ranger 27 sailboat

Cruising without compromise is the name of the game for the R-27 from Ranger Tugs. Straight from the factory, your new R-27 will be outfitted to cruise, fish, and play in comfort and style. Powered by the efficient and popular Yamaha F300 outboard motor, the new R-27 doesn’t waste time delivering you and your family to your next adventure. Enjoy peace of mind knowing that the included Garmin 8612xsv chartplotter will guide you safely on your passage and that when you arrive, the bow thruster will make docking a non-event.

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The curved front windshield and overhead glass atrium provide beautiful 360 degree views and generous light throughout the salon. Open the aft glass bulkhead in tandem with any of the hatches, windows, or port lights to deliver a fresh breeze throughout the cabin. Chefs will be delighted to cook in the full galley complete with a propane stove and oven with broiler, or to simply grill on the removable electric Kenyon grill. When taking in a gorgeous sunset, you and your guests can enjoy the view from the spacious cockpit or from the new double lounge seat on the bow of the R-27.

The R-27 from Ranger Tugs is designed and built to offer maximum usability, value, and FUN. When you buy a Ranger Tug you’re not just buying a boat, you’re joining our family.

Pricing starts at:

Northwest edition: $239,937.00 | luxury edition: $249,937.00, northwest edition, luxury edition, the ranger tugs r-27 is sold fully equipped and ready to cruise with an expansive selection of premium features and outfitted in one of two packages..

Most commonly used in colder climates where air conditioning would not be necessary. Equipped with AGM batteries, diesel forced air heater, and downrigger plugs and pads.

Most commonly used in warmer climates where air conditioning is a must. Equipped with air conditioning/reverse cycle heating and lithium-ion batteries.

** Pricing does not include taxes. Dealer prep and freight may apply. Prices, specifications, equipment, and options may change without notice at any time. Imagery may not be an exact representation of current model, colors, features, or options. Information on this page should not be used for navigation.

Performance

• 300 HP Yamaha F300 outboard
• Electric trim tabs
• Laminar flow interrupters
• Bow thruster
• Trailerable - 8’6” beam

Accommodations & Interior Comfort

• Air conditioning (Luxury only)
• Atrium skylights
• Cabin drink holders, 5
• Curtains for privacy
• Dinette (seats 4) converts to bed
• Fully enclosed head
• Fusion stereo system (multi-zone)
• Hatches, pilothouse roof, solar reflective, 4
• Hatches, stateroom, 1
• Heater (NW: Diesel, Luxury: AC reverse cycle)
• Indirect cabin lighting
• LED lighting
• Electric marine toilet w/ holding tank, pump out
• Midship berth
• Opening portlights, 3
• Private forward stateroom
• Shower with enclosure
• Storage under mattress
• TV in stateroom

Deck Features

• Anchor package, 16.5 lb, 50’ chain, 150’ line
• Bow lounge seating, 2
• EVA foam traction decking
• Folding stainless steel mast for trailering
• Forward line storage
• Rod holders, 2
• Sport racks, stainless steel
• Swimming ladder, stainless steel
• Washdown system
• Windlass, bow and helm controls
• Cockpit cover, soft-top
• Cockpit drink holders, 3
• Cockpit seating, 5+
• Cockpit sink
• Cockpit table
• Electric grill
• Opening glass bulkhead w/ reversible seat
• Transom entry door for boarding
• Downrigger plugs & pads (NW edition)
• Color engine display
• Digital fuel flow data
• Electronic shift and throttle control, single-lever
• Garmin autopilot
• Garmin 8612xsv navigation system w/ GPS and sonar
• Garmin radar, xHD
• Helm drink holders, 2
• USB charging ports
• Windshield wipers, 2
• Cutting board
• Galley cabinets, 4
• Galley drawers, 4
• Oven, propane
• Refrigerator/freezer
• Sink with hot and cold water, with pull-out rinse faucet
• Stove top, propane

