I am looking for some local knowledge or first hand experience onboard the tug Smith Ranger.
company info :
http://www.smithmarinetowing.com/PDF/sranger.pdf
Thanks for the link. I have all the specs but I’m more interested in how she handles. Is she a good boat? I was hoping to get some first hand knowledge of her from someone who ran her or worked on her.
THAT’s the company that needs a reality show. . . .
The boat is for sale. Just wondering if she is a decent boat.
[QUOTE=tugboatchief;76728]The boat is for sale. Just wondering if she is a decent boat.[/QUOTE]
I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t be a decent boat except that she doesn’t have a very deep draft which is typical of a Gulf tug. The 398 Cats are older but a reliable simple engine. For what you’re probably planning to use her for, that’d she be a fine boat. How much are they asking?
They are asking 1.2 for her. And your right. For what we have planned for her she will be fine. The shallow draft is a concern but for towing up and down the coast I think she will be ok. I did talk to one fellow who ran her for several years and he had nothing but good things to say. So now it’s haggle haggle haggle.
[QUOTE=tugboatchief;76733]They are asking 1.2 for her. [/QUOTE]
Youch! When was she built? Early 80’s? The question on value I guess is what she can earn for you and for how many years before she’ll need the big $$$ invested to keep her going?
I agree with c.captain the 398 Cats were tough old engines that you almost could not kill. However I can’t recall anyone ever trying to update them to meet new emission standards. You might very well wind up in the same situation that you are in now with the KTA 2300 Cummins on your other boat. Keep in mind that there is nothing that will be a direct replacement for a 398. Those are only 1200 RPM eninges. Most everything else in that same H.P. catagory is 1800 RPM. If you decide to repower that will mean possible a gear box swap and wheel to get the whole thing to jive with the different RPM engines. That will just be that much more money you have to put in to her.
Yeah Chief it’s a major expense either way. But from I’ve been told the boat is solid. I’ll know more once we conduct a survey. As for the emissions. Where we will be working There is no emission standards implemented as of now. We all know it’s coming it’s just a matter of when. Either way there will be a grace period to bring the boats into compliance. With the 398’s if we can get a year or two out of them we are good. The boat already has the 540’s so the gears are good. I might have to change the bull gear and pinions to take her from 5:1 to 6:1. And it already has the 7" shafts. It’s a open wheel boat so no kort nozzles to deal with when we adjust the wheels. And when it’s time to Repower it’ll be either 3512’s KTA38’s or the Mitsubishi’s. They should all fit right into the current engine bed with no major fabrications.