A newbie taking a new boat 1500 miles?

[BuoyOBuoy]

Newbie moving a boat

Hi all . This my first post, I have been observing for a few months while shopping. I went and saw several boats on a trip south from NH. I like one particular boat in Southern Florida.
I am not new to boating at all, but new to anything larger than 22' on a good size lake.
Would it be considered an unwise move to take a new to me 40' boat up the ICW up to New England?
I would be waiting until the spring, I have plenty of time. and would have everything gone over very well before the trip. I was a mechanic by trade, but with so many different systems it is a bit overwhelming.
Any thoughts?

Nike says "Just do it".
As others said check all your systems, use the time between now and then, to use the boat in Florida as often as you can.
I had a few 34' Catalinas which I sailed solo 50 % of the time from the Great Lakes to the Exumas. After I sold the last one I bought a trawler in Maryland to bring back to Ontario. Being the 1st trawler I thought it best to have someone experienced travel with me a few days with me. I'm glad I did. I learned so much it gave me confidence to take over and bring it the rest of the way home on my own.
Now that I have sold it, I am bringing my "new to me" trawler from southern Florida to the Great Lakes, in the spring of 2021, most likely single handed. I have done the ICW 3 times. If you are looking for a "buddy boat" to kind of travel along with, send me a PM. I will be taking my time as there are so many touristy things to see and do.

 

[Mfried]

Hi all . This my first post, I have been observing for a few months while shopping. I went and saw several boats on a trip south from NH. I like one particular boat in Southern Florida.
I am not new to boating at all, but new to anything larger than 22' on a good size lake.
Would it be considered an unwise move to take a new to me 40' boat up the ICW up to New England?
I would be waiting until the spring, I have plenty of time. and would have everything gone over very well before the trip. I was a mechanic by trade, but with so many different systems it is a bit overwhelming.
Any thoughts?

It would not be considered an unwise move, provided you feel competent. Before I bought a Mainship 40 in the Chesapeake Bay, I had had 50+ year of boating in S. Florida. My biggest boat was 21 feet. Look at the venture as several separate 1 day runs of the boat. You should have at least 1 crew. Respect the weather. Be patient with tides.

There are innumerable books covering the cruise up the intracostal. If you don't do it, when you are more competent with the boat, you will wish you had.

Mark Fried
Gail Force II

 

[Jim W.]

You can easily do it. Run the boat locally in Florida to get up to speed on all the systems, check every switch,fitting,connections,both fluid and electric study the mechanicals belts hoses transmissions stuffing boxes. When you start to head north travel in small daily segments 30-80 miles a day, anchor or dock well before nightfall. Read your cruising guide and charts every evening to get ready for the next day traveling. You’ll be addicted in no time. Have fun.

 

[fsarcone]

I owned a number of small sailboats & runabouts. I owned 3 sailboats from 26-31ft. I bought a Grand Banks 36 in the Kentucky land between the lakes & took her up river 1,000 miles. Upgrade your depth & chart plotter, take tools, spare parts, a good rib/hard side dingy, most importantly Boat US unlimited towing insurance. It came in real handy. 2 of us split the helm into 4hr shifts. Plotting our way I had 1 firm rule: Anchor down or tied in a slip 1 hr before sunset.

Take on the challenges as they come. Be reasonable about your skills & ambition. Have fun

 

[grandbanksbayfield]

Taking a trawler north?

Hire a good marine mechanic to go over the whole boat and check out all the systems. Bring them up to good mechanical condition before you leave and make sure you have a good understanding of what to check for and watch over. You should be okay. Take water pump impellers along. My friend and I, both good mechanics, brought my GB32 back to Detroit from Duluth, MN and had a perfect trip, until it started to run a little warmer than usual when we were between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Somehow, just running the engine had forced a bunch of old water pump impeller fragments back into the entrance to the engine oil cooler. We diagnosed that ourselves and removed the fragments, put the hose back on and went on our way. In view of that, I would recommend going out on the water and continuously running the boat for 4 to 5 hours at cruising speed before really setting out for home. Otherwise, I see no problems, just be on top of your charting. It is all about navigation.