Mechanical & Electrical

• AC electrical panel
• Battery charger
• DC electrical panel
• Galvanic isolator
• Batteries (NW: AGM, Luxury: Lithium-Ion LiFePO4)
• Macerator discharge
• Shore power cord(s)
• Solar panel, 175w with controller
• Underwater lights
• Carbon monoxide detectors
• Courtesy lights
• Electric horn
• Illuminated compass
• Integrated trailer lights
• Navigation lights
• Safety kit: fenders, lines, flares, fire ext, first aid kit, life jackets, boat hook
• Swim platform rails
• VHF radio, DSC capable
• Window defrosters

Construction

• Bonded electrical system
• Foam-filled fiberglass stringer grid system
• Premium hull color, Midnight Blue
• Seawater strainer(s)
• Self bailing cockpit
• Stainless steel cleats, rails, hardware
• Vinylester barrier coat

Options (visit Build-A-Boat for current pricing)

• Aft cockpit sun shade w/sunset shade
• Phifertex window covers in lieu of sunbrella
• Aux./Kicker motor bracket
• Auxiliary Motor Package: 9.9 HP, tie bar steering w/ remote throttle control
• Dinghy motor storage bracket (R-27)
• Cockpit Refrigerator
• Dinghy lift (w/ 260 RIB inflatable)
• Factory Delivery Experience
• Hull color upgrade
• Aluminum tandem axle trailer with electric/hydraulic brakes spare tire/bracket

For options pricing visit our build page here

Garmin Navigation Package with Radar

A full navigation package from Garmin including the 8612xsv GPS chartplotter with sonar and xHD radar, is standard equipment on the R-27.

Solar Panel

Off-grid cruising is made possible with a 175W solar panel to keep batteries topped off and extend your time away from the dock.

Cabin Atrium Skylights and Hatches

The cabin is bright and open with tinted overhead skylights and opening rooftop hatches. All overhead lighting is treated with a solar reflective tint.

Laminar Flow Interrupters 

The R-27 is equipped with our Laminar Flow Interrupters for smooth, positive cornering.

Full Galley

The R-27's full galley is a chef's dream, featuring a propane stove and oven with broiler, sink, cutting board, ample storage, refrigerator/freezer combo and microwave.

Garmin 8612xsv Chartplotter with xHD Radar

Equipped with a Garmin 8612xsv GPS Chartplotter with xHD Radar, Sonar, and Autopilot with remote, you can navigate with complete confidence aboard the R-27. 

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Chesapeake Bay Magazine

The Best of the Bay

• Bay Boating
• Boat Review

The New Ranger R-27

Photos: Ranger Tug

A 300-hp version of the complete traveler.

By John Page Williams

The outboard-powered R-27 from Ranger Tugs is a new breed. Its inboard predecessor, thoroughly beloved in its own right, rides a semi-displacement hull with a Volvo diesel. Its high cruise speed is  in the mid-teens. The new version comes with a modern deep-V running surface, lifting strakes, and a 300-hp Yamaha four-stroke. Like its predecessor, she loves running at 7-knot trawler speeds with a range of over 400 miles, but on plane (according to Yamaha’s performance profile), it reaches peak efficiency in the high 20s with a 230 mile or so range and tops out close to 40 knots. 

Ranger R-27

• LOA: 31’4″
• Beam: 8′ 6″
• Draft: 33″
• Weight: 7,000 Lbs (Dry)
• Transom Height: 25″
• Fuel Capacity: 150 Gal.
• Bridge Clearance: 8′ 1″
• rangertugs.com

A tug that wants to run with a wave-cleaving hull to keep her comfortable in any reasonable seas? We ran our test boat down Eastern Bay to Kent Point at 25 knots in 2- to 3-foot head seas with the engine trimmed in and the tabs down a touch, then turned and let her air out with trim up on the way back to Kent Narrows. The speed was a surprise, but the solid seaworthiness was not. Rangers come from Kent, Washington on Puget Sound where owners regularly cruise them up into British Columbia and even Alaska’s Inside Passage. They fish them, and even water-ski behind them (a concealed pylon is standard). 

