Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

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Shug21
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Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by Shug21 »

I spoke with Jacques about a boat to do the Great Loop on. It seems after some discussion on this forum, some research and such that plans for the perfect hull do not exist. therefore I am starting this thread were we can give our opinions and ideas so that maybe we can get a design that fits the home builder and the great loop and get more hand built cruisers on their way.

I have spent the last year looking into doing this trip with my wife and have come to the conclusion that a great loop boat for us needs 4 basic requirements.

1. Fuel efficiency -- With the loop being 5500+ miles a boat that gets hull speed at 1-1.5 GPH and does 7-8 knots would be ideal. this would keep our fuel bill under $3000 for the entire trip.

2. Draft -- While most everywhere we will be has a minimum depth of 6' keeping the draft to 30" or less would be ideal and open up some anchorages that might not be as accessible in a deeper draft boat.

3. Power -- would like to run dual 60hp outboards on the stern. While I am sure hull speed will be easily achieved with much less horsepower there are a few crossings where the ability to go faster would be very useful to outrun weather.

4. topside -- would like the cabin to be such that an upper station/flybridge on the roof could be done without it being unstable. at a minimum the roof should have the ability to carry a 12' rib and solar panels to help reduce or eliminate the need for a generator onboard.

The TT35 from Great Harbour is a very close fit in my mind to these perfect solutions but carries a price tag of over $250,000 new. Hoping to be able to build hull from Plywood, epoxy and glass with the upper structure the same or using foam core to help lower the center of gravity.

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glossieblack
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Re: Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by glossieblack »

Will be an interesting thread Shug21.

Your brief is clear enough, save one piece of critical information.

With you doing the building, what is your total out of pocket budget (materials, machinery, electrical, plumbing, fittings, paint etc)?
Currently building Jacques Mertens ST21 "Skinnydip". Boating adventures: Splash testing and using 'Skinnydip, as a basis of further building refinement; Adams 44’ sailing sloop "Great Sandy" (cruising and maintaining); Iain Oughtred Feather Pram "Mini Dip" (building); Jacques Mertens R13 "Wood Duck" (built and due for maintenance).

fallguy1000
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Re: Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by fallguy1000 »

Skoota 28 will meet all those. Beautiful boat to hang out on. You will get 5mpg at cruise. 1100 gallons. Hard to beat. Draft less than 20". Beachable. Max power is twin 60s, but you would get decent weather speeds with 40s. The Skootas use helm risers, no fly. You are up high with a slight blind in front. Stability no issue. My Skoota no generator onboard; solar and power from the 90s enough to run autopilot in windy seas.

Budget is probably about 50k before power; perhaps a bit less depending on fitouts.

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BarraMan
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Re: Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by BarraMan »

Interesting thread!

I have only one comment at this point - when you look like spending $100k on a boat, why would keeping the fuel cost for the entire trip be more than a passing thought? 8O

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Re: Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by Fuzz »

I really enjoy boat building and then using them but folks really need to understand what they are getting into when they think about building a larger boat. Just ask Fallguy how many man hours he has in his boat now and he is not done. Same for Knottybuoyz.
Last edited by Fuzz on Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

fallguy1000
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Re: Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by fallguy1000 »

BarraMan wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2020 12:07 am Interesting thread!

I have only one comment at this point - when you look like spending $100k on a boat, why would keeping the fuel cost for the entire trip be more than a passing thought? 8O
I want to take my boat to Alaska. It isn't just about cost of fuel, but also range of vessel. My tanks are 128 gallons. At $4, that is $500 per fill up from empty. Or 1/2% of the build budget. Range say about 500, say 4 mpg. Inside passage plus or minus is about 5 fills. Plenty of cost; not too many stops. If I have a boat with 2mpg economy, twice as many stops, same trip costs $5000; not $2500.

Believe it or not, I am cheap! Plus me and the wife can stop at a b&b or 3 with the money saved on fuel!
My boat build is here -------->

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62495

Matt Gent
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Re: Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by Matt Gent »

Agreed on the fuel cost - it is negligible in the total scope of a boat build and a 6mo - 2yr trip. But range does matter - more a function of capacity / speed / displacement.

I think the top speed and viable "high cruise" speed need to also be specified - huge impact on displacement and hull form. As well as other water conditions that the boat may eventually end up in. Whether it should be trailerable (with or without special permits), or transportable (via professional shipper).

I really like the idea of a flying bridge with shade (bimini) for this type of trip, but its a big compromise on the design. TT35 has an optional one.

12' rib on the roof is a big weight up there, plus some method to hoist it up. I have posted elsewhere on a similar thread, saw a dingy pulled up through the transom of a wide-set twin outboard rig. Pretty simple, but you would need to push it out at every anchorage to use the cockpit.

We should collapse the handful of threads on this topic to one, or at least reference link, for a cohesive discussion.

For me I would want a mid-teens (mph) cruise, with low-20s top speed. Trailerable on twin axle (say 7500lb) with permits (up to 10' beam). No generator (batteries have come a long way), composting toilet. Small AC for shore power only. 300mi range, maybe more. Caribbean capable.

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Re: Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by Matt Gent »


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Re: Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by jacquesmm »

Let's refine the requirements.

Range matters, fuel economy is less important.

Speed is only required for some open water passages but it is very important. Let's say up to 12 knots but cruise at 7 knots.

Air clearance matters very much for the bridges, you don't want to go from waiting for one bridge for 30 minutes to move 1 mile further and wait again for one hour. 13' max.

Nobody mentions towing capability.
If you want to do the loop in one season, you will rush from one port to the next and not enjoy it much. I think that a 3 year loop is ideal to enjoy the cruise. That means you have to winterize the boat 2 or 3 times. If you can tow her yourself, you will save a lot on maintenance. Yards are very expensive but it is easy to find somebody to tow your 10' wide boat to a less expensive warehouse or to your home.

AC is very important and that means, in many cases, a generator. A small 3KW gas generator is sufficient for a 15K AC unit. If you don;t have AC, don't count on your wife's enthusiasm to join the trip.

Storage: fresh water, black water, personal effects. That is often overlooked on production boats. Go to a boat show and ask to see the garbage can or the dirty laundry hamper.

Shallow draft is easy to achieve but did anybody think of a box keel like on my TW28? Enormous storage, much lower CG for stability and being able to beach the boat upright on it's keel for bottom cleaning, prop repair etc. matters. And back to transportation and storage: it helps.

Cost will limit the size but you can't live aboard and enjoy it unless you have separate sleeping quarters and a decent bathroom and shower. That means minimum 30', probably 35.
Much larger becomes too expensive and let's keep an eye on max. size of anchors: a 35 footer will be happy with a 35 lbs anchor without a wind lass. Longer does not mean bigger and a medium light long boat is attractive for speed and living space but let's keep in mind marina cost by the foot. Not too light to be able to document the boat = 5 metric tons is attractive.

Add to the list if you want but know that it will be give and take.
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rick berrey
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Re: Great Loop Trawler/Cruiser - Concept

Post by rick berrey »

Could a stepped mast be added for added range along the Gulf Coast or Island hopping ?

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