Ranger Tug 31, Command Bridge or Sedan, Specs and Buying Advice

The Ranger Tug 31 is the diesel flagship of the trailer range

The Ranger Tug 31 is the biggest boat in the trailerable part of the Ranger lineup. The R-23, R-25 and R-27 are outboard boats built to the 8 foot 6 inch towing limit, while the R-29 and R-31 grow to a 10-foot beam and a single Volvo Penta D4 diesel inboard, now rated at 320 hp. The R-31 adds a proper midship stateroom with its own day head. It debuted at the 2012 Miami International Boat Show with a 300 hp D4 and a base price of $279,937. It is still trailerable, but only with an oversize permit, and most owners keep it in the water and tow it occasionally rather than every season.

Ranger builds the R-31 in two versions, the R-31 CB with a command bridge (a small flybridge above the cabin) and the R-31 S sedan, which skips the bridge. The hull, engine and tankage are the same; the CB weighs 12,500 pounds dry against 12,000 for the S. Both versions were in the range by late 2014.

The R-31 is built in Kent, Washington by Fluid Motion, which also builds Cutwater boats, and it carries the same features owners love on smaller Rangers: bow and stern thrusters, a big Garmin navigation suite, a cockpit designed for line handling, and an interior that fits a lot of living into a compact hull.

Command Bridge or Sedan, picking your R-31

The CB's upper helm gives better visibility for docking and in crab-pot country, plus an outdoor seating area that doubles the usable space on a warm day. It also adds weight up high and height. Ranger lists the bridge-and-mast-down clearance at 10 feet 3 inches, with an estimated 13 feet 4 inches on the factory trailer. The bridge folds down on hinges, which is how a flybridge boat gets that low.

The S is simpler and lighter, a little cheaper, and easier to keep clean. For buyers who mostly cruise in cooler climates such as the Pacific Northwest or the Great Lakes, the sedan's single enclosed helm makes sense. In Florida or on the Chesapeake, the CB's open-air helm is a real lifestyle advantage.

Both versions clear every fixed bridge on the Great Loop when folded down, which is a key reason the R-31 has become one of the most popular Loop boats of its size.

• R-31 CB: command bridge, 12,500 lb dry, 10 feet 3 inches with bridge and mast folded
• R-31 S: sedan, 12,000 lb dry, 10 feet with mast down
• Both: 34 feet 10 inches overall, 10 foot beam, 30 inch draft, 180 gallons fuel

Volvo D4 diesel, factory fuel curve and range at trawler pace

The single Volvo Penta D4 is a compact, common-rail diesel that gives the R-31 a split personality. Ranger's performance bulletin for the R-31 CB with the 320 hp D4, run near Seattle with four people and full tanks, shows 15.5 knots at 3,000 rpm on 10 gph and 17.1 knots at 3,200 rpm on 11.8 gph, quick enough to cross big lakes and sounds before the wind builds. Top speed was 20.6 knots at 3,650 rpm on 16.6 gph. At the other end, 6.6 knots took just 1.6 gph and 8.2 knots took 3.7 gph.

Applied to 180 gallons with a 10 percent reserve, those figures give roughly 670 nautical miles at 6.6 knots, about 360 nautical miles at 8.2 knots and about 250 nautical miles at 15.5 knots. Older 300 hp boats tested lighter and differently: Soundings saw 1.5 gph at 7 knots and 15 gph at 24 knots on the 2012 launch boat, while Power and Motoryacht recorded 18.7 knots on top and a little over 4 gph at 7.5 knots. Measure your own boat with the Volvo display, which shows real-time burn.

Towing a 10-foot beam tug, what it really involves

At a 10-foot beam, the R-31 exceeds the 8 foot 6 inch legal width for unpermitted towing in the US, so every highway trip requires an oversize load permit from each state you cross, and some states require signage, lights or escort vehicles on certain roads. Add the trailer, fuel and gear to the 12,000 to 12,500 pound dry weight and you are towing well over 15,000 pounds.

That is a job for a one-ton dually or a commercial hauler. Many owners simply hire a professional transport company for long moves, such as shipping the boat from the Pacific Northwest to Florida for a winter or to the Great Lakes for a summer. The ability to do that at all, rather than running thousands of miles by water, is still one of the R-31's big advantages over a conventional trawler.

Why Loopers love the R-31

On the Great Loop the R-31 is close to an ideal boat for a couple. The folded height of 10 feet 3 inches clears the western Erie Canal's low bridges, which sit at about 15 feet 6 inches, and the roughly 19 foot 1 inch fixed bridge near Chicago with plenty of margin. The 30-inch draft opens the shallowest parts of the ICW and the Bahamas. Thrusters at both ends make locks and tight marinas simple.

The 60-gallon water tank and 40-gallon waste tank are adequate for a few days at anchor, and the 180-gallon fuel tank covers every Loop leg at displacement speed with ease. The 15 to 17 knot cruise lets you cover long open stretches such as Lake Michigan's eastern shore or the Gulf crossing on a short weather window.

Three sleeping areas in 35 feet

The forward stateroom has an island berth and an en suite head with a shower enclosure, the midship stateroom tucks under the saloon with its own day head, and the dinette converts to a third berth, so the R-31 can sleep six in a pinch, and four comfortably. Two heads on a boat this size is a real advantage for two couples. The galley is in the saloon, close to the cockpit door, and the saloon has big windows on all sides.

Owners usually add a diesel heater for the Pacific Northwest, solar and lithium for longer anchoring, and a generator if they plan to run air conditioning in the South.

Costs and resale

Expect $14,000 to $30,000 per year excluding depreciation, depending largely on slip costs and how much you cruise. One diesel means one service, and Volvo Penta dealers are widespread. Thruster and battery maintenance are the main extras.

The R-31 holds value very well. Late used boats often sell close to their original price because buyers want to avoid factory wait times.