Full CIrcle Completes The Loop

[Full Circle]

I haven’t been active in the online C-Dory communities since buying our 2019 26’ Venture, but I want to let the C-Brats know that my wife and I completed America’s Great Loop last week in Ottawa, IL. We started on Oct 1, 2023 and “crossed our wake” in the same spot on Sep 5, 2024. Here are some stats:

TRIP SUMMARY

* Nights onboard: 246
* Nights at anchor: 117
* Nights in marinas: 98
* Nights at free moorings: 31
* Water miles: 6,857 (avg day: 48 mi; longest day: 200 mi)
* Hours underway: 478
* Gallons of fuel: 2,217
* Road miles with boat in-tow: 2,604

We approached the trip differently than most of the Loopers we met along the way. We wanted an active adventure, not a luxury cruise, and we wanted the freedom to explore off the beaten path where only a small, simple boat can go. We anchored as often as we could, visiting marinas every 3-5 days for water, groceries, fuel, showers, laundry, and to let someone else do the cooking for a couple of meals. Many nights we anchored in shallow, secluded spots that weren’t marked on the charts (ActiveCaptain, Waterway Guides, etc) because trawlers and sailboats with their deeper drafts couldn’t reach them. Our favorite anchorages were up little side-creeks, at the back of shallow bays, and just a few feet from long, sandy beaches or rocky shorelines.

Most loopers thought our little boat was “cute”. We thought they were missing the best parts of the journey. They said, "You must like each other a lot!" We said, "Well, yes, actually. We do." Why would you spend a year with someone on ANY boat if you didn't like them?! Even so, we were surprised how many people from all over the US and Canada knew and admired the C-Dory brand.

I think we’ve seen just about every kind of boat there is during this nearly 7000-mile journey. I pay attention to them all because I’m always looking for a better mousetrap. But I can’t think of a single other boat that meets our narrow criteria for the perfect Loop boat as well as this boat has.

- Towable by a 1/2- or 3/4-ton truck without permits (8.5’ max beam)
- Comfortable accommodations for 2 people (one of them 6’1") plus an occasional adult guest or 2
- Outboard power for reliability, serviceability, quiet operation, and easy re-powering
- Planing hull with economical fast cruise over 20 mph yet comfortable in choppy conditions
- Highly sea-worthy to handle rough conditions (Yes, we have stories.)
- Established manufacturer with reliable factory support
- Simple design to allow easy maintenance, upgrades, and modifications
- Relatively affordable initial purchase price (sorry Ranger Tug)
- Iconic brand and a timeless, high-quality build that holds its value over time

These little C-Dorys have long legs! When not observing no-wake speeds, we cruised between 18-28 mph getting 3 mpg anywhere in that range. That’s fully loaded with 2 people, fuel, water, food, tools, spares, dinghies, and a 200 lb rooftop tent on the cabin roof. We would frequently work until mid afternoon (we ran our business from the boat), hoist anchor and cover 50-80 miles, and reach the next town in time for dinner. Trawlers running at their 6-8 knot hull speeds had to run all day to cover the same distance. We calculated that the ability to go fast comfortably and economically gave us an extra 10 daylight hours per week to explore on land. That's 40 hours per month that we were enjoying the places we came to see instead of sitting at the helm watching the world go slowly by. Of course, when there was something worth slowing down to appreciate, we did so. Otherwise, we kept moving.

The Yamaha 175 performed absolutely flawlessly with nothing more than religious 100-hour services and occasional pats on the head. The 250+ mile range was fantastic, the Garmin Reactor autopilot was essential, and the 500W solar/lithium/inverter setup gave as all the juice we needed to motor past marinas while still running our refrigerator, Starlink dish, microwave oven, and hot air corn popper.

Our only mishap was on a narrow section of the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario when I missed an oddly placed marker and veered into shallow water where we hit a rock and took a chunk out of the soft aluminum prop. Later that afternoon, I tilted the engine and installed the spare prop in about 20 minutes while sitting on our paddle board. We later met 2 other Loopers in bigger boats who had made the same mistake. Both were stuck for over a week with their boats hauled out waiting for props and driveshafts and hemorrhaging cash. Over and over, our convictions about the beauty of trailerable cruisers were reinforced!

