Silence on the C-Ranger 25

D

dtol

New member
Dead Silence on the C-Ranger 25. Thats a pun folks. Doesn't seem right for a boat that was looked forward to with so much anticipation.

Isn't there a single C-Ranger 25 owner with some information about their boat that they would like to share? Or are they all owned by dealers?

Engine choice and performance aside, other things perspective buyers would like to know are:

How does it perform in rough water.

Stability and roll rate.

Comfort rating, how do you score it as a cruiser.

Locations and functionality of important things like tankage, batteries, electrical panels, rode locker, bilge etc.

Cabinetry and storage.

Quietness, both underway slowly and at speed, and at anchor (wave slap)

How slow can you go, i.e trolling speed, not below 2mph I would imagine with such a big prop.

How do you like living with a diesel?

Etc. etc. etc.
 
dtol:

Great Questions!

Unfortunately, I think there have only been a very few of the C-Rangers produced out of the mold so far, and they are just newly arrived at the boat shows and dealers. Not any real time for anyone as an owner to put one of them to the test.

A few folks did get a ride at a boat show a month or so ago, but I doubt the rides were long or involved enough to test the new design out.

There are, however, a number of folks with downpayments or some other form of commitment that would be very interested in the answers to your questions!

Stay tuned for further developments!

Joe.
 
There seems to be somewhat of a mystery about the new offerings. The First Tom Cat was touted to go the the University of N. Carolina for a Marine research lab, as I recollect--it ended up in Joe's hands in Texas...
There are a lot of boats which have been sold but only a few owners have posted about their boats on the list. Remember how long it took for the first few Tom Cats to be finished, and rigged. Now they are cranking out about one a week. That is pretty impressive. Anything else is speculation--but since there was a weight reduction and possiable repower issue--that alone could delay boats for some time.
 
Well, I'm one of those with a deposit on a CR-25 (contingent on solving performance issues) and feeling in the dark about such a momentous purchase. My wife, Signe, and I were supposed to be able to get a ride on Oct 9th but the dealer didn't get the word to us in time to get tickets down there. Too many people in the communications loop. Our next opportunity is to be around Thanksgiving.

I know they have at least 5 and maybe 6 done. So far, I am pretty confident that they will solve the performance issues. In any case I have a fall-back boat to go to that I think we would be happy with if this falls through and we already have a way-good deal cut for that.

I am going in to the CD dealer tomorrow for a final bid on what exactly I want on the CR-25. I left most of the things like electronics, communications, electrical upgrades (don't know enough yet to be sure I'm asking for the right stuff), dinghy rack, and canvas off the wish list. I will obtain and install my self or in the case of the canvas and rack, find different sources than the factory.

The boat would be due sometime between March and May and there could be some new options for electronics and would like to see the new models before I invest in something that we will use for such a long time (hopefully). I have a Garmin 110 chart plotter that I put in our CD 22 in 1995 along with a Humming Bird 3D fish finder with 3 transducers (what a waste). Still going strong.
 
dtol-

Bob could tell you this perhaps beter than I, but new boats have a period when they're first being manufactured where there are many adaptations and changes being made as the first ones are being made.

The basic design is set, but the fabrication and assembly details take some time to work out. It's almost as though part of the final design and assembly planning and work is being done "hands on" with the first run of boats.

How much of this working out of the details takes place and for how long, depends on the nature of the boat, it's complexity, the experience of the manufaturer, etc.

I'm more familiar with small runs of dinghy sailboats where this same phenomena occurs, somemnes resulting in major changes in construction and even structural design changes.

The reality is that it takes time and working through processes to put the new boat into full scale production in a finished form.

If I were in he shoes of the manufacturer, I'd appreciate being given the time to correct and modify the new boat, and would hope that my early customers would allow my company to correct any shortcommings of the boat in its early form.

Joe.
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Hull # 7 is leaving Seattle for the Panhandle today . It will be here for the Gulf Coast Gathering , and we WILL be testing it ! It has the 125 H.P. Yanmar and as well as all the bells and whistles you could want [from the factory] John at Ranger says they have scrubbed a few more pounds and she should perform well . Ill try to make sure Bob gets some helm time and reports his impressions .
Marc
 
Good news, looking forward to it. They are making progress. Got to remember though, the new owners will be putting the pounds back on. But thats true with any boat, need some buffer, and additional power usually provides that.

Say, has anyone looked at the pictures the windshield wipers on the tug? From the pictures, it looks like they would only clean about half of the window, leaving the lower half, I assume in the area where you view the most. Could someone look at this and see if my observation is wrong or right so I may work a request for different wiper blades and mounting locations into my options package.
 
dtol":rdyicetq said:
Say, has anyone looked at the pictures the windshield wipers on the tug? From the pictures, it looks like they would only clean about half of the window, leaving the lower half, I assume in the area where you view the most. Could someone look at this and see if my observation is wrong or right so I may work a request for different wiper blades and mounting locations into my options package.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen it, but if it only covers 1/2 the windshield, get a pantographic wiper blade system, and you should be able to get at least 75% coverage!