 

[KapnKarl]

Fla-la-la to New Hampshire

Although not 1500 miles, 3 years ago I bought a new to me 42' single engine diesel trawler and in October of '17, brought her from Yarmouth, ME to Barnegat Bay, NJ with a marina friend/neighbor from down the dock. Cruising between 6 & 7 knots, it took us 6 days to go the 450 miles. We were hoping to do 70 miles per day if we could. We didn't know the boat very well nor the waters at all, but I had purchased an unlimited tow membership from BoatUS, packed some tools, some spares (filters, impellers, oil & such), enough food for 2 weeks and just went for it. We traveled during the day only... early starts. Luckily no weather delays (and no mechanical issues) although day 2 we were punching through some heavy gusts/seas off Cape Cod headed for the canal. I relived part of my childhood spent on a hobby horse. She's a tough girl (Kadey Krogen) and can take more weather than I can.

As many have said, don't let a schedule force you out in weather that you really don't want to be in. If necessary, turn around and spend the day at the dock. Yes, 40' is a lot bigger than 22', but 40 feet and well beyond is still considered a small craft in Mother Nature's eyes. You're more protected in the ICW, but it can still get challenging.

Plan your days... your route as well as tides & currents if she's a slow girl like mine. Be ready with anchorages or marinas. Have alternates in mind in case you have to put in earlier than planned. You'll probably also have bridge openings to time and communicate with. Yes, it takes some forethought but with your wife and another couple on board (at least initially), at night you can plan & talk it through... and make some lifetime memories. That couple may just hang around for more than a week... ya just never know . By the way, our first night was spent in your neck of the woods moored off shore at Isles of Shoals off the NH/ME coast. Between the new boat, the adventure of the trip and the anchorage, we were in heaven!

It's definitely doable. It's just a series of day trips strung together. Get familiar with your new baby, have a decent depth sounder and chart plotter or something like the Navionics or AquaMap apps (pretty inexpensive) on a tablet or a cell phone. Bottom line, stay safe out there and enjoy the heck outta the trip!!

 

[DaveGibson]

I was a sailor all my life. My largest sailboat was a 33 footer. But I bought a 46' trawler and cruised from CT to Albany NY to Jacksonville with no issues. Well, other than losing both engines off Sandy Hook, but that's a story for another day.

 

[Seevee]

Next week I am heading up to Annapolis for a survey of a 42 Jefferson. I sold my 28' SeaRay Sundancer. If the survey goes well I am going to fly back up from Tampa on December 1 and hook up with a captain and we are going to run her back down to Tampa. I am flying solo and did not want to do it alone so I figured that this would be a great way to get to know the boat and really develop things like start up and shut down checklists, maintenance schedules, etc. with an experienced captain. I may have a few friends join along from stretch to stretch but I did not want to be dependent on their schedules. It is a bit expensive, but my insurance company was MUCH more comfortable about this plan and I can probably apply some of the cost of the captain to the savings on my policy.

Given that the captain is going to want to just get the job done, we will probably be giving this new-to-me boat a serious shakedown. Having someone who will watch the weather and help me evaluate safety issues will be a big plus too! It is a quicker trip than I would do myself, but I am not retired yet and need to make it happen in as close to a schedule as time permits. I will slow it down when I turn around and retrace my steps and do the loop in a few years, but getting 1300 miles under my belt will be exciting!

Waterguyjd,


Interesting, we have a bit in common. First, we're almost neighbors, I live across the bay in St. Pete. Sold my 28 Sundancer a few years ago, however, ran it and the trawler for a few years, which was a mistake. Should have sold the Sundancer certainly before doing the Great Loop.



Also had to go over to the east coast to pick up my trawler, but a much shorter trip. But with little bigger boat experience and none with a single engine trawler, I convinced the seller to go with me for the return trip, which worked great. Than after home, I spend most of the summer in "training" mode, hiring a pro trainer for on the boat training.



You will be traveling during a cold period which will present its own challenges. There's an argument to have an experience deliver captain to get you down to warmer waters quickly. Unfortunately, it's only a little warmer when you hit Florida and can still have cold weather all the way home. Bring your long under ware.

 

[PM]

I really don't have issue with your graduating to a 40 footer. You will learn the mechanics just fine.

Florida to New England, on the other hand is an awfully long shake down cruise. Better gain some local experience in boat handling, docking, fueling, etc. before you head out. Or recruit a more experienced hand to come along.

There are plenty of 40 footers on the Loop but that length is generally considered near the maximum length for an ideal Looper.

pete