 
All great replies, thank you all. I have considered the trade up for the wife but if I did so I'd just run solo and keep it simple....haha...

Agree 100% with know your boat limitations, was just curious from you owners. We are doing a charter this Oct. and taking some refresher classes while doing so, Anacortes Yacht Charters. We may just charter for a couple years while we decide on our next boat purchase. We are going to charter an R29. Then hoping to sea trail an Aspen C100, I really think the Aspen would be an excellent passage boat but the R29 looks great too.

A buddy of mine uses the parvenus and fish on his Nordhaven but it's a major hassle in my book but works very well. I can't afford that size so no worries right now🙂

Thanks again for the serious and humorous replies.
 
It will be interesting to see how the Apen does in a sea trial. Make sure you get into some good consistent waves. My experience with the twin hull boats that are not the typical large catamaran is that with higher seas the hulls are not high enough and you get considerable bounce because the entire bottom is going over the waves rather than the hulls cutting through them.
 
Get a sailboat! A sailboat of comparable size has a much more stable ride even though you may be heeled over 30 degrees 😀
 
On boats of this size and hull design speed is the best stabilizer. It is counter intuitive but in a cross sea with a little attention to the helm these boats run on a fairly even keel when running on top. It's also counter intuitive that on open water in larger seas they roll less than in small seas/confined waters. All of the above assumes a reasonable sea state. If looking for something that doesn't roll in a gale I'd recommend an RV 😀
 
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