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Kent Ranger Sailing
Association
- Beginnings
- History of the Organization
- Recently
- Why and How to Join
- About the Ranger 20: Info & Technical Manual
- "Why did I choose my Ranger 20 sailboat?" by Ken Wheeler (on Sailnut) 14 October 2008
- Other Ranger Boats
- Hull Identification Numbers
The Ranger 20, full sail, tonneau in place
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BEGINNINGS
The little trailable sloop we all know as the "Ranger 20" had an interesting gestation period. Howard Smith, owner of Ranger Boats (and known by all as "Smitty") wanted a new addition to the expanding line of sailboats manufactured at the Ranger plant. Smitty had a great deal of admiration for the design work of Ray Richards, a naval architect from Seattle. In the summer of 1971, Ray was selected to conceive a sailboat design within the broad guideline that it must be a trailable sailboat.
Ray set forth several sailboat concepts during subsequent discussions, which began to set the parameters of the design Smitty felt was right for the market. Finally in August of 1971, Ray brought forth a concept which Smitty felt was "Right", to use Ray's word. The concept was suitable for both safe, family day-sailing and cruising on inland waters. It is to have a smart appearance and good stability, sailing and seakeeping qualities. It is to be fitted with flotation capable of sustaining an upright, stable condition when flooded. Construction is to be hand-laminated fiberglass. Details are to be selected and designed for production simplicity with integrity. It is to have a draft suitable for ramp launching from a trailer. Included with this forthright statement was a sketch of a boat which was, to all outward appearances, the boat we all know as the "Ranger 20." At that time, Ray had suggested a design name of "Haida Pup" since in profile it had outward similarities to his popular Haida design. Subsequently, Ray suggested a design name of "Molly Brown" drawing a parallel to the unsinkable qualities of the famed Molly Brown in the story of the Titanic disaster.
Two factors caused Smitty to discard that proposal: First, the name "Molly Brown" in that context was not available for commercial use; second, he felt that he should adopt a name that reflected the Ranger Boat Company product line. "Ranger 20," therefore, set in concrete the concept of identifying the Ranger family of boats with the Ranger name.
The unique aspect of the Ranger 20 design is the open cuddy cabin concept. In the preparation and study of the trailable sailboat design, it became apparent that small sailboats had small cabins. Why not utilize that small cabin as part of the cockpit? Opening up the after part of the cabin--making it an extension of the cockpit for daytime use and enclosing it with a collapsible dodger for cruising or overnighting was the answer. To paraphrase Ray Richards, "Miniature cabins are for miniature people" is the logic behind why the Ranger 20 has that unique cuddy cabin design.
The design was completed in the fall of 1971; the process of lofting, wood mockup construction, mold-making, and assembly of the fiberglass prototype was completed for its debut at the January 1972 Seattle Boat Show.
The last test in the water was on a blustery, wet, winter day. It became immediately apparent that the Ranger 20 was a fine boat, beautifully balanced, seakindly, and a forgiving performer.
Time has proven this immediate conclusion to be correct.
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HISTORY OF THE ASSOCIATION
Designed by Ray H. Richards, N.A., the R-20's production began in early 1972 at Ranger Fiberglass Boats of Kent, Washington. The boat quickly gained acceptance from about thirty purchasers in the Puget Sound area. These owners soon came together to form an organization to promote the boat's one-design characteristics and to encourage both racing and cruising. As a result, the Association was formed in April, 1973 at the Corinthian Yacht Club on Lake Washington in Seattle. Eric Crudden was the first commodore of the newly formed club.
Through 1976, the majority of owners were located in the Pacific Northwest. A second manufacturer was licensed in the spring of 1977 in Salt Lake City, Utah. A nationwide network of dealers was established, and fleets were formed in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Montana. Nearly six hundred boats have been produced and are sailing in all parts of the country and in Canada.
Justifying its name as a racing and cruising association, a major event of each type is scheduled every year. The National Regatta is generally well attended, with close races the rule, befitting a one-design class. National Cruises have been to such cruising havens as the San Juan Islands and Hood Canal in Washington; and Barkley Sound, Desolation Sound, and Jervis Inlet in British Columbia. Throughout the ... years, the Association has ensured that the Ranger 20 will maintain its first orientation as a family racing and cruising sailboat.
"Beginnings" and "History" were taken from the national Association's 1986-87 Yearbook.
