New from Ranger Tug

localboy":3hi6uhhj said:
Karl":3hi6uhhj said:
Lets see, 26' boat, $140,000...yikes!
Click to expand...

:shock: Indeed. Nearly what I paid for my first house.
Click to expand...

So true, however with a boat you can have a daily change of water front scenery, the smell of salt air, if a person is a fisherman you can fish off your "rear porch", if you don't like your neighbors just weigh anchor and cruise on and your first house probably didn't have a diesel engine purring in the background. :wink Additionally, you can consider it a $140,000 vacation. (Oh, and did I mention no yard to mow.... :thup ).
 
If I could convince my wife that boating is fun, this would be a great two-person craft. On the other hand, I'd never be able to tow it with my 6-cylinder Explorer, and I'm sure I wouldn't average 3.75 mpg on the water.
 
smittypaddler":1smq5ifs said:
If I could convince my wife that boating is fun, this would be a great two-person craft. On the other hand, I'd never be able to tow it with my 6-cylinder Explorer, and I'm sure I wouldn't average 3.75 mpg on the water.
Click to expand...

It's all perspective. At the fuel dock one day, I was talking to a couple about our boat... she said to her husband, "If we had a boat like that, I'd actually want to go boating."

And diesels are generally more efficient at moving weight; I'm betting that boat will get better than 3.75 mpg if you keep it at displacement speed. Alternate between fast and slow and you just might see that number.

I got nothing regarding towing it with the Explorer, but back when the F-27 first came out, there were stories about a guy towing it with a Saab. :shock: Maybe beef up that Exploder suspension, add a weight compensating hitch, and only tow it from the flatlands to a nearby ramp... or find a "boat buddy" with a diesel pickup. :D

I've got the truck, my wife likes to cruise by boat, and I'm OK with the mpg... I'd just need to hit the lottery. :mrgreen: Hey, it could happen... if I'd buy a ticket.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
DaveS":1gbp9jue said:
...a daily change of water front scenery, the smell of salt air, if a person is a fisherman you can fish off your "rear porch", if you don't like your neighbors just weigh anchor and cruise on...
Click to expand...

Well, Dave, that is our philosophy w/ the 25. It's our "cabin" but it cost about 1/2 that...
 
Merry Christmas. And, thank you ours was merry and wonderful. Following are just a few thoughts on what it takes to build a boat.

Judy just gave me the latest copy of SAIL and I see they have a new Catalina 35.5 Sailboat. $170, 000. With 30 hp diesel, hot water heater, mast, sails, winches, head, galley,etc, etc. And a walk around innerspring mattress in the V-berth, with a rising headrest!!!!

The point of this statement is to indicate to what degree production costs vary. Catalina bills itself as "the largest sailboat mfg in the world" and they can build a good boat cheaply. With a ratio of length squared (indication of increase in surface area, which is what you're enclosing) of 1.6, the Catalina should sell for $220, 000, or the Cutwater for $106,000, take your pick. That certainly shows the economies of scale and why you can't compete with Ford.

Of course Fluid Motion is a much smaller outfit and their production costs have to be higher. I have no argument with the price, since they're the ones who have to build and sell it. I certainly hope they've found the right niche market.

Another thought is that Our Journey, a Catalina 36 cost us ~$75, 000 in 1991. So production costs have more than doubled in 20 years as well as the cost of the innerspring mattress. That price, incidentally is what we sold her for, so inflation at least helped. I still say a boat is a good investment, if you buy the right one.

I'm certainly happy with Journey On for a lot of reasons.

Boris
 
localboy":2rpzyok4 said:
DaveS":2rpzyok4 said:
...a daily change of water front scenery, the smell of salt air, if a person is a fisherman you can fish off your "rear porch", if you don't like your neighbors just weigh anchor and cruise on...
Click to expand...

Well, Dave, that is our philosophy w/ the 25. It's our "cabin" but it cost about 1/2 that...
Click to expand...

This is my philosophy too :) Everyone has cabins here in Mn. I guess I had to be different and went with a movable-cabin :)

Brenton
 
I've posted some spy photos over at Navagear:
IMG_9209.jpg

IMG_9204.jpg

And more...
 
That's a good looking boat. I'm not wild about the hatches in the hardtop, but that's my personal preference, and if I had the money to buy one, I'm sure they'd leave them out for me. :wink:
 
I have added pilot house top hatches on several of my boats. They can be covered with window shade type of devices if light or glare is an issue, and insullation can be put between them and the shade. But orienting one forward and one aft on each side, gives a wonderful amount of ventillation, often even in rough weather if desired. Interesting looking boat, and I am awaiting the reports and reviews.
 
Nice lines on that boat! For those who prefer the cruiser styling vs a tug, but still has the diesel, rudder, and thrusters... :thup

It will be interesting to hear what folks have to say once they've had the opportunity to get on the boat. Keep us posted, SBS attendees.
 
thataway":1trndb4e said:
I have added pilot house top hatches on several of my boats.
Click to expand...

And I just this fall added two hatches to my trawler's pilothouse - it makes a tremendous difference in light and ventilation.

Note that the Cutwater appears to have a solid 2 pane windshield - I think the additional ventilation will be quite welcome, particularly in a warm climate. I think it was one of the Herrshoff's who said something like "there's only two colors to paint a boat - white and black - and a man would have to be an idiot to paint a boat black!". :lol:

Still, I agree that the dark hull on the Cutwater looks pretty sharp.
 
thataway":33wo63q6 said:
I have added pilot house top hatches on several of my boats.
Click to expand...

And I just this fall added two hatches to my trawler's pilothouse - it makes a tremendous difference in light and ventilation.

Note that the Cutwater appears to have a solid 2 pane windshield - I think the additional ventilation will be quite welcome, particularly in a warm climate. I think it was one of the Herrshoff's who said something like "there's only two colors to paint a boat - white and black - and a man would have to be an idiot to paint a boat black!". :lol:

Still, I agree that the dark hull on the Cutwater looks pretty sharp.
 
centerisland":1f43ltid said:
I think it was one of the Herrshoff's who said something like "there's only two colors to paint a boat - white and black - and a man would have to be an idiot to paint a boat black!".
Click to expand...

My memory isn't perfect but it's not too far off (so's my spelling):

"There are only two colors to paint a boat, black or white, and only a fool would paint a boat black." -Nathanael G. Herreshoff

http://www.pbase.com/image/33827233
 
This is just my opinion, so please feel entirely free to reject it!

I looked these boats over yesterday in more detail, and they seem just a little bit "complicated" to me. Too many parts. Too many mechanical fasteners holding them together. Too many places requiring sealing/bedding/caulking. Too many narrow slots to collect rainwater and grow crusty green stuff. Too much upholstery. Too much gold flake and glowing LEDs.

It's just difficult to imagine that these boats will look as good in 2025 as, say, a reasonably well-maintained 15-year-old C-Dory looks now.

Having said all that, I'm interested in learning more about the performance of the hull design, I like the fact that they avoided the troublesome (over the long term) I/O arrangement so common in boats like this, and I like the overall lines of the boats. I think I was imagining something a bit simpler and cleaner, fit-and-finish wise. Makes me appreciate what I've got with Two Lucky Fish!
 
Tim, I agree. After this boat show, I am even more appreciative of the particular compromises made to build my Tom Cat. I'm not lusting after another boat any more...

But what was up with the Factory Guys? They were MIA at the boat show and MIA at the Larkspur. Makes one wonder...

Warren
 
Back
Top