In fact, the R-27 comes in a special Northwest Edition with a forced-air diesel heater and downrigger pads for trolling, but no air conditioning. Not to worry here on the Chesapeake, though. The Luxury Edition comes standard with air conditioning and reverse cycle heat, a gas generator, an inverter, AGM batteries, and a 140-watt solar panel on the deckhouse to keep everything topped up. Standard integrated navigation equipment comes from Garmin with a 4-kW radar dome, GPS, autopilot, fishfinder, VHF radio, and AIS connected to a 12-inch electronic display at the helm. The standard safety kit includes fenders, lines, flares, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, life jackets, and boat hook. The bow-roller mounts a 16.5-lb. anchor, backed by 50 feet of chain and 200 feet of line. Those amenities point to a long, comfortable cruising season on our home waters.  

Accommodations? Oh, yes, and very well thought out. Two generations of the Livingston family have owned and run Fluid Motion, LLC, which designs and builds the boats, since 1958. Patriarch Dave Livingston is the designer, with broad experience on other brands in addition to Ranger and sister brand Cutwater. Son John is president, overseeing all production, while sales manager Jeff Messmer attends to customer service. These folks, the rest of their team, and their families live with their boats. In addition, they go out of their way to treat their customers as extended family, with multiple rendezvous events and a very active owners’ forum— tugnuts.com . No model or feature escapes scrutiny there, for praise when deserved or suggestions and solutions when necessary.

The result is that the R-27 Outboard is a livable boat, especially for a couple. The salon is bright, with six skylights (two opening) and multiple touches that are clearly based on deep understanding of the ways people use such a vessel. The double helm seat is comfortable with excellent sightlines over the wheel and the dash through the two-panel, rounded windshield, which comes with Pacific Northwest-grade wipers. A large sliding side window just over the bow thruster control makes it easy for the skipper to reach out and drop a fender when docking with a spring-line cleat close at hand for taking a line. The helm seat base holds a microwave oven, and the seat back flips forward to form the forward half of a dinette with teak table that can seat four or sleep two when lowered. The after seat-back for the dinette can also flip forward, and the window in the starboard aft bulkhead lifts on gas shocks, so the seat also serves the cockpit. That’s ingenious use of space, with storage beneath.

To port, in the salon opposite the helm, is a companion seat that flips forward to provide extra work surface for the galley just behind. Beneath it is a 12-volt refrigerator/freezer. The port counter includes a sink and storage drawers, plus a two-burner, stainless-steel, propane stove with oven and two propane tanks immediately outside under the port gunwale. The stove-top fiddles (rails, actually) clearly mark it as ready to hold pots and pans underway.

The companionway and salon walkway are slightly off-center to port, with a glass door opening to the cockpit, which seats up to six. To starboard lies the seat, converted from the aft end of the dinette; under-gunwale space for boathook and swab; and a transom door to the broad stern platform/outboard bracket with swim ladder and rails. An optional Yamaha 9.9 kicker ($5,260) can mount to the port side. Across the transom is a fold-down seat for two beneath an electric grill, sink, and storage compartment. To port lies another fold-down seat for two and a compartment that can hold an optional second refrigerator. A cockpit sunshade is a desirable $1,500 option. 

There are handholds going forward along either gunwale, a mark of designers who cruise their boats. A double-rack on the cabin top holds the solar panel in the center with room on either side for a pair of kayaks or bicycles. The foredeck offers a comfortable sunset-watching seat with backrest for two over the forward cabin. It folds down for running.  

The forward cabin offers a large double berth, which converts to a dinette with an up/down table whose top also folds. There’s storage beneath, plus a small hanging locker to port and an overhead 19-inch television/DVD player on a swinging bracket. To starboard is an enclosed head with shower. 

Two more Ranger Tug options deserve mention. First, $13,670 buys an aluminum, tandem-axle trailer with electric/hydraulic brakes and a spare tire and bracket. With an 8-foot, 6-inch beam, the R-27 is readily trailerable behind a properly equipped 150-class pickup, opening up a vast range of cruising grounds. 

The second is the Factory Delivery Experience, for $2,500. With it, new owners travel to the factory near Seattle for a tour. Then a Ranger crew launches the boat with full fuel and propane tanks at a local marina. There follows a two-day orientation course with factory personnel on the boat’s systems and operations. Then, Ranger encourages the owners to cruise the San Juan Islands complete with a full set of charts, tide books, cruising guides, and advice and support as needed before and while underway. After the cruise, a Ranger crew picks up the boat at the marina, shrinkwraps it, and ships it home, unless the owners elect to tow it themselves. 

