Trip of a Lifetime!
 

So, after reading the thread about the guys who took the trip on the pontoon boat, I thought that was one of the coolest ideas ever. Here is a link to the original thread. http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=196593

So I graduate next fall from university, and most people go traveling to Europe of wherever, but that doesn't really peak my interest. Something like this seems way more fun to me. If I only wanted to take about a month or so to go from one place, to another, and back to my original location, where would a good place to start and end be? How much would it cost? If three guys went, and they had a 10K budget for fuel, food, and other expenses, would that be enough? Or how much would be enough? I would want to trailer the boat from Toronto to our starting location, and back home after the trip.

Let's hear some thoughts and experiences!!

Boat is a 2006 Larson Senza 206 with a 5.0 270hp Volvo Penta. I tried to do some research on fuel consumption, but had little luck finding that info.

OK, just an opinion, but you need to make this real.
Cut the one month thing, it'll just take however long it takes.
All you need is a starting point. And a first destination.
After you make it to the first destination, you decide where to head next - this is where the locals can help out telling you what's near, and what you should go see/stay away from.
10K?? don't go into it on a budget. just go, and keep going until the money runs out.
Don't turn around and come back to the same place you launched. Make one of your buddies that stayed back drive your truck/trailer to wherever you wind up, and take your happy azzes back home.
Take a tent and sleeping bags, you may not always be able to find a room, and you'll just have to make do.
Make it a real adventure, IE just go do it with no real destination.
This isn't the sort of thing you use a travel agent for.
This is one of your last chances to be young and completely irresponsible - you better make it count.:cool:

that is amazing advice , you are 100% correct on all fronts especially keep going till you run out of money and pre arange for one of your buddies to come get you , this surley will enable you to go futher and experience more , and the trip home always sucks anyway and usually you can't wait for it to be over:food-smiley-007:

well its a great platform for reliability, you just cant beat a Volvo sterndrive package.

Yes, that is a key part.
When the buddy asks when and where he's picking you up, you just tell him "We'll give you a call when we get there". Keep in touch with him to let him know where you're at, and where you're headed next, but just keep going.
If he knows, and even worse, you know, that there is a certain place you need to be at a certain time/date, that will take all the REAL fun out of this trip.
If you're like 99% of us, you're only going to have one shot at doing this. You better do it right.

Couldnt agree more on that!

Before I went to college In 1992, I went on a motorcycle ride around the country. I left Northern Michigan through the Windsor tunnel to Canada
Toronto, Montreal, Quebec - Spent some days with friends
Portland, Maine
Boston
Back across New York ( long State)
Chicago - met a good friend from the Twin Cities MN
St. Louis - We Did the arch and met 2 other friends from NC & Fl
We all rode out Colorado and stayed with another friend
We camped & rafted for a few days. as they were all married & I was not, they went back home and I continued West on my own.
I rode from Denver to Las Vegas non-stop, noon til 6am the next day. Stayed with a cousin in Vegas for 2 days. Then...
Headed to LA through Death Valley - 120 degrees
Rode US 1 to SF - Nice
Modesto then Yosemite
Reno
Woke up in Nebraska on monday Morning, 3 weeks after I left Michigan, the day I was to return to work. I made a phone call to the Boss, told him I'ld be back maybe Wednesday. Hope I have a Job, If not it was worth it.
Stayed with Grandma in the Quad cities
Got home Tuesday night late.
Very Tired and a very sore Azz. 3-1/2 weeks 9800 miles on a '84 Honda Nighthawk 700S
Swam in both Oceans before I came back home.

Many told me to not go. But one said "Most people work their whole lives for things they could only enjoy when they were young"
I will always remember that ride ( well some of it anyways)

You should leave Toronto head to the Alantic around Florida & Key west, Go up the Mississippi and find away back into the Great Lakes , Either Michigan or Erie.

OR Just Hit all the Lakes in one Trip.

Good Luck & Have Fun

The lesson from Homer was, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. All the above suggestions were excellent. Maybe you should try a loop trip. For example one trip I would like to do is to leave from Stuart Fl., head into Lake Okeechobee across to Ft. Myers down to Naples, through the Keys to Key West, back up the ocean side of the Keys to Miami, then back up to Stuart. This way you never pass the same port twice.

Take our advice.
I'm willing to bet the rest of us are at least 15 yrs older than you (I'm probably almost 20) and we're all chomping at the bit to do something like this.
I'm telling you, you only have one shot to do this and do it right.
Document it, and we can all live vicariously through you.
DON'T plan it, but have a good safe trip.

