On this page you will find the story of how we came to own Karma along with Karma's Construction and launch. Along with this you will also find the additional upgrades that we have done to Karma.

Our interest in the Ranger 29 began at the San Diego Trawler Fest back in March of 2009. We walked the boat looking in all of the cupboards, closets, bilge, cabinets, etc. We saw many things we liked and a few we did not. Jeff Messmer asked us what we thought. We gave him our honest opinion as to what we liked about the boat and what we did not. Jeff thanked us for our truthfulness and we went on our way.

We continued to follow the progress of the Ranger 29 and were surprised to see the things that we did not care for get changed! How is that for a manufacturer listening to their customers. We started conversation with Jeff in July about the purchase of the R-29. We did not seem to be able to come near where we needed to be on price. We decided to keep Solitude and make a few additional changes. New windows etc.

We arrived at the Rendezvous in September with Solitude in tow. As the other boats began to arrive, we were once again intrigued by the R-29. We talked with every current owner that came to the rendezvous. Not one had anything bad to say about their vessel. The rendezvous ended and everyone went their way. We still had no intentions of purchasing a new boat at that time.

The pesky leak continued on Solitude which caused the bilge pump to cycle every five to ten minutes. (We later learned it was the city water line leaking). While conversing with Andrew Custis at Ranger Tugs, his solution to the problem was to just buy a new R-29. I explained to him that we could not get to the price we were comfortable with.

It was not ten minutes later that Jeff called back and asked, "what is it going to take"? I gave him our price, he said he would get back to me. An hour later, we had bought ourselves a new Ranger 29!

We named her Karma because it was like "karma" the way everything just came together. We selected Mako Yellow as the color. This is the yellow that Mako Boats uses on their boats.

Karma is being moored in Port Orchard Washington. We were amazed with the people and the scenery. We plan to keep her here for the next few years with our eyes set on a cruise to Princess Louise Inlet possibly this summer if not next and a cruise to South East Alaska in the next few years. 

It has now been a year and a half that we have owned Karma. She has provided us with many hours of pleasure and fun. through her we have met a number of great people through out the PNW. Some Ranger Tug owners, some not. No matter, they have all been great people. 

Since bringing Karma back from the San Francisco Bay (on her recently acquired trailer), we have moved her moorage location to Winslow Wharf Marina on Bainbridge Island. 

We continue to use her most every weekend even with our recent relocation to Denver Colorado. 

Construction on Karma started the first week of November 2009. Howard sent us the first pictures before she was even out of the mold. When the day came to "pop" the hull from the mold, Howard once again sent us pictures. The yellow in the pictures seemed way to "yellow"! How can it be? How do I tell Jeff and Ranger Tugs that I don't like the color? Well we made arrangement to fly up to Seattle and see Karma for the first time. As we were walking into the plant, the feeling of anxiety grew.... what if it is the wrong color? we walked into the assembly area of the plant and there she was! The color was perfect.

We had a great time that Saturday with Howard and Jeff, crawling all over the semi empty hull and under the semi empty house. It was great to be able to see exactly where all of the systems in Karma would be located. Howard was a real trooper giving us a private tour on Saturday. It is normally his day off! Within a week Karma was complete.

Howard and Andrew sea trialed her and all went well.

The following week on (yes you are reading this correctly) Friday the 13th, we took delivery of Karma! Hull #13! She officially became our at 1300 hours! How is that for Karma?

When we were originally "building" Karma, we tossed around the idea of putting on a hardtop in place of the bimini. After speaking with Boaters Discount in LaConner, we choose to go with the Bimini. Well, after five months, we realized we would have prefered the hardtop. We met with the guys from Boaters Discount and struck a deal. We took Karma to LaConner in March and three weeks later, she had her new hardtop. The top holds the inflatable dinghy that we purchased on a stainless steel rack built by Bolton Stainless in Vancouver. The stanchions are in fact ladders that make is easier to get to the roof.

The dinghy is hoisted to the roof with the help of a five to one block and tackle system.

