ranger tugs r29: power and grace all rolled into one

SeaTrialRanger Tugs R29POWER AND GRACE ALL ROLLED INTO ONEBY ROGER MCAFEETHE SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW has become the venue ofchoice for builders introducing new trawlers, and the January 2009show was no exception. Ranger Tugs of Kent, Washington, happywith the successful introduction of its 25-footer at the 2006 show,launched its new Ranger R29 this year.The R29 builder is a family-runcompany owned by David Livingston,who is well known for the ubiquitousLivingston dinghies so prevalent upand down the West Coast.Despite very difficult economicconditions, five of the new 29s weresold at the show and the company hasbeen building two a month since then.DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTIONThe R29 Sport has a husky, broadshoulderedlook. Bright, shiny andhighly polished bronze portholes andport lights in the cabin walls give thevessel a unique touch. Finishing theoverall, classic look is the cosmeticsmokestack.The appearance may be reminiscentof the “good old days,” but theconstruction is up to date. The hullis solid, hand-laid fiberglass both belowand above the waterline. The decksand cabin are cored glass. All of thewindows and skylights (and there areplenty of them) are top-qualityDiamond/Seaglaze.The hull is semi-displacement;designed with the displacement sectionsforward. The planing sectionsand a reverse chine are located aft.This combination allows for goodspeed with modest power and excellentstability in high-speed turns orat rest. The vessel is also equippedwith both bow and stern thrusters.ON DECKAccess to the vessel can be eitherthrough a transom door off the swimstep or via port and starboard builtinsteps from the gunnel down to theNeil Rabinowitz photos30 SEA / AUGUST 2009

cockpit sole. Substantialstainless steelhandrails make boardingeasy and safe, andthe swim step itselfhas high safety rails.It is positioned atabout the same heightas most floating docks,making it an easy stepfrom dock to boat.This will be especiallyappreciated byboaters with smallchildren or elderlyparents. The decksthemselves are coredglass with a moldedinnonskid pattern.Moving forward fromthe cockpit along thenarrow sidedeck ismade possible by acabin-top handrail,but this maneuvershould not be doneunder way. Onceyou're on the foredeck,handrails providegood security.The foredeck can alsobe reached through apilothouse sliding doorat the starboard helmstation or through anoverhead hatch fromthe foc’s’le.The cockpit itself isrelatively large andhas a stainless sink,with a pullout shower faucet in thetransom coaming. Having water anda sink in the cockpit of a small boatis unusual and will be appreciated byexperienced cruisers and avid fishermenalike. Another nice feature isthe built-in steps hinged at the coamingthat swing up to allow access toequipment and a relatively largestowage space tucked neatly under thesteps.INSIDEUpon entering the deckhouse thefirst thing you’ll notice is that theentire area is flooded with naturallight. There are 10 windows and twobronze portholes in the cabin sides,An Inside LookTESTER'S OPINION:“The R29 represents a good step up from Ranger’s R25. It is economical, capable of a goodturn of speed and handles well. The designers have made smart use of space, and all equipmentand gear can be easily accessed for routine service.”The first thing you’ll notice upon entering the deckhouse is that the entire area is floodedwith natural light. There are 10 windows and two bronze portholes in the cabin sides, plusthe large glass area in the cabin aft door. There are four overhead skylights in the maincabin, another in the foc’s’le and one in a combination head/shower space.plus the large glass area in the cabinaft door. There are four overhead skylightsin the main cabin, another inthe foc’s’le and one in a combinedhead/shower space. The flood of daylightgives the appearance of morewindow glass than fiberglass in thedeckhouse.7The layout is typical for boats thissize; a dinette converts to a berthalong one side (in this case to portand the galley along the starboardside). There are two stainless sinkswith a central, single faucet, whichis an excellent feature. Once againan indication that Ranger designersare experienced boaters. The galleyalso boasts a propane stove with anFREE PRODUCT INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SEAMAGAZINE.COM 31

