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Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [30 messages per page] Muskie Fishing -> Muskie Boats and Motors -> Ranger Rig & a 9' Garage door | ![]() ![]() |
Message Subject: Ranger Rig & a 9' Garage door | |||
tcbetka![]() |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Anyone out there have a Ranger rig that they get through a 9' wide door? I have a 20' Angler, which Ranger says is 102" on the trailer. The boat is at my dealer now so I can't go grab a measurement. But I'm in the process of ordering a garage door for installation on a new garage/shop I'm building. I have a rough opening for a 9x8' door now, so that's 108" wide. Therefore, at least in theory, it's about 6" wider than the boat on the trailer. Even with an inch or so taken out for trim around the door, I should still have about 4-5" clearance. By the way--I won't be backing it in with a truck. We'll just push the thing into the shop for the winters. Basically then, I only have to get it through the door two times a year. The rest of the time (during fishing season), it can go into my attached garage, which has a 16' door--but the boat can't be stored there for the winter, so it needs to go into the new "shop" building I'm building. Thanks. TB | ||
seanholmz![]() |
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Posts: 13 | I have a Reata 1850 with 101" beam (102" on trailer) that I back through a 9' garage door opening all the time. It was intimidating at first but I got use to it quick. Not a big deal. | ||
tcbetka![]() |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Cool, thanks. On paper it should go, but not having done it yet I am a bit nervous because I need to order the garage door so it can be installed in 2-3 weeks. I won't be able to back it through with my truck though, because the shop is not aligned well with my driveway due to lot line restrictions. So the driveway is closer to the property line than my new garage/shop is. But it's very flat and we should be able to push it through easily enough. Or I'll put a ball hitch on the front of my riding mower and use it to move the boat in and out of the building. I used to hangar aircraft that way for years, so it'll be just like old times. TB | ||
jwelch![]() |
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Posts: 233 Location: Iowa | If it were me and I was building a new garage/shop, why not just 10' or 12' door or bigger (if it allows). Then you'll never have to worry about it. Kind of the bigger is better mentality. I also guessing you haven't tried pushing around a 20' fiberglass boat. Not saying that it can't be done, but it wouldn't first on my list of things I would want to do. Just something to think about.... By the way, I think you would be fine with the 9' thou. If that's is what you want. Jeremy | ||
Pointerpride102![]() |
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Posts: 16632 Location: The desert | As someone who constantly deals with about an inch of clearance on either side, get a bigger garage door. It's a pain. I'm younger with better knees and moving my 19 ft fiberglass isn't easy. | ||
tcbetka![]() |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Problem is that I really can't get a bigger garage door--the building is already framed for a 9x8' door. But like I said, the boat pretty much only has to go into the building once in the fall, and come out once in the spring. During the fishing season I will put it in the other garage. But things will be tight to be sure--like 2-3" clearance per side tight. Forgot to say--we have pushed it around in the attached garage a bit. It actually surprised me in that it rolled easier than the Lund rig I had several years ago. It's certainly not light though, so that's maybe were the ball hitch on my lawnmower comes into play. EDIT: Just got off the phone with the framing guy who says it's not too late to just go wider. We'll have to make a new header, but it's pretty straightforward--and much easier to do it now rather than later. So I guess I'll just go out to a 10' door, although the angle will still make it challenging to back the boat in with the truck. Thanks for the input though guys, definitely helpful. TB Edited by tcbetka 10/24/2017 6:35 PM | ||
WILLEB![]() |
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Posts: 60 | I have a Ranger 1880 Angler, also 102" on the trailer. Was a very tight fit with a 9' wide door, with the weather seals around the door frame I had about 1-1/2" clear on each side, had to get in and out of the truck about 10 times to make sure I wasn't going to hit anything each time I backed the boat in. I have a slight angle up to the garage door and no way I can push that around by hand, much heavier than the 17' foot aluminum boat I could maneuver by myself before I went to the fiberglass rig. Just changed from a 9' wide door to a 10' wide door and it's an easy entry now. Good luck! | ||
4amuskie![]() |
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Great choice. You'll be soooo glad you did it. Edited by 4amuskie 10/25/2017 9:44 AM | |||
