What's coming for Ranger..?

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Hamrow

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2014
Messages
258
Location
USA
Vessel Make
American Tug 435
Attended a boat show a couple weeks ago and Ranger Tugs were represented. We were looking for something a little bigger but we had time so climbed aboard and have to say very impressed. We liked a lot about the aesthetics, layout, helm station, etc. we just need a bit more room.
Anyway, the guy doing the talking mentioned Ranger is working on a 38' design and some customers have put money down sight unseen.
This seems like huge news that they're branching out and will be competing against some of the bigger builders, can't wait to see it!
On the other hand it goes against a long tradition; it's a bit like when Mini Cooper started building a "big" mini....;)
 
Personally I think branching to bigger boats is a great idea.

As we go through the different stages of life, many people find themselves with more and more disposable income.

If you get someone to buy into your brand with a smaller boat, and if they are happy, when their time comes to move to a larger boat, they will naturally trust the brand they have. This makes marketing much easier when you already have the potential customers trust.

Take Bayliner. Many of us started with smaller boats. We started out with a 19' cuddy ourselves. The boat worked great for us. As our lives changed and we could afford a larger boat it was easy to trust Bayliner, since we knew the brand. We have had several Bayliner ocean boats and been happy with all of them.

We now have a large motoryacht, and guess what... It's a Bayliner. My wife is thinking about moving into a yet larger Bayliner, a 5788. Why... Simply because we have had such great luck with all the other Bayliners we've had.

For her at least, she would be hard pressed to even consider another brand, because of the history we have with the brand.

Ranger customers are no different. Happy Repeat customers.
 
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Sabre Yachts does this with their lineup. They also feed people from the Backcove series into Sabres. It apparently works well as they seem to be building boats...
As for Ranger, I have to admit that the first time we got aboard one at a boat show both my wife and I loved the creative use of space. They just seem to have cool features everywhere.
I will be curious to see what they come up with in a 38 design.
Will it be true to their previous models with every inch of the boat seemingly brimming with neat features or will it be allowed to grow a little more space to relax?
Should be fun to watch.
Bruce
 
A bigger Ranger, if executed as efficiently as the current lineup, will provide incentive for AT and NT to rethink their decades old designs. But, Ranger best hit a home run as they leave their market niche. AT was able to make a seemingly improved NT, what will Ranger use for their marketing philosophy?
 
Ranger Tug makes a nice boat for sure. They seem a bit pricey though. The 31' with the folding flybridge is about $380K equipped. There's a one year old 29' at my marina that they are asking $245K for.


It would be interesting to see a 38' Ranger Tug but I doubt I could afford it.
 
We love the looks of the Ranger but with the narrow beam, find it a bit short of space. The American Tug and Nordic Tug however are a lot more attractive to us even in the same size. As well, any Rangers new or used in our area have been with Volvo engines and not a lot of service room around them.
 
LaBomba said:
We love the looks of the Ranger but with the narrow beam, find it a bit short of space. The American Tug and Nordic Tug however are a lot more attractive to us even in the same size. As well, any Rangers new or used in our area have been with Volvo engines and not a lot of service room around them.
Click to expand...

The current Ranger Tugs are trailerable, even the 31' model. That explains the narrow beam. The narrow beam explains the lack of service room.

I suspect the 38 will have a "normal" beam for it's length.
 
We also love the AT and NT but if you're talking new, they can come in at anywhere from $600k to nearly $1 million ! Ouch!
So if Ranger brings this 38 in at a lower price point, seems like they will be putting some competition pressure on AT and NT... which is probably a good thing.
 
Hamrow said:
We also love the AT and NT but if you're talking new, they can come in at anywhere from $600k to nearly $1 million ! Ouch!
So if Ranger brings this 38 in at a lower price point, seems like they will be putting some competition pressure on AT and NT... which is probably a good thing.
Click to expand...

AT and NT make great boats and there are several of their designs that I would really enjoy owning. However, it seems you definitely pay a premium for having the word "tug" included in the name. North Pacific and Helmsman have been beating them on price point for a while but it hasn't seem to have hurt AT or NT at all. It may be the same with Ranger Tugs as they move into that size range.
 
sunchaser said:
A bigger Ranger, if executed as efficiently as the current lineup, will provide incentive for AT and NT to rethink their decades old designs. But, Ranger best hit a home run as they leave their market niche. AT was able to make a seemingly improved NT, what will Ranger use for their marketing philosophy?
Click to expand...

AT owns NT now?
 
