The Great Loop
 

Read this in the local paper a few day ago, not hi performance boating but sounds like a cool boating adventure.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2...8212010/568513

The wife and I are planning on doing it if our 401(k) ever gets to the right number. We've been starting to pay more attention to the live-aboard type boats at boat shows lately. We got interested when we ran our Formula 600 miles down to North Carolina in 2004. We met tons of live-aboards who had done the trip several times and had nothing but great (and not-so-great but funny) stories to tell about the things that they had seen and done. Like RV retirees, there are lots of people doing this. Very, very cool trip.

Sounds like a 40SS w/ diesels kind of trip!

I have a 60' Chris Craft Roamer for that trip. It has a set of 1271 TI Detroits and 15kw gens. Fast? No but it will burn some petrol. Figure 4 gpm at WFO. It cruises at closer to 0.8mpg. I will take the wide body salon and 3 staterooms over speed for this purpose. I have had 30 people comfortably on the boat for a booze cruise. For the engine enthusiasts, it has two walk in engine rooms. It is kind of crazy to stand next to a twin turbo 12 cylinder when it is running WFO.

It is kind of like driving a small ship. I actually keep it on part of the loop in the TN river system. We have loopers come by on a regular basis to check out the Tn river Gorge. It is cool to talk to folks from Il and the north east that are just out enjoying life. A whole different kind of fun.

We're looking at:

55' Fleming (Slow, but incredibly high-quality and seaworthy)
52' Maritimo (New model; need to see it at the shows)
53' Carver Voyager (Nice layout, wish it was better rigged)
52' Jefferson Rivanna (Ditto to the Carver)

The diesel 400SS is for after the house is built...

I just re faired and epoxied the entire bottom of one of those. I swear it got bigger every time i worked on it. That really would be a great boat for this kinda trip. I see it cuts across Florida though, i would think as long as your making a big azz loop like that might as well include the Keys :D

forgot one :confused:

That is a HUGE job. I had the front 20' of mine done this year along with a new bottom job. My hat is off to you. There are only 12 of the Derektor 60's built. I would love to hear about that boat. I have found 4 of them.

I would certainly do the Keys. Did that last Fall from Miami to Ft. Meyers in a friends sportfish. It is a large time.

I would also have to remove the radar mast for the Erie Canal.

Fleming, hands down. I will take quality over speed with those types of boats any time. I run mostly at 8-10 knots. So do most on the loop. That is what cruising is all about.

We ran into a party of 4 down in Lake Guntersville in a Sea Ray. They bragged that they came all the way from Knoxville that day while we only went 50 miles or so. They had about 1/8 as much fun as we did that day. We just laughed at them.

As a captain, I have done the whole loop in in sections over a dozen times, on everything from a 40, searay to a 98' Azimut and many boats in between. Its one of the greatest cruises anyone could take. As a paid captain I need to get it done as quickly as possible, but as a pleasure cruise i would allow a full year.

Cspray, the Fleming is a superb yacht(Im on a brand new 65 in maine right now) you cant go wrong with it or resale, just a painfully slow cruise speed. The Carver I would stay away from unless your staying on the rivers and lakes. The Maritimo, mixed reviews so far!

ZXXXdonzi, I hope you computed the fuel burn of you CC wrong. There is no way you burn 240 gals a hour at wot.

Don't forget Marlow and Grand Banks.

(I have the 400SS diesel already...)

You don't think a set of 1271 TI's can burn 80 gph while pushing an 80'000 lb boat at 18 knots? I have not put an exact pencil to it but that should be around 4 gal per mile. Not that I would ever run like that.

Sorry, I thought you meant gallon per minute not mile:lolhit: 60-70 gph per motor sound about right!.
Cspray, you have quite the decision to make with your boat choices!

No worried Capt. Given your resume, I figured it was a miscommunication. It will be many years before I get to do the whole loop. Yes, 60 - 70 is about right. The boat has to be light and clean to make 18 knots. Old lit says 22 max. I am not sure how viable that is. Maybe stripped down and running on fumes.

