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Post by badhattitude on Sept 21, 2011 21:02:36 GMT -5
Dont raise the bridge lower the water. I bet if I put enough water in the bilges I could get under it but it may be a problem getting it all out afterwards. I get small pockets of water in the bilges that never seem to get to the pumps already.
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Post by saltshaker on Sept 21, 2011 22:58:12 GMT -5
What is the upper limit on great loop size? Will a SF without a tower work? '19 is the restriction but it's often much better. It all depends on water levels at a given time of year. Spring is always the worse as pool levels are usually pretty high. There are plenty of big SF that make the trip but they need to be prepped. No riggers and the radar may have to come down off the top or arch. You see a lot of 100'+ boats making the trip through the NY canals and into the Great Lakes. They have everything down and the bridge is cleared.
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Post by badhattitude on Sept 22, 2011 6:44:16 GMT -5
You can get thorough the NY canals at about 21 foot. Thats about the limit of the oswego if I remember right. From an ocean boaters point of view I wonder why they dont build higher bridges? It would not hurt to have more boaters traveling the loop and spending money.
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Post by Commander Curmudgeon on Oct 5, 2011 19:51:19 GMT -5
Our home port is in Michigan City, IN. Every fall we see a whole bunch of Loopers, generally starting in early September and continuing until mid October, when the smart ones want to be off Lake Michigan We see an interesting gamut of boats, usually 40 feet and up, mostly diesel. The level of detail and preparation is also widely varying, from almost professional to rather lackadaisical ! This past Monday morning as I was on my knees on the foredeck (varnishing, not praying) I saw the damnedest craft I've ever seen pulling into the gas dock. It looked like a 16 foot or so pontoon boat with an elderly Johnson 35, plus a "house" of sorts, fashioned out of plywood and canvas (I think). Just as I finished varnishing the rails, this boat headed back out. I grabbed my camera and managed to get a couple of shots. Here's the best part -- later in the day the gas dock guys told us this guy was a Looper, and he was on his way to Florida and then the Bahamas !! He must have quite a bit of stuff inside, as he's riding pretty low in the water ! If you zoom in on the picture, you'll see a couple of solar panels feeding the battery on the back deck ;D More on this extraordinary boat in my next post !!
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Post by badhattitude on Oct 5, 2011 19:58:48 GMT -5
Great to see the little guy out there enjoying his vessel.
Say an old pontoon boat a few years back that had the bottom end of an old J rude with a lawnmower mounted on some square stock driving it. He only did about 4 Kts but he was out there on the river.
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Post by Commander Curmudgeon on Oct 5, 2011 20:05:04 GMT -5
OK, Looper II -- If you look closely at this picture, in addition to the Chocolate Lab on the "foredeck", you'll see North Carolina registration This is when I started believing this is for real. As many of you know, last week we had some really nasty weather on the Great Lakes, and this guy was obviously holed up somewhere. Our harbor is very well protected, and I still snapped a 3/4" nylon bow line , 2 months old. It would have been damn uncomfortable in our 47, much less riding out some weather like this in the crackerbox in the attached picture ! The Lord protects the foolish and innocent, but this must be a special category. For those who think you need a 40+ Hat, Chris, Bertram, or Trawler to do the loop, watch out for this one and report in if you see him As previously mentioned in this thread, Dave has done a good portion of the Great Loop, albeit in sections, in different boats. I know of 600 miles on Lake Huron & Lake Michigan in a 47' "Hard riding Chris" How would you like to try that in this one, Dave?? You could have Hercules on the foredeck to guide you !!
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Post by skycheney on Oct 5, 2011 20:37:34 GMT -5
OK, Looper II -- If you look closely at this picture, in addition to the Chocolate Lab on the "foredeck", you'll see North Carolina registration This is when I started believing this is for real. As many of you know, last week we had some really nasty weather on the Great Lakes, and this guy was obviously holed up somewhere. Our harbor is very well protected, and I still snapped a 3/4" nylon bow line , 2 months old. It would have been damn uncomfortable in our 47, much less riding out some weather like this in the crackerbox in the attached picture ! The Lord protects the foolish and innocent, but this must be a special category. For those who think you need a 40+ Hat, Chris, Bertram, or Trawler to do the loop, watch out for this one and report in if you see him As previously mentioned in this thread, Dave has done a good portion of the Great Loop, albeit in sections, in different boats. I know of 600 miles on Lake Huron & Lake Michigan in a 47' "Hard riding Chris" How would you like to try that in this one, Dave?? You could have Hercules on the foredeck to guide you !! Sorry to burst your bubble but that is a Michigan registration. The sticker is definitely the 2014 Michigan sticker and the number starts with MC not NC.
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Post by captddis on Oct 5, 2011 20:56:23 GMT -5
OK, Looper II -- If you look closely at this picture, in addition to the Chocolate Lab on the "foredeck", you'll see North Carolina registration This is when I started believing this is for real. As many of you know, last week we had some really nasty weather on the Great Lakes, and this guy was obviously holed up somewhere. Our harbor is very well protected, and I still snapped a 3/4" nylon bow line , 2 months old. It would have been damn uncomfortable in our 47, much less riding out some weather like this in the crackerbox in the attached picture ! The Lord protects the foolish and innocent, but this must be a special category. For those who think you need a 40+ Hat, Chris, Bertram, or Trawler to do the loop, watch out for this one and report in if you see him As previously mentioned in this thread, Dave has done a good portion of the Great Loop, albeit in sections, in different boats. I know of 600 miles on Lake Huron & Lake Michigan in a 47' "Hard riding Chris" How would you like to try that in this one, Dave?? You could have Hercules on the foredeck to guide you !! Actually I have done all of the loop. About half of on the Viking in 07
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Post by Avenger on Oct 5, 2011 20:59:25 GMT -5
Actually, I think you misunderstood... they probably said that he was looped.
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Post by ppat324 on Oct 6, 2011 3:46:32 GMT -5
Great Lakes Cruising Club expands on-line school 10/6 - Following last year's successful launching which drew over 500 registrants, the Great Lakes Cruising Club School has expanded its webinar curriculum for 2011-12. Great Lakes recreational boaters may now choose from over 30 on-line tutorials conducted by experienced GLCC-accredited sail or power boating colleagues and specialists. Cruising Club membership is not required. Live, on-screen presentations with visual aids provide an opportunity for participants to interact with the instructor and each other-a virtual classroom. Sessions typically run from 60-90 minutes, and only require a computer with speakers, browser and a reasonable-speed internet connection. This year's topics include introductions to several favored Great Lakes cruising areas, navigation skills, negotiating locks, boat and engine maintenance, women's forum, energy management, fiberglass repair basics, weather, writing for the boating market, the Trent-Severn waterway, provisioning, cruising with pets, marine photography and more. For further information and a listing of subjects and instructors go to www.GLCCSchool.com. Feedback by 2010-11 enrollees has been enthusiastic, endorsing the content and effectiveness of on-line learning, instructor qualifications, ease of interaction and low cost. There are no tests. If you register and miss a live presentation you can access a recording of your webinar for six weeks. Or, within that period you can still register and view the recording. The GLCCSchool is sponsored by the Great Lakes Cruising Club, a non-profit organization founded in 1934, with a membership exceeding 2500 U. S. and Canadian boaters (www.glcclub.com).
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