Denis Marier wrote:

I just finished looking at the Ranger 33 evaluation in the Practical Sailors
and it corroborate your statement.
It is a good coastal sailboat.

Actually, I think it's best for weekending (with more elbow room & comfort than
in smaller boats) and club racing, which is what it was actually designed for.
But it's also possible with the right upgrades, the right equipment, and the
right skills, to sail pretty much anywhere on one of these boats. The Ranger 33
would be a better choice for a budget cruiser (assuming one had the bucks & the
skills to upgrade intelligently) than many of the other mass-produced
racer/cruisers of that era.


As with the Westsail32 it is more suited for
blue water cruising. However, getting into the Mistake Cove or Cow Yard
(Maine Coast) in dense fog with a full keel boat could be disastrous in
avoiding the rocky entrance. My friend's full keel sailboat landed on the
rocks with a punched hole in her hull taking on water. He tried to avoid
the rocks but the boat did not turned in time.

Some full keel boats handle better than others. I've sailed a number of full
keelers that could be maneuvered quite smartly, once you got the hang of it.
It's true that they'll never snap around like a fin keeler.


On the Maine or Nova Scotia
coasts when you land on the rocks in dense fog the Coast Guard are not close
by you are on your own. Many time. I have avoided rocks with the quick
response of the fin keel on my boat. At time, I still have bad dreams about
it.

Sailing doesn't give me bad dreams, thank goodness. Only union electricians and
the IRS.....

Fresh Breezes- Doug King