Ranger 29
Encyclopedia
The Ranger 29 is a twenty-nine foot (9m) fiberglass
production sailboat
designed by Gary Mull
in or around 1970.
is constructed of a solid fiberglass laminate. The keel
is molded as part of the hull and the ballast
is poured in. The hull is a moderate displacement design. The rudder has a partial-depth skeg
, with balance area below. This skeg is also molded into the hull. There is an interior liner dropped in to the boat before the deck is put on. The design weight of the Ranger is 6,400 lbs (2.9 tonne
s).
The hull-deck joint is built in the normal method, with an inward-facing flange on the hull, glued and thru-bolted. The early boats had a teak toe-rail while boats built after 1973 have the more familiar perforated aluminum toe-rail.
. This allowed the molded interior liner for the deck to serve as the inner skin. The vertical sections of the deck do not have this inner liner bonded to the outer deck.
Most Ranger 29's came with a Universal Atomic IV engine. This inboard
gas-powered engine produced up to 25 hp in some iterations, but in most applications is restricted in revolutions such that it only produces about 12 hp. This is adequate to push the Ranger at Hull speed
.
(37' I measurement) with fore-and-aft lower shrouds
. The single spreaders
were originally spec'd as wood. The mast had an external T-track fitted to its aft
side for the mainsail
. It included two sheaves on the front and back of the mast, as well as a tang for attaching a fractional inner forestay
. This inner forestay was included in some drawings of the boat, but was never supplied and there is no suitable attachment point included for the attachment of the bottom of such a stay. The boat was designed with boom-end sheeting in mind for the main, down to a traveller
at the back of the cockpit. Some boats have since moved the traveller to the bridgedeck. Halyards were originally led to winches on the mast but many boats have upgraded this as well.
forward, followed by a head to port with hanging locker outboard. A small galley and vanity is to starboard. Aft of the main bulkhead
are two settees. The starboard one has a cutout through the main bulkhead to allow 6' (1.84m) of sleeping space. The port settee extends into the quarter berth
which reaches back under the cockpit. A galley is to starboard, originally equipped with a sink, manual water pump, and two-burner alcohol stove. There is a small, poorly insulated icebox.
The water tank is located under the V-berth, with room for a holding tank as well. The fuel tank is strapped under the cockpit floor, above the engine.
Aft of the galley, there is a cockpit locker providing storage space.
The Ranger 29 has developed a reputation as an excellent club PHRF racer. It generally rates as fast as 184 in some regions with a spinnaker
, or as slow as 200 with the same sailplan depending on region. At 6,400 lbs, it likes a breeze, but can also be crippled somewhat by its limited draft of only 4'6", (1.4m) which means it has a little less righting moment than some of its competition.
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
production sailboat
Sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in the size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a...
designed by Gary Mull
Gary Mull
Gary Mull He was a successful yacht designer behind these popular Fibre-reinforced plastic boats.- Early life and Education :...
in or around 1970.
Hull
The hullHull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
is constructed of a solid fiberglass laminate. The keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
is molded as part of the hull and the ballast
Sailing ballast
Ballast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of...
is poured in. The hull is a moderate displacement design. The rudder has a partial-depth skeg
Skeg
A skeg is a sternward extension of the keel of boats and ships which have a rudder mounted on the centre line. The term also applies to the lowest point on an outboard motor or the outdrive of an inboard/outboard...
, with balance area below. This skeg is also molded into the hull. There is an interior liner dropped in to the boat before the deck is put on. The design weight of the Ranger is 6,400 lbs (2.9 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s).
The hull-deck joint is built in the normal method, with an inward-facing flange on the hull, glued and thru-bolted. The early boats had a teak toe-rail while boats built after 1973 have the more familiar perforated aluminum toe-rail.
Deck
The deck is constructed of fiberglass cored with plywoodPlywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
. This allowed the molded interior liner for the deck to serve as the inner skin. The vertical sections of the deck do not have this inner liner bonded to the outer deck.
