Is the great loop possible on a Yamaha?

[Speedling]

First, if you didn't know, the great loop is basically a loop including the great lakes, the mississipi, around or through florida, and up the atlantic coast.
Second, as I type this a guy is attempting a solo record in a jon boat solo, a new record just got set with a crew of 4, and a guy is solo going reverse flow in a kayak.

So what would a yamaha jet boat need for a run?
The solo guy and the new record are both under 30 days.
But 30 days of constant running and 6000 miles of boating all waters and conditions?
Grease for intermediate bearing, oil change how often?
Need storage bin for spark plugs?
Replace anodes how often?


I always thought it would be cool to do. I wouldn't race around though, i would want to see some things.
I see a lot of maintenance issues on theseboats for that long of a term.
Maybe wife or kids follow coast and we trailer it every so often to do maintenance and get hotels.

I would want a better setup for a chartplotter and i have heard of some boats utilizing autopilot. Perhaps even install a trolling motor for more redundancy and autopilot features?

Food can be accomplished a few days at a time easily enough.
Bathroom? This is a reason to get a bit bigger boat with a head I would think.

Thanks for humoring my fun daydreaming!

 

[suke]

There's a guy currently doing it in a 16' jon boat. Soooooo, it definitely can be done.

 

[zipper]

 

[Coult45]

You'll need patience if you come through NY instead of taking the longer route up the St Lawrence River. On the Erie Canal across NY, there are long sections that are either 5 or 10mph zones. At times, strictly enforced. And due to the extreme weather conditions the past few years, there have been frequent lock closures for maintenance and repair. Sometimes it's a day, sometimes it can be longer.

On the plus side, you'll come right past my house. If i'm around, I can delivery a cold beverage or other critical supplies as you pass through Cross Lake.

 

[Speedling]

There's a guy currently doing it in a 16' jon boat. Soooooo, it definitely can be done.

Been on the looper pages probably for a decade now and been cheering this dude!
My wife is probably tired of hearing it

 

[TeeNGee]

Averaging 30 mph, you are looking at 200 hours.
Like @Coult45 said Florida also has a LOT of minimum wake zones. You might make better time running of shore around FL.
I would also provide a cold beverage.

 

[Speedling]

Averaging 30 mph, you are looking at 200 hours.
Like @Coult45 said Florida also has a LOT of minimum wake zones. You might make better time running of shore around FL.
I would also provide a cold beverage.

Unlike mr. John boat there, i would probably stop many nights and have dinner with support crew and guests/friends.
For now it's just a dream and my wife wouldn't be super comfortable driving the trailer around that long so we will see!
Probably be best to break it into sections and do over multiple years.

 

[zipper]

The Champlain canal has the same restrictions as the Erie. 10mph speed limit, etc. Boaters should also receive notifications about what is happening with the waterway. Notice to Mariners Alerts
We split off in Waterford, NY where the Erie and Champlain canals start, Southern end. This mule is there.



Lock E2 in Waterford shown in the background. Also seen is the Erie and Champlain canals layed out in the brickwork.



The first lock in the system is the Federal lock, in Troy, below Waterford, on the Hudson.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I like the big dream!

First reality check, 30 days in a row on a Yamaha jet boat at best cruise is going to kick your ass. Even the ICW is going to be a rough ride. You had better be in good shape before attempting such a feat. Cruising a couple or few days at a time with a day or two of rest / touristing would make the journey more pleasurable but being in an open boat is going to expose you to the elements during the cruise, dehydration would be a concern.

I believe the Trent Severn is part of the Great Loop…I’ve daydreamed about just doing this little piece. I’ve seen other YouTube’s of folks doing it in a bow rider.

6000 miles at 25 mph is 240 hours, but as @Coult45 just said, there are long sections of no wake so it’s going to take significantly longer, I’d figure double the amount of cruising time, so 500 hours.

That’s five oil changes if you do 100 hour intervals. I’m a huge fan of Amsoil and their filters, 20 micron at 99% efficiency, the only other filters that come that close are the Mobil 1 filters. The key to making oil last is the filtration, rarely is the additive package the reason for changing the oil, if you added a high bypass filtration system you could probably make the whole journey with just changing the high bypass filter and adding the make up amount of oil, but you’d have to do some used oil analysis beforehand to know what you’re extended interval could be.

Five times you’d want to grease the intermediate bearings-easy. Anodes, follow the maintenance schedule, but I’d think starting out with fresh ones would be sufficient.

Spark plugs, you could do those on an as needed basis.. I’ve gone 200 hours on a set without any trouble.

If you add a trolling motor you do get redundancy but you’d also get weight, I can get about 15-20 miles out of my troller with LFP batteries. Is that worth it? Probably not you’ve got two engines.

