Great Loop

Zach312

Zach312

Active Member
SILVER Sponsor
Jan 23, 2011
824
Nashville, TN
Boat Info
2008 Sea Ray 47 Sedan Bridge
Engines
Cummins QSC-600
My wife and I are doing some initial research on doing the Great Loop. I don't think our current boat will be the one we use for the loop.

Looking for general info on the loop and suggested boats. Who has done this in an express cruiser style boat? Pro's? Con's?

Is the Erie canal worth doing. I know you need to fit under a 15'6" bridge.

Looking into height of 48 and 54 sundancers as these are on the list of current options.

Thanks for any help in advance!
 
http://www.greatloop.org/ Has a ton of info.

Also I believe there is a way to take Erie Canal but not all the way if you have a taller boat. I am planning on talking my 400 DB on the loop.
 
We did the loop in 2015-16 in our 420 AC with 3126TA Caterpillar engine’s. Great Boat and had her just shire of ten years and good friends of ours brought her last March.

The magic height is 19’2 for a fixed rail road bridge on the Illinois river just down stream from a Chicago. There is no work around on this as ya gotta get under it and our Aft Cabin had the raised mounted Ray Marine open Radar and we had no problem. Our current 52DB will hopefully be heading back in to Canada summer of 2019 but will not fit under nor be going down the Western Rivers.

Now it should be noted that is the magic number for the loop, there are other side Trip bridges that have lower heights once you go down the Erie Canal past the Oswego Canal that turns North and takes you up to Lake Ontairo which is the most commonly use route.

Best for pleasure reading book imho is Honey Lets by a Boat, by Rob & Eva Stob which is and excellent read with lots of info in there. They did such a great job that they created and opened the AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Crusing Association).

Their daughter Kim Russo now oversees and runs the AGLCA which we bought a lifetime membership and read the daily forum daily!

Feel free to ask any questions of me that I will try and answer our the above book and organization is great to read & join!
 
Zach312 said:
My wife and I are doing some initial research on doing the Great Loop. I don't think our current boat will be the one we use for the loop.

Looking for general info on the loop and suggested boats. Who has done this in an express cruiser style boat? Pro's? Con's?

Is the Erie canal worth doing. I know you need to fit under a 15'6" bridge.

Looking into height of 48 and 54 sundancers as these are on the list of current options.

Thanks for any help in advance!
Click to expand...

Zach, For general info: The book that John recommended, web sites about the loop, and current blogs by loopers. Some blogs can be found on the AGLCA web site on the right hand side of the page, others have blogs that are not shown on the AGLCA and I could give you a couple that are currently looping if you want. Send me a pm.

Express style boats: Loop in whatever you want that fits under the bridges. There are not many express style boats, but there are some, and the advantages include less windage for anchoring and control in the locks and docking. Less bridge openings also.

The Erie canal: As John said, the vast majority of Loopers take the Erie Canal to 3 rivers and head north to Lake Ontario. The bridge clearance for that route is 21'. Taking the western Erie Canal toward Niagara River/Lake Erie (15.5') is sometimes a second time around route for loopers to see something different. Personally, I think Canada is the best part of the loop, but we buddy boated down the river system with a couple from Alaska who woke up their whole life to seeing moose watering in the river near their house with Mt McKinley in the background. Canada was a low priority for them. They wanted to see the rest of America where they had never been before. They traveled the canal and loved Niagara Falls, Cleveland and Detroit, taking in as much of the Rust Belt/Industrial Revolution/building of America type museums as they could.
Which way you go is a personal decision.
tip: while waiting for the wind to cross Lake Ontario in Oswego, many loopers rent a car and drive 3 hours to Niagara Falls for a couple of days to check that off the bucket list if they've never been there. If you are traveling in the midst of the other loopers, you will never have any trouble finding another couple to share good times and rental car costs to do little road trips to see things along the way.
If any questions arise, feel free to ask.​
 
my3sons said:
Zach, For general info: The book that John recommended, web sites about the loop, and current blogs by loopers. Some blogs can be found on the AGLCA web site on the right hand side of the page, others have blogs that are not shown on the AGLCA and I could give you a couple that are currently looping if you want. Send me a pm.

Express style boats: Loop in whatever you want that fits under the bridges. There are not many express style boats, but there are some, and the advantages include less windage for anchoring and control in the locks and docking. Less bridge openings also.

The Erie canal: As John said, the vast majority of Loopers take the Erie Canal to 3 rivers and head north to Lake Ontario. The bridge clearance for that route is 21'. Taking the western Erie Canal toward Niagara River/Lake Erie (15.5') is sometimes a second time around route for loopers to see something different. Personally, I think Canada is the best part of the loop, but we buddy boated down the river system with a couple from Alaska who woke up their whole life to seeing moose watering in the river near their house with Mt McKinley in the background. Canada was a low priority for them. They wanted to see the rest of America where they had never been before. They traveled the canal and loved Niagara Falls, Cleveland and Detroit, taking in as much of the Rust Belt/Industrial Revolution/building of America type museums as they could.
Which way you go is a personal decision.
tip: while waiting for the wind to cross Lake Ontario in Oswego, many loopers rent a car and drive 3 hours to Niagara Falls for a couple of days to check that off the bucket list if they've never been there. If you are traveling in the midst of the other loopers, you will never have any trouble finding another couple to share good times and rental car costs to do little road trips to see things along the way.
If any questions arise, feel free to ask.​
Click to expand...

