I've always liked the look of tug yachts, they look very 'shippy' to me. American, Nordic, and Ranger are just a few of the manufacturers making this very distinctive style of boat. They have a semi-displacement type hull, so they are never going to win any races, but they will cruise all day in the 8 to 10 knot range and sip fuel. New at the New England Boat Show in Boston this year was the new Ranger 29 which I like the look of a lot. The 29 as you might have guessed is the length of the boat, but this increases to 33 feet when the molded swim platform is factored in. Just as Maine is famous for its 'Downeast' style boats, the Northwest has become something of a spiritual home of the tug yacht. Headquartered in Kent, Washington, Ranger Tug manufactures the 29 as well as the very popular Ranger 21 and 25.
In these time of financial uncertainty the whole range has a lot going for it. Not only do they have an economical single diesel engine for power, but they can be trailered making distant cruising grounds available to Rangers that would be denied to similar sized boats that cannot be towed. Mind you the 29 is not a boat that you are going to be towing every weekend. It requires a permit to transport as a wide load - but I do like the idea that it can be towed home for the winter and parked in the driveway saving on storage costs at a boat yard.
Standard power for the 29 comes from a Yanmar 6BY 260HP which has plenty of power for this boat which has a displacement of just over 9000 lbs. Ranger are not offering any other engine options at this stage,but I would personally like to see the Cummins QSD 2 litre block offered as an extra cost option which I suspect may come if interest is brisk from potential buyers. Engine access is excellent. There is a large hinged panel in the cockpit to access the rear of the engine, gearbox, muffler and shaft seal with a further panel in the salon to gain quarter to the front of the engine. Large hinge up lockers both port and starboard in the cockpit are cavernous. Even after allowing for the 4 KW generator in one and the battery bank in the other it still offers tons of stowage space for all sorts of gear. This might be a good place to keep a chest freezer if planning any extended cruises.
Immediately on entering the salon from the cockpit the breaker panels for both AC and DC circuits is facing you. This might be convenient for the battery bank and engine, but it would not be my first choice for placement, I would like to see the panel closer to the helm forward, but on the plus side it does mean that coming aboard in the dark one can turn on the lights without groping around.
To port on entering is the area that I affectionately call the cave which is a bunk slightly below sole level and under the four seater dinette. Kids will love this I am sure and will want to call this there own in very short order. For a cruising couple this would be a great place to store all sorts of things and could even become a customized space with drawers, shelves and perhaps even a washer/ dryer. Details are rather sparse on the Ranger site right now but you can see a plan of the layout.
Along the starboard side of the salon is the galley which has an electric cook top, convection oven and double sink with pressurized hot and cold water. The food prep area is to the left of the sink. This is formed by the top of the fiberglass interior molding. but I would rather see some other material such as Corian to avoid damaging the fiberglass. This is something I would retrofit is the boat were mine.
On a boat of this size interior room is at a premium, so the helm seat attaches to the forward end of the galley molding. When in port, or otherwise not being used it hinges forward further increasing the work top area for the cook. Unlike the smaller 25, the 29 has a sliding door adjacent to the helm so going forward to drop the hook or tie up saves a trip down the rather narrow side decks. There is as ton of light and ventilation in the 29, the windows and doors are from Diamond Seaglaze - a well respected company known for making quality products.
The helm is compact and functional and comes complete from the factory with a large Garmin touch screen display for chart, radar and engine management. The one thing that is not standard is the auto pilot, but I can't see many owners not opting for this as the Ranger 29 is capable of long passages and hand steering for any length of time would be tedious. I rather suspect that Ranger are expecting owners of the new 29 to be pretty hardcore as they have equipped the boat with two fuel tanks offering a total of 150 gallons, enough for many miles between fill ups.
Stepping down into the forward cabin, I hate the term state room there is an island queen which is unusual for a boat of this size, the head with shower is to port and a small hanging locker to starboard. The island queen will appeal to many owners, you can lay in bed and watch the flat screen TV on the bulkhead in comfort and if you have to get up in the night it is possible to do so without having to climb over your partner.
This is not the greatest picture I know but I shot it with my compact and did not have a wide angle lens-- anyhow the point is that although you can't tell from this, the bunk cushions lift up and incorporate the berth flat allowing easy access to the cavernous storage underneath and also there are rope lights just under the lip of the cushion for night time illumination. These are a couple of nice touches that other makers should take note of.
The interior of the boat is warm and inviting with a plethora of windows and ports offering great visibility and light into the boat so it doesn't feel claustrophobic. The one major gripe I have is the choice of using a stuck on carpet to the cabin sides which is sure to stain, look dirty, and be almost impossible to clean. I know I am not the only writer to point this out so perhaps Ranger may come up with something better in future.
I really liked the electric BBQ which on the show model was integrated into the wet bar molding at the transom. It is compact, has a small sink attatched and cupboards underneath. Right now it is an extra and is one of the few things that I would add to the standard boat. The cockpit is large, so it's a perfect hang out for when friends come aboard.
All in all this is a great boat and comes just at the right time for many. With fuel prices set to rise even higher this boat fills the need of those looking to trade down from something larger and also for those looking for their first proper boat capable of many long safe and happy voyages. There are few options, the standard specification include just about everything and the boat is pretty much ready to go right out of the box. With a list price of around $225,000 this boat is sure to be popular with those of us who will find a way to be on the water in spite of precarious economic times.
I'll be taking the boat out on the water in a few weeks time and I will bring you an update of how it handles on the water with some additional photos then.
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