Convenience:
Mase Generator
Dual Zone Air Conditioning w/ Rev Cycle Heat (16,000 BTU Main Salon, 10,000 BTU Master Stateroom)
Anchor Windlass with 15 KG Rocna Anchor-100 feet Chain-200 feet line, Fenders and Dock Lines
Garmin 5215 Navigation/Radar Package
Auto Pilot with Remote
Macerator discharge with Electrical Cut off Switch for Lawful Operation in US Waters 
LED Engine Room Lights
Two Engine Room Camera's with monitor at Helm
AGM No Maintenance Batteries for House, Thrusters, and Starting
New Smart Plug connection for Shore Power
Galvanic Isolator

Comfort (Exterior):
Custom Hard Top with Sunscreen for Stern
Dinghy Storage Rack on Hard Top
Center Pull on Transom for Towing Dinghy
Additional Stainless Supports on Sports Racks
Second Stainless Mast with Spot Light and Horn
Rear Facing Deck Lights Mounted on Second Mast
Windex at Top of Second Mast to Ease Docking and Anchoring
Patio Rails with Gates on Swim Platform
Magma BBQ Mounted on Stern Rail
Life Sling MOB recovery system mounted at Helm Door
Stainless Steel Seat Back on ice chest in Cockpit
Electric Engine Hatch Lifting unit
Replaced old stairs with newer narrower stairs (Coming in March)
Freezer in Port Lazarette (Coming in March)

Comfort (Interior)
Built in Central Vacuum
All incadecent lamps replaced with LED bulbs
XM Radio
Hot Water Heater Mixing Unit
Additional 20 Gallon Reserve Water Tank
Xantrex Freedom Inverter⁄Charger Basic Remote Panel
Leatherette on all seating surfaces
Corian Counter Tops
Corian Covers for the Sinks (Coming in March)
Custom Built In Chart Storage
Custom Stained Glass Portholes
Custom Carpet (Coming in March)

Basement" upgrades:
Teak and Holly flooring extended in "Basement"
Towel Drying Bars in Basement
Coat Hooks in Basement
Custom Built in "Wine Cellar"
Additional LED Lights
A new pantry (Coming in March)
Opening port (Coming in March)

Helm Upgrades:
Two Passenger Helm Seat
"Extra Height" Helm Seat (Also doubles as Cruising Guide Storage)
Spoke Helm Wheel

Master Stateroom Upgrades:
Four Inch Memory Foam Mattress
Additional Lighting Over Closet
Shelves in Closet
LED Lights in Closet and Cabinet Behind Helm
Custom Built in Magazine Rack at Foot of Bed
Full length Mirrored doors
Fusion Stereo/DVD Player with I-Pod Docking and Remote at Helm as well as at Master Stateroom Berth
Additional Storage on both the port and starboard sides of the berth (coming in March)
 
Head Upgrades:
Teak Towel Bar
Dri Deck Flooring
Shower Curtain
 
Main Salon Upgrades:
Leatherette Interior
Custom Dinette Table
Custom Screens for all overhead hatches
Custom Cutting Board on Stove Top
Custom Woodworking over Stern Windows

We did not care for the modern style wheel that came with Karma. We choose instead to replace it with the old Spoke style wheel. This wheel has actually proved to not only look good, but to also make it easier to handle in tight qtrs.

Since our daughter is 28 years old and we did not anticipate her and her boyfriend wanting to sleep in the mid cabin berth, we converted this to what we call our basement. We had some additional teak and holly flooring put down to give it a finished look. I then placed matching carpet on the forward section where we have our toolbox and food storage bins.

We choose to have a larger helm seat built thus allowing Maureen and I to both be able to sit at the helm. The factory made this for us and I simply installed it.

Since we do a lot of computer work sitting at the table, we had the factory build us a new table with the fiddles turned down. Not only does this make it easier to work and eat at, it makes the table a tad larger as you do not have the fiddles taking up the space around the edges.

We went to Camping World and purchased this built in Central Vac System. I installed it in the basement on the overhead. The hose is thirty feet long and will reach all the way to the forward stateroom. Cleaning is now a breeze.

Since we do use Karma as a base for work when in the PNW, we needed to make sure we looked good before we left. I went to a local glass shop and had these mirrors cut out of 1/8th inch mirror. The mirror are attached to the stateroom doors. They are invisible when the doors are tied back. I attached these to the doors using liquid nails.

We did not care for the placement of the factory mast there fore we choose to go with the "Zuma" mast when we ordered Karma. While we felt this shorter mast looked better, we still wanted a taller mast to fly our flag from. We had Bolton Stainless build us a new one similar to the one that Ranger Tugs uses. The difference being, this one is not hinged, it bolts in place. The spreaders are at a 90 degree angle allowing aft facing deck lights to be installed. These lights come in handy when docking at night. We also had a plate added to allow us to move the spot light up thus eliminating the glare off of the bow.

We enjoyed the seat on Solitude that was on the ice chest in the cockpit. We missed not having it on Karma. We had Bolton Stainless steel build us a seat back that I simply bolted in place. This seat back not only gives you a place to sit, it also provides an additional hand hold when boarding.

In place of the sink in the cockpit, we chose to have a handheld shower installed. The sink was left out during construction.

