For people who have lived in the Seattle Tacoma area for as long as I have, and have been involved in boating, the Ranger Boat Company in Kent has been a known item for many years. Before I-5 was completed into Seattle from the south, the main road was Pacific highway. When driving to Seattle on "Old 99", (Pacific Highway) just past Midway, and before Angle Lake, we would pass an old quonset hut that housed Ranger Boats. I remember them best for producing a small sailboat called a Minto. It was designed by Ed Hoppen of Eddon Marine in Gig Harbor in the early 1960's. Ranger built other small sailboats and as I recall they also built a canoe. No tugs then. No 20 foot or 26 foot sailboat either. They all came later.
Here is a link to the history of the Minto, written, I think, by the current builder, which includes some early history of Ranger Boats. It mentions that Ranger Boats was sold in 1999. I believe that is when the Livingstons bought the company.
I know of at least three boat companies called Ranger. Two build (built) sailboats. That is the reason some refer to the boats built by Ranger Boats in Kent, Washington as Kent Rangers.
Ranger Boats is 50 years old. The Tugs, not so old.
