Newbie to Trawlers

Howdy, Folks.
I would like to introduce myself as a newcomer to trawlers. I have been sailing for about 40 years and own several sailboats, however I have just purchased a Gulfstar 36 Trawler with the intention of seeing some our US inland and coastal waters as most of my sailing has been in the Caribbean. I am completely new to the world of power boating and would appreciate any and all advice.
I have always dreamed of doing the "LOOP" and will probably plan on that as well as the inland rivers. Can anyone give me some suggestions as to where to get good charts and guidebooks for these rivers? I will be using a Garmin chartplotter with a current chip for navigation. Thanks,
gts1544 - George & Becky - Cheyenne, WY - retired

Welcome. Where is the Gulfstar located? Very broad questions that you have asked. Here is a link to a website that may prove of interest to you.

Capt John's Cruising America's Great Loop

I use this chart book on the waterway

The Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook, Norfolk, Virginia, to Miami, Florida: John Kettlewell: 9780071545792: Amazon.com: Books

Then you have the Waterway Guides along with the NOAA charts.

Depending on your plotter, you will have to check what chips are available.

Good luck. You should be in for a great experience.

George & Becky: Welcome to the dark side of cruising. Your Gulf Star is certainly as "sailboaty" as trawlers come. My Admiral and I are also members of the AGLCA (Am, Great Loop Cruisers Assoc.), a very good organization. You'll find about everything ever published about inland cruising on their site, including complete sets of used charts in their classifieds. Best of luck.

Welcome

Skipper Bob Publications are very informative as well...

www.waterwayguide.com/shipstore/index.php?cPath=29_31

Welcome. Give us some more details on your Gulfstar 36 (inquiring minds, you know).

John

To all, Some additional details, The Gulfstar 36 Trawler (no name yet) is currently located in the Lacrosse, WI, Municipal Marina. As she has a single 120 HP Ford Lehman diesel, I plan several shakedown cruises in the area to familiarize myself before setting out for wherever south before winter. I currently have access to a dock in the upper Keys and may just head there for the winter months as the hurricane season slides behind us. I am probably looking at doing the Ten Tom to Mobile and the Gulf Intracoastal to the Keys. Any advice and local knowledge would be appreciated! gts1544 - George

gts1544 said:

. I am probably looking at doing the Ten Tom to Mobile and the Gulf Intracoastal to the Keys. Any advice and local knowledge would be appreciated! gts1544 - George

Click to expand...

Once you get about as far as Pensacola, Florida on the Gulf ICW, ask the question again. I can give you local knowledge about the area from there to the Keys, but no particular use to do it now. Lots could happen between now and then, including significant changes in local conditions.

John

In order to contribute to this theme, please allow me to introduce myself, as I also am the new owner of a Gulfstar 36 Mk 1 with the rare single Ford Lehman 120. My name is Joe and the boat is in Shalimar, Florida. My wife and I had a fairly quick but obsessive hunt for the boat as my belief in due diligence took us from NJ to Florida, looking at 11 boats, attempting to do business with several people who were not restrained by the burden of honesty or reasonableness. We ended up finding what
within the glow of bliss following buying a boat appears to be a good boat for the money we wished to spend. The seller and broker were strait forward and informative. We were all comfortable with each other. It all fell together well.
We plan on spending the next month working on the boat, familiarizing ourselves with the systems and learning how to better operate the boat. November will hopefully mean traveling, slowly to Carribelle, Fl, where we will try to caravan the Big Bend.
The boat is an upgrade from the 28ft trailerable semi-displacement we have operated
for several years.
One observation to share regarding obsessive behavior and due diligence; Understanding the reality and science of mathematics and probability of good fortune following due diligence, why is it that the relationship between hard work and luck
adds such an unexplainable component to the equation?
Great forum... thank you for access to the wealth of experience.
And John, I am interested in your experiences as we will be heading to Islamorada in December.
Joe in Va.