Slow Trawlers vs Fast trawler

You're missing my point. I would say that 90% of the loopers (or more) do the entire loop in 1 year. They don't winterize it somewhere in between like you guys are doing. Given that, the soonest you can get through the Erie is May and you have to be south of Chicago by October and even then the weather is not nice. That being said. At 7 knots you're spending most of your time transiting, and not enough time in each port to enjoy yourself. If you cruise 20 knots, even if it's for your 20-40NM (let's say in Lake Erie for example, which there is nothing to see IN the lake). You could leave the dock by 8am and be in your next port by 10am or 12pm and have the rest of the day to see the stop, maybe even stay another day or two. The speed allows you to maximize your time on land, or exploring nooks and crannies, or making a lot more stops along the way. Otherwise, you're missing out on some stops. You can always go slow in any boat to conserve fuel. But you can't go faster than the cruise speed will allow. There are also some legs on the way down from Chicago, where your marina's are very few and far between and if you need a marina for fuel or need a marina to dock, as there are very limited places on the Tenn-tomm to anchor no depths on the charts outside of the channel, you're stuck. In one stretch just North of Mobile, it's 120 miles from marina to marina and there is only 1 place you can anchor and be out of the way of the tugs and barges. You can ALWAYS go slow and take in the sights when there is something to see.

I did the entire Great Loop in 2008 in a 75' Hatteras MY. I would say 85-90% of the time I ran 10.3 knots hull speed. But there sure were about 10 different instances that it was very good to have it's 18 knot cruise speed when we did have to get to a spot we could anchor before dark, or a marina we could fit into. I did the 5300NM with 7500 gallons of fuel and we anchored 3 out of 4 nights and ran a genny 24/7.

Olderboater- I do like Motoryachts also and actually recommended a 43/44' Lagoon to the OP. But I like the ride and seakeeping of a SF over a motoryacht. Visibility of the entire boat from the FB (bow/sides/and stern) as well as the low cockpit make locking through so much easier. A lot of the aft visibility on a lot of motoryachts completely sucks. Also on a SF with no outriggers, the captain can even hold the sternline from the flybridge. It makes it easy. Also the SF have a better hull speed than motoryachts and are more stable at hull speed because they are designed to troll. Also most SF are going to have a lot more range than MY's size for size. So there are a lot of advantages to a couple choosing a 40-50' SF for the loop.

What you are failing to realize, is you have 5 MONTHS, maybe less, to make it from Troy,NY to south of Chicago, there are a lot of miles there, and without speed, you're spending 50% or more of that time running the boat. In a 7 knot boat, you're talking about 200 hours of running time or 300 hours with the locks and other hangups. That doesn't leave enough time to see ALL of the cities you should see and other waterways.

I burned 1.2 gallons per NM at 10 knots. If I ran the boat 8.5 knots I would get 1 NMPG. That's pretty **** good for a 75' MY. I average 1.5 GPNM the entre trip. A 75' trawler or expedition yacht isn't going to get hardly any better milage at it's 10 knot cruising speed, if any. A 40' Cabo Flybridge with zues will post the exact same fuel consumption as a 42' Grand Banks at 7.2 knots.......Even if you average the 1hr a day you run at cruise to keep everything clean, the difference is pennies on the dollar. Also, those 10 times we HAD to run at cruise was worth it's wait in gold, for safety and could be the reason I'm still standing here and the boat is in 1 piece with no damage.

You're not, but 90% of the other people doing the loop are. They have other obligations, families, houses, businesses, and other commitments, finances, for some it's even health. Most other people have 1 year to do the loop and that's it. Even if someone is retired, they still have obligations.

Why are you comparing a Fast Trawler versus Slow Trawler thread to your personal situation anyways??? The OP wants the ability to both go slow and fast as well as to fish sometimes as well as an open deck, be able to do it in a year, and here you are stepping all over his thread and toes with your situation which is clearly not HIS situation. You're telling a guy who states he wants a boat that will do 17-24 knots, to get a trawler that maxes out at 7.5 knots, when you state that even you cannot do less than 10 knots.

Jim, what I'd recommend is chartering. First come up with Olderboaters list of what you must have on board, and what you really want and need. Then charter the type of boat you may be interested in for a week and do a trip on it. Then from there, you'll say you know.....I really need a covered aft deck with a galley up......or you know I really hate this or that......etc etc.....It's a lot cheaper than making the mistake of buying a boat to then realize you hate it.

If I got a motoryacht to do the loop it would have to have a cockpit. Trying to get lines from an aft deck with a roof overhead and fenders out and from docking is too troublesome. Offshore is worth checking out as well, many people love them. Some of the older Hatteras', etc.

That's not an entirely bad idea. Perhaps something with just a little more seaworthiness than a houseboat and diesel for fuel economy. You can make a lot of time and explore a lot of nooks and crannies with a comfortable and fast tender/center console. Although towing it through the locks will be a little bit of a chore, even if you put it on the hip.