Out Of Office Living

To wrap up the technical side of boat selection, we have to talk about the "burn." Performance on a Ranger Tug is a tale of two hulls: the outboard-powered planing hulls that want to get up and go, and the diesel-powered semi-displacement hulls that reward you for slowing down. One of the first things you learn as an outboard Ranger Tug owner is that there is an expensive "hump" in your fuel curve. For the outboard models (R-23, R-25, R-27), there is a range between 10 and 20 MPH where you are effectively plowing water—the bow is up, the engine is straining, and your fuel economy is at its worst. There is even a range that boats cannot maintain. Our R-25 with the stock propeller could not maintain a speed between 12 and 18 MPH. Once you get over that hump and onto a plane, the numbers improve. Even at hull speed, your efficiency isn’t great, although at idle, they will run for hours, just not get very far. On the diesel side (R-29, R-31, R-43), the logic flips. Thes...

When you start looking at the internal layout of these boats, you realize that "sleeps six" is a technical specification, not necessarily a lifestyle recommendation. There is a meaningful difference between how many people can technically fit on the boat and how many can stay on it for a week without wanting to throw each other overboard. It is also important to recognize that what one person finds very comfortable is cramped for someone else. If you enjoy tent camping or even a small camper trailer, you will find the smaller boats very comfortable even for extended stays. If you prefer “glamping,” where “glamping” means the local Westin, you’ll likely want to look at one of the diesel boats. If you primarily intend to use the boat for fishing, your perfect boat will be different than if you want to spend extended times on anchor. Here is how capacity and sleep arrangements break down across the fleet. Keep in mind, my definition of “comfortable [adult|kids]” may not match yo...