Questions You Should Know about R25 Cross Bit

I am a new member to this forum and hope someone will be willing to take a few minutes to give an enthusiastic but admittedly unknowledgable boater a basic "set of brains" on these boats. My previous boating has been a small amount of very basic fresh-water boating in small open Whalers.

Over the past several years I have been searching/researching different boat types and sizes in search of the best overall compromise boat that I could acquire and use in the Southern Bahamas where I own a small beach house with a shallow offshore beach mooring.

The most common advice I have received has been to buy a 26+ or larger quality catamaran such as a Glacier Bay because of its rough water capabilities, dual outboard redundancy (safety), ability to access shallow areas common to the Bahamas and the possibility to perhaps even use it to make good weather crossings from FL to the Bahamas and back each year.

Recently I discovered the Ranger 25 and 29' tugs and believe they might be much better for my imagined useage. I like the comfortable room and amenities for both relaxing day trips and weekend overnights to nearby islands and cays and casual fishing.
The safety of diesel over gasoline on board plus the economy of a single (but reliable) diesel over 2 thirsty 250HP outboards appeals to me and I am seldom in that big a hurry to need the speed. The trailerability appeals to me also.

Can someone advise me on the relative safety (or insanity?) of using an R-25 or 29 to seasonally cross the Gulf Stream and motor from FL to the Bahamas - especially for a newbie boater (I am a private pilot so I do have decent nav skills).

Anyone willing to engage me in some basic talk about the reality of using these boats in the Cribbean? Well, how things turn out is always funny... I set out to buy a real he-man, power cat, big engines vroom, vroom. . . . and came home with an R25...
The R25 will do the Bahama trip admirably, in my estimation... It is on my bucket list now...

The R25 is a different critter than the typical 25-26 foot go fast - SeaRay, whatever... You have a real bow that will shed fairly large waves before submerging the boat, especially if you keep it light and not overloaded with water and gear... I suspect the R25 can take far more weather than I can - or am willing... With the 125 and 150 horse diesel engines you have the torque and a big enough wheel to push up the slope of a wave without losing so much headway that you broach...

The R29 should be better being longer and wider... It all depends on how the boat feels to you... I am a believer in the old saying: Go small, go cheap, go now... If it is insanity to take a R-25 across to the Bahamas. I guess that would be me, because I took a 22 ft C-Dory across a couple times. I plan on taking the Ranger over this winter. I will be prepared to wait for a perfect weather window. Can be as much as 3 weeks or more. ( in the winter ) If you make the wrong choice even with a 50 ft'er it can be plain hell. I don't gamble or push my luck. The Ranger gives a fairly comfortable place to live once you are on the Banks. Fuel in the Bahamas is a lot more expensive then it is here.

A lot of the Tugnuts and C-Brats run up and down the inside passage to Alaska. Some openings to the Pacific can be as bad as the Gulf stream.

Try it, you will like it.