Kent Ranger 20 sailboat cruise/camp

My interest in pocket cruising has really spiked in the last couple years. this is mostly due to the fact that we (my wife and i) finally bought our own pocket cruiser and have been enjoyer the adventures ever since. Pocket cruising is a form of sailing that embraces the ability of small craft and simple living to pursue cruising adventures usually on inland waterways or coastal passages. Pocket cruising usually refers to boats under 26 feet L.O.A. in our case 20 feet feels just right. I chose the kent ranger 20 very intentionally. these boats were built very sturdily to last the ages (ours just turned 40!!!!, but you would never guess). i also find it to be a desirable boat because of its shorty keel centerboard design with almost 600 pounds of lead ballast in the keel. this gives the boat a stout feel even when the winds pick up, she can hold her own in fact i would say that at any given time i am the weakest link on the boat. And at a modest 20 feet it fits our lifestyle well (easy to trailer and store). GO SMALL GO NOW!!!!


These are some photos and updates from our most recent trip to priest lake in norther idaho

We sailed the lake and pulled into our camping site at kalispell island each night where some friends slept ashore and the wife and i stayed aboard!  if you like crystal clear mountain waters, beautiful scenery and plenty of room to spread your wings, this is a sailing destination to seriously look into.

here is a photo of the boat at her anchorage in silver bay off kalispell island, this was the first time that we got to enjoy some of the improvements that i had made to the boat including the new dodger top shown here as well as new cushions for the v berth.  the dodger is more that just a luxury for the kent ranger, with the open cabin design its necessary to keep the elements out and it also creates a very large and cozy cabin space beneath. it covers the entire cabin opening as well as two full zip doors on the back!. (ranger 20, kent ranger 20, ranger sailboat)


here are some photos of the cushion job that i did myself for around 200$ which was mostly the cost of the vinyl as i had been collecting foam here and there for months. my work wasnt perfect but i am very pleased with the final product which made for many comfortable nights sleeping for me and the wife.

the darker foam is denser for sitting and for heads at night

moching up the covers

the final product, the center is removable because that is a table that rises up for eating or playing cards etc... ( ranger 20, kent ranger 20, pocket cruiser )

we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of sailing on our second day. here my wife jordyn sits on the edge and enjoys the scenery. (ranger 20, pocket cruiser )

in this photo you can see that i have used a block mounted near the toerail to direct both halyards aft, this makes a world of difference when singlehanding the boat. you can also note the lower shroud modified to be mounted 10 inches aft of the main chainplate as per manufacturer recomendation.

 Ranger 20  Pocket Cruiser

here the boat sits durring some calm time while we enjoy beach life. i have a pulley system mountain to the anchor and the beach so that i can draw the boat closer to the beach and back out again without having to go for a swim, i couldnt quite bring it all the way to dry sand due to the keel however with the soft sandy bottoms of priest lake i didnt mind allowing to keel to touch which allowed me to access the boat in only ankle deep water.

we awoke on our last morning to a nice steady rain. this is where the dodger comes in very handy. we all gathered inside the cabin (three of us and two dogs) very comfortably and stayed dry and warm. i cooked up some water for tea and breakfast and we watched the rain fall. i decided to throw up the genoa and we ghosted out of the bay. ( ranger 20, pocket cruising )

this was my first time sailing with a boston (baxter) but he proved to be good company and made himself very comfortable on board 

we were sorry to have to leave the lake but it was back to the real world for a while, it takes me about an hour to get the boat all buttoned up and derigged after it was retrieved. this was the first time that i had every retrieved the boat on a traditional ramp (in anacortes we used a crane) and it shed light on some more modifications that need to be made to the trailer to make ramp launching easier.

the boat is now happily stored in the family barn for the bitter northwest winter season. we cant wait to take her on another cruise soon!