The sports racks have a tendency to get "woobly" after a period of use. To alleviate this on Solitude we added additional angle brackets for support. We have done the same on Karma.

Maureen and I both like the uncluttered look of the windows with no curtains. We had the factory leave these off during the construction phases. During the times that we do need window coverings, Maureen has made flat panels that cover each window. These are bright and colorful on the inside while being black on the outside. They simply velcro onto the window frame.

The hard plastic frames that come with the overhead hatches are difficult to store and a pain to insert and remove. We had Dave at King Marine Canvas make us these "soft" screens that simply velcro around the frames of the overhead hatches.

The backwindows to us looked unfinished on the inside. We had these "eyebrows" made that now give them a more finished look. Below are before and after pictures.

To assist with docking, I installed a windex at the top of the mast. The windex is visible from the helm by simply looking up through the overhead hatch.

To increase counter space, we had a piece of black plastic cutting board cut to cover the top of the stove. It simply rests on the burners and the oven vent at the back of the stove.

In order to aid in the retrieval of an overboard person, we have installed a life sling to the rail immediately outside the helm door. Being in this postion, whoever is at the helm simply needs to throw the life sling in the water and then start a turn to the starboard circling the person in the water. Once the sling has reached the person in the water, the helmsperson pulls the line to the vessel.

On Solitude we had a magazine rack built which I installed. This went under the aft dinette seat. We faced the same issue on Karma as Solitude, what to do with the magazines. They get stacked on the bed, next to the bed, wherever they find a home.

We found a local cabinet maker that took my design for Solitudes magazine rack and made it into a double for Karma. I installed this at the foot of the bed. No more stacks of magazines!

In order to be able to monitor the bilge once an hour as you should, I installed a bilge light and then attached two cameras to it. When you turn on the bilge light at the dash, the cameras give you two seperate angle shots of the engine room. The camera's are wireless so the only issue was finding a way to power them. The bilge light solved this issue. We also installed one in the aft window so we have a visual of what is going on in the cockpit as well as behind us. The screen that we use to view the camera's is no more than a 9" DVD player. It is mounted on the forward section of the dash.

An issue that we quickly discovered with Karma was, where do you hang your wet bath towels to dry? The electric radiator heater in the basement provided us a great heat source to do this. Now, how do you hang the towels. It was really quite simple. I went to Bolton Stainless and asked them to build me two stainless steel towel bars. I mounted these to the lid of the basement. Now you hang your wet towels on the bars, in a matter of 30 minutes the radiator heater has dried it!

As with Solitude, we wanted the clock and Barometer mounted in such a location that they were visible from the majority of cabin. It was just as simple as attaching them to the overhead chart storage unit. Now, you can see them from just about anywhere on Karma.

We had King Marine Canvas make us up both a black sunbrella cover as well as a solar screen cover for the windshields. With the solar cover in place, you can see out while others cannot see in.

The Freedom Remote control panel allows you to control and monitor your Freedom Combi and Freedom Marine series inverter/charger system from any convenient location. It is easy to read, operate and install, and all controls can be accessed directly from the front panel. The remote is really two different panels; when charging it is a charger display panel, and when inverting it is a battery monitor and inverter display.
• Independent invert and charge On⁄Off controls
• Push button control of power sharing, equalizing, and battery set-up
• Multi-colored LED displays battery state of charge, fault conditions, AC input, DC voltage and DC amperage
• LED warning indictors for low battery and overload warning
• Splash resistant design
• Incoming AC breaker selection allows programmable power sharing

All interior spots have been converted to LED lights along with the navigation lights.

This unit allows you to determine the temperature of water in your hot water heater. It automatically mixes cold water with the hot water to maintain a safe temperature. This prevents those times in the shower where you either get scalded or ice cubes come flying out of the shower head.........

In place of the standard cloth seating, we chose to go with the Leatherette just like the helm seat. This makes clean up and wear and tear much easier on the seating areas.

Unlike the R-25's, 27's, and Cutwaters, the R-29 has no storage area of key's, sunglasses etc. While in Hawaii on business, I found a little shop that sold these beautiful Koa Wood boxes that would make a great "Glove Box".

Koa Wood grows only on the Big Island of Hawaii. The wood is very hard and durable.

Since Karma did not come with an electric lift on the engine hatch, we went back and had one installed. Unlike the newer versions, the hatch can be opened manually or with the lift. The switch for the lift is located directly below the electrical panel.

The one thing that is very nice about this lift is, you can stand inside where it is warm, crack open the engine cover, and make sure all is well while underway. No going outside in the foul weather!

I installed the same LED Strip lights in the engine room as I did in the "basement" as well as the closet. Now there is no worries about having adequate lighting to service the motor. I installed one on each side of the motor as well as one across the front. 

