A DAY ABOARD THE RANGER TUGS R-27

The Ranger Tugs R-27 brings sportiness and comfort to a trailerable explorer

Hop aboard the outboard-powered R-27 for a crab cake and oyster cruise from Kent Narrows to St. Michaels, Maryland, and learn our impression of the new boat.

T he edges of the Chesapeake’s Eastern Bay blushed with November hues of orange, red, yellow and golden brown as we motored out from Kent Narrows around 11 a.m. Tucked away in the cabin of the Ranger Tugs R- 27, I jostled the throttle. The boat jumped onto plane, blowing through the 20s and then into the low-30-mph range before settling in at wideopen throttle just under 40 mph. I pointed the bow south over a short chop toward St. Michaels, Maryland, where oysters and crab cakes awaited us. I might as well have been aboard an express cruiser, we were making such good time toward lunch.

You’d have to be in hibernation not to have noticed boatbuilders migrating to outboard power for all kinds of designs these days, from center consoles to Down East cruising yachts. The R-27, new for 2018, is one of two Ranger Tugs models with outboards. (The other is the R-23.) The new 27 with a single Yamaha F300 replaces the builder’s previous R-27, which had diesel inboard propulsion.

“This is an entirely new hull designed specifically for outboard power,” said Mark Schulstad, owner of the Ranger Tugs dealer Pocket Yacht Company in Grasonville, Maryland, as we cruised along in the 5- to 10-knot breeze. “I know what you’re thinking, but we didn’t simply use our old R-27 mold and slap an outboard on it.”