Competition for the 23 Ranger

R

Robert H. Wilkinson

New member
I looked through one of these boats at the London Boat Show yesterday - https://www.maplecitymarine.com/invento ... 6-2583135i

Same power as the 23' Ranger - 200hp outboard. Close to same length but a wider beam - 9'1 compared to the 8'6 beam of the Ranger. Not as much bling as the Ranger but very impressive. CBRATS who believe "less is more" may prefer this boat.

Very impressive price point for this boat. Show price was $109,000.00 Canadian. The R23 I looked at 2 years ago was priced for the show at $149,000.00 Canadian.

Check it out.

Rob
 
Interesting boat--not my style. The specs are very similar, displacement, LOA (27'), Hull length. The 9' beam does present a minor issue trailering.

What I see is that the Ranger 23 is a little bigger usable space, because of the motor bracket, vs the set forward, Eurostyle transom, which cuts into boat interior or cockpit room. Also certainly not a fishing boat!

One thing I don't like is the sliding glass door.

I have only been on one of the Ranger 23's--Bill's Mystery Girl. Certainly a very nice boat.
 
Nice but my wife hates the " tennis shoe " look of that style boat. Agree that motor well takes up to much room. No room to fish with the way the cockpit is designed. Seats are all in the wrong places for that. Price point is great but they should have a fishing model rear deck option. If cruising is all you're looking to do I think it would be a great choice over the ranger 23 I wonder about the size of the bath room. the ranger 23 has a very small bathroom and is not really enclosed ( fabric does not count). that is why re removed it for the list of " future boats" The 27 on the other hand is just fine. I love the sliding door. takes up lets room and is secure. Why do small boats need bow thrusters??? learn to drive.
 
Nice boat, a bit luxurious / not utilitarian at all. Not for fishing. Why buy a Buick Station Wagon to go fishing and crabbing in? :lol:

Joe :teeth :thup
 
Tom my problem with the sliding door is that if the latch slips, (I had a 42 foot trawler/MY with one.). We put pins thru the frame either open or closed) it becomes a guillotine.
 
I saw one of these at a boat show about a year ago. Seems alright, but does not have the same "homey" feel to it like a Ranger Tug. My wife liked it though. On the 23 the head takes up fair bit of the berth space on one side.
 
the 22' c-dory is still my favorite all-around boat esp with a high-top ie salty look, layout, weight, fuel economy etc
Blue%20Manatee%20(1).jpg
 
Agreed. 22' c-dory is the one to beat. I hope some company will put out a boat that can rival this one in the next couple of years.
 
Tilford":3afl61o6 said:
Agreed. 22' c-dory is the one to beat. I hope some company will put out a boat that can rival this one in the next couple of years.
Click to expand...

Maybe they will call it a Marinaut? :wink:
 
The main advantage of the Ranger or the Beneteau (or Rosborough) over the C-Dory is that the C-Dory has a crawl-in front berth and the others have a stand-up front cabin. But that also makes them heavier to tow, so pick your problem.
 
23 venture to me is still the best in class. 2nd is the Marinaut followed by the 22CD. In the under 25 , do it all, low cost, fish and camp, trailer-able power boat that looks cute class.
 
After just a quick look, that boat seems to be of the "express cruiser" style, not a great cruiser for, say, doing the Great Loop. It just does not seem me to share much with what the C-Dory - Ranger Tug folks like about our boats. Of course, my opinion could change if I were to see one up close and persona, this is just based on the photos'
 
Pat Anderson":1uefe4er said:
After just a quick look, that boat seems to be of the "express cruiser" style, not a great cruiser for, say, doing the Great Loop. It just does not seem me to share much with what the C-Dory - Ranger Tug folks like about our boats. Of course, my opinion could change if I were to see one up close and persona, this is just based on the photos'
Click to expand...

Pat, boat test.com on this boat answered a lot of questions.. I think that the photos are a bit misleading.
 
While i do like the sliding glass door i don't really like the single front window and prefer the c-dory windows where the middle window can open to access the fresh breezes. Also, i prefer a single bow rail as opposed to the two bow rails for strength and looks.

Its hard to beat the look of a c-dory 22, especially with the high-top option, though i see this one is compared to a ranger 23.

06-manatee%20at%20moms%200753.jpg
 
starcrafttom":29h9o7a5 said:
23 venture to me is still the best in class. 2nd is the Marinaut followed by the 22CD. In the under 25 , do it all, low cost, fish and camp, trailer-able power boat that looks cute class.
Click to expand...

I have to agree. We moved from a 23 Venture to a Ranger 25SC two years ago. I'm truly delighted with the Tug but occasionally wistful for the 23 even now. The twin 60 Yamahas were easy to maintain, as were all the systems on the boat.

I liked the Wallas better than the Kenyon alcohol/electric though the inverter/microwave/Wabasto combination is certainly a great "compromise". The Tug is certainly more complex but I did have to install a GI; the Venture having one installed at the factory. I don't trailer so no big difference there.

Would I trade back? Not right now and possibly not ever. That version of the Venture was rare. The new ones, though great boats, are not as completely finished for obvious cost reasons.
 
After seeing that video I would say that this boast falls somewhere between the cc22 and the ranger 23. Very little counter space to cook, not much head room in the head. I think I am taller then 3ft while sitting on the head..... v berth looks really small too. More room and performance then a 22 but less then the ranger 23 or the cutwater 23, which styling wise its closer too. But for the cost not a bad boat.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I enjoy finding a new boat at the shows and trying to figure out what might be wrong with it. They all look perfect under the lights at a boat show!

A friend of a friend had one in England - I posted a pic in my album 7 years ago here - http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _photo.php - not sure if it was the 23' model or not.

No it doesn't have the "salty" look of a Cdory or a Ranger Tug. Due to the curse of the elusive $$$ we cannot always afford the boat we want. If somebody wants to buy new - wants a 23' enclosed hardtop style cruiser - then this may be a viable option.

The 23' Ranger does feel larger inside, despite the extra 7 inches of beam on the Beneteau. I think perhaps the walkaround on the Ranger is narrower.

Tom, the head does have a real door but as on any boat this size it is tight quarters. If you look at the cutaway overhead drawing of the cuddy - I found that you would have to sleep on the diagonal as opposed to fore/aft or abeam.

Joe, that is a very clean Ranger Tug for sale there.

Bob, thanks for the link to the video it added some insight. I did have a bad experience with a sliding door on a houseboat once. It fell out of its track during high winds on our return trip. It probably wasn't much more than a patio door from Home Depot though. The one on this boat was much tighter and required a good push to open and close with a lock in the open position.


Regards,


Rob
 
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