Erie Canal

So, article in latest BoatUS mag had good story about NY state is pumping a lot of money into making it a boater attraction. Daughter & SO are thinking about getting a 21 to 23 to do it. 540 miles. Experience boaters, recently sold a 40’ trawler but read lots low bridges and a small cuddly is best for transitioning the canal.
Tell me your experience.
May be something wife and I might do in a couple years when retire.

Pirate Lady said:

So, article in latest BoatUS mag had good story about NY state is pumping a lot of money into making it a boater attraction. Daughter & SO are thinking about getting a 21 to 23 to do it. 540 miles. Experience boaters, recently sold a 40’ trawler but read lots low bridges and a small cuddly is best for transitioning the canal.
Tell me your experience.
May be something wife and I might do in a couple years when retire.

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i live minutes from the canal in Rochester. It’s a wonderful trip but you cannot be in a hurry. I would also advise you either do it early or late in the season or at least have a boat with AC at the helm - it can be blistering hot in July and august and you have a 5mph speed limit most of the time

the towns along the canal are great. Near rochester is brockport, Lockport, fairport, pittsford, and many others. Restaraunts, breweries, and bars all right on the water in many places. Many of the towns have free music and festivals based on the canal trail as wel. Tons of history in these towns

Article said that. Don’t be in a hurry. You are going nowhere fast. Lots of locks.

What about boat size? Bruce Springsteen even did a song about low bridges on the canal.

Pirate Lady said:

What about boat size? Bruce Springsteen even did a song about low bridges on the canal.

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we see monsters go through. The lowest lock (also part of the great loop) is somewhere near Oswego I believe and about 15' clearance. There are lots of low bridges that even some pontoon boats have to request a lift for, but they open out of the way.

Most loopers run a single engine diesel trawler but there are plenty of bridge boats that come through. A cuddy or small cruiser would be fine too but you'd probably want to get hotels/airbnb versus spending every minute on a 20 something foot boat?

We were in the area last summer, saw it from land.

I think would be so cool to explore by boat.

This is from Fleming yachts up the Erie. They have some great video’s of cruising all over the world. The one before this is up the Hudson and the ones after is out past Quebec City. The ones in Alaska are very interesting.

Farmboy666 said:

This is from Fleming yachts up the Erie. They have some great video’s of cruising all over the world. The one before this is up the Hudson and the ones after is out past Quebec City. The ones in Alaska are very interesting.

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Great post.

Would have to agree you can’t be in a hurry . Great little destination s. Been on the Fingerlakes for 20 years and have traveled for the 1000 islands to Sylvan beach and the leg west to Niagara river.personally would want to do it on at least 30’ . Have seen kayaks to sixtys

Strecker25 said:

we see monsters go through. The lowest lock (also part of the great loop) is somewhere near Oswego I believe and about 15' clearance. There are lots of low bridges that even some pontoon boats have to request a lift for, but they open out of the way.

Most loopers run a single engine diesel trawler but there are plenty of bridge boats that come through. A cuddy or small cruiser would be fine too but you'd probably want to get hotels/airbnb versus spending every minute on a 20 something foot boat?

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The 15' bridge limit is on the west end of the Erie canal. If you are over that, you would have to take the Oswego canal north to Lake Ontario where you could take the Welland Canal to Lake Erie, but you must have 3 crew on board to transit the Welland. Also from Lake Ontario one could cross up to the Trent-Severn Waterway in Canada up to Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Both routes are part of the Great Loop.

Steve S said:

The 15' bridge limit is on the west end of the Erie canal. If you are over that, you would have to take the Oswego canal north to Lake Ontario where you could take the Welland Canal to Lake Erie, but you must have 3 crew on board to transit the Welland. Also from Lake Ontario one could cross up to the Trent-Severn Waterway in Canada up to Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Both routes are part of the Great Loop.

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Ah my bad, thanks. I knew it was somewhere not too far from here. It’s a trip we’d like to do some day as well. I’d probably take the lake east to Oswego and enter the canal that way and work my way down the canal to eventually have the boat pulled in rochester once the season closes down. Running the canal in the fall is really nice and the weather is cooler

Pirate Lady said:

So, article in latest BoatUS mag had good story about NY state is pumping a lot of money into making it a boater attraction. Daughter & SO are thinking about getting a 21 to 23 to do it. 540 miles. Experience boaters, recently sold a 40’ trawler but read lots low bridges and a small cuddly is best for transitioning the canal.
Tell me your experience.
May be something wife and I might do in a couple years when retire.

Click to expand...

