Modifications we’ve made to our Ranger Tug, Kismet

Bottom Paint

DIY Bottom Paint Job at Glades Boat Storage

Time for a bottom job, boat bottom that is! — Because of limited time in our schedule, when we took delivery of Kismet, we did not address scheduling the boat’s bottom paint until our after arrival in Florida. A couple of weeks after our Florida launch, I made arrangements to have our new boat travel lifted, power washed, and set up on jack stands at the DIY Glades Boatyard on the Caloosahatchee River. A day’s cruise from the marina. I did the research for the proper bottom paint. We use our boat in both salt and fresh water and for…

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Fresh Water Tank Capacity Dilemma & Solution

  Gaining Capacity in Our Fresh Water Tank – We just downsized to a Ranger Tugs R25OB from a Ranger Tugs R29S. We plan on keeping this boat for a long time, not our typical four to five-year history. Lisa and I are preparing for another stage in our boating adventures, one where trailering and maintenance are less of a chore. So, as we age, trailering will be easier because the boat is shorter, narrower (not requiring permits), and lighter than our prior two Ranger Tugs (an R27, and R29S). We found several advantages in the new R25OB: • Easier…

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Ceramic Coating

Our Introduction to Ceramic Coating

Kismet Gets a Shining With A Ceramic Coating If you own a boat, you understand there is a great deal of time, effort, and ongoing expense associated with keeping a boat’s finish like new. Even when washed and waxed regularly, gel coat finishes need constant attention, with detailing needing to be done at least once a year. After a few years, oxidation will creep in. The need for compounding the finish comes into play, requiring more time, effort, and expense. A good-looking boat takes effort! With the above statement in mind, I wanted to look into the pros and cons…

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Black and Freshwater Tank Solution

Black and Freshwater Tank Solution on a Small Boat

We Recently Downsized from a Ranger Tugs R29S to a Ranger Tugs R25OB —    Above-Left:  Interior of the hull, behind the refrigerator. Here you'll see I installed the fitting to the hull that houses the 12V fan, to exhaust the Airhead solids tank. Above-Right:  The grey hose is the vent hose. It runs from the solids tank through the hull interior to the vent exhaust.  Lisa and I plan on keeping our new boat for a long time, not our typical four to five-year history. We still want to trailer Kismet to distant cruising grounds and inland lakes. We…

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boat accessories

Preparation is Key – Taking Delivery of Our New 2022 Ranger Tugs R25OB

New 2022 Ranger Tugs R25OB Thought our blog readers might be wondering what we have been up to as we await our brand new 2022 Ranger Tugs R25OB to be built. The factory scheduled delivery for the end of summer, in Des Moines, Washington. We are now in a holding pattern and it just feels weird not having a boat to hop on at a moment’s notice, especially as the warm weather hits northern Michigan. Jim and I have had one boat or another since 1995. We’ve had a good plan in place since before we sold our Ranger Tug R29 last…

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Ranger Tugs R25

The New Kismet Will Be A Ranger Tugs R25 Outboard

Ranger Tugs Have the Perfect Size Boat for Everyone! When we put our Ranger Tugs R29S up for sale, at the end of last summer, our family, boating friends, and acquaintances asked us, “What’s Next?” as it relates to our next boat. Or, they’d ask, “Are you getting out of boating?” This situation also happened to a friend of ours, an avid boater, when he was in between boats. Someone asked him if he was finished boating. His reply was, “Did you hear I died?” He, like us, had boating in his blood. We also plan on boating until we…

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Christening Kismet

Today We Come to Name this Lady… Kismet

Christening Kismet – Christening is a Ritual Started by Seafarers Thousands of Years Ago – We finally got the boat graphics installed on Kismet – time to christen her. Christening, or naming ceremonies, were meant to bring good luck to new vessels and those who sailed on them. The tradition of christening goes back to the early days of boating – thousands of years ago. Viking ships were marked by the spilling of blood in early rituals. In the Middle Ages, religious shrines were placed on ships and a libation of wine was offered as the vessel hit the water. Wine became a substitute…

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Ranger Tugs R29S Kismet Orientation

Ranger Tugs R29S Kismet Orientation Day

Even Experienced Boaters Need Help Sometimes! – Because of our many years of boating experience (six of those years on a Ranger Tug), we didn’t feel we needed to have the “New Boat Delivery Experience” provided by Ranger Tugs when we took possession of our new Ranger Tug R29S – but, they insisted. Boy, were we wrong! Way wrong! We have been avid boaters for almost all of our adult lives. In all the new boat purchases we’ve made we’ve never, ever, EVER had such a thorough and rewarding new delivery experience as we recently had when taking delivery of…

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Kismet Ranger Tugs R29S

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…

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Kismet Ranger Tugs R-29S

Construction of the New Kismet Ranger Tugs R29S

Marrying the Hull of the New Kismet Ranger Tugs R29S Having something built from scratch, such as a house, car, or in this case, a boat is usually best left to the professionals. As you’ll see from the following photos there is evidence that a tremendous amount of thought and mindful design goes into building a boat, before and during manufacturing. There is a coordinated effort, before the actual production starts, to have on hand all of the hardware, wiring, hoses, batteries, glass, lighting, engine, generator, electronics, solar panel, seating cushions, tanks, etc. This ensures production occurs smoothly and on…

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Ranger Tug Kismet

Construction of the NEW KISMET!