AT was founded by some people who left NT to go their own way. Separate companies.
 
Yup,
That's what I thought.
OK the breakoff guys were thought of as making an improved NT?
I don't see it that way at all. I don't know the boats well enough to call either one better or improved. I like the NT better. I see the two boats as different not better or worse. But I know nothing about build quality or details like cabin layout ect. One difference is that there's no 26' AT. A shortcomming.
 
I think growth upward is something that nearly every boat builder does over the years. Then it takes a new builder to come back and service the person wanting a smaller boat. Look at the size of SF's now. Then Nordhavn's sales have moved upward, as have KK's. Bayliner found themselves driven larger. Then when Orin Edson, founder of Bayliner, reappeared with Pacific Mariner and Westport it happened again. Westport only built up to 130' and had to grow to 164' and now they've dropped everything under 112'. I suspect something large coming.

Sea Ray has moved upward in the past and had to retreat. Now they're trying again with the L Series. Cobalt tried to move upward but then 2008-2009 hit and they retreated. On the lake, we had a 30' bowrider. When I was young, there was no such thing built.

I think NT and AT and everyone else will find themselves building larger models. I just hope they don't forget or eliminate the smaller ones. It happens for financial reasons. If suddenly a 45' boat is selling well, then more profit into building larger boats and something gets pushed aside. Pacific Mariner/Westport sold hundreds of 65's and dozen's of 85's but when Westport needed the space for 164's and 130's, they were gone.

Cabo was killed by Hatteras as they focused on larger boats. That to me is the scary part of things. If the new boat is successful, will it lead to the death of the smaller models.
 
If I were Ranger I would be very worried about the new Great Harbour TT35.
 
I once had the pleasure of sailing from Bermuda to Newport with the founder of Morris yachts, Tom Morris.
He explained the economy of scale that drove builders to larger designs. He said that in a given time frame you can put more workers on a larger boat with the profits showing a like gain for the given period of time.
He also said it was easier to fit components as a result of the additional room. In other words life was easier.
This from a man who loved small boats.
He preferred the small boat buyer and he preferred simpler boats.
He did acknowledge that large boats made more money and better business sense...

As far as the TT 35 Great Harbor vs the Ranger 38 or whatever it is, I'd suggest that this is a case of apples and oranges. Different boats for different markets!
Bruce
 
David Rive said:
If I were Ranger I would be very worried about the new Great Harbour TT35.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I was thinking. The GH TT35 is impressive in capabilities and performance. These come at a cost, though.

On many trailerable boats, one man's "creative use of space" is another man's PITA. Sometimes dual purpose surfaces lose their novelty and become a painful ritual in converting a surface from Use A to Use B. Since I haven't seen a TT35 interior yet, I don't know if this applies to it. It's something I'll be looking for when the new interior is debuted.
 
Absolutely found what Tom Morris said to be true. The disappointment is that companies won't expand to keep the small while adding the large and they don't sell the small boat business to allow someone else to continue it.

As to the TT impacting Ranger negatively, i don't think so. First, very different boats. Second if they get more people looking at trailerable and smaller trawler type boats they'll both benefit. I think also the fact they're on opposite coasts and at the far north and south of those coasts makes any erosion of business unlikely.
 
Rive, thanks for that! i had no idea Great Harbour was venturing into a swifter trawler, GH website says TT35 could go up to 16 kts! this seems antithetical to everything about GH boats, but hey more power to them and it should open up their customer base to folks that want just a bit more speed...
Now I just wish GH would build a 2-stateroom boat that will go this fast.... ;)
 
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I was at the Miami International Boat Show today. I went aboard the Ranger Tug 29, the Benetau Swift Trawlers 30 and 34. All really nice boats but all with bad access to the engine and other systems.
 
Any updates to the bigger Ranger Tug news? This is an interesting discussion for me because I agree with what some have said about brand loyalty.

My first boats were C Dorys and I loved them (and still do). There are many reasons why they have a big following and I'm not gonna get into that here. But I've always said that if C Dory made a beamier and bigger model then I'd be all over it.

I'm quite certain that there's TONS of Ranger Tug owners who feel the same way about their line as I did about C Dory. The biggest Ranger is a 31' and it's really not all that beamy. The biggest C Dory is the 26' Venture with an 8'6 beam. Ranger probably loses a good deal of customers to Nordic Tug, American Tug and others (although their sales are through the roof, they probably could care less!).

I'd love to see a 35'+ option from both of the companies I mentioned. (and yes; I'm familiar with Sea Sport and OceanSport boats.....)
 
