Boat for cruising the Great Loop

Hello all

This is my first post but I have been lurking around on this forum for quite some time. I will get right to the point. I want to build this boat( see attached images) or one very much like it with very beefy 2x wood framing with either plywood/fiberglas or c-flex planking construction. Primarily I would be building just the hull in this way. The boats over all dimensions would be approx. 65' X 16'. Big for a loop boat but I plan to live aboard as well.
Also (maybe off topic) would like some opinions on how this boat might do in more open water like the great lakes and 5 to 10 miles offshore in the gulf. I would like to use it to do the great loop route.

Looking forward to any and all input and advice

Thanks

Fred

 

That looks a little tall for the Great Loop. Regardless of windage concerns on open waters, depending on the route taken to do the Loop, you'll encounter various fixed bridges with low vertical clearances ranging from 15.5' to 19.1'. There's a lot of group knowledge to be gained from members of the America's Great Loop Cruising Association: http://www.greatloop.org/ .

 

Thanks for the input narwhal. We wont be using the wood superstructure as you see it on there. We are planing on not more than 15' above the water line.
My concern on the open waters is if there is enough freeboard. I also want to mention that we are planing on 1 or 2 degrees deadrise so that the bottom is not completely flat

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there are offshore legs of the Great Loop, not to mention the Great Lakes portion could almost be considered offshore. That boat at first glance does not appear to be offshore-worthy.

 

I agree with Dreamer, you have some serious offshore waters to navigate. While you can pick your weather window I wouldn't chance it.

 

A significant portion of the NJ coast must be taken outside although there are a number of safe harbors along the way. All are fed by inlets that are not kind to bad boats in any weather that might force you to seek shelter. NY Harbor can be challenging as well as the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake, NC Sounds and Delaware Bay. The longest exposed open water is between Apalachicola and Clearwater, FL. There is a possibility of breaking this run in two at Cedar Key.

The Loop is not difficult but should not be taken lightly. It's been done in small open outboards by young girls.

 

She'd be right at home on the Rideau, Trent-Severn or Erie canals. I think she'd handle some of the smaller lakes, Champlain, Lake St. Francis, etc. The rivers, St. Lawrence, Ottawa etc. might be a challenge if she's under powered especially going upstream.

I think the question is, would I feel comfortable crossing Lake Ontario on it? Hmmmm? I think I'd take a pass unless it was dead calm.

 

There's a good article in this month's Passagemaker magazine that talks about the Great Circle/Loop.

 

Off Shore legs cruising the Great Loop? That's a yes & a no. There are two locations one must 'go out' into open water when cruising the Great Loop. One is crossing the Gulf of Mexico. the shortest 'open water' route is from Carrabelle, FL to Steinhatchee, FL - a distance of 78 miles dock to doc, of which only 66 is across open water. The other is in New Jersey and it depends on one's draft. With a 4' 6" or less draft, the NJ ICW ends at Manasquan Inlet and it is 46 miles to NY Harbor & Statue of Liberty and Liberty Landing. With a greater draft of 5' or more, one would leave Cape May and 'go out' which is a distance of 148 miles to Liberty Landing.

 

The common mistake people make that makes cruising less than fun is forward viewing for more than the captain, and decent outdoor spaces.

The boat you have chosen is a canal boat and not designed for the Great Loop or ICW. Would be hard to sell when you want to do so.

Building a 65x16 boat is a 10 year project for most anyone without a crew of laborers and the knowledge to keep them humpin. The cost is amplified by the need to work outdoors and the environmental issues related.

Moving a 65x16' boat even 10 miles will cost $10,000 to start.

There are plenty of boats you can buy that need to have an owners personal touch added that are better suited.

Find a boat suited with good bones. Only buy under a survey and then repower as needed and go sailing.