UPDATE on the NEW KISMET! Having sold our Ranger Tug R27 a few months ago, we ordered a Ranger Tug R29S, we'll take delivery of our new Kismet in August 2017. So, we are spending the summer boatless! Lots to do at home while we prepare to travel west to Seattle, next month, to take possession. This tug, with a sportier look and a Volvo Penta diesel engine, will take us to some exciting cruising destinations with a quieter, more stable ride. Our new tug will be just a little bit bigger, but still trailerable. Yes, Kismet will look good again in that…

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BUMS Did A Great Bottom Job!

BUMS Did a Professional, Efficient, and Seamless Bottom Job on Kismet –  Lisa asked that I write a post about my bottom. I looked at her with amazement that she wanted me to write about such a personal thing. But here goes! It had been over three years since I prepped Kismet’s bottom and applied two coats of non-ablative bottom paint. It was starting to show. During that three-plus year period, I did touch up the water line and bow area twice when the boat was on its trailer. That area was in good shape but the hull was truly in…

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Port of Port Townsend – The Big Boy Boat Yard

A Boat Yard with Muscle! Port of Port Townsend Boat Haven is a massive boat yard with 475 commercial and recreational vessels and more than sixty marine trades businesses located on the property. You can get anything from a complete boat restoration to bottom painting, and major or minor repairs. Not only that but, you can have coffee, lunch, dinner, or grab a beer and buy fish all at different establishments right in the yard, it’s that big. With a Laundromat, a couple of restaurants, and a brewery located on the grounds, you don't need to go far to take care of…

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Installing Boat Graphics to Our Ranger Tug Kismet

Boat Graphics are Finally Applied! After designing, measuring, and visually laying out the boat graphics on the back of the boat, we were ready to order the vinyl from a sign company located just a block away from the marina. Jim has done this before so he was familiar with the process. First, thoroughly clean the back of the boat (above). Second, measure and block off the area, then tape the double-layer vinyl to the clean surface (below). Third, drop the vinyl down and peel off the protective paper layer (above). Four, tape it back up (above) and start burnishing the…

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Dinghy Installation on Kismet

Installing Our New Hurley Davit System

   Hurley Davit System Worked for Kismet! We had been towing our dinghy for over a year when we finally decided to get serious about finding a davit system. Towing is easy and inexpensive, however towing can also become problematic in rough seas or at higher speeds, so we wanted to find a solution, a viable launch and retrieve system where the dinghy would rest upright while overhanging the swim platform slightly. We thought it should be lightweight and detachable when needed, We also needed it to be somewhat flexible, so we could still use our swim platform without completely…

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Kismet Bottom Paint Job

Boat Yard Blues – Part Two

I am truly in the swing of things on day two in the boat yard. The good news is the On & Off product helped de-wax the hull, one of the steps needed to properly prepare the hull for bottom paint. Next, I applied acetone to the hull to assure that all wax, from when the hull came out of the mold, was completely gone. After a good washing, I taped the hull off an inch below the boot stripe then applied a very light 220 grit scuffing followed by a final washing in preparation for the painting, which I…

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Jim on Kismet in Boatyard

Boat Yard Blues

We never addressed the issue of bottom painting our Ranger Tug until one day, while taking our boat out of the water in Ft Myers Beach; we were surprised by the excessive growth of barnacles on the hull of Kismet. We recognized the problem and we wanted to take care of it ASAP. After arranging to have our boat hauled by 3D, a self-service boat yard in Key West, I began researching how to clean the hull and what to apply to help the process along and what kind of paint we might need. Because we use our boat in…

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SaniGard

Getting Rid of Odiferous Aromas

If you're a boater or have ever walked a marina dock, sat on the back deck or cockpit of someone's boat, you've most likely had the occasion to inhale the odiferous and unpleasant aroma coming from the vent of a black water holding tank as someone flushed their business down the boat's toilet. I came across a solution a couple of years back and I've just installed it on our Ranger Tug. It helps us, our guests, and dock neighbors not be bothered by disagreeable odors. The product I installed is an inline, charcoal-activated, holding tank vent filter called SaniGard.…

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