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South of Heaven said:
My first boats were C Dorys and I loved them (and still do). There are many reasons why they have a big following and I'm not gonna get into that here. But I've always said that if C Dory made a beamier and bigger model then I'd be all over it.

Prior to C Dory, there was on the market, the Marben by Roy Toland who later joined in a partnership with C-Dory. The Marben line included 28',32' and I know of one 35' all designed for pleasure or if desired, commercial Alaska salmon troller fishing of which there are several here in Southeast Alaska.

While you would have 'bit' on a 35 foot or larger C-Dory such a model much in line with your Camano in terms of accommodations and layout existed years prior to the arrival of the popular Camano. Power was much less, as the trend then was fuel efficiency. Hull design prevented anything close to simi- or full plane.

We had viewed the used Camano (and the market cost) vs. our under $30,000 purchase of a 1978 Marben and then adding over the years, approximately $15,000, Engine upgrade, electronics, OB, RIB, and aluminum canopy over the aft open area.and Lastly 1400# of lead ballast.

The advertisement is of a sister boat we were following during our ultimate purchase of 'Slo~Belle'

To my way of thinking, the Camano 31 is near perfect as a Southeast Alaska cruiser for two, best of both worlds in terms of cruising comfort having the 'Get up and go' to avoid coming weather. The biggest drawback to our slow pace in any event of speed!

"Anything over 7 knt's sucks the wind out of your lungs" is our fall back excuse for our 'Cocktail' pace. :lol:




1978 Marben Flybridge Trawler Pilothouse Pocket Cruiser Title



Al-Ketchikan
Click to expand...
 
I don’t know how old this thread is, but here is some info on the new Ranger Tug.
It is 41 feet, not the 38. It has twin Volvo Pod drives controlled by joy sticks. I don’t remember
the beam (probably 13 feet or so), and here’s the sticker shock-price range between 750K and 850K depending on what’s on it, including a command bridge. BobnDoc
 
Waterford said:
American Tug is introducing a new 36 that will likely compete with the RT, but may be a better build. The design, like RT, maximizes space and offers few options to keep production costs down. https://americantugsandtrawlers.com/waypoint/
Click to expand...



Yes, the new American Tug is the Waypoint 36. It shares the 365’s
Hull, but is a two cabin layout. The space for the second cabin comes in part from the 365’s engine room-hence no standard generator. Other cost savings come from a smaller engine and a limited standardized accessory package. At an introductory price of $350,000. it is a lot less expensive than the much more costomizeable 365. It looks like Amer. Tug is targeting a young family, new to cruising. It’s what one might call an “everyman’s or every woman’s boat”. A worthy goal, though it won’t replace my dream of a 365. BobnDoc
 
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BobnDoc said:
I don’t know how old this thread is, but here is some info on the new Ranger Tug.
It is 41 feet, not the 38. It has twin Volvo Pod drives controlled by joy sticks. I don’t remember
the beam (probably 13 feet or so), and here’s the sticker shock-price range between 750K and 850K depending on what’s on it, including a command bridge. BobnDoc
Click to expand...

Umm, what??!! They are?? When are they gonna release the details and backstory on it? After the 1st hull is complete? Lol
 
BobnDoc said:
Yes, the new American Tug is the Waypoint 36. It shares the 365’s
Hull, but is a two cabin layout. The space for the second cabin comes in part from the 365’s engine room-hence no standard generator. Other cost savings come from a smaller engine and a limited standardized accessory package. At an introductory price of $350,000. it is a lot less expensive than the much more costomizeable 365. It looks like Amer. Tug is targeting a young family, new to cruising. It’s what one might call an “everyman’s or every woman’s boat”. A worthy goal, though it won’t replace my dream of a 365. BobnDoc
Click to expand...

I looked at the layout diagram for the 2 stateroom. I cant figure out where they are going to put the generator. Now, they say it can sleep 6 but with one head and the same size sanitary tank. 6 people one head, it will always be busy. lol
I own a 34 and I can assure you the couch in the saloon does not sleep comfortably. I'd like a walk through but not enough to fly out there to look.
 
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Nomad Willy said:
AT owns NT now?
Click to expand...



Two years have elapsed since these speculative posts. The 38 turned out to be a 41 and the price point with taxes is probably over a million for all the extras. As to quality, I hope it is real and not just more and bigger gadgets. Otherwise NT,AT AND Helmsman have nothing to worry about.
 
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