Ready and Waiting at the Factory – Kismet a Ranger Tug R29S

When does a boat become a boat?

My thoughts are… “when it is ready to float and cruise!” Based on the final assembly production photos we just received from the factory, it appears Kismet, a Ranger Tug R29S, is ready to become a boat.

The Ranger Tug R29S sports a larger head than our R27. There will also be more privacy with the head being positioned in the stateroom. The stateroom is a step up for us, having slept on a V-berth for the last six years on the R27. We are also loving the spacious under-bed storage area. There will be plenty of natural lighting and more elbow room in the galley for better maneuverability. We had our new Kismet built in the same Hero Red as our recently sold R27, as this is our favorite boat color. You just can’t beat the photo op of a bright red hull sitting on deep blue water. You might also notice the brows around the cabin roof are white now instead of matching the color of the hull, like on our last tug. This will make ongoing maintenance easier.

Roomier Cockpit with Built-in Seating

The cockpit on the R29S has some features we look forward to using, such as the electric engine cover hatch. It covers the quiet Volvo Penta D4 diesel engine. New for us on this boat will be a small cockpit refrigerator and fold-up side cockpit seats. No need to carry chairs with us for cockpit seating with those built-in ones. There is also a large, cabin cockpit-facing, window (see photo below) that opens completely out of the way thereby opening up the salon to more fresh air. On the inside of that window is a flip seat that serves both inside and outside seating.

You’ll notice we opted for a transom-mounted hard-bottom dinghy, the first hard-bottom dinghy we’ve had in all of our boating years.

We are only about a week away from actually getting onto our new Kismet for the first time. For this to happen, we first need to pack the truck up and make the 2500-mile cross-country road trip to Washington. A trip we are anxiously looking forward to getting underway.

You’ll notice we opted for a transom mounted hard bottom dinghy (above), the first hard-bottom dinghy we’ve had in all of our boating years.