Sounds like a fun boat zxxx donzi!!!

Yes - Sort of a good news/bad news situation. The Fleming is the Rolls-Royce of trawlers, but the lack of speed and the sacrifice of salon space for the pilothouse go against my preferences. We plan to allow enough time that we can pick and choose when we run versus when we sit, so a pilothouse is not that important to me. More and more flybridges are enclosed these days, anyway. That's what I like about the little bit that I've seen of the Maritimo.

The other area of design that's moving forward very quickly is power cats. To this point, I have not seen an interior layout that didn't feel a bit broken up or cramped except for one, and the quality of the construction on that boat left more than a little to be desired. Cruising cats exhibit great speed, economy and stability.

Volvo IPS drives are almost a requirement from my point of view as well. They really open up the interior of the boat.

Interesting times - Glad that I have a few years to decide!

I have done most but not all of the Great Loop in sections with a variety of performance boats over the years. Since I do not have the patience for locks, I trailered from Lake Ontario to Troy on the Hudson so I'm missing that section and the only other missing piece is from Chicago to the intersection of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers. Other than that, have covered most of the "Loop". Cruising guides are very helpful in the planning ......as long as they are not outdated !
Never stayed on the boat and always made a point of arriving in a port with facilities by late afternoon or nightfall latest and getting a room. All day on the boat is enough, then I need a really good bed to be in shape to do it all over again the next day!! LOL

Bob

Laugh but, I thought about doing a leg from Buffalo, NY to NYC in or 21 Apache Scout.... :) Yes, I am still young.. We have a little overnight spot under the deck and a hearty appetite for liquor to help sleep easy on the boat.. If I had my choice, I think I would go with a 30 Mystic Cigarette with twin 496's. Great cruising speed, reliability, and a good size traveling thought the locks..
Jr.

[QUOTE=J-Bonz;3191015]Laugh but, I thought about doing a leg from Buffalo, NY to NYC in or 21 Apache Scout.... :) Yes, I am still young.. We have a little overnight spot under the deck and a hearty appetite for liquor to help sleep easy on the boat.. If I had my choice, I think I would go with a 30 Mystic Cigarette with twin 496's. Great cruising speed, reliability, and a good size traveling thought the locks..
Jr.[/QUOT

Here is a story you might be interested in... http://www.onlyinamerica.biz/

Back in 1987 these 3 guys did the loop in a 17 Whaler, they are planning on doing it again next year.

[QUOTE=bws;3191037]
Thats Awsome!! Great find!! I think doing the loop in a small fast boat could be enjoyable... I dont mind roughing it at all..

These guys are what made me think of it... I went to graduated with Tom.. All I know is I would never row though.... :)

http://www.habitatcrew.com/Habitat-Crew-Home.php

Jr.

"All I know is I would never row though.... :)"

Your not kidding!



If you get a chance to read Only In America, it is a great story. It is the type of book that once you start it, you don't want to put it down. Not only did they do the loop in the Whaler....they water skied quite a bit of it.

The great loop is in our retirement plans also, $$ allowing. I want to live aboard anyway. I read an article that said you need 100-120K and 12 to 18 months for the trip.

Thanks capt.
We are proud of her. I will post pics when I get a chance

Thanks capt.
We are proud of her. I will post pics when I get a chance. I would include Hatteras In the list of Great Loop boats. Nice lines and good quality. I almost bought a 58 Yachtfish before I decided to go bigger.

MrCig's little brother makes this trip or some variation of it every year. Usually from Miami Beach Marina, up through New York, and across the Great Lakes to Chicago in a 62 Azimut. I know he has gone down the Illinois River, into the Mississippi River, and on down to the Gulf of Mexico.

I would look into the Sunseekers for speed and efficiency.

Sunseekers are more of a sport yacht. I hear that they are good boats. They are fast but many slow back down after a couple of fuel bills running at high speed.

Spend a little time on yachtforums. It sounds like you have some time to do homework.