the new ride...

[ac holmes]

The new ride...

company brochure...

http://rangertugs.com/r/images/brochure ... Bro-08.pdf

I have had many boats in my life, so I kinda knew what I wanted this time. For what I paid, I might have bought a much bigger, faster fishing platform but I have been there done that. I wanted a boat that I can: trailer easily, has an inboard diesel, fish alone, fish in cold, wet weather and that looks like a boat. I have done quite a bit of custom woodwork to make it a fishing/trolling rig and so far so good. It has a low freeboard but seems pretty good in a 2 foot chop on Seneca and I suspect with careful attention to the weather it would be good on bigger water also.

[fdny76]

Its gorgeous! Its also nice to see someone else who appreciates the recreational tugs. A Nordic Tug is my dream some day.

Very Nice, Thanks for sharing and letting us drool.

Chris

[PolarBear]

ok ....I'm jelouse .....but I won't admit it.....LOL

[ac holmes]

Thanks guys...

I'm pleased that you like TARA. She is not perfect but all boats are compromises. Basically, the Ranger company builds a good boat and have incorporated good design with a top notch build and the best materials. A few more details below for those who may be interested.

I have a kicker motor but do not think I will need/use it. I am deploying 2 small Cabala trolling sacks off the bow and running them amidships. It is very easy with the Cabala sacks because the bottom of the sack opening is weighted and the top has a foam strip for flotation, so the sack pops open as soon as it hits the water. With the bags out, I can troll at any speed I wish easily. It turns out that I can run the Yanmar in it's sweet spot (about 1650 RPM's) and the boat is making 2.3-2.5 MPH over ground. It's a little noisy compared to my last boat that had 2, 4 stroke HONDA 90's that were virtually noiseless at trolling speeds, but it is OK and I am already used to the chugging sound.

The bags help to stabilize the bow, especially when trolling upwind and quartering, and that sure helps the Ray Marine Sport X-5 auto helm to do it's job very well. Of course, the inboard prop wash it an inch or two away from a hefty rudder blade so the boat handles like a sports car and the auto helm actually works perfectly, even in a bit of wind and waves at low speed.

cheers,

ac holmes

[kremer01]

If you could see me, I would be the color green (envy!)

Congrats Andrew, that is one sweet ride!

[rshubuck]

I love it. It sure looks unique. I think I would just die to hear the chugging sound trolling Congrads

[Mower]

After meeting you in at our captians class. That boat fits you to a "T". Let me know how that handles the rough water. That boat is not an option for me though, my fiance needs a little more privacy and comfort in the cuddy.

[ac holmes]

Hi Mower,

Yes, I remember our chats at the Sea Tech class. The instructor, Dennis Danials, has spent the summer sailing the two masted schooner, MALIBAR, at the south end of Seneca. Somedays he has 12 or 15 people aboard. I see him nearly every AM and we shoot the breeze a little. He likes TARA a lot.

It is true that the cuddy in TARA is not of much use for two people to use as a weekend hide-a-way, however, if you were not good friends when you got in there you sure would be by the time you got out in the morning.

Best,

Andrew

[lvgreatlakes]

I want to go see it. Looks like you keep it at Village marina, right ?

[ac holmes]

Sure...dock two at Village Marina

[rustyrat]

Nice ride Andrew!

I'm looking at a 24 ft North Coast. I'm really liking those boats.

RR

[ac holmes]

North Coast 24...terrific deep V fishing platform and a great boat for Lake Ontario. I think the molds were sold to another company and now the design may be made under another name, but used ones from the 80's are available but still hold their value very well.

[Splitshot115]

Super Nice Ride Andrew.

Splitshot115

[jennings]

Andrew, Nice ride. You sfouold be able to fish winter nicely. Would love more details on the boat. I am looking to upgrade this winter. Thanks. -William

[muskybob]

Very nice lookin rig. Best of luck with her.

[ERABBIT]

ac holmes , was that rig up at Barretts this spring ????? I saw one up there seemed smaller nice looking ride but the freeboard seem like it would be too easy to fall out of.......how high are the sides????

[ac holmes]

Hi Guys,

More details about the "new ride" TARA. I ordered the boat @ http://www.winterssailing.com/ in Riverside NJ last December. Glen Winter is the owner and a great guy to do business with. I picked the boat up and trailered to Seneca Lake last April. I messed around with my old boat this spring to get it sold and launched TARA in mid June. The boat was brand new and had never been in the water until we did sea trials in NJ.

Regarding low freeboard, if you notice in the photo or better still, the link to the factory brochure at the top of this thread, you will notice heavy duty (1 inch) stainless guard rail sections that are mounted in thru-bolted sockets with backing plates. Without those guard rails, I would feel a little top heavy and somewhat concerned about falling out, and I would have passed on buying the boat. I feel that way on a lot of boats that I have fished in lately and think it is quite dangerous, especially if you fish alone. The very nice thing about TARA's rails is that they are in 30 inch sections and can be easily slid in or out as needed. I have removed one on each side to get at the BIG JON riggers (always used Scottys before) but like the BIG JONs pretty well so far, and they fit my space better than other brands. The downrigger itself serves as a pretty good safety rail. I also removed the rail on the stern as it is not needed either as I have installed rod holders and filet table there.

Everything is just fine and I am not disappointed with the purchase. As I said above, I have had quite a number of boats and I knew what I was getting into before I made the deposit. The Ranger Tugs have a phenomenal resale value and are a kind of liquid asset when one wants to sell, if you keep it up well. The downside is the fact that the boat is very slow...10 MPH wide open. I cannot therefore, tear ass up to Sampson to fish for a few hours and then tear ass back to the Village Marina in Watkins Glen. I can however chug, chug up to Peach Orchard and fish back, or fish up and chug, chug back. I traded off speed for the fun of the 30 HP diesel and I wanted a setup that trailers easily. I have a dandy tandem axel aluminum trailer that was specifically designed for the boat and I can pull the whole package with my 1/2 ton truck, and the boat goes on and off very quickly. The boat is 2750 lbs. dry and the trailer is about 650 lbs. I barely know I'm pulling something. I want to fish the other lakes in NY state and that is one of the main reasons for my choice.

Finally, I like boats and boating and have built several small boats and have spent a lot of time with all kinds of sailboats, fishing boats, etc., etc.

So it is important to me that I enjoy the boat I use to fish with and I am old enough now to know that we must do the things that are important to us now, and not put things off too much. If I don't catch fish, I still enjoy the ride.

[Stinky Finger]

Wow, A.C. I must say that is just about the perfect boat for New York, I've had something like that in mind for quite awhile and that design sure seems to offer a lot.

You hit the nail on the head in listing the criteria you like in a boat, warm & dry, relatively light weight, diesel (reliable plus low maint. & operating costs), Fairly small, easily launched and trailers nicely.

We are so blessed to have such fantastic fisheries here in New York and so many of them. I would be hard pressed to cite any other region anywhere on this planet that has anything close to the level and diversity of our freshwater fisheries. Why limit ourselves to staying on one body of water all the time when we are surrounded by so much? This new boat of yours is just the ticket. You could be on Chautauqua one day, lake Erie out of Dunkirk later that afternoon, Niagara tomorrow then jump over to the Big O off Rochester next and wrap up the week on the Finger Lakes- PERFECT !!!

What I like most about this vessel that so many lack is the "warm & dry" part. That is so important, especially since much of our best fishing comes late in the season and on big mean water. No matter what outdoor activity you are enjoying if you are cold and wet or subjected to the wind you are just not having fun any more -game over.

Thanks for sharing, she's a beauty!