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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers

Ranger Tug R-27

What the published record establishes about this model, what owners report, and the questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page is about the MODEL — a specific hull always gets its own homework.

A trailerable 27-ft pocket cruiser well-suited to the Loop on air draft, but the engine story splits sharply between the diesel Classic and the outboard redesign.

The Ranger Tug R-27 is a compact, trailerable semi-displacement cruiser popular for the Great Loop thanks to a low folding-mast air draft and shallow draft. It comes in two materially different forms: the "Classic" R-27 (roughly 2010–2017) with an inboard diesel (Yanmar early, later Volvo Penta D3), and the redesigned R-27 (2018-on) with outboard power (single Yamaha F300, later twin F150s). Which one you are looking at changes almost every engine, range, and serviceability consideration, so confirm the drive type and engine before anything else.

How to read this: 🟢 Fact = confirmed against a document, spec sheet, or owner. Everything else — Claim, Pattern, Question, Context — is not yet verified: things to check, not settled truth. Sources are linked where published.

Drive type & identity

QUESTION

Is this an inboard-diesel Classic or an outboard redesign? The R-27 exists as two fundamentally different boats: the ~2010–2017 Classic with an inboard diesel and the 2018-on redesign with outboard power. Nearly every engine, range, and serviceability consideration below depends on which one this hull is. src: Tugnuts "New R-27"; Ranger Tugs R-27 model history

Your move: Confirm with the broker/listing the model year, drive type, and exact engine (Yanmar, Volvo D3-200/220, Yamaha F300, or twin F150s) before making an offer.

Air draft

CLAIM

Folding mast/radar keeps air draft low The mast and radar fold down for trailering and low bridges, and the boat's mast-down air draft is well under Loop fixed-bridge constraints — air draft is essentially a non-issue for this model. However, real air draft depends on antennas, arch, canvas, dinghy storage and solar, and used boats are often modified, so two same-named boats can differ. src: Ranger Tugs official R-27 spec sheet; TheCenterOf "Great Loop Bridge Clearance Guide"

Your move: Measure the actual air draft in realistic cruising trim and identify exactly what folds or comes off to clear low bridges.

Range & fuel

CONTEXT

Two efficient speeds: slow displacement or up on plane Across versions, the R-27 is most efficient either at slow displacement speed (~6–9 kn) or up on plane, with a thirsty hump between. On the Classic diesel, owners cite roughly 1–1.2 GPH at ~6 kn rising to ~3–4 GPH at ~9–10 kn, with displacement-speed range in the hundreds-of-miles range. On the outboard F300, a boat test showed an efficient cruise around 23–27 kn at ~15–16.5 GPH (~1.4–2.0 mpg), and ~3 GPH slow-cruising near 10 mph. src: Tugnuts "Tug Efficiency - I/B Diesel vs Outboard", "R27 fuel usage"; Soundings "Coastal Adventurer" R-27 test

QUESTION

What is the fuel-tank capacity and realistic range on this hull? Fuel capacity and consumption differ between the diesel Classic and the outboard redesign, and load, current, and speed choice swing real-world range widely. Diesel boats stretch much further at displacement speed than the gasoline outboard versions. src: Tugnuts fuel threads

Your move: Confirm the fuel-tank capacity for this specific hull and calculate realistic displacement-speed range with a reserve for the longer no-fuel stretches of the Loop.

Engines

The engines research — factory options, tested performance, and the engine-specific questions our members' dossiers carry — is part of the full profile inside the product. It travels with every dossier and survey brief built on this model.

Looking at a specific R-27?

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Spotted something wrong or have first-hand knowledge of this model? Email support@caniloop.net — corrections are how a profile earns its Facts, and credited however you choose. This profile reflects sources opened and verified by a person; it is buyer homework, never a verdict on any hull.