Joe.
 
If the wipers, in fact, don't cover at least 3/4 of the window I had planned to request pantagraphic wipers. However, the locations of the motors would have to be different. Placement could be an issue.

Here is the picture, see if you see it different than I do.

Cabin%20View.jpg
 
I hate to do a negative review, particularly since I'm not an experienced boat guy, but...

I was at the factory this spring and in the showroom was a 25 without its top. I looked over that one and was not impressed with the fit and finish of its construction. One of the things that jumped out at me was the bad joinery on the rubrail between angles. It looked like one of our local Kentucky hack carpenters had done the work. A 90-degree cut on one side and the adjoining angle on the other - no complementary angles to meet properly at the joint. I'm not a hot-shot fabricator, but would never have let something that looked like that be seen in my shop or showroom. There were many other places where things didn't line up or were generally shoddy looking. I say this taking into consideration that the boat I was looking at was not finished and havng some idea where corrections can and cannot be made. The construction faults I noticed were those that were without remedy except for complete replacement.

Overall, I became concerned that the current C-Dory production was being pushed just beyond the capability of competent boatmen to do their jobs well. It wasn't seriously bad work, just appeared to be the work of those pushed to get one more boat out the door this month than the last.

Perhaps I was spoiled since the last time I really looked critically at boats was in 1975 at the Annapolis Boat Shows. Even the Buccaneers' parts fit pretty well...

All of the above just a personal opinion.

Sign of the times in general, I suppose...

T
 
dtol-

I can't tell if the four wiper motors or blades in the photo are pantographic or not. The pantographic arms and blades require a large motor, like the AFI-2000 and MRV models.

I remember that David of Anna Leigh changed the wipers on the CD-25 from conventional to pantographic just by changing the arms and blades. Said it was an easy job.

I'd bet the factory would provide pantographic wipers on a $150,000+ boat!

Here's the skinny on the pantographic wiper arms: LINK (give it one moment please)

Joe.
 
I am pretty sure they are not pantographic arms. If thats the case the only pivot point is at the motor and they will arc down missing half of the window. I would thing pantographic blades would have to pivot from the center of the edge of the window rather than the corner
 
ddtol-

If the pantographic wipers are not standard, then they really should offer them as an optional upgrade unless they're incompatible with the window design for some reason.

Joe.
 
therrick;
I think the hull you were looking at was the one from the Seattle Boat Show that the factory kind of threw together because they had promsied the new unveiling. I noticed some issues with the finishing too, but put it down to getting it ready for the show so that we could at least have something to look at.
Jimbo
 
They took THAT to the Seattle Boat Show??!? Wow! I was surprised they had it in their showroom; figured they just didn't have anywhere else under cover to store it.

It looks like their expectations of our expectations is not what I expected to find.


Tom
 
Tom,

I hope you can get a detailed look at a production boat. What you probably saw was an unfinished prototype -- IMO the new C-Ranger will be the equal to the fit and finish of any production boat near its price class.

The gestation of a new model is a difficult period for a small builder - and the big guys have problems too. I know because I've owned a couple of first or second offs, and have been an unwilling beta tester. And also been a builder... :(

IMO this will be a great boat. In addition to my personal opinion I've talked with several experienced boat guys and the C-Ranger gets a :thup from them also.

Dusty
 
I probably need to start using those little emoticons sitting on the left of this page...

I'd love to see one of the production models when I get within range; after our move to the PNW. The boat's concept was quite appealing. That's why I was so flabbergasted at the details. My first cabinetwork wasn't much to look at either...

Tom
 
Tom - The ppl who are building the C-Ranger have many years' experience in fine boatbuilding and an excellent reputation for quality. I think you need to understand that that 'hull-only' demo setup had to be thrown together with breakneck speed in order to give prospective buyers at the annual Seattle Boat Show some idea of the final interior, cockpit, etc.. I doubt that any misfits were the result of inexperience or caring. John
 
dtol, there are going to be some very significant changes in electronics for 2007. Wait until the very last to order the electronics--and go slowly on them. Keep reading Panbo for the best information on the more cutting edge stuff and looking at some of the problems. Some of the manufactures read the forums--I don't know about this one--but Boat Fix and "The Hull Truth" are both monited by a number of manufacturers.
 
Thanks Bob

I have already come to that conclusion. I speced out the boat to the dealer minus the electronics and communications for a final bid on Friday. I have already got a way-good bid on my fallback boat.

Not only do I think there will be changes, I also think I can save money and installation costs by doing it my self.
 
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