I think I want to single hand the Great Loop

On the Erie Canal I only remember lock 17 as a character builder. It's a poor design. Even knowing about it and preparing for it you will still want a drink after it's over. I don't think the extra hands helped at all. Perhaps with the praying...

oldcranky said:

No trawler yet. I turn 65 in Nov. I'll prob buy a boat this Fall, and hire a Captain for a couple of days to teach me how to somewhat control that beast.

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A couple of days? Please stretch it a bit so you can practice yourself under their guidance and fail a little and deal with some problems. Then practice more after that on your own to get ready for your loop.

Then go to the extreme in setting it up for single handing through locks with lines and fenders prepared in advance. If I was single handing through the Erie, I'd keep the lines ready and I'd keep the fenders out the majority of that part of the trip.

A controller, like Yacht Controller, that you could use on the deck would be of tremendous benefit.

Properly prepared I wouldn't hesitate to do the loop single handed. Once on the loop, don't rush it, as some days will be long and tiring so give yourself a chance to rest and recover.

Flybull said:

"Unnecessary douche-ness..... offense. 15 yards !!!"


fify

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Ouch!

For you guys who have single handed the Great Loop, would one of you please give a tip on how you retrieve and wash down a muddy chain and anchor?

Jeff F said:

I have a '78 Mainship 34, and have put 8000 miles on it in 3 years, almost all single-handed. Twice through the Rideau, Trent Severn, and western Erie canals as well as down the Mississippi from the great lakes to Florida. It's the first inboard power boat I've owned, so I can't speak to features or handling vs alternative boats. But the boat has served me well. Lots of room for one or two and good economy at slow speeds. I have lots of experience with single handing sailboats up to about 40 feet and haven't had any problems maneuvering with the boat.

I might have been equally happy in a smaller boat like a Cape Dory 28, but don't regret my choice of boat. If you can find one in good shape it's a fine choice.

I almost always drive from the flybridge, so the lack of a side door hasn't bothered me. Have gotten pretty good at scampering up and down the ladder

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I've seen him do it and many others on similar size and some much bigger on the trent/severn and all of the NY State Canal systems which are all pretty easy. You don't have to be a magician, just a competent boat handler.

Fish53 said:

Ouch!

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You're right, Fish...

Deleted.

I've single handed for thousands of miles. It sure is nice to have company for banter and to take the wheel while I nap or eat or poop. Last trip GF came along, and her besty for a part. Way better trip with company!

Donsan said:

For you guys who have single handed the Great Loop, would one of you please give a tip on how you retrieve and wash down a muddy chain and anchor?

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You step on the button and turn the hose on it! If you don't have a button and a hose you are nuts!

Flybull said:

You're right, Fish...

Deleted.

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You're an honorable man.

Donsan said:

For you guys who have single handed the Great Loop, would one of you please give a tip on how you retrieve and wash down a muddy chain and anchor?

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Take a tip from ships and rig up a washdown pump with an outlet aimed to wash as it comes aboard, might be able to wire it in with the windless switch.

Tingum said:

You step on the button and turn the hose on it! If you don't have a button and a hose you are nuts!

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That is the obvious way but no one is manning the helm.

Donsan said:

For you guys who have single handed the Great Loop, would one of you please give a tip on how you retrieve and wash down a muddy chain and anchor?

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Don't think it's really any different than anywhere else. Most of the trip is fresh water though. I tend to avoid anchoring places where there is any amount of current. Pretty easy to move forward pick up some chain and spay it off. Repeat until your done. Having a really good saltwater wash down pump and a good spray wand are pretty essential.

Ted

A couple of years ago a gent who was doing the loop solo pulled into the slip next to us. A woman jumped off the boat with her bags packed and departed. He stayed that night and the next day another woman showed up and moved aboard. He said he made a lot of friends along the way.

Rufus said:

A couple of years ago a gent who was doing the loop solo pulled into the slip next to us. A woman jumped off the boat with her bags packed and departed. He stayed that night and the next day another woman showed up and moved aboard. He said he made a lot of friends along the way.

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That's one way to do it!!

My girl stuck with me for a whole month and never ran off, so that is another way.

boatpoker said:

...You don't have to be a magician, just a competent boat handler.

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Just fill any gaps in the ol' skillset with slow speed and lots of extra fenders.

The hassle is locks .

The big commercial locks are easy as there is a cleat on a float that rides up a pipe built into the side wall.

To lock thru all that's need is big fenders and a midship cleat to loop a line around the tie off on the float
.With practice you can be secured and shut down in 10 or 20 seconds.

The harder question for the single hander is the lock with lines ,hanging from the top, usually handled bow and stern that keep the boat to the lock wall .

Hard to tend 2 lines at once.

FF said:

The hassle is locks .

The big commercial locks are easy as there is a cleat on a float that rides up a pipe built into the side wall.

To lock thru all that's need is big fenders and a midship cleat to loop a line around the tie off on the float
.With practice you can be secured and shut down in 10 or 20 seconds.

The harder question for the single hander is the lock with lines ,hanging from the top, usually handled bow and stern that keep the boat to the lock wall .

Hard to tend 2 lines at once.

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All that's needed is a closed chock or other type of eye at the bow and a longer line led through to the stern to handle a bow and stern line together. A ring or shackle on a short piece of line made fast to a bow cleat would work fine.