The biggest challenge is the one stretch in the Gulf of America requires, I think, a 300 mile run between fuel stops, I think it’s between the FLA panhandle and the Mississippi River. Overall fuel could be a logistical concern, and you do not to be traveling with gas cans strapped to the swim step. Carrying fuel adds weight, 6 pounds per gallon, and that impacts mpg / range. I have a 20 gallon tank I put under my helm seat, it works great but I can definitely tell that extra 120# is there.

Chart plotter, a good one with a large screen, and a back up unit of some kind.

Bathroom, a portable toilet will last a few days for the big potty. But you’re going to have to dump it somewhere. Bathing, a solar shower would probably work, but you’ll need fresh water. If you’re in fresh water, you could probably rig a diverter valve on the cooling water outlet from an engine to bring the temp in the solar shower up.

Food is probably the easy part, backpackers freeze dried meals are easy to make and don’t require refrigeration. The potable water thing could add a lot of weight. Once boating on fresh water a backpacker's MSR back country water purifier pump would solve that.

Refrigeration can be accomplished with an electric ice chest, they draw about 65W / 5A when running. You get a full cooler and no worries about ice chest soup.

Realistically, the plan of having the wife shadow the route towing the trailer might be the way to go. You’d get to see the sights and stay and enjoy different areas and your wife gets to enjoy some boating along the way.

The Trent Severn might be a better first step option. There are boat parks where you can camp out overnight, some even have electrical power pedestals, lots of towns and such to see to get your necessities, and all fresh water.

The bigger boat…one with a cabin would be best.

 

[2kwik4u]

Been on the looper pages probably for a decade now and been cheering this dude!
My wife is probably tired of hearing it

My wife is definitely tired of hearing me talk about the Great Loop.

I'm thinking Axopar, but that might be bougie of me

 

[zipper]

My wife is definitely tired of hearing me talk about the Great Loop.

I'm thinking Axopar, but that might be bougie of me

I think you are more of a Brabus Shadow 900 guy…

 

[2kwik4u]

I think you are more of a Brabus Shadow 900 guy…

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I agree.........that's my champagne taste coming through. Sadly I still have a beer budget

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Oil change every 100 hours, just change spark plugs while extracting oil. I'd have bigger concerns of where to dump the oil. I don't even know if I would bother with anodes, you won't be in a ton of salt... plus you would have to pull the boat out of the water. Not sure I'd grease bearing either... that is a debatably topic for another thread.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Oil change every 100 hours, just change spark plugs while extracting oil. I'd have bigger concerns of where to dump the oil. I don't even know if I would bother with anodes, you won't be in a ton of salt... plus you would have to pull the boat out of the water. Not sure I'd grease bearing either... that is a debatably topic for another thread.

The Great Loop takes you down eastern seaboard around the tip of Florida and up the panhandle on the west side to the Mississippi River.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

The Great Loop takes you down eastern seaboard around the tip of Florida and up the panhandle on the west side to the Mississippi River.

View attachment 237545

I was definitely thinking something different lol - that's a lot of salt. Though the anodes last a really long time. I'd maybe have a back up pair and do a visual check occasionally.

 

[Sherwood]

I hope Jon Boat Robert finishes this week on a day I have nothing going on. Plan on watching him come across Pensacola bay. I put in at Navy Point where he launched and I assume will take out, to watch the Blue angles often if the bay is rough.

 

[drewkaree]

Probably be best to break it into sections and do over multiple years.

Apologies if this was you, but I don't recall reading about this here for quite some time - I thought there was a member here who was doing what you propose, hitting parts of this over time, where the occasion would provide opportunities for him.

Sounds like a great experience!

 

[Speedling]

Apologies if this was you, but I don't recall reading about this here for quite some time - I thought there was a member here who was doing what you propose, hitting parts of this over time, where the occasion would provide opportunities for him.

Sounds like a great experience!

I "kinda" did part and i know some others made further trips than me. No one dedicated to the full thing just yet. I get to retire "early" at 56(40 years union) but am only 42 currently. I figure that will be the best time to hit it hard but maybe the wife and i can conquer parts earlier.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I "kinda" did part and i know some others made further trips than me. No one dedicated to the full thing just yet. I get to retire "early" at 56(40 years union) but am only 42 currently. I figure that will be the best time to hit it hard but maybe the wife and i can conquer parts earlier.

It is very important to retire TO something and not FROM something… (edit) the people who retire FROM something usually end up going back to work or they die. I worked with a guy, Ovan Preston, who had been at the company where I worked for I think it was 47 years, longest serving employee, when he retired he bought himself a brand new Cadillac grabbed his girl friend and started touring the country in his car.

You’ve got 14 years to plan it all out, and acquire a proper looper boat. I’ve read stories of people recounting how Grandma and Grandpa took them on a three month journey to complete the loop over summer vacation from school.. what a cool memory to have.

 

[Babin Farms]

The biggest challenge is the one stretch in the Gulf of America requires, I think, a 300 mile run between fuel stops, I think it’s between the FLA panhandle and the Mississippi River.

There would be no problems finding fuel in that stretch of the loop. There’s marinas everywhere down here with fuel