I would be happy share our experience in more depth with anyone seriously contemplating a Great Loop trip in a C-Dory. It’s a wonderful adventure.

As much as we have grown to love this boat, other things in our lives are demanding our attention. It could be a few years before we have another chunk of time to devote to boating, so we are thinking of selling her rather than let her sit. When we get serious about it, we will post a listing in the usual places.

Link: A Few Photos from Our Loop Trip (Google Photos, so it's safe)

The first photo is a map of our entire route from the Nebo Tracker. Notice our top speed!

In the second photo, we met TJ and Julie on Halfling, another 26 Venture, going the opposite direction on the Rideau Canal. 6 weeks later, we unexpectedly pulled in beside them at the marina in Ottawa, Illinois where we crossed our wake! Twins reunited!

PS: Another big THANK YOU to Bob and Marie Austin (thataway) for hosting us and our boat while we were away for the holidays last winter!

[mstrpo]

Congrat's! This is a trip we are hoping to do in the next few years but we'll likely be in a bigger boat. I do like your rationale of gaining time doing stuff instead of driving a slow boat, tho!

[thataway]

Mary and Dan, Congratulations on completing the loop and doing it the right way. It only seems like yesterday when you left "Camp Thataway". We really enjoyed your company!

What they don't tell you, is that they ran a full time business from the C Dory during this trip. Their business is arranging for RV vacations for folks from Europe visiting the Western National Parks. Starlink was working well for them in the Pensacola area, and I believe the rest of the trip.

[tbone85]

Congratulations! Thoroughly enjoyed reading your summary and hope to do this with my wife sooner rather than later! I’m looking for a C-Dory to buy and am very interested in your boat. Tpercer@gmail.com if you’d like to connect

[ssobol]

[JamesTXSD]

What a great thread! Interesting statistics and perspective. How cool that you were able to work from the boat with the help of current technology. Thanks for sharing this here.

[Full Circle]

[Gulfcoastjohn]

Congrats Full Circle crew!

Our experience since 2017 mirrors yours.

Mary is responsible for making sure that Dan gets a better Thanksgiving dinner this year than he did in 2023.

Did you do the Triangle Loop against the current (and against AGLCA advice) so you could do both that and the Trent Severn without crossing Lake Ontario twice and take the LaChine Canal through Montreal? I think both CD25 Hunky Dory (Lisa and Tom) and CDTC24 Molly Brown (James and Betty) did that based on NEBO tracks, but I’m not sure. If all three did it successfully, I’ll continue to recommend it for fast trailer boats with an air draft under 8 (very strict feet and ability to fight a few miles of the 9 MPH ‘rapids’ when approaching Montreal on the St Lawrence River from the East.

That hidden screw under the oil filter on my Yamaha F150’s just adds smoke to the exhaust. You are very lucky!

Thomas, they have a great boat and you should buy it if you can. The rooftop $2500 bed adds a ‘suite’ to a 25 foot boat. Hope to meet you in Guntersville.

Safe Travels to all!

John

[Full Circle]

Hi John,

Yes, we followed that route, and it was perfect. We had to remove the radar from the top of our radar arch to clear the low bridges on the LaChine, but it was totally worth it. The Trent-Severn was fantastic. I frequently checked Realtor.ca on my phone to see what those idyllic lakeshore properties were worth. My hopes that this was still an undiscovered gem were quickly dashed. You can’t touch even a modest, older place for under $1mm.

Our favorite part of the Loop, by far, was Georgian Bay and the North Channel. One of these days when we get back to boating we’ll do the Erie Canal and then spend a month or so exploring that area, ideally with a canoe or kayaks on the roof. There are some epic multi-day paddling trips up there. It’s a wild and wonderful place. Impossibly scenic and unspoiled.

[Full Circle]