We wanted something to decorate this overhead location. We had seen another Tug that had mounted a fishing rod here. We scoured the country side until we came across this antique fishing rod. We mounted it along with a few old lures.

Since we mount our outboard for our dinghy on the stern rail, I felt it was necessary to beef it up a bit. I purchased the fittings from West Marine and then visited a canvas shop that let me have the tubing at no charge. Most canvas shops will have short pieces of tubing around the shop that they will either sell at a very low price or just let you have them.

After reading numerous articles on the fact that Shore Power is the number one cause of boat fires, we made the decision to have our round shore power plug replaced with a new smart plug. The outlet on Karma as well as the plug on the end of the shore power cord both had to be changed out. Since this is 120 volt electricity on a boat, I chose to have a marine electrician do this work. Parts and Labor ran $300.00. 

While we have used Bruce anchors for years without any issues, after seeing the ease at which the Rocna deploys and sets, we made the switch. From the photo, you can see we did not have to modify the anchor roller at all.

This project solved two issues for us. One, the helm seat was not quite high enough for Maureen or I. When we got into an area of logs or debris in the water, we both found ourselves standing in order to get a better view out of the windshield. We also had the issue of where do you store the cruising guides. We resolved both of these issue by installing a "second" helm seat box in the reversed position. It now makes a storage unit under the seat that allows storage of the cruising guides plus boost the seat an additional 3 inches.

With the removal of the Clarion Stereo over the refrigerator (under the helm seat) we now had space to have a storage area built in to hold all of our chart books.

This space behind the helm seat was never being used and now that the counter top under the seat is not accessible, it really became a "wasted space". Our solution was to have a teak box made that will hold spices, condiments, etc thus freeing up undercounter storage for additional food stores.

While the wine chiller is a great place to store white wines, storing reds was a different story. With the abundance of space under the floor in the basement, we had a built in "Wine Cellar" installed. The "Cellar" will hold 20 bottles of red wine at a temperature of around 60 degrees.

After having a beautiful Stained Glass Side Light window made for our front door at home, we decided we would like to do the same for the portholes on Karma. We had these windows produced at Scottish Stained Glass in Denver. They adhere the to interior of the original porthole. 

If you have never pulled out your refrigerator, you are not aware of the large volume of un-used space under the galley. This area is seven feet long by three feet wide, by three feet high. We were able to have a shelf installed on which a new 20 gallon reserve water tank was installed. This new tank is connected to the original tank via the supply line out of the main tank. The new supply line pulls from the new tank. Once the tank gauge registers empty, you are now down to your last 20 gallons. This tank along with the 70 gallon main tank and the 6 gallon water tank gives us a total capacity of 96 gallons of fresh water. Enough fresh water for ten days.

In order to be able to leave the Head door open to allow proper ventilation when away, we installed two pad eyes and then employed a simple bunge cord to hold the door open. We now simply hook the door open when we leave or after showering to allow air to circulate through the head. We also leave the overhead hatch in the "Vent" position.

We had the flag staff mount removed and a center pull put in its place. This gives us an ideal spot in which to tie the dinghy when at anchor or for towing. The transom was re-enforced with 3/4 in teak to distribute the strain of pulling.

Karma was delivered with a Stereo/DVD player in the Master Stateroom and a Stereo in the Main Cabin. We had both of these removed and replaced them with a single Fusion Stereo/DVD player in the Master Stateroom. Along with the new Fusion System we had an I-Pod Docking station also installed. Now all six speakers on Karma are controled by one stereo giving a more balanced volume when cruising. A remote for the Fusion was installed on the dash next to the Yanmar Screen thus allowing the person at the helm to control the stereo without leaving the helm. We are also having an additional remote installed next to the berth in the Master Stateroom.

The corner of the stateroom is very dark making it difficult to locate items within the closet. To solve this, I purchased another light fixture from Ranger and simply installed it on the bulkhead. Wiring was easy as there are spare fuse slots behind the helm. Also note the clothes hook above the closet. I use this to hang my dress shirts and slacks when working from Karma. Simply hang them in a garment bag and they are good as new!

It seemed as if there were never enough light in the closet to find what we were looking for. I found these great LED strip lights at Svensens Marine Supply in Alameda. I installed one on each shelf as well as one in the cabinet behind the helm. The photos below truly shows the difference these lights make. 

Coming in March

Coming in March

Coming in March

Coming in March

Coming in March

With the installation of the new cockpit stairs, water getting into the lazerette's will no longer be an issue. With this, we have added a 12 volt outlet in the starboard lazerette and moved the freezer from the mid ship stateroom to this location.