Read this....

https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Wake-Womans-Great-Adventure-ebook/dp/B01M63E3F3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549134514&sr=8-1&keywords=crossing+the+wake

Donsan said:

That is the obvious way but no one is manning the helm.

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What is also obvious is that most all the time nobody needs to be at the helm at all. You’re pulling anchor ... not going anywhere. Andwhen there’s wind, tight quarters ect you get adaptable and use uour head. Wash chain a bit then adjust position ect ect.

And such a big boat isn’t needed. 25 to 30’ boats are probably better suited for the loop. Easy to manage in strange places, inexpensive and easy to maintain.

We followed some single-handlers on the Erie and Champlain locks as well as the Rideau and Chambly systems. They pulled up next to the hanging line by their mid cleat and ran the evolution from there. Large fenders protected the bow and stern. When you are in a canal system with numerous locks you leave the fenders hanging when transiting from lock to lock. Parks Canada staffs the locks with dozens of college students to handle your lines so you are never alone. In the US, not so much.

oldcranky said:

Most loopers seem to be couples. Do many of you single hand?


I'm looking at a 1980 Mainship 34, single engine, bow thruster.
Is this a suitable boat to single hand? The lack of a side door in the lower helm station concerns me for docking.

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To answer your question, perhaps, but there are much better boats. A helm door is a must for me, but you can do without. Operating from the flybridge while docking can be done, but not something I'd normally want to do (and I've done it a lot... twice in the past week). But light winds do help. I would not have a ladder on board, only stairs, especially single handed. MUCH safer, especially as we age.

Personally, I don't think the MS 34 is a bad boat, or too big for the loop. I'd not want anything much smaller than 30ish, just for the creature comforts.

Now, I do a LOT of single handed running of the boat (both my trawler and a smaller Sea Ray sundancer. While the trawler is not much harder to dock than the smaller boat, it does has more of a challenge if it gets away from me or wind/current gets out of hand.

However, personally, Looping single handed is just not for me. Just too lonely. I like someone on board, not only to help with boating, but to share the stories with, discuss the days activities, brief and debrief, plan, etc.

Nomad Willy said:

What is also obvious is that most all the time nobody needs to be at the helm at all. You’re pulling anchor ... not going anywhere. Andwhen there’s wind, tight quarters ect you get adaptable and use uour head. Wash chain a bit then adjust position ect ect.

And such a big boat isn’t needed. 25 to 30’ boats are probably better suited for the loop. Easy to manage in strange places, inexpensive and easy to maintain.

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That's why I'm planning on doing it in my 26' boat.

Nomad Willy said:

What is also obvious is that most all the time nobody needs to be at the helm at all. You’re pulling anchor ... not going anywhere. Andwhen there’s wind, tight quarters ect you get adaptable and use uour head. Wash chain a bit then adjust position ect ect.

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Okay, I get what O C Diver and you are saying but have never tried it. I did raise an anchor single handed without a windlass and it wasn't a pleasurable experience but the main issue was the current picked up. I would never try to pull the boat with the windlass but suspect some single handlers do.

You arent pulling the boat with the windlass as much as lifting chain and letting the catenary pull the boat forward.


With more wind or current that doesn't allow the chain to pull you forward... you power forward and allow the windlass to pick up the chain as you drift back over it...I single hand the boat and windlass all the time.

"All that's needed is a closed chock or other type of eye at the bow and a longer line led through to the stern to handle a bow and stern line together."


The hassle is many of the installed lock lines are quite thick (to slow wear) and may have a big problem with fitting hardware or turning on most 40 ish ft boats.


Also the part that hangs in the water all the time gets really groody.


Using a single line from the top to a midship cleat is fine in small 10ft locks, but when the line gets to 30 or 40 ft the boat will dance as the water enters the lock from below . Locking down is far easier than being locked up.

Good to hear about the suitability of 25' - 30' boats. If I am able to do the loop, it'll be in our present vessel (Avatar). We have friends planning to embark next year in a new 50'footer they just bought for that purpose. They traded a 37'.

This guy is doing the loop single hand in a Mainship 34 exactly as you all describe. It's all do-able too - Boating Adventures.

blog link

I single hand my MS 34, also ran my 41' sailboat alone. the secret is to plan ahead, pre-set a few lines or fender (as described above), do things in exact order, don't be rushed.

I read about another gent who had a 50' boat on the Loop. he set up wireless controller for bow and stern thrusters to move the boat while he also handled the lines in a lock.

you will learn the skills you need as you go. locks are slow-motion, no one will be killed, the worst might be a little rash or scratch on your gelcoat the first time or two. call it Adventure and keep going.

Single hand twice

Get on the great loop forum and talk to Herb Seaton, he has single handed the great loop twice in a boat about that size. He is awesome!

i am in the process of buying my first trawler. i have always owned sport cruisers( my current boat is a 30ft sea ray). i plan to do the loop on my own starting next fall. have had this dream for awhile now and realized the hardest part would be navigating locks single handed. i decided to try a few trips through locks on the ohio river by myself. i found that by having long bow and stern lines to tie off to and having them right in the cockpit ready to go it was no big deal. i also kept the fenders out at all times . get comfortable handling the boat on your own at home for the summer then in the fall i say go for it.

If the lock has a fixed pipe, cable, ladder or floating bollard you can run bow and stern lines around the above fixed objects placed mid-ship. You can then tend both ends by pulling on appropriate line.
The more difficult locks are the ones w only lose lines high from the top. Difficult to keep both ends against the wall with those. Several Large fenders are a must.