Mark,

So my 2000 400DB will make it taking the 3 rivers route? I am in the planning stages but still a few years away starting my Great Loop journey.

-Steve
 
Steve S said:
Mark,

So my 2000 400DB will make it taking the 3 rivers route? I am in the planning stages but still a few years away starting my Great Loop journey.

-Steve
Click to expand...
Yes, no Problem, and you should be able to go down the Chicago River through downtown by just lowering the VHF antenna. BUT check your open array height. My radome cleared the 17' bridge on the Chicago River easily. The water was low that day, loopers who thought they had to go the Cal Sag could have made it the day we went. Height to top of my radome is 16.5'. Height to my bimini, 15.5'. (actual personal measurements). I lower my radar pedestal for western Erie Canal trips.
 
Gimme Time said:
We did the loop in 2015-16 in our 420 AC with 3126TA Caterpillar engine’s. Great Boat and had her just shire of ten years and good friends of ours brought her last March.

The magic height is 19’2 for a fixed rail road bridge on the Illinois river just down stream from a Chicago. There is no work around on this as ya gotta get under it and our Aft Cabin had the raised mounted Ray Marine open Radar and we had no problem. Our current 52DB will hopefully be heading back in to Canada summer of 2019 but will not fit under nor be going down the Western Rivers.

Now it should be noted that is the magic number for the loop, there are other side Trip bridges that have lower heights once you go down the Erie Canal past the Oswego Canal that turns North and takes you up to Lake Ontairo which is the most commonly use route.

Best for pleasure reading book imho is Honey Lets by a Boat, by Rob & Eva Stob which is and excellent read with lots of info in there. They did such a great job that they created and opened the AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Crusing Association).

Their daughter Kim Russo now oversees and runs the AGLCA which we bought a lifetime membership and read the daily forum daily!

Feel free to ask any questions of me that I will try and answer our the above book and organization is great to read & join!
Click to expand...


We are a bit unsure if our current boat would make it under the 19'2 inch bridge. Also had been thinking about something with a lower profile to avoid some bridge openings.

For those of you who have done it is this really much of a concern?

Just starting our initial search of what boat we would like to do this in.

The 48 and 54 sundancers are on the list but are open to other options. I guess these are only on the list since we know the boats well.
 
Zach312 said:
We are a bit unsure if our current boat would make it under the 19'2 inch bridge. Also had been thinking about something with a lower profile to avoid some bridge openings.
For those of you who have done it is this really much of a concern?
Click to expand...

Bridge openings are no big deal. Many are on a schedule like Hour and half hour, many are on demand. Including our side trips, we had to have 110 bridges lifted, swung or otherwise opened. If we had a 48 dancer it might had been 10 or 12 less, maybe not even that many.

Just a quick web search has Boatingmag.com listing your bridge clearance at 16'9"
Measure your boat, it would make a great boat to loop on.
 
my3sons said:
Bridge openings are no big deal. Many are on a schedule like Hour and half hour, many are on demand. Including our side trips, we had to have 110 bridges lifted, swung or otherwise opened. If we had a 48 dancer it might had been 10 or 12 less, maybe not even that many.

Just a quick web search has Boatingmag.com listing your bridge clearance at 16'9"
Measure your boat, it would make a great boat to loop on.
Click to expand...


Thanks, We had some concern on the height as well as storage. We thought we could use the 2nd stateroom on the 48 sundancer for additional storage. The V-birth as a second stateroom doesn't lend its self for great storage space.

Any extra challenges with locks on a bridge boat?
 
We did the Canadian portion of the loop summer of '15. Only away from home for like 3 months. We felt we had the whole thing figured out for when we left in the summer of '16 to spend the next year aboard. After all, we kind of had a 3 month practice run.
We had everything stored in regular storage compartments on the boat. Nothing was in our second stateroom on the beds or on the floor. In the beginning of October, while on Kentucky Lake, we returned home via rental car for a week to take care of some personal business and an important doctor appointment. We removed from the boat and brought home clothes, shoes, a cooler, some cooking utensils we had thought we might want along with a bunch of other stuff. All we took back with us when we returned to the boat was a crock pot. The loop is a simple life. You don't need much. Actually, less is better.

No problems with bridge boats. Locks are Locks....no matter what your driving, they get easier the more you do.
 
Gimme Time said:
........The magic height is 19’2 for a fixed rail road bridge on the Illinois river just down stream from a Chicago. There is no work around on this as ya gotta get under it and our Aft Cabin had the raised mounted Ray Marine open Radar and we had no problem. Our current 52DB will hopefully be heading back in to Canada summer of 2019 but will not fit under nor be going down the Western Rivers......
Click to expand...

FWIW - our 2005 550(58)DB fit under the 19’2” bridge in Chicago. Removal of radar and sat tv was necessary, as was folding down the steaming light. We had the boat delivered from Knoxville to Lake Michigan. You think your 52DB should fit as well.


E54AEDF3-FDFD-413B-8AAE-9A97D6C74D37.jpeg
 
tc410 said:
FWIW - our 2005 550(58)DB fit under the 19’2” bridge in Chicago. Removal of radar and sat tv was necessary, as was folding down the steaming light. We had the boat delivered from Knoxville to Lake Michigan. You think your 52DB should fit as well.


View attachment 54753
Click to expand...

Great info. Thanks
 
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