Ranger encourages hearty exploration with its tugs. Base price for the well-equipped R-27 Luxury Edition is $199,937— rangertugs.com . 

CBM Editor at Large and author John Page Williams is a licensed captain and Maryland fishing guide. He has been on staff at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as an educator, writer and senior naturalist, saving the Bay since 1973. In 2013, the State of Maryland proclaimed him an official Admiral of the Bay, something we knew all along.

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• Sailboat Guide

Prout Ranger 27

Prout Ranger 27 is a 26 ′ 5 ″ / 8.1 m catamaran sailboat designed by Prout and built by Prout & Sons starting in 1962.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

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Ranger 27 prout

The ranger 27 prout is a 26.48ft masthead sloop designed by prout and built in fiberglass by prout & sons since 1962..

The Ranger 27 prout is an ultralight sailboat which is a very high performer.

Ranger 27 prout for sale elsewhere on the web:

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• Sailboat Reviews

Surely one of the most popular and versatile midget racers of the modern era, this Mull design has devotees all over the land. You can get them cheap, and cruise 'em, too.

Designed by Californian Gary Mull in 1971, the Ranger 23 was influenced by the Junior Offshore Group (JOG), a forerunner of the Midget Ocean Racing Club (MORC, which evolved to MORA, which is now nearly extinct as an association). MORA rules provided designers, builders, and performance-oriented sailors with a venue in which many of the most mannerly, small-sized performance cruisers of the time could compete on a near-level playing field.

At the time, Jack Jensen, founder of Jensen Marine, was enjoying great success building Cal boats and making race history with the Cal 40 and Cal 27. However, to appeal to East Coast buyers, he formed Ranger Yachts (which actually were built in Costa Mesa, California), and commissioned Mull to design the new lines. Mull’s star was on the rise at the time, partially because of the success of the Santana 22, which he considered one of his most successful, and favorite, creations.

Cal and Ranger were eventually sold to Bangor Punta in 1973, and production of Cal boats was moved to Florida. A victim of a downturn in the industry, the Ranger line folded in 1978. In 1983, Bangor Punta sold both companies to Lear Siegler, shortly before their complete demise.

The company built six Rangers in sizes ranging from 22 to 37 feet.

The R-23 had an excellent production run, with 739 hulls built between 1971 and 1978. The boat is a sporty looker whose design is as appealing 30 years after her launch as when introduced. She carries a high-aspect sailplan and presents a fine bow entry and racy lines, especially compared to her contemporaries. Viewed from abeam, she appears proportionately shapely with a smoothly rising sheer, visually appealing cabintop, and long, narrow ports that hint at performance. Though not designed to meet a measurement rule, her lines were influenced by the CCA and, eventually, IOR racing rules.

In a lengthy epistle evaluating the boat, penned for the R-23 owners association shortly prior to death in 1993, Mull described the design as being “a little ship capable of sailing anywhere in the world safely, and swiftly.”

Her sailplan was the subject of many changes. Of the mast, Mull wrote, “In those days I was able to design each of the masts for Rangers for specific designs rather than having to pick from stock extrusions.” The same held true for chainplates, spreader roots, and mastheads.

Though offered with a rig designed to sail in the prevailing 15-20 knot Pacific northwesterlies, a tall rig was offered for sailors in light-air regions. In its standard configuration, the mast stood 27.7 feet above the deck. The tall rig added two feet to its height, with a corresponding increase in sail area.

Eventually, “when the IOR was introduced, we produced a revised plan with a shorter mainsail foot to qualify for the Quarter Ton class.” The boat sailed with some success in this class.

The single set of spreaders on the beefy, deck-stepped masthead rig are supported by 3/16″, 1×19 stainless steel headstay and upper shroud, and 5/32″, 1×19 backstay and lower shroud. A typical comment among long-time owners is that the rig is overbuilt; no failures have been reported by owners responding to a PS survey.

The deck-stepped mast “was a consequence of wanting a clear access through the interior.” While accomplishing that objective, the design compromises the amount of compression an owner can develop on stays while attempting to improve sail shape.

Underwater appendages are “standard trapezoidal profiles with standard NACA sections.” The keel carries 1,500 pounds of lead ballast. The spade rudder is mounted on a stainless steel rudder post. Owners describe the boat as providing excellent windward performance, and typically carry a 150% genoa with a full mainsail until breezes exceed 15-18 knots.

“On deck our concept is most noticeable because it has a proper cockpit with coamings, seats, and all. We were designing a boat for the occasional day or weekend sail, and a boat that could be taken to sea for extended periods.” She’ll seat four in relative comfort, even with a tiller occupying the center of the footwell.

“We didn’t feel compelled to offer standing headroom as we were fairly certain that the owners were smart enough to sleep lying down and would probably have the good sense to sit down when they went below for a meal. We also assumed that people making long passages in a boat of this size would probably be pretty good friends, and sited the head where it would be convenient and stable, though not so private as might be appropriate for a larger boat.”

There’s 5’6″ of headroom in the cabin, and 6’6″ settees that convert to berths. Creature comforts include a tilt-away dinette table, and a 25-pound icebox that doubles as a companionway step.

The galley, located at the junction of the saloon and V-berth, is, of course, pretty minimal. It consists of a sink located to port, optional two-burner alcohol stove to starboard, two drawers, and a storage cubby. (Note that in the accommodations drawing below, from the original sales brochure, the stove and sink appear on sides opposite where they ended up.)

Again in Mull’s words, “We didn’t even have, let alone feel compelled to offer, three- and four-burner gas stoves with oven and lighting system. We figured that one-dish meals and a pot of coffee made much more sense for a boat of this size.”

That’s certainly true—the set-up will allow good sleeping and just enough civilized eating during a long coastal passage to keep the crew content (as long as they’re within a day or two of a sheltered anchorage, a shower, and a meal ashore).

Space in the bow is occupied by a V-berth that provides a 6’2″ sleeping area and two dressers. The toilet was originally a self-contained “Handihead” with four-gallon capacity and waste discharge. One owner who replaced the original told us that the space is large enough for a more modern appliance.

Mull’s concept of light camping accommodations stands in contrast to Bill Crealock’s vision for the Dana 24 (PS December 2001), a beamier, significantly heavier, more crewfriendly yacht with an enclosed head that Crealock envisioned as carrying a crew of two around the world in “safety and comfort.”

The idea of extended cruising in a boat less than about 30 feet isn’t appealing to some sailors, but it can be great fun, as long as everyone gets along and there are good routines in place for how to move around the boat and do things in harmony.

This Ranger is spacious enough for sailing and sleeping with, say, a couple and two kids on short cruises, notwithstanding the lack of privacy.

Construction The hull and deck were designed using what were then considered state-of-the-art methods. Mull said that his initial agreement with Jensen included wide latitude in stipulating construction materials and methods, and that Ranger Yachts would provide quality production. In this case, the West Coast designer-builder combination works to the advantage of owners, since boats were expected to withstand higher stresses encountered on the Pacific near San Francisco than those in Southern California or the Chesapeake, for instance.

Interestingly, the most common shortcomings in the construction of the boats are caused by adhesives used to bond major components. Though the best available at the time, they pale by today’s standards.

Built during the adolescence of the fiberglass era, the hull and deck were constructed using Lloyd’s Provisional Rules for GRP vessels. Lloyd’s formula specified use of an all chopped mat structure; Ranger laid up alternating layers of mat and woven roving in the hull.

The deck was a sandwiched balsa core laminate employing a honeycomb method developed by Hexcel Corporation. At the time, Hexcel was cutting a wide swath in the Alpine skiing community with a similar laminate that produced lighter, stronger skis. Today’s boats are constructed with lighter, unidirectional fabrics; nonetheless, Ranger’s methods produced sturdy sections. Bulkheads were bonded to the hull, and the interior is a fiberglass pan.

An annual inspection by owners or thorough survey by potential buyers should be made of the mast step, hull-deck joint, keel bolts, and chainplates, as Mull noted.

A by-product of the attempt to produce creature comforts is that the mast step “is probably the biggest source of grief,” Mull wrote. That’s not a desirable trait in a boat advertised as being fit for offshore work, though not a fatal flaw.

The mast step is a 6061-T6 aluminum fabrication with fasteners connected to the deck structure intended to be bedded in flexible waterproof bedding compound. “Unfortunately,” said Mull, “the bedding compound on many boats has become dry and brittle and water can find its way through the bolt hole in the deck core.” A by-product might be soggy balsa or, in the worst case, rot.

In extreme cases, the fix involves removing the mast step columns and affected areas and replacing deck core with a new beam and laminate. Though more than a minor inconvenience, the problem would not prevent us from considering the purchase of a boat with this ailment.

Failures of adhesives and the large number of bolts installed through the toerail at the hull-deck joint also may produce leaks. In a worst-case scenario it would be necessary to remove the toerail and stanchions, elevate the deck from the hull, remove the old adhesive, and replace it with today’s materials. No small chore.

Similar problems may occur with chainplates that have been neglected for extended periods of time. Many owners report the need to rebed chainplates every couple of years. Not surprisingly, that predicament is still encountered by the owners of many newer, production boats.

Finally, leaks through ballast bolts have been reported by some owners. Mull’s recommended fix was a re-bed of keel and bolts with an elastic bedding compound to alleviate stress created by movement at the hull-keel joint.

Performance Since her deck layout is as simple as the boat is small, she’s easy to sail single- or doublehanded, and race with a crew of three.

Standard gear included external mainsail and jib halyards, Barient winches on the mast and in the cockpit, and Schaefer sail track, blocks, and cleats. Retrofitting additional halyards is as simple as adding external blocks at the masthead or, for the more sophisticated, adding sheaves and running halyards inside the mast. Safety gear includes bow and stern pulpits and 24″ tall stanchions fitted with a single lifeline.

A split backstay and racing package with spinnaker gear were the only options offered initially.

Computer-generated polar predictions indicate that the 23 stacks up well against similar-sized boats through a range of wind angles and wind speeds. As for top-end jets, as Mull said, “There’s no such thing as maximum hull speed,” except a theoretical rule of thumb that may apply to powering on flat water. In that environment, he predicted a boatspeed of 5.5 knots. In 10 knots of breeze under the same conditions, speed would fall in a range of 4 to 6 knots. Once the boat gets out in more wind or bigger waves, the hull begins to plane and surf; at that point the boat can cover a lot of distance between breakfast and suppertime—and it makes the racing exciting.

Conclusions It would be nice to see Ranger 23s organized again into one-design fleets all over the land, but in any case it’s good to know they’re out there racing PHRF, and that, like greyhounds retired from the rabbit-chase at the racetrack, they do well as family friends.

The R-23 can be considered a legitimate cruising boat, within the obvious physical limits of a short waterline and small quarters. To expand a bit on what was said earlier, small, simple boats like this can be ideal “express campers” for young families and couples. They can be bought for little money, fixed up as much or as little as wallet and skills allow, and don’t cost much to keep around.

Despite the Ranger’s age, it benefits from being designed on the cusp of an era when traditional, full-keeled cruisers were being replaced by sloops with more modern underbodies and appendages that produced significant improvements in performance. The hull and major structures are sound, aside from the aforementioned problems associated with adhesives that have deteriorated.

These Rangers were built before the day when vinylester resin was used in hull laminates, and some owners report the presence of dime-sized blisters that require inspection or repair. The boat does not have a reputation of suffering from chronic deficiencies that demand total bottom replacements.

Given a thorough survey, we think the R-23 would be a great candidate for a couple or family who might be new to the sport, or who are stepping up from a dinghy or daysailor. The boat was offered for $5,450 in 1971. Expect to pay $3,500 up to as much as $10,000 for a used boat, depending upon condition—if you can find one.

Arvel Gentry, the Boeing engineer who rocked the world of sailing decades ago with the facts about foils, lift, fluid circulation, and what makes sailboats go, maintains the Ranger 23 Owners and Class Association at www.ranger23.com.

Also With This Article Click here to view “Used Boat Price HistoryRanger 23 (1972 model).” Click here to view “Owner’s Comments.”

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