tcbetka![]() |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I'm sure I will...except for the fact that the 10' door will take 4-5 weeks to get, because of the increased demand or garage doors in the wake of the hurricanes this fall. So that puts installation time around the first week of December. Yay. TB | ||
Clammer![]() |
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Posts: 667 Location: Wisconsin | TB, the wait now is a bear, but down the road it will soon be forgotten. Yes, 9' would work fine, but a wide door sure is a nice upgrade! Good choice in my book. | ||
tcbetka![]() |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I got an email from the door salesman (wife's cousin) about an hour ago, and he said the door should actually be in his shop the week of November 20th, so it's not as bad as he first thought it would be. So that's definitely good news and with luck it could be installed in about 4 weeks' time... TB | ||
pklingen![]() |
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Posts: 866 Location: NE Ohio | very smart decision................you'll be patting yourself on the back the rest of your life for that one! | ||
North of 8![]() |
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Very good idea. I added a third stall to the garage at the house we bought back in 2000. I requested a 10 foot door and the builder liked the idea but let me know it would cost a lot more. Every time I parked my utility trailer in there, which is just over 8' wide, I was glad. I could have got it in a 9' but it would have been a slow, stop and go process. With the 10', very easy. Life is tough enough without creating additional challenges for ourselves. Edited by North of 8 10/26/2017 5:33 PM | |||
tcbetka![]() |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Agreed, and it absolutely makes sense to go with a 10-footer. My only thing was that it was already framed for a 9-foot door, and I didn't know how difficult it would be to go wider. But once the framing guy told me it wouldn't be too difficult and would really only require an extra hour or two of work, and a couple new 2x10's...it was a no-brainer. I felt sort of silly posting this as a topic here in the forum, but had I not done so...I likely wouldn't have even asked about going wider. So I'm really glad I did! Thanks again everyone. TB | ||
fishhawk50![]() |
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Posts: 1416 Location: oconomowoc, wi | 10 footer for my 620vs.. i can almost back her in blind. | ||
BNelson![]() |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I built mine with a 12' wide door, 9' tall.... my old condo was a standard 8' wide door and I had about 2.5" each side..that was no fun... so I went with a 12'. you'll be very happy you went w the wider door. Edited by BNelson 11/1/2017 10:13 AM | ||
Fishysam![]() |
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Posts: 1209 | Plenty of room, just get it super close on the drivers side, check passenger side for plenty of room, then only watch drivers side to keep it close. I have put my boat in my house garage twice and there is 1/4" on each side, and it's on a hill, actually have to hit the gas to move | ||
tcbetka![]() |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I think the 9' door opening would actually have worked, but I'm still going to make the change to a 10' door. For one thing, the lead-time is much less due to recent hurricanes. The 10' doors were/are still in stock, so it will take only 2-3 weeks to get everything together instead of 4-6 weeks. Also, having a 10' door means they can install a "double seal" arrangement in a 9'10" opening, so it will seal better in the cold weather. I would have lost 2" from the 9' door to do that--or waited an extra couple of weeks to get a non-standard 9'2" door. And the cost for a 10' door was like $150-175 more than the 9' door (including the installation). So it was pretty much a no-brainer, once we started to break it down. All of this is on top of the fact that I'll get an extra 10" of door opening of course. TB | ||
bob1![]() |
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Posts: 228 | You made the right decision Tom!! | ||
Glaucus_![]() |
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Posts: 135 | 108>102 120>102 120>108 ![]() In my experience the biggest issue on "tight" doors isn't whether or not they're wide enough (they are), but at what angle you're backing the boat in through it. If you have a mostly level driveway, it's a straight shot backing up, and it's well-lighted both day and night, then the smaller door is pretty easy if you're decent at backing up your rig. However, any kind of angle or turning to the side, a moderately steep incline, or low-light makes it very challenging when you've only got a inch or two of clearance on each side. And when you're tired after a long day on the water, jumping in and out of that truck 10 times is the last thing you want to be doing. Heck, I've even crinkled the trim strips on my 16' garage door a few times due to rushing... | ||
tcbetka![]() |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Yup--and the apron going into the shop is angled from the approach, so it wouldn't be a straight shot by any means. Therefore an extra 10" opening will come in handy. TB | ||
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