Is the Ranger 28 really a Ranger 29 or vice versa?

[GBurton]

It appears that Gary Mull never designed a Ranger 28 but he did design a Ranger 29. Are the Ranger 28's another designers boat?

Also I have tied hard to find out how the R29/28 hull is constructed - does it have a balsa core?

[R29Willow]

There are two families of designs in the Gary Mull / Ranger lineage. The first series of Rangers he designed include the 23,26,29,and 33. These boats are all visually similar. The 29 is in fact 28'6" long, but is always called the 29.

The second series he designed under the Ranger moniker are IOR race boats, and include the 22, 28, 32, and 37. These boats also share obvious visual traits, but aside from the shape of the windows they share very little with the previous boats. The 28 of this family does share a handful of parts with the 29 before it, including the mast extrusion, companionway hatch, and I'm sure a few interior fittings.

There are also Ranger boats built by a company in Kent, WA. These are not Mull designs and are not related at all to the Rangers designed by Mull and built by Bangor Punta.

[Faster]

Willow's nailed it... btw neither boat has a cored hull - the 28 is a balsa cored deck, but I believe the 29 uses some plywood in the core.

The 29 is the "cruisier" design, the 28 can be a handful downwind in a breeze. Also, check the 28 - early models had an unbalanced rudder, adding to the downwind control issues, around late '76 the rudders were modified to a balanced design.

Both good boats for their intended purpose, the 28 may be considered prettier by some, esp fans of tumblehome hulls.

[John H]

Does anyone have information/specs on the newer 'balanced' rudder? And I thought it was just me!