Greetings. At last.

[Belltown]

Hello C-Brats, and thank you.

Tomorrow morning we meet up with Andrew at the Ranger factory for systems orientation, then off to launch at West Seattle's Don Armeni boat ramp. We'll spend the day on Elliott Bay and put into our new waterfront property - M20 at Elliott Bay Marina.

This our first boat. We've dreamed, decided, changed our minds, and re-focused for nearly ten years. When we saw the R-25 in the water at Lake Union in January, and then met Jeff and John at Qwest, it was instantly clear to us - this is the boat.

Here's where I have to thank all of you. We came home to start our due diligence, and I soon found myself reading through threads on The C-Brats. You all, in large part, helped close the deal. I've told Jeff as much.

Since then, while we've waited for our production slot to come up, I've benefited, almost daily, reading your continuous conversations about everything relevant to the life-style we are launching into. Much appreciated, really.

Tomorrow begins our love affair with Moondance. Dark blue hull, white waterline, beige bimini, and a Livingston dinghy to boot. Had to do it, especially after Dave Livingston gave me a lesson in hull dynamics.

We look forward to seeing you on the water.

Cheers,

Bruce and Vicki

[Pat Anderson]

Welcome aboard! Jeff, John and Andrew are "steak sauce" (A-1) in our book!

[JamesTXSD]

Bruce and Vicki,

Congratulations and welcome aboard! A very exciting time for you. Hope you will continue to post here, including some photos of what sounds like a gorgeous boat. The R-25 is a class act. It will be interesting to read your impressions.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[Belltown]

Thanks folks. I photographed the entire build. In part because that's what photographers do, but mostly because it was a vehicle to learn about the construction of the boat, its systems, and its design.

Most of mine time at sea was spent in a submarine - SSBN 658 Blue Crew '69-'72 - and many an hour was spent studying piping tabs, electrical tabs, etc. Having spent about 13 months of my life underwater, my goal - over the next several years - is to spend at least 13 months cruising the surface. And the pictures are my tabs.

I look forward, as I get them organized, to sharing them here. And, I look forward to many photographic studies of the Puget Sound, and beyond, from sea level.

Cheers,

Bruce

[oldgrowth]

Welcome aboard Bruce. Glad to have you as a member of this great site. Hope to cross wakes with you someday on the Sound.
_______
Dave

[patrick and linda]

hello captain bruce,
as stated above, welcome aboard to a great sea going vessel and a equally great c-brat family.
linda and i recently had the pure pleasure of stepping aboard tom's ranger 25 while attending the june 6, chesapeake bay c-brat gathering. fantastic vessel. i am jealous!
we wish you smooth sailing.
best regards
pat
ps: congratulations for doing your part improving the economy!

[terraplane]

Hello Moondance,

Welcome to the Ranger 25. I am hull 52, and have 68 hours on the Yanmar 110. So far a great boat. Today we might give it another test, have to go down the Bay to play music and predictions might include one of Chesapeake's famous "boomers"...late afternoon thunderstorms that have very high wind, wave action...but last only about 40 minutes.

We hve had very good service from our local dealer, five miles away..but really, have had very few issues...a bad water pump for the freshwater house water, which will be replaced under warranty...a loose front piece onthe Norcold regrigertor..fixed, and the funniest one: the flange which is behind the diesel fill must be attached with just sealant for all the screw holes are empty! No engine or electrical problems...The air conditioner link between the unit and the out-vent had a gap and i just used Gorilla tape and it is fine.

We cruise at about 7 and seem to be burning about 1.8 gal per hour...
I do put it up to 2900 for short bursts and we seem to be running about 11 kts then, if conditions are ok. But I frankly love the 6.5 to 8kt range..I've had lotsof boats, deadrise workboats and one trawler, and that was their regular speed. I like to see what is passing by.

So, good luck. I think the Ranger 25 is a great niche boat for those who want quality, slow speed, economical fuel consumption, and decent comfort.

terraplane (tom, on Banjo)

[PenguinPA]

Bruce,
Congratulations! It seems it has been ages since we talked at boatshow! As of this morning, I have 92 hours on R'dragon and am sitting at anchor waiting for my crabpots to "soak" a little longer before I find out if I have anything to brag about for supper. You will love your tug....No question! Michelle and I have not had a second thought since we signed the order for our tug last June.

I will look forward to seeing you on the water!

[Trinity]

Bruce-
We just got back from Blake Island. Perfect time of year to take delivery on your tug. Have a great summer boating and we hope to see you out on the water!

Nancy and Kerry

[pauley]

Bruce and Vicki ;

Congrulations on your new mini-ship , I'm sure that it will be every thing you hoped for and more.

Don't over work Anderw tho because he is going to deliver and show me and Peggy our new R-25 on Tuesday . We will be flying out on Monday for a two week vacation and shake down cruise in the San Juan Islands.

Pauley

[commander bill]

Welcome,
I have Tug Hull #67 bought in Feb 2008. Great boats. Always room for another submariner. I was on USS Nautlis, SSN 571, USS Bergall SSN 667, and USS John Adams, SSBN 620.

[Island Ranger]

We'd like to add our welome as well! Hope to see you on the water.

We just got back from 2 days at Port Ludlow. The quarter berth seems to be custom made to hold golf clubs. But we'll need to allocate more space to carry extra golf balls when we play Port Ludlow again...


Mac & Linda
Island Ranger

[Belltown]

Thanks, folks, for your welcoming words.

Launching on Friday was such a rush. I hardly remembered to take pictures once Moondance was in the water. While we had anticipated a calm Elliott Bay, we arrived in early afternoon to real chop, some whitecaps, and plenty of wind out of the north. Probably the best case, as we quickly got a feel for how well the R25 handles the conditions, even in the hands of novices.

After a few rounds in and out of EBM, and back and forth across the bay, we took Andrew back to West Seattle for his truck, stopped in Belltown to pick up gear, and spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what's next.

This weekend we focused on manuals, safety gear, taking measurements, and other commissioning tasks like treating the water tank. We're want to be ready for every trip we imagine ahead of us.

Any recommendations on basic storage modifications, best practices, essential gear, or whatever, is welcome and will be appreciated. Add to this thread, drop a PM, or point me to a thread. Thanks.

I've just request a photo album and, once it's set up, I'll share photos of our new boat, as well as an overview of its construction.

Cheers,

Bruce

[terraplane]

I, for one, would like to have any information on the construction of the r 25...fibreglass layup, structure, and any mechanical details...

terraplane in rock hall

[captd]

Bruce,
Welcome to the club. Glad to hear you will have an album. Sure is a source of good ideas. I had hull # 6 . The new one is on order.
I have some improvements in our album, Island Ranger has some good ones. I will build another storage rack for the cave like the one I had in the Mis Dee.
Hope to join in on a Tug gathering in the Great Northwest in the future. Maybe this winter will be good for the Bahamas. I am planning on it anyway.
captd ( Darrel)