This reminds me of a solo trip I did in the mid 90's in my Top Gun when I did not have as much free time:
Friday Day 1 - Catch 6:30 am flight, Toronto to Miami. Drive rental car 2 hrs to Marco Island. Jump in waiting Top Gun at 1 PM and up the west coast of FL to Ft Myers entering Caloosahatchee River. Make Clewiston on L. Okeechobee by dark.
Saturday Day 2 - Continue east on Okeechobee Waterway to Stuart and down the east coast and overnight at Pier 66, Ft. Lauderdale.
Sunday Day 3 - Continue south down to the Keys, cross Florida Bay and up the west coast of FL to Marco by 4pm. Jump in rental car and drive to Miami airport in time to catch 7 PM flt. back to Toronto.
Guy on plane sitting next to me says: And just what do you do to relax? Never did figure that one out. !! LOL:D

That would be a great trip, I've thought of doing that myself. Heading west from Toronto across the Great Lakes would be awesome, plenty of places to stop at along the way. You could take the US side going one way and the Canadian side going back.

Pearl - Not much time right now but I may have some ideas for you.
One trip I enjoyed was having the boat trailered to Cincinnati on the Ohio River where I started a trip that took me eventually down the Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile, Alabama. We were to have then crossed the Gulf and eventually get to Marco Island, FL until an approaching hurricane wrecked that plan but that is a whole other story. I still have my charts and cruising guides that you would be welcome to.
Buoy shared a good idea when he said to document your trip. I used to keep diaries and paste pictures in them. Kinda nice to pull out some years later and relive. Also when you go to the Toronto boat show this winter flip thru some of the cruising guides which are invaluable on trips like you are considering.
Contact me sometime and I would be happy to share some ideas with you.:D
Bob

Don't do it, stay home lock all the doors, windows save your money for your kids inhertiance.

The reason I said that is everytime I tell my kids to do something they do the opposite.

The only thing I would do different is take at least one women you never know on a trip like that when you will have one last wish.

One more thing the boat holds 35 gallions of fuel.

i like what you are saying! i was thinking we would either sleep on the boat at some places, or do what you said and camp out. i think i def need to plan a route of some sort.

i figured it was good to start thinking about this early rather then last minute. i wanna see races, and festivals and all that kinda stuff! your trip in the top gun seems like it was mad fun! after reading about your summer trip in gb, it seems like you have been everywhere!!

and that 35 gallons doesnt go very far! on the larson website they give a range of about 120 miles at cruise, or 4mpg. my parents have stories like this from back in the day, but seem to have become more conservative over the years. thats why i would probably have to come up with a route, and approximate dates and what not.

i was thinking going south because i would have to do it march/april. since the boating season is so short up here, i dont think my parents would be up for not having a boat for a summer. when you did your motorcycle trip, did you set out with a destination in mind or just wherever? i bet that was an awesome trip!

You need to create a rough course.
Just a general plan of what direction you are headed. But, don't hold yourself to waypoints and deadlines. You'll ruin the whole purpose of the trip.
You are about to endeavour on a journey that you feel you need to plan for. You're wrong. Throw some supplies in the boat, and head out. Pick up what you need along the way, and just enjoy it. I understand being a young man you probably want to find strange women, but trust me on this - this is more important. You won't remeber the names (maybe not even the faces) of the women, but you will remember this trip.
I wish I could come along.

Meeting up with the friend in Chicago and St Louis was set up a few months in advance. My Buddy Ed from St Paul was an Artist type so he had done a dozen monthly newsletters prior to leaving. I think it was the Shade Rider newsletter. I still have them in a shoe box somewhere. Man, were they foul and funny. Hope my kids don't find them someday.

There was a lot of unplanned stuff though. In New York I spent the night in a Farmers field. He woke me up, I told him my story and then he fed me lunch. That was really cool.

I was leaving Yosemite through Tioga Pass, the one road out comes to a four way intersection. There were 4-5 cars pulled over with maps out trying to figure the way home. You should have seen their faces when I got off my bike walked over to the center of the four way and literally spun a bottle (Mt dew). It was f_cking Hilarious. The road it pointed took me to Reno NV. I always wanted to do that.

I don't know how Cumberland is that time of year, but I think it's connected to rivers that should go somewhere. and for the Larson probably safer than the Ocean or the big lakes. We had a great time renting a house boat there a few years back.

Looks like it has the Camper canvas, That's a bonus.

About the money, I ran out twice. As long as your family loves you they'll get you home.

Just make sure you have enough to get as far as you want to go. lol

I think you should hunt for your food too! Also you need a bigger boat, it's not going to hold near enough beer!

P.S. If you want this to be fun leave the women home! Knock a chunk off before you leave and get the rest on the road!

i was thinking it would be cool to bring some fishing rods and troll in the idle zones and if we caught something fillet the fu(ker up and make a bonfire on the beach and cook it! i dont think any of the girls i know would be up for spending that much time on a small boat, so thats not a problem!

you have the right idea! i think when i get some free time im going to do some research and see where i would like to go, and what i would like to see. i def wanna see some boat races! also i will think about what type of supplies i will need.