SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

New Ranger 29' Owner

13K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  gmbandco 
#1 ·
Hello,

We bought a 1974 Ranger 29' last month and I was hoping to find some info. about the boat and other sailors experiences owning/sailing the Ranger. We are new sailboat owners and appreciate any recommendation/discussions regarding the Ranger boats. We are currently looking to put a furler and lazy jacks on as I have 3 small children and this would enable us to sail more easily in various wind conditions. Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a book about tuning the rigging?

Thanks,

Michele
 
#2 ·
Congratulations on your new boat. Our son and daughter-in-law own a Ranger 29, and are happily racing and cruising her, often with their 10 month old daughter.

The add-ons you speak of are common, and can help make boat handling easier and more convenient.

Tuning the rig is something that is easy to find info on.. a quick google gave me this list:

sailboat rig tuning - Google Search=

....just for starters. Many magazine articles will be available, search this forum for discussions on the subject too!

Best of luck with your new ride! and Welcome to Sailnet.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Congrats on the Ranger. I bought a 1974 26' over the summer and was able to singlehand it before it was hauled this fall. Some additions I made:
  • A BoomKicker in place of a topping lift. It makes dropping the main (which has a light downhaul on it) a piece of cake.
  • A TillerTamer which "self steers" for me for a minute or so while I tend to the rigging. When I tack, I release the lee jib sheet, helm over, trim the main to get some headway, set the TillerTamer and then trim the jib. Good to go.
  • Winchers on the primaries and secondaries. Once I've trimmed the jib, I wrap the sheet in the Wincher groove and I'm back to the helm.
When I get the sails and tiller balanced right, she'll self steer with just a nudge or two from my knee on the tiller.

Some other improvements in the works:
  • Moving the halyard winch from the mast to the doghouse roof and adding a rope clutch - raising the main gets easier.
  • Installing a gas piston on the forward hatch so I don't have to tie it open.
  • Buying a whisker pole.
Am I out of money yet??!!:D
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top