Most Ranger 29's came with a Universal Atomic IV engine. This inboard
Inboard motor
An inboard motor is a marine propulsion system for boats. As opposed to an outboard motor where an engine is mounted outside of the hull of the craft, an inboard motor is an engine enclosed within the hull of the boat, usually connected to a propulsion screw by adriveshaft.-History:The first...
gas-powered engine produced up to 25 hp in some iterations, but in most applications is restricted in revolutions such that it only produces about 12 hp. This is adequate to push the Ranger at Hull speed
Hull speed
Hull speed, sometimes referred to as displacement speed, is the speed of a boat at which the bow and stern waves interfere constructively, creating relatively large waves, and thus a relatively large value of wave drag...
.
Rig
The rig is typical of its era. A deck-stepped aluminum mastMast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
(37' I measurement) with fore-and-aft lower shrouds
Shroud (sailing)
On a sailboat, the shrouds are pieces of standing rigging which hold the mast up from side to side. There is frequently more than one shroud on each side of the boat....
. The single spreaders
Spreader (sailboat)
A spreader is a spar on a sailboat used to deflect the shrouds to allow them to better support the mast. Often, there are multiples, called spreaders. The spreader or spreaders serve much the same purpose as the crosstrees and tops in a traditional sailing vessel.Spreader design and tuning can be...
were originally spec'd as wood. The mast had an external T-track fitted to its aft
Aft
Aft, in naval terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning, towards the stern of the ship, when the frame of reference is within the ship. Example: "Able Seaman Smith; lay aft!". Or; "What's happening aft?"...
side for the mainsail
Mainsail
A mainsail is a sail located behind the main mast of a sailing vessel.On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast....
. It included two sheaves on the front and back of the mast, as well as a tang for attaching a fractional inner forestay
Forestay
On a sailing vessel, a forestay, sometimes just called a stay, is a piece of standing rigging which keeps a mast from falling backwards. It is attached either at the very top of the mast, or in fractional rigs between about 1/8 and 1/4 from the top of the mast. The other end of the forestay is...
. This inner forestay was included in some drawings of the boat, but was never supplied and there is no suitable attachment point included for the attachment of the bottom of such a stay. The boat was designed with boom-end sheeting in mind for the main, down to a traveller
Mechanical traveller
A mechanical traveller is a moving part of a machine, typically a ring that slides between different positions on a supporting rod when the machine goes through its operating cycle. The term may also be used refer to the supporting rod....
at the back of the cockpit. Some boats have since moved the traveller to the bridgedeck. Halyards were originally led to winches on the mast but many boats have upgraded this as well.
Interior
The interior layout consists of a V-berthBerth (sleeping)
The word berth was originally used to describe beds and sleeping accommodation on boats and ships and has now been extended to refer to similar facilities on trains, aircraft and buses.-Beds in boats or ships:...
forward, followed by a head to port with hanging locker outboard. A small galley and vanity is to starboard. Aft of the main bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...
are two settees. The starboard one has a cutout through the main bulkhead to allow 6' (1.84m) of sleeping space. The port settee extends into the quarter berth
Berth (sleeping)
The word berth was originally used to describe beds and sleeping accommodation on boats and ships and has now been extended to refer to similar facilities on trains, aircraft and buses.-Beds in boats or ships:...
which reaches back under the cockpit. A galley is to starboard, originally equipped with a sink, manual water pump, and two-burner alcohol stove. There is a small, poorly insulated icebox.
The water tank is located under the V-berth, with room for a holding tank as well. The fuel tank is strapped under the cockpit floor, above the engine.
Aft of the galley, there is a cockpit locker providing storage space.
The Ranger 29 has developed a reputation as an excellent club PHRF racer. It generally rates as fast as 184 in some regions with a spinnaker
Spinnaker
A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180° off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is deployed, called flying. It is constructed of...
, or as slow as 200 with the same sailplan depending on region. At 6,400 lbs, it likes a breeze, but can also be crippled somewhat by its limited draft of only 4'6", (1.4m) which means it has a little less righting moment than some of its competition.