Our First Time Boat Shopping for America's Great Loop | Marine Trader Europa & DeFever Passagemaker 

The engines you were looking at were Ford Lehman and they can last easily up to 25.000 hours. The more hours they have the better they will run. At 5000 - 6000 hours they have basically just begun. The fuel economy is about right, we have 2 of them in our Defever 49. They are easy to work on, just make sure the coolers (oil, transmission oil and heat exchanger) are tested or they can tell you when they are last pressure tested. If they don't have the info just call Brian at American Diesel and he can set you up with some new ones. They are not that expensive, so it is good to know they are not going to fail on you. If you happen to find a sweet water boat, just make sure to change the annodes. Also, when you are looking for a boat the interior space is important, but the technical part is the most important. You will probably spend a lot of time on anchor so make sure the ground tackle is in good condition (good anchor, preferably one to two sizes larger than advertised, enough chain and also in good condition). Check all the electrical wiring, they are old boats, wiring does not have eternal life and changing the wiring is a costly affair. Check all the ropes and fenders and most of all check if the boat had any leakages. Leakages probably means wood has started to rot and that is the last thing you want to see. If the boat still has steel fuel tanks you may want to think twice, they are prone to have corrosion in them. Check if the bilge is dry, don't want to see any water there. Check the size of the fresh water tanks, the black water tank and the grey water tank (if you have one). A 20 liter black water tank will bring you in port every single day and that is not what you want to do. Good idea is also to plan for some solar panels, mppt controllers, inverter and larger house bank. You don't want to be running the generator all the time (if there is one), solar panels and a large house bank (800 - 1000 Ah of which 400 - 500 is then usable) can help you out there. It is a bit of investment, but you will earn it back quite fast. You will indeed spend a lot of time on the fly bridge so make sure the seating is comfortable and sufficient. A fridge is indeed better than a cooling box, although a cold plate holds the temperature better than a fridge, so don't throw that cooling box away. As for a fridge, look for a good 12 V one. And lastly, it is better to spend a bit more when acquiring the boat than buying cheap and then having to spend a lot of money to bring it up to standard. Good luck with the search.

The journey has started, and the flame is getting hot. Good luck

Things to think about: The western half of the Erie Canal has a 15 foot fixed bridge height. The alternative is to take the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario and then the Welland Canal to Lake Erie. When you get to Lake Michigan stop by Muskegon Michigan and we will buy you dinner and introduce you to the marina crew

EUROPA !! What a boat ! The 'walk around' decks sell that boat for me. A queen up front and I'd buy it ! I think ; the 34 is Great, but the 36 gives a second stateroom, worth (to me) a Million Bucks ! I am looking at the Hatteras 53. THAT is what I'm after. New watcher and a 'Thumbs Up' !

I agree with the comment about not ruling out cruisers. Cruisers have a lot more room than you would think and that extra speed when you need it can be a life saver.

Good Luck, Kids!! Love your enthusiasm. I will be following along.

Thanks for sharing your journey mater it.

Single screw with a bow thruster is the best way to do the loop in my book.

Can't wait to follow your Great Loop adventure!

Take a look at the Kadey Krogen Manatee , the biggest 36" boat on the water way. We love ours!

Hi guys. I’m so glad I stumbled across your site. I’m now 65 yo, retired, and live in Australia. I’ve dreamt of doing the Great Loop for as long as I can remember. I think the years have gotten away from me now so perhaps I will have to do it vicariously through your videos. Keep up the good work and when times get tough, and they will, just stop for a moment and reflect on the fact you are living a lifetime of memories for when you get to my age. You can do this!🤙

YES on the up galley!!!!

The old adage “ya get what you pay for” is true. Looking back on our “starter boat”. Pros…. Bow thruster, walk around decks, fly bridge, up galley, back deck (like the Europa versions you looked at), decent usable plotter, reliable engine. We have added refrigeration with portable freezer (iceco), and need to add to the house bank batteries reserve (we only have 200 aHr)… but That falls into the “what works for your needs” dept. The later Model Marine Trader looked nice. Lots of older boats for sale. Good luck. Can’t wait to hear about what you get.

I’m happy to have found your channel right at the start of your pre-Loop boat search! Been following several loopers for a couple of years, and most have now finished the trip and sold their boats, so I’ll eagerly stay tuned for updates on your adventure.

Having completed the loop last summer