WHETHER YOU ARE NEWER TO BOATING OR JUST WANT TO BE MORE COMFORTABLE ONBOARD OR UNDERWAY, GAIN SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE. SEE CAPTAIN JOHN GRAY'S WEBSITE BY CLICKING HERE.
See my book at Amazon.com: Finding Serendipity, A Boating Adventure on North America's Great Loop. You will know what it is like to do the 6,000 miles on a Ranger Tug. If you have thought about cruising the Great Loop, this may nudge you into doing it. If you have done the Great Loop, this may re-kindle great memories. If you are new to boating, come along with us as we learned more about boating and the wonderful people we met. CLICK HERE
In the Beginning
We took delivery of the Laurie Ann in July 2007. It would be the first boat in the 2008 model year and the first green one built. Our journey to buy this boat began two years earlier as we searched for a trailerable boat that was powered by a diesel engine and had the cabin space, safety and comfort features that we wanted.
We are not new to boating, having had two sailboats and two other power boats over 20 years. This would be our first new boat.
I first saw a line drawing of the Ranger 25 in the back of a magazine in the summer of 2006 and found the factory in Kent, Washington the following fall but when Laurie walked aboard the merlot colored hull at the Seattle Boat Show in January 2007, she pronounced, "This is the boat."
After taking delivery, the boat had significant issues and it was then, that we learned about the customer service that the Ranger Tug factory provides. Nothing, in all of our experience of buying big ticket items, either personally or professionally, compared to the service that the factory provided us. They stood behind their product, made everything right and exceeded all of our expectations. We love the design and engineering of the boat and are huge fans of Ranger Tugs because they have continued to help and support us, long after the warranty period was over.
We are not new to boating, having had two sailboats and two other power boats over 20 years. This would be our first new boat.
I first saw a line drawing of the Ranger 25 in the back of a magazine in the summer of 2006 and found the factory in Kent, Washington the following fall but when Laurie walked aboard the merlot colored hull at the Seattle Boat Show in January 2007, she pronounced, "This is the boat."
After taking delivery, the boat had significant issues and it was then, that we learned about the customer service that the Ranger Tug factory provides. Nothing, in all of our experience of buying big ticket items, either personally or professionally, compared to the service that the factory provided us. They stood behind their product, made everything right and exceeded all of our expectations. We love the design and engineering of the boat and are huge fans of Ranger Tugs because they have continued to help and support us, long after the warranty period was over.
"Get the Smallest Boat That You Can Comfortably Cruise On," said Skipper Bob
We have found that the bigger the boat, the less it is used because the cost, hassle and inconvenience become reasons to do something else with your time and money. We have adapted our habits, equipment and lifestyle to this boat because it provides the means to go places and do things that are often not available to bigger boats and nearly everyplace the big toys go, the Ranger 25 can go.
In this photo taken in Tennessee, we are at a city dock that is 22 feet long and in 3 feet of water. With the bow and stern thrusters, the boat was easily nestled up to the dock. We were the only ones there.
We used our Ranger 25 a lot. In over five years, it has gone over 5,000 water miles, trailered over 6,000 miles and the engine has over 900 hours on it. We have adapted it and modified it to suit our needs but the platform built by Ranger Tugs is a great one to build upon.
In this photo taken in Tennessee, we are at a city dock that is 22 feet long and in 3 feet of water. With the bow and stern thrusters, the boat was easily nestled up to the dock. We were the only ones there.
We used our Ranger 25 a lot. In over five years, it has gone over 5,000 water miles, trailered over 6,000 miles and the engine has over 900 hours on it. We have adapted it and modified it to suit our needs but the platform built by Ranger Tugs is a great one to build upon.
We are Cruisers
We love to go places, see things, walk the streets of a small town, put down the crab trap, bike around a community, and scuba dive from the swim step.
We operate the tug for both efficiency and trip speed.
2,000 RPM is our slow cruising speed at 8 miles per hour
3,200 RPM is our fast cruising speed at 13 miles per hour
With the tug's 75 gallon fuel tank, we typically plan for 250 miles
The 30 gallon holding tank is perfectly adequate
The 30 gallon fresh water tank is our first limiting factor on travel. If we are careful, we can go 4-5 days before needing water and that is when the boat is pumped out.
The trip blogs that are included on this website will provide you with with story of our travels and the photos can help take you there. The checklists and instructions page will tell you more how we operate and manage the boat with its 110 HP Yanmar engine.
Helpful Websites:
www.rangertugs.com (The factory's website)
www.tugnuts.com (The tug owners forum)
Magazine Articles that we wrote and were published:
The Great Loop in BoatUS Trailering Magazine
Princess Louisa Inlet and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, published in BoatUS Trailering Magazine. Click on the file icon below.
Barkley Sound at Vancouver Island, BC, coming in BoatUS Trailering Magazine, May 2011. Click on the file icon below
IF YOU LIKE THIS WEBSITE, PLEASE SEE OUR OTHERS:
Join us in the subsequent chapters and follow our adventures on our new-to-us Ranger 29, "Andiamo":
www.andiamo-ranger29.co
and our new to us Ranger Tug 27, Trilogy that we used to cruise the Salish Sea after using it extensively on the East Coast, Great Lakes and the Canadian Heritage Canals:
www.captainjohngray.com
We operate the tug for both efficiency and trip speed.
2,000 RPM is our slow cruising speed at 8 miles per hour
3,200 RPM is our fast cruising speed at 13 miles per hour
With the tug's 75 gallon fuel tank, we typically plan for 250 miles
The 30 gallon holding tank is perfectly adequate
The 30 gallon fresh water tank is our first limiting factor on travel. If we are careful, we can go 4-5 days before needing water and that is when the boat is pumped out.
The trip blogs that are included on this website will provide you with with story of our travels and the photos can help take you there. The checklists and instructions page will tell you more how we operate and manage the boat with its 110 HP Yanmar engine.
Helpful Websites:
www.rangertugs.com (The factory's website)
www.tugnuts.com (The tug owners forum)
Magazine Articles that we wrote and were published:
The Great Loop in BoatUS Trailering Magazine
Princess Louisa Inlet and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, published in BoatUS Trailering Magazine. Click on the file icon below.
Barkley Sound at Vancouver Island, BC, coming in BoatUS Trailering Magazine, May 2011. Click on the file icon below
IF YOU LIKE THIS WEBSITE, PLEASE SEE OUR OTHERS:
Join us in the subsequent chapters and follow our adventures on our new-to-us Ranger 29, "Andiamo":
www.andiamo-ranger29.co
and our new to us Ranger Tug 27, Trilogy that we used to cruise the Salish Sea after using it extensively on the East Coast, Great Lakes and the Canadian Heritage Canals:
www.captainjohngray.com
| princesslouisa_febmar10.pdf |
| barkleysound-may11.pdf |
