If you follow in our wake, the most direct ALL-AMERICAN ROUTE will be near 5,690 miles. If you take the CANADIAN ROUTE through the Trent-Severn, your voyage will be very near the same miles. The ‘all American route’ is only about 175-mile longer, but your actually cruising days will be about the same. Not counting any detours or side trips.
On average, if you take one or more of the recommended detours or side trips, your voyage might exceed 6,000 miles. Some Loopers have reported cruising over 7,000 miles.
This is an extraordinary long slow safe voyage filled with a countless number of exciting destinations. Regardless of the ‘capable’ speed of your boat, you will most likely ‘average’ cruising very near 40 miles a day for 140 “cruising days” on the main route. Most Loopers spend 9-months to a year on the Loop while cruising & being a tourist in each geographical area during its preferred weather and boating season.
Your boat must be safe, seaworthy and suitable for cruising long-distance and living aboard. It must be able to clear a 19′ 7″ fixed bridge south of Chicago in order to reach the Inland Rivers.
If cruising Canada’s Trent-Severn and/or Heritage Canals your vessel must have a draft of 5′ or less and a beam of less than 23′. It must also have an absolute minimum fuel range of 204-miles plus your reserve.
Your vessel can be Power or Sail. Sailboats must also have auxiliary power. The length of your boat is more of a common sense, safety, and affordability issue than a physical length limit. Most Looper’s boats are in the 26′ to 39′ range.
Because this is an epic ‘long-distance’ voyage, the very most fuel-efficient vessels are highly recommended.
Believe it or not, your lifestyle will be the #1 influence on how much this voyage cost you. Frugal or Flamboyant, you can spend a lot or a little.
On average, Loopers report spending $12,000 on ‘life’s necessities’ while cruising the Loop. This includes such things as food, beverages, ice, spices, condiments, cleaning supplies, paper products, trash bags, and toiletries ‘on the boat’.
Fuel expenses can vary from about $5,000 to more than $20,000 depending on just how fuel-efficient your boat is. Marina fees are based on the size of your vessel. In a 26′ boat your marina fees might average $64.00 a night, while a 36′ would cost $95.00 a night and a 46′ would cost $130.00 a night.
How often you pay to stay in a marina vs anchoring out for free can make a huge difference in what this voyage costs.
On our 2022/23 voyage in a 26’ C-Dory, with a 60hp outboard. We spent 330 total days on the Loop and completed 5,696 miles. Of those 330 days, we spent 140 days actually cruising. We spent 41 nights at Free Docks and Walls and anchored out free for 149 nights. We paid $8,820 to stay 140 nights in a Marina at an average cost of $63.00 a night. We spent $5,172.00 for fuel, burning 996 gallons averaging near 1.5 gph.
We also spent $1,112 in Transit fees, boating supplies, and stuff for the boat. We spent a total of $15,104.00 for what we call our “Transportation and Lodging” expenses.
But here’s the point: We spent $32,748 seeing the sights, being a tourist, eating out, visiting Tiki Bars, Ice Cream Parlors, Street vendors, and buying a few souvenirs. We also paid for a few Uber rides and rental cars, etc. Therefore, because our boat is frugal and fuel-efficient, we are able to spend more of our ‘Cruising Kitty’ on ourselves having fun, instead of pouring it down our fuel tank & giving a Lion’s share of it to the Marinas. Our 2022/23 entire 330-day Great Loop voyage cost us $47,852. Some Loopers spend that much just in fuel and marina fees.
This is why we say, your lifestyle will be the biggest influence over what this voyage actually cost you. It is also why we encourage “More Fun Than Fuel”.
For about half the Loopers, Fuel & Marina fees are their two major expenses. For others, especially those in a the smaller most fuel-efficient vessels, having fun eating out and being a Tourist tops their list of major expenses.