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There have been changes, both in the club and in the company that made our boats. The nationwide network of dealers is no longer in place, and the Utah factory no longer builds R-20s. In fact, none has been built at all in nearly a decade. The club's emphasis has moved away from racing and toward cruising, and several longtime and enthusiastic members have moved up to larger boats, some of which use motors in place of sails. Sailors have come into the club with larger Rangers: 24s and 26s. Some members now have sailboats no longer than the R-20, but bigger nevertheless: Pacific Seacraft Flickas (20' nominal length). Among the more interesting developments of late is that our 1999 commodore, who has been enjoying sailing the 38-footer with which he replaced his R-20, again owns a Ranger 20 for day-sailing and for the occasional overnighter to Blake Island. One former commodore now has an Ericson 25; another has a C & C 34, yet another has a Performance Trawler 41. We don't exclude (potential) friends because they own the "wrong" boat; we choose instead to include nice people who really like boating.
In recognition of this change in emphasis and of our inclusion of larger boats from the same company (and from others), we have been referring to ourselves as "Kent Ranger Sailing Association". Despite the fact that not all of us sail, we wanted to retain that idea in the group's name as a way of retaining our link to its origin; we added "Kent" to avoid confusion with those other (i.e., California) Rangers.
In five recent years, three annual National Cruises have gone to the Canadian Gulf Islands for the two weeks; one National Cruise went to Barkley Sound on the west side of Vancouver Island, and one split its time between a circumnavigation of Whidbey Island and gunkholing south of the Tacoma Narrows--a week of each.
1999's Canada trip attracted fifteen boats, including two R-20s, an R-24, and two R-26s (one of which arrived by highway from Utah!). In addition, we were approached by the owners of an R-26 who were visiting friends on one of the islands, and had by chance seen us pull into the marina.. They and their boat live in an interior state not known for its sailing, but they miss Puget Sound and plan to return to sail with us.
During the same period of 1999, two other R-26s were exploring Desolation Sound.
We are a pretty active group, as is evident from our calendar, which often contains a dozen weekend and holiday events spread out over the six or seven months of our Pacific Northwest small-boat cruising season. Each weekend event is different, but as a rule we don't schedule activities beyond a picnic or potluck. Time is typically spent wandering around on foot or by dinghy, day-sailing, reading, chatting, napping, and in general enjoying the company of the people we have come to regard as family.
What has remained unchanged from the old days is that our Association is composed of enthusiastic, friendly, generous people who recognize that Ranger boats are special and who try to make the best of the opportunities presented by our proximity to such beautiful waters, surrounded as they are by such marvellous scenery. The boats themselves have their own charm, a beauty that lies in the visual, physical, and nautical realms--they look good, work well, and seem not to age. Did we really want anything else (other than, perhaps, those same attributes for ourselves)?
If you love sailing your Kent Ranger (or some other brand of boat), you enjoy the company of sailors (and other boaters) who share your appreciation for the beauty and wonder of this region, you like pleasant people, and you have room in your life for another family, perhaps you would like to become a member of our group, receive notices of our activities, and take part in our rendezvous, cruises, and the two or three dry-land events we put on each year. The dues year runs from January through December, and is incredibly inexpensive @ $10.00. Contact our treasurer for further details.
Welcome aboard!
-- Mark
Kelsey
,
former commodore
A short time before January Breakfast 2002, we learned that the factory was interested in disposing of all sailboat stuff--Minto, R-20, and presumably R-24 & -26 molds and leftover hardware. For a time we considered acquiring at least the R-20 materials with the intention of trying to return it to production. After discussion, it was clear that this was likely to be a bigger project than any of us wanted to undertake, especially considering the uncertainty of the outcome. However, Steve M. (Keptie) did buy one of the two sets of Minto molds, and as of January 2003 has four hulls ready for finishing and outfitting. Woodwork, rigging, centerboards, and rudders remain to be arranged.
For the time being, these boats are being called "Barnacle Bills", after the name of the Minto Steve bought from former member Bill P.
The fates of the other sets of molds are not known at present. What is known is that after a year or so of claiming to be interested in supporting Ranger sailboats, the factory (now operating under a different name) is now out of the sailboat business. However, they may still have a few leftover parts, so try them first, then see our "Suppliers" page.
Update (long overdue): Mike E. (Sweet Chance) has been in business, Seattle Boat Shows and everything, for two or three years building Mintos as Rich Passage Mintos. My apologies to all concerned for neglecting to mention it here until now. (I forgot. Really.) 24 September 2008
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Naval architect Raymond H. Richards designed these Kent Ranger boats:
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(Source: Ken Wheeler [R-20 #1, Ichi Ban], who has been instrumental in the design and production of some or all of these boats.)
Mr. Richards also designed the Haida 26, which also has that characteristic topsides "knuckle" and tumblehome.
Other Kent Ranger boats:
Unrelated companies using "Ranger" in their names:
Note about the serial number (HIN: Hull Identification Number) on the transom (since 1972):
The MIC (Manufacturer's Identification Code is the initial (three) letters that identify the company that produced a boat.
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