The fun is in the details

Possibly, the #1 UNEXPECTED SURPRISE mentioned by 1st time Loopers, were countless number of destinations that tempted them off their boat.  Places such as waterfront Restaurants, Tiki Bars, Ice Cream Parlors, and tourist attractions where they wanted to stop at, but didn't. In fact, 'not stopping and taking more time at these places' is the most frequently mentioned regret expressed by previous Loopers. In fact, this is exactly the reason for my "More Fun than Fuel" Looping philosophy. Our most 'looked forward to activity' cruising the Loop is eating out at all the incredible destinations famous for serving the best regional food favorites. On the Loop… we never waste money at Fast Food or National Chain Restaurants. While we have accumulated our favorites, we are always on the hunt for restaurants locally famous for serving the best local food favorites. Yes, we've met Loopers thru the years that almost never get off their boat to eat out or anything else. We've also met Loopers that started this voyage with enough canned ham, spam, beans, corn, canned chicken & spaghetti, etc. to cross oceans that have 'crossed their wake' with most of it still onboard. So, let this be a heads up... Most Loopers eat out a lot more than they anticipated. Be prepared, and budget for it. 

 Eleven times around the Loop, the first three of them across the full length of the Erie Canal, and then, I took the Canadian route, and I've continued that route seven of the last eight times around. I have to say, my son and I actually sailed from Texas to Belize, to Aruba, up and down the Caribbean Islands to South Africa and on to Italy, Greece, and up the English Channel to Oslo, and back home via the East coast of the Atlantic. But cruising Canada's Heritage Canals, the Trent Severn, Georgian Bay & the North Channel truly is awe inspiring. While I hate to take anything away from the 'Erie Canal" experience, fact is, Georgian Bay and The North Channel is the best freshwater cruising (& fishing if you're interested) in the world. 

No, you don't have to have one. It is not a requirement for cruising the Loop, but you will most likely want one, especially if you are cruising with a dog. In the southern half of the Loop from Alabama you will find alligators in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina as far north as the Dismal Canal. just waiting for little FiFi to jump in the water or go ashore to do its business. A dinghy will come in real handy for safely taking your pet to shore.  We enjoy our dinghy in Georgian Bay and the North Channel. We also use it a lot in Florida. Other than that, we don't really use it except in a few areas where we anchor out and use it to go ashore. If you have a dog, we strongly suggest a good 'hard bottom' dinghy.

It even happened to me on my first voyage around the Loop. Fact is, my friend and I started out with what we thought was more than enough money. We (as helicopter pilots) had just returned from Vietnam with a year of back pay in our pockets. Turned out, my Uncle's 44' twin engine vessel (he loaned us to cruise the Loop), proved to be a fuel breathing dragon. It robbed us of all our planned 'Fun Money'. We were able to complete the Loop but were unable to visit all the unexpected, destinations that tempted us to stop.  In fact, the entire 2nd half of the voyage was spent anchoring out, as we didn't have enough money for fuel & marina fees. After that, we were determined to cruise the Loop again but make it better. Our 2nd voyage was in a 36' 'huge' single engine trawler. It was much better but just proved we were slow learners. 

Determined to have "More Fun than Fuel" downsizing 7 more times to my current 26' C-Dory that has taken me around the Loop twice. I was finally spending far more money on myself - stopping, shopping, eating out, being a tourist and having fun ashore, than I was on my total boat & boat related expenses cruising the Loop.

As for other Loopers we've met, the most memorable was a young couple that we living on their boat while it was in a boat yard on a cradle - FOR SALE.  They originally were going to buy a sensible used 32' single engine trawler to cruise the Loop.  On the day they returned to the Dealer to purchase the boat, the Salesman showed them another boat that just up for sale. It was an older 42-footer with big twin engines. As they explained it, they simply could not refuse the added space, comfort, conveniences and amenities of the bigger boat - for the same price. 

They started their voyage in Fort Myers.  We met them in St, Augustine where they were hoping to sell the boat in time to return to Fort Myers and purchase the much smaller more fuel-efficient boat they intended to buy in the first place. Apparently, the Salesman had given them fuel estimates based on the 32' true trawler, and they just assumed it would be the same on the bigger boat. Turned out, while they were expecting to cruise the Loop burning near 2gph, the bigger boat was burning near 7gph. They had no idea that a tiny bump on the throttle could double or triple their fuel costs.

We've also met a 'solo Looper' that simply thought living and cruising was going to be an awful lot cheaper than it turned out to be. He was stranded in a marina while working to make enough money to continue his voyage. 

 Cruising Speed: 8mph - Total Power: 120hp diesel

Length Overall: 32.5ft - Bridge Clearance: 14.5ft

Max Draft: 3' 9" - Beam: 11' 6" - Cabin Headroom: 6' 4" 

At MFG's recommended cruising speed of 8mph (that's Looper speed) it will average near 1.7gph. A couple could cruise a 6,000-mile Loop on about 1,450 gallons. Based on 2024's average fuel price, that would be $7,250 in fuel. 

The boat was manufactured in 1976 has only 1,000 hours on the engine, and it was for sale recently for $59,000. 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BOATS & CARS:

Boat Model Designs don't change much from year to year. In other words, the Grand Banks' Sedan & Classic (for example), were manufactured from 1964 - 2004. Assuming they were kept 'ship shape' you could not tell the 1964 from the 2004 unless you happen to own one. So, point is, other boaters, Loopers can't tell from looking how old your boat might be. Furthermore, no one cares. The second important fact is most live aboard cruising vessels are actually used very little. For boat owners, maximizing time on the water is the ultimate goal. But between weather and work schedules, most boats (unfortunately for the owner) spend most of its life sitting at the dock. So, what is the actual average number of usage hours most recreational boat owners log annually? According to the USCG:

For Power boats Over 27 Feet:

• Cabin cruisers: 75-100 hours annually
• Convertibles/flybridges: 100-175 hours per year
• Trawlers: 150-250 hours annually

This is why you can find great reputable boats built in the 60s, 70s, 80s, that often have less than 4,000 hours on their engine. That's the equivalent of an 8-year-old car but without the wear and tear of aggressive driving habits, poor road conditions, neglected maintenance, potholes, speed bumps, and lots & lots of stop and goes. My Uncle rebuilt automobile engines. He had a crew that traveled to boat yards seeking old boat engines. His claim? They have so little use & abuse, they can be cleaned up, painted, tuned and look and run as good as new for years to come. 

Diesel Engines were built to run 100,000 hours. So don't automatically eliminate a 50-year-old vessel with 25,000-hours on the motor. A "Certified Marine Pre-purchase Survey will also keep you from making a terrible mistake.  I've witnessed more than one occasion when a Certified Marine Survey prevented a buyer from making a terribly expensive mistake, and even on one occasion, where it positively saved someone's life.

The Great Loop Information Center has some - Great Loop Goodies - for Great Loop dreamers, planners, cruisers and previous Loopers. All their stuff is 'Looper Tested' quality and it all comes with top notch 'Great Loop insignia embroidery on all hats & clothing, and top-quality printing on Mugs & hard surface items. Your support helps them keep all the Great Loop Information, Websites, & Updates FREE! Which we feel it should be.  KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE - SPREAD THE WORD & SHOW YOUR A PROUD LOOPER & SUPPORTER OF AMERICA'S GREAT LOOP.