Dado Prso gave Rangers the lead on the half-hour mark, calmly shifting the ball from his right foot to his left and sending a perfectly timed shot past Derek Stillie in the United goal.
Only a minute later Boyd made it 2-0 by ending a move started by Prso. He caught David McCracken in possession and a neat series of one-touch passing ended with skipper Barry Ferguson finding Boyd on hand to push the ball into the net.
The home side's best chance in the first half came when Collin Samuel's effort was tipped around the post by Ronald Waterreus.
But it was Boyd who should have finished off the half, and killed off the match, with a goal, only to waste a glorious opportunity as he sent his shot over the crossbar.
Rangers were firmly in the driving seat at the restart and it took less than 10 minutes for Boyd to net his 29th goal of the season, knocking in unmarked at the back post from a Prso cross.
Only an instinctive diving save from Stillie prevented Boyd from scoring a third two minutes later and it was the Arabs who netted next, with Samuel taking advantage of disarray in the Rangers defence to pull one back.
Boyd did eventually find the back of the net for his hat-trick, striking from a Thomas Buffel corner seven minutes from time.