Ranger TugsR29SPECIFICATIONSLength overallw/swim stepBeamDraftFuel mainFuel auxWaterHeight on trailer29 ft.33 ft.10 ft.28 in.120 gals.30 gals.70 gals.13 ft., 2 in.STANDARD EQUIPMENTYanmar 260 HP diesel engine, bow and sternthruster for easy maneuverability,propanestove/oven, 2,500 watt inverter (quiet 110power when away from the dock),island masterberth, pilothouse door on starboard side foreasy access to the bow and tie lines, level entryinto the saloon from the cockpit w/no stairs,midship berth with privacy door sleeps two,large galley with plenty of storage, trailerable.OPTIONAL EQUIPMENTWallas forced air diesel furnace, Garmin 5215navigation package with radar, GPS, Sonar,Garmin autopilot for those longer cruises, 4kwMase Generator, air conditioning and more.CONSTRUCTIONThe overall construction technique is modularin design. This eliminates the use of wood forstiffening. All bulkheads are fiberglass andpart of the interior module or deck. The hull ishand laid solid fiberglass construction. Theydo not use any coring in the hull or stringer ofthe boat. The stringer system is a one-piecefiberglass stringer (no wood) that is laminatedto the hull prior to the boat being removedfrom the mold. This prevents the hull fromwarping or deforming when removed from themold. Ranger uses vinylester resin on theentire hull of the boat to prevent osmotic blistering.They even go as far as laminating solidlead ingots into the stringer system to bolt theengine to. This reduces vibration and noiseand will last forever.BUILDERRANGER TUGS, Kent, WA; (253) 839-5213;www.rangertugs.com.oven, a built-in microwave, a 12-voltrefrigerator/freezer and a temperaturecontrolledwine cooler that holds sixbottles.The forward cabin is bright andvery spacious for a vessel of this sizeand comes complete with an islandberth, and a separate head completewith a small vanity and shower. Thereis ample storage space for a cruisingcouple.A second, midship berth is locatedunder the dinette and immediatelyto port on entering the salon fromthe cockpit. It’s not the usual dim,cramped, space one typically finds ina setup of this nature. It is larger andbrighter, and the double mattress islarge enough for an adult couple tosleep comfortably.The helm station is forward of thegalley, and a lookout seat is locatedforward of the dinette. Visibility fromboth seats is excellent all around.A teak and holly cabin sole promisesgood wear, and the various itemsof teak trim are well fitted.POWEROur test vessel was equipped witha single 260 hp Yanmar 6BY2 inboarddiesel. This six-cylinder, 694-pound,common-rail engine displaces only 183cubic inches, yet at its continuous ratingof 3600 rpm it produces 198 hp.At that speed it’s still almost at thetop of its torque curve.The engine is freshwater, heatexchanger cooled and is also turbochargedand intercooled. It operatedsmoothly, starting quickly andwithout smell or smoke. That reallyshould be no surprise since Yanmarbuilt one of the world’s first small commercialdiesel engines 76 years ago.They’ve had time to get it right.UNDER WAYAs expected with both a bow andstern thruster, moving away from thedock was no problem. At idle, 670 rpm,the small trawler ghosted along at 3knots, burning just less than half a gallonper hour. At 1000 rpm the vesselmade 4.5 knots, consuming .7 gallonper hour. At 1750 rpm we were making7.2 knots and burning 2 gallonsper hour.At this speed I hauled out my decibelmeter to conduct a noise test(which is really unfair to small, lightlybuilt trawlers). Vessels in this categorydon’t have either the space orthe weight allowance for a lot of soundinsulation or baffling. At 1750 revs thenoise level was 72 decibels — less thanthe average radio — and much quieterthan I expected.At 2500 rpm we moved along at9.7 knots and burned 4.7 gallons perhour. At 3000 rpm our speed was 14knots, and fuel burn was 7.3 gallonsper hour. At the engine's continuousrating, 3600 rpm, we scooted alongat 18 knots burning 9.8 gallons perhour.At wide-open throttle — 4000 rpm— we topped out at 22.5 knots andwere burning 12.7 gallons per hour.All test speeds were GPS generated.Sea conditions at the time of ourtest were moderate and the vessel handledthem well. We added in somewake and found that, even with theadded wave height and sea confusion,the vessel was stable, solid and wellbehaved.We took the way off, cranked thehelm hard over and slowly acceleratedto full throttle while keeping thehelm hard over to port. The vesselpicked up a very slight list to starboarduntil the engine reached about 1000rpm and then flattened out andleaned slightly to port as it dug intothe turn.We straightened out and afterreaching full speed, cranked the helmfrom hard port to hard starboard. Thevessel carved the turns cleanly, withoutfuss or muss.IN SUMMARYThe R29 represents a good step upfrom Ranger’s R25. It is economical,capable of a good turn of speed andhandles well. The designers havemade smart use of space, and all equipmentand gear can be easily accessedfor routine service.The ability of the vessel to comfortablylive on a trailer substantiallyreduces operating costs while at thesame time allows the vessel to betowed to distant cruising grounds. Towvehicles get much better mileagethan boats. Overall the Ranger R29will turn out to be a winner.32 SEA / AUGUST 2009