Just bought a 1976 Ranger 20. I am not a very experienced sailor and would like to know a link or information sheet on how to best step the mast.The boat is at home on a trailer, so I want to practice with that before I flail at launch.
Ranger 20 rigging
- Thread starter theparadoc
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You can hook up with the local Ranger 20 fleet thru the yacht club that most belong to.
Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon.
http://syscosailing.org/
Most anyone at that site can put you in contact with them.
I used to cruise and race a 20, decades ago. Great boat. I stepped the mast often. You walk it forward, put the foot into the pivot piece on the cuddy. Walk it upright, being very (!) careful to keep the turnbuckles from bending. You should have someone in the stern pulling the backstay. Takes only a minute. I avoided doing it while afloat - too much chance to losing it over the side.
Our first Ranger 20 was a '76. #182. What sail number is yours?
That's one of the best little pocket cruisers to learn on. Fast, easy to sail, and forgiving. Having positive floatation is good for your peace of mind, too.
Enjoy!!
Wow! I may have your old boat!
It is a 1976 and I believe is #182.
Just sailed her for the first time this Sunday. Loved it!
She is silver now. Called Silver Bullett. Used to be reddish orange, or?
Old spinnaker has orange, brown, etc.
Went out on the Columbia with no motor (getting it fixed) had no issues and sailed her into the slip 5 rows back in our club.
Very user friendly. Learned how to step the mast at home. Worked great at the dock- whew!,
Regards, Dave (and Cindy)
It is a 1976 and I believe is #182.
Just sailed her for the first time this Sunday. Loved it!
She is silver now. Called Silver Bullett. Used to be reddish orange, or?
Old spinnaker has orange, brown, etc.
Went out on the Columbia with no motor (getting it fixed) had no issues and sailed her into the slip 5 rows back in our club.
Very user friendly. Learned how to step the mast at home. Worked great at the dock- whew!,
Regards, Dave (and Cindy)
Yup. Our first Ranger 20. Later owned and sailed #456 and #500, when I was a (very) small time Ranger Boat dealer.
#182 was first photographed on display in the atrium of the old Jantzen Beach shopping mall. I got a small discount for allowing a week's promo use!
Original gel coat color was Tangerine. Not a great choice given how any bright colors fade in the sun. That was the spring of '76. No more colors like that for us! There was an orange and white stripe spinnaker too....
Original engine was a terrible Johnson 6 two-stroke. It had the torque of a lazy gnat. Other richer owners put on the heavy but powerful Honda's. We spent a lot of nights on board and raced it about 40 or 50 starts per season the first few years. Big Portland fleet (#4) in those days -- 25 boats on the starting line at times.
Original (pretentious) name: Gone With The Wind. (Imagine those vivid orange flames over Atlanta in the original 3-strip technicolor movie Gone with the Wind.................)
Still consider the R-20 to be sort of "the BMW of small sail boats" for handling and ease of performance.
Cheers,
L
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