Ranger Tug 27 Review, the Trailerable Pocket Cruiser Explained

Why the Ranger Tug 27 is the model people ask about first

The Ranger Tug 27 occupies a unique spot. It is the largest Ranger you can tow on an 8 foot 6 inch beam without an oversize permit, yet it has a proper forward stateroom, a midship berth, a convertible dinette, an enclosed head with a shower and a galley. That makes it a real cruising boat that can be launched in Lake Powell one month, the San Juan Islands the next and the Florida Keys after that, with the trailer doing the long legs at highway speed.

Ranger Tugs are built in Kent, Washington by Fluid Motion, the same company that builds Cutwater boats. Buyers come for the tug styling and the trailerability, then stay for the owner community: Ranger owners hold rendezvous across the country, and the R-27 is one of the most common boats at them.

There are three generations of R-27. The original boat of the early 2010s, designed by Dave Livingston, was an inboard diesel tug with a single 180 hp Yanmar, a keel and 100 gallons of fuel. In 2018 Ranger relaunched it as an outboard boat with a single Yamaha F300 and 150 gallons, and current boats run twin Yamaha F150s, which changes performance, maintenance and resale again. This guide covers all three, with the current twin F150 boat as the reference.

Towing an R-27, the numbers that matter

Ranger lists the current R-27 at 8,200 pounds dry and 31 feet 7 inches long with the motors down. On the factory trailer the rig is 38 feet 9 inches long with the motors down (39 feet 9 inches with them tilted) and an estimated 11 feet 10 inches high with the mast down and radar fitted. That height clears most highway structures but you should still plan routes around low overpasses and fuel station canopies.

Once you add the trailer, fuel, water, batteries and gear, total towing weight will be well over 10,000 pounds. That is three-quarter-ton or one-ton pickup territory with a properly rated hitch, brakes on every trailer axle and a driver who has practiced. A half-ton truck is not the right tool, whatever the brochure for the truck says about towing capacity.

The 8 foot 6 inch beam is the legal width limit for towing without a permit in all US states. That is the reason the R-27 is sized as it is and why it is so popular with buyers who want to cruise multiple regions.

• Dry weight 8,200 lb
• Length on factory trailer 38 feet 9 inches
• Height on trailer about 11 feet 10 inches with mast down and radar
• Beam 8 feet 6 inches, no wide-load permit needed
• Plan for a three-quarter-ton or larger tow vehicle

From one Yanmar to two Yamahas, speed and fuel burn

Moving to outboards transformed the R-27 from a semi-displacement tug into a boat that runs like a fast cruiser. The original Yanmar boat topped out around 20 knots, with a high cruise of 15 knots and an economical cruise of 8 knots, according to PassageMaker's 2013 test. The 2018 single F300 boat was a different animal: Yamaha's testing, reported by Power and Motoryacht, showed 36.8 knots flat out and a 26.7 knot cruise. The twin Yamaha F150s give redundancy, easy maintenance at any Yamaha dealer, and the ability to tilt the engines clear of the water when the boat is stored afloat, which reduces fouling and corrosion.

We have not found a published speed trial for the current twin F150 configuration, which is heavier than the 7,000 pound F300 boat, so the specification table leaves top and cruise speed blank. More important for trawler-style cruising is the slow end, where outboard boats burn little fuel at 6 to 7 knots. Ranger fits a digital fuel flow display as standard, so ask any seller for the numbers their boat actually shows.

With 150 gallons of fuel aboard, range at displacement speed is several times what the boat covers at fast cruise, where burn climbs steeply. Plan fuel stops around the planing figures and treat slow running as your reserve.

The R-27 as a Great Loop boat

The R-27 is one of the most common small boats on the Great Loop, and air draft is the reason. With the mast down, Ranger lists bridge clearance of just 8 feet 6 inches, which means no fixed bridge on the Loop is a concern, including the western Erie Canal at about 15 feet 6 inches and the Chicago route at about 19 feet 1 inch. Draft is 34 inches with the motors down, so the shallowest ICW sections and Bahamas anchorages are open.

The trade-off is space. Two people living aboard for a year in 27 feet of hull requires discipline, and the 40-gallon water tank and 30-gallon waste tank mean more frequent marina stops than a larger trawler. Many Loopers love the R-27 precisely because it forces them into marinas and towns, and because trailering lets them skip sections or take breaks at home.

Inside an R-27, more boat than the length suggests

The forward stateroom has a double berth and a TV, the midship berth tucks under the dinette for a child or a third adult, and the dinette converts to another berth. The enclosed head has a shower. The galley is compact but functional. The helm has a 13-inch Garmin navigation system with GPS and sonar on current boats, and a bow thruster is standard, which makes docking simple even for a first-time owner.

The cockpit aft is large enough for a couple of chairs and line handling, and the transom area gives access to the outboards. Side decks are narrow, as you would expect on an 8 foot 6 inch beam boat, so keep a hand on the rails going forward.

What an R-27 costs to own

Plan on $9,000 to $20,000 a year in running costs excluding depreciation. Trailer storage at home slashes the biggest expense, a slip, which is one of the hidden financial advantages of the R-27. Outboard service at Yamaha dealers is straightforward and relatively inexpensive. Insurance is moderate.

The R-27 holds its value unusually well. Used boats from recent years often sell close to their original price because of long waits for new boats, strong dealer support and an enthusiastic owner community.

Buying a used Ranger Tug 27

First decide between an inboard diesel boat and an outboard boat; they are different machines. Then look at the trailer: a matched factory trailer in good condition adds real value, while a worn or missing trailer is expensive to replace, since Ranger prices its aluminum triple-axle trailer at $18,000 on a new boat. Finally, check the electronics package and whether the boat has upgrades such as solar, lithium batteries, a diesel heater or a generator.

Ranger owners are notoriously meticulous, and many used boats come with detailed logs. A boat without them deserves a deeper survey.