I've been a "canal rat" since 2002 or so. Last year, we transited the entire length from Buffalo to the Hudson River and headed south to NYC and back. 3 boats including a 42 Sea Line and 42 Chris Craft Commander. General rule of thumb, if your bridge clearance is 15' feet or less, you can transit from NYC to Buffalo. (check the NYS Canal website just in case) The lowest bridge is east of Rochester and many of the looper's can't get under that one and some others, so they head north through the Oswego Canal and into Lake Ontario.

The lowest fixed bridge that you have to clear on the western Erie is this one.


It is an abandoned railroad bridge located just west of lock E-26 near Clyde NY. It will be the first of the lowest bridges as you progress west bound from 3 rivers.
It is listed as 15'-6". We are exactly 15'-6" to the top of our bimini and we have cleared it 8 times over the years at different times of the season. The bridge is within sight of the lock and dam at E-26 and the lock master has been known to briefly drop the pool for vessels that are just a smidgen too tall to make it, as the belief is that if you get through this one, you are good to go, however this one, located in the town of Macedon, is just about the same height.


There is a rail bridge at Bushnell's Basin that is also close, but ever so slightly taller.

The script below is from one of many articles on the Great Loop.
A canal trip is worth the effort if you get the chance. Enjoy!

BOAT HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS:
1. 19-feet 6-inches – For every Looper regardless of route, in order to cruise the entire Great Loop, the maximum overhead clearance that
limits the height of your boat above the water is 19’ 6”. While this bridge is officially charted at 19.7-feet at MLW, to cruise the Great Loop your vessel
MUST be able to cruise under this (normally) 19’ 6” fixed bridge.
This means that your vessel’s super-structure; all that part of your boat left over after you take down your mast, antennas, Bimini top, radar arch, etc.,
must be able to cruise under this 19.6’ fixed bridge. While there are many other lower bridges, this is the lowest fixed bridge every Looper must go
under. In other words, all routes lead here and there is no alternative waterway route around this bridge.
This bridge is located at Mile 300.6 on the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal and it is our only waterway link from the Great Lakes to the Illinois, Mississippi
and Inland rivers. If you can’t clear this bridge, your Great Loop becomes a Great U-turn.
Assuming you can clear 19’ 6” you are good to go anywhere on the Great Loop’s most popular routes with only two (2) exceptions.
2. 17-feet 0-inches – If you can clear 17’, you can cruise through downtown Chicago.
3. 15-feet 6-inches – In order to cruise the full-length (western half) of the Erie Canal, you must be able to clear a 15’ 6” fixed bridge.
If you wish to remain strictly on the “American Side” of this voyage – or if you simply desire to cruise the full-length of the Erie Canal from the Hudson
River to Buffalo, NY and into Lake Erie - you must have a vertical clearance of 15’ 6”. This will be also be the route to take if you do not have a
Passport, or do not wish to cruise Canada. There are two 15’ 6” fixed bridges on the Erie Canal just beyond the Three-Rivers Junction to the Oswego
Canal. The Oswego Canal has a 21’ vertical clearance and this is your route to Lake Ontario and on to Canada.

Great info, thanks all.

Question for those with bigger boats where idle speed on one engine is >5mph. How strict are they? Mine is about about 6.5 mph. Are you really bumping it in and out of gear on one engine for 500+ miles?

Awful high. My 7.4 idles at 650rpm with barely any forward movement in gear maybe 2mph tops. 1200rpm gets me 6mph.
How do you maneuver in close quarters docking at that speed?

Pirate Lady said:

Awful high, what engine?
My 7.4 idles at 650rpm with barely any forward movement in gear maybe 2mph tops. 1200rpm gets me 6mph.

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Twin diesels w/ 28" props turning slow.
MAN (800 HP) at idle of ~650 rpm (neutral) or ~600 rpm (in gear); 54,000 Lb Boat
Both engines in gear, at idle, ~6.5 mph, steering normal
One engine in gear, at idle, ~6 mph, requires counter-steering
These engines are mechanical and don't have a fast/slow idle switch that some others have. Although, there is a trolling mode servo/valve for the transmission that I might need to learn more about..

Pirate Lady said:

How do you maneuver in close quarters docking at that speed?

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It takes practice. Bump each engine in and out of gear (mostly out) to get the result you need. Putting both engines in gear will move the boat with authority.

Exactly. I have a single diesel turning a 28x31 prop. In gear at idle - 600 rpm - I’m going 6-7 mph.

When docking I have to bump in gear for about 1 second at a time. I plan ahead and use momentum to my advantage. Also, thrusters.

It was a big adjustment from a Bravo 3 drive.

Erie Canal looks like an an awesome trip. My wife and I were talking about how to get up there via the Hudson. Challenge for us is the time to get up there, time to actually see the canal, and get back when we both work and kids have school/sports.