Our 2022/23 voyage fuel cost averaged pennies more than $5.00 a gallon. Our Marina fees averaged of $2.25 per foot (not counting hookups), to stay a night in a Marina. Fuel of course, is not optional. The number of nights you pay to stay in a Marina is optional. Budgeting no more than 50% of your nights in marinas will save you a bundle of money. We make an effort to be where there is much to do on weekends and stay in a marina on weekends when all the party goers and drinkers are out on the water.
Your boat choice is a personal preference. Despite the Advertisements, there is no ‘one perfect boat’ for all of us. Your boat must be safe, seaworthy and suitable for cruising and living aboard. In our opinion, a vessel that can clear a 15′ 6″ bridge, has a draft of 4′ or less, burns near 1.5-gph of fuel, will take you around the Loop on less 1,000 gallons of fuel. A 2-gph burn rate would be 1,300 gallons of fuel.
While your vessel must be able to clear a 19′ 7″ fixed bridge, a vessel that clears a 17′ bridge can cruise right through downtown Chicago, and a vessel that can clear 15′ 6″ can cruise the full length of the Erie Canal and furthermore, have no overheard restrictions on the entire Great Loop route and most popular detours and side trips.
You must have a draft of 5′ or less to cruise Canada’s Trent-Severn Waterway and Canada’s Heritage Canals. However, we recommend a draft of 4′ or less, and less will be much less stressful in all the areas known for shallow waters and shoaling. Speed on this voyage is for the most part limited by speed zones, manatee zones, no wake zones, and many other factors. So regardless of how fast you boat is ‘capable’ of going, you can expect a very slow voyage that will end up averaging 10-mph or less.
Recreational ‘true’ Trawlers and Tugs are great. Sailboats with easily detachable Masts or no mast at all and motored around with a draft of 4′ or less are excellent fuel-efficient boats. We recommend a ‘true’ trawler, Tug or Mast-less sailboat for the very most fuel-efficient. Smaller boats are generally easier to handle, and some make very economical cruisers. I love my 26′ C-Dory, and my son loves his 27′ Ranger Tug. Both are very fuel-efficient. We strongly suggest; “Don’t think how big – think how small.” and “Don’t think home on the water, instead think transportation and lodging”.
While most 1st time Loopers concentrate their Looping Budget on boat, fuel and marina expenses; Our “More Fun than Fuel” Looping philosophy allows us to spend more money on ourselves having fun, rather than pouring the bulk of our Cruising Kitty down our fuel tank. As a result, our #1 Looping expense is Eating out and being a tourist on shore.
Aside from safety, our single most important recommendation for everyone, is to prepare yourself for an amazing 300 day plus “boating vacation”. It is one that will take you to over 100 incredible destinations that will tempt you off your boat to stop, shop, eat out, stay and linger longer. The destinations, 50 of which are listed on Condé Nast’s top places to visit in North America.
As with “any” vacation, food & beverages can be real budget busters, and cruising the Loop is no exception.
Our advice? Prepare yourself and budget for these expenses. We have no way of knowing what your cost of cruising the Loop might be. We can only let you know what to expect along the way.
In addition to your fuel and marina fees, there are 100 plus destinations where you will want to stop, and that doesn’t count any side trips. From great regional restaurants to Tiki Bars, Ice Cream Parlors, Museums, Tourist attractions, to the small, charming towns with lots of things to do and see, you will want to stop, shop, stay, linger, and spend money, at most all of them. These are the kind of places that will create you most favorite and cherished memories. Make sure you budget for them!
Go slow and take your time! The safest way to cruise it is in a counterclockwise direction. It requires cruising, and remaining, in each geographical area during its preferred weather & boating season. As a result, you will discover that time on this voyage will be your greatest and safest luxury. We time our voyage to be North in the cooler Summer and South in the warmer Winter. With this method, we avoid the peak Atlantic Hurricane Season as well as the peak Tornado Season on the inland rivers of America’s Heartland. This also puts us cruising with the current for the majority of our voyage.
