New Member

[Donald Tyson]

Intro:
Glad to be on this forum. I'm also new on the AGLCA forum where some of you are also members.
History:
I grew up milking cows and baling hay...I did not know how good I had it. As a kid I would use anything I could find to float in our little creek. I had my own canoe by 18. Got married and raised some kids and learned to sail on Spruce Run Res. and Barnegat bay on an old Mac 25 Venture. We loved sleeping at anchor and we would lift the keel and drag that boat "African Queen Style" way back into little creeks and shallow bays to sack out peacefully. After that I rebuilt an old Triton 28 and sailed it on the Chesapeake for two yrs. With 3 Kids on 5 travel soccer teams I ended up suspending hunting, fishing and boating activities for many yrs. At 60 I built a plywood drift boat and have rowed that silly little boat all over Eastern shore NJ and PA. (I'm now 64 and 5/12ths. Fractions count;)
The loop:
I heard about the Loop first in the mid-90's and thought that a low income guy like me would never get the chance. I had forgotten how resourceful an old farm kid could be. Now that I've thought about it I bet I could pull this off.
Wife is not terribly interested. She would enjoy a few links here and there but she sees not reason to do the whole thing. She loves to drive and is a qualified and safe driver. She will often be my chase vehicle.
Goal:
I would like to do the Loop in smaller bites of 1-2 week portions while fishing my head off as I go. I was going to build a Pacific Sea Dory and use that to wander. Remember the Bonnie Rait song? "Scared to run out of time"? I now don't feel I have enough time to build. And there are so many used boats out there just begging for water and some love.
Boat;
I don't yet have a boat but certainly the C-dory is at the top of my list. Other candidates are old 20' walk around cuddy cabin boats like Grady's and Searay's, proline and many more but they all have the deep vee hulls and would be difficult for me to enjoy the shallows. In this category the Searay 215 is probably the biggest I could go as i'm limited in what my vehicles can tow. In heavy water I still prefer the slower but sure-footed dory hull over the wallowing deep vee.
Conclusion:
I want to come away with owning a boat that I can fish locally and happily after the trip is out of my system. My budget will be 10-15k initially...maybe a little more when I retire in a few years. So I ask, has anyone done the loop in a C-Dory 16. My truck can pull it. Her MKX can handle it. I'll be the only one on board. Do you know anyone that has done this.
I talked way too much. You can see I need a plan. I hope to learn from you and gain much trailer boating insight.
Thanks for having me.
Don
Easton, PA

[thataway]

Welcome aboard Don (and phantom wife). Great story. I would suggest that you attend the "Meet in the middle" gathering (with wife). We have seen a number of women "converted" after meeting some of the other wives, and getting to know the boats. One of the great benefits is the gatherings. The Meet in the Middle is going to be on Lake Barkley in early Oct. Look at the "events" section and sign up, It is probably only a day's drive for you. There is a campground, and some KOA camping cabins affiliated with the marina where the gathering is held. I'll bet you would get rides on several boats if you came. We are coming in our small RV (Towing a Lincoln MKX!). We hope to make the St. John's river gathering in early March--many for up "North" come down for that one. We will be in our camper, but towing our "day boat", a Caracal 18 catamaran (I had a Fantisy of doing the loop in that.). We have done well over half of the loop in vessels ranging from 18 to a 62 feet in length, over a period of over 40 years.

I agree that the C Dory is an ideal boat for what you want to do. I am not aware of a C Dory 16 doing the loop. We have members who cruise widely in their 16's. But certainly a number of 16 foot boats even piloted by only women (That is a strength).

I have owned several power boats in the 16 to 20 or so foot category as well as larger boats (mostly sail). We "camped" in an 18 footer and 21 foot runabout we owned, no real cabin, but slept on converting seats and even an air mattress on the floor (3 adults, two children and a dog). Meals were on the beach with a camping stove.

I also owned a 20' Grady White Weekender, cuddy cabin, good boat, but not as good as some for "Camping" because of lack of ventilation. We did have one 22' "Bayliner Ceria", as a get on the water with the kids, when we were building a 38 foot sailboat. It had a lot of room for its size. But back in the cave, as in most other express type of boats. Perhaps even better was my first good sized power boat, An Owen's Sea Skiff, with the helm forward end of cockpit and a head, dinette, Galley, and v berth in the main cabin with large windows and not the "Cave experience". Of all of this type of boat--the CDory makes the best voyager.

One of our members has made at least 5 trips around the Loop in his 22. It is very spartan and you would think that he was just out for a day cruise looking at the boat. Several other 22's and 25's have made the look. John and Elaine are doing it in small segments in their Tom Cat 255.

[Donald Tyson]

Thanks Thataway,
The thought was to travel in more settled weather, have the camper enclosure in place, and do it camping style while alone. Sort of a Stack the dishes and throw the dirty clothes on the floor type of trip ( tongue in cheek). Gatherings are nice but not sure I'm avail this fall. Spring maybe. Glenn-L has Gatherings for their forum members and it goes a long long way to be able to discuss tasks and challenges.
I have found that Small has its small costs whereas Big just plain costs. I see some of the older Vee Bottom boats that had their day in the sun and can be had reasonably with lots of bells and whistles but these are not boats I'd visit a stump field with post trip. Even talking about "during trip " and "post trip" implies a view that I don't really have.
I will grow with this group and take allot in. You'll see me grow.

[gulfcoast john]

Hi Don,

Welcome to C-Brats and to the AGLCA! Cruising the most interesting segments of waterways on the continent in a trailer boat is great fun for a couple. However, the Great Loop is just a route on a map. Your wife is correct that there is no good reason to complete the whole thing, unless it’s a bucket list check off item of some kind. Trailer out to the PNW and explore the San Juan Islands and the Inside Passage of British Columbia. That’s far more beautiful than the marsh ICW ditches off SC and GA or the Illinois River, though it’s not on the Loop…and the fishing is much better.

I second bringing your wife to the Meet in the Middle gathering…see and board and ride some boats and let her talk to some spouses about cruising in these boats.

The down side of the CD16 is that you likely won’t want to venture out into waters over ‘smooth to 1 foot’. Those conditions are RARE in many parts of the Loop, including the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario, any Lake with an over 20 mile fetch like Lake Simcoe, Lake Oneida, going into the Atlantic to Cape May, the Finger Lakes at times, the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf Crossing, and even the Pensacola and Mobile Bays.

Just trailer around and skip these tough spots when they are tough! That’s why we tow a trailer boat.

I agree with Bob that there is no record I know of regarding a CD16 completing the Loop, but that does not mean that you can’t do it. The only C-Dory that I know of currently Looping is Foote Loose (see Boat Up Dining Guy on Facebook).

Full disclosure, I have PM’ed him in his years of Planning that he should consider doing the ‘easy and straightforward’ West Erie Canal before his East Loop. He unfortunately ran up on the rocks lining the Erie Canal (speed limit 10 MPH) and is awaiting repairs. We will pray for his adventure to continue.

Download the free version of NEBO on your tablet. You can Search for boats (AGLCA boats will have a white burgee for Enroute, Gold for Completed Loop and Platinum Burgee for multiple Loops).

Search for Piglet, a 28 ft Cutwater currently in Georgian Bay, for the smallest boat I have seen in that area, which is where most of the fleet is today.

PM me if I can help or answer questions. We love helping aspirational Loopers achieve their dreams!

John

[Donald Tyson]

[thataway]