Wrapped up the season .. and the boat!

December 21st brings the winter solstice and a chance to look back at my first full year with my Ranger 21. The days darken, the snow piles up and I can see the boat out my window as I sit at my desk and write this. Since first dunking the boat in April until Halloween night I put over 200 hours on my boat. She traveled West to the Erie canal, North to Maine and south to the Connecticut shore. I had it out in the sun, the frost and some storms. I traveled the Erie Canal and Narragansett Bay. After all these trips I can honestly say that I have found a perfect boat for my lifestyle. It has never failed me, has shown me its limits, and has always provided shelter when needed. It is super easy to work on and the systems are easy to maintain. The costs of operating the boat have been extremely low. I spent money on the Raptor Decking, new cushion upholstery, and a boat cover but there were no significant expenses this year. Fuel costs for the entire season were under $250 and there was another $250 in incidental expenses such as oil filters and gear. I did the cushions over for another $200 but no other major expenses..

I bought my boat late in 2019 and didn’t get much time to use it before last winter. This year I was able to get out on it a lot and really figure a bunch of stuff out. Here are 10 things I learned…..

#1: The boat is a perfect day trip boat even if the weather looks iffy. You can pick a day to go out and stick with a plan even if there is rain in the forecast. Some of the best days I had on the boat were on the river in the rain when all the fair weather boaters were still inside. For sure it limits the crew to 2-3 people but still with the full cover and enclosure you can still be in the cabin or on deck and stay dry. I went on the lower Connecticut with my friends Nicole and Brian one day when it was raining and had a great time. Rainy days make you appreciate the sunny ones. I even had The chance to use the heater several times throughout the year. There's a lot of discussion as to whether the air conditioning works or not. The one thing I can say is that it definitely takes the edge off on a hot summer day but doesn't keep the cabin icy cold. It's something nice to have on a boat this size.

#2: Pooping is an issue on the boat. No way to deal with this one but head on. The toilet on the boat lacks any sort of privacy or space. Coupled with the fact that it is only inches from where I sleep, the toilet issues are a touchy subject. When I have guests aboard I am pretty upfront about the issue. So far the holding tank has had lots of urine but no poo. When traveling the Erie Canal there were plenty of restrooms along the route and day river trips usually don’t require the number 2 route. If you are thinking of inviting friends aboard who might be more pee shy or bathroom reticent be sure you explain the bathroom procedure ahead of time. Guest traveling on Toto use the bathroom with door closed and have access to the sink and hand sanitizer. Better to explain the process ahead of time so people know what to expect.!

#3: Storage is limited -plan ahead. When doing a week on Lake George with no stops in civilization the planning for the trip involved lots of consideration about the size of items and packing them.. With space limited J.P. and I got all our gear and before loading it up stripped everything down to bare essentials. Food can be packed in Ziplock bags for space and gear loaded into totes. lots of things like camping gear and sleeping bags can be placed in compression bags. The secret is that while you're underway each morning you have to make sure that you packed the boat away before I headed out otherwise it's just a mess all day.

Day trips are less of a problem but trash storage is a big issue. After a week on the boat the trash became a problem. We had compacted everything and thought we were pretty minimal but still generated a bag of trash that needs to be stored. We ended up having a large trash bag that we stored on the front deck but it was just an inconvenience. I think I really have to work harder on making sure that everything is in the smallest containers possible.A large cooler with lots of ice and frozen food helps keep things cold and can be stored easily on the aft swim platform.

#4: The Tug doesn’t like choppy waves. While fine on flat water and in moderated regular waves but when we hit some steady gusty winds and short steep waves on Seneca Lake we were made aware that the boat is a flat bottomed skiff essentially with no big keel. Hitting waves head on during my trips in Narragansett Bay were not difficult but when we hit 3 foot waves with a short fetch It was a little scary. At no point did I feel like we were going to capsize but when we had to tack into the waves things got a little hairy. With only one bilge and a low side, I have learned that this is not the boat to take on any significant seas. Other 21 owners will tell you that they go out in all seas but I have a healthy respect for watching the marine forecast.

#5: The boat attracts people like fly paper. You cant go to a boat launch, fuel up at a gas station, have it in your yard, drive down the highway or pretty much be anywhere without someone coming to talk to you about the boat. I love this. I get to meet so many folks everywhere I go who want to know about the boat. It a great way to connect with people and hear different stories. Locals on the water often stop and chat and in doing so I get to learn about an area things I didn’t know. I have met so many nice people who start the conversation with “you boat is SO cute!”

#6: The cost to run the boat is minimal. Owners of large boats will spend hundreds of dollars in fuel to run their boats while the Ranger 21 sips the fuel. I get about 14 miles per gallon using the boat at low speeds and not much less when we spend the day at throttle. A week on Lake George used less than 12 gallons of gas and the Sebago trip was the same. I love the fact that I don't have to waste a paycheck in fuel each time I go to the pumps. The downside is that the speeds are limited but if you really want a go fast boat you probably aren’t looking at the Ranger 21 tugs!

#7: An hour of work a day makes maintenance easy. When I plan a trip I always allot an hour a day to do one chore on the boat. It breaks up the day and makes keeping up the boat easy. I might polish and wax a portion of the boat, clean out the bilge, or organize the lockers and lines. When I take the boat out of the water I always make sure to clean up from the day and put things ready for the next outing. The boat is small so you can’t store or hide stuff. On the other hand little chores make a big difference. I waxed the hull in a few hours with J.P. one day this spring and put a coat of ceramic coating on it. After that simple washes with some car soap left the boat nice and shiny. Compared to larger boats it really is such a nice boat to maintain and keep up.

#8: Installing Raptor Decking was worth every penny. From nice cool feet on a hot day to not slipping in the rain the Raptor product was a great purchase. Though it has faded a little bit, it was easy to clean and kept the boat looking sharp. It held up well and repelled even an accidental oil spill . I definitely think this was a nice investment for the boat because it looks really sharp and also is very useful.

#9: I don’t need radar. For what i use the boat and where I go I really don’t see a need for radar. If I was to do more offshore or larger rivers a radar compatible GPS/Navigation/Radar package would be needed but this year even off shore I didn’t need radar. I actually used a simple tablet with GPS capability and a subscription to Navionics more than the installed Garmin. I found it to be more accurate, cheaper and easier to update. Larger boat who travel the Great Loop swear by the AIS System in helping navigation through busy areas but for the most part my day trips were in areas where the weather was perfect For navigation Without the use of anything else but binoculars and A good navigation system.

#!0: The trailer is part of the boat. After a very close call where I found that the tires on the trailer were about to split open and result in a possibly catastrophic accident I spent some time learning about the boat trailer and how to keep it up. New tires are the first part but also making sure that the bearings are lubed and the brakes are in good shape. I am not the best at this so I rely on J.P. to keep up on the mechanical s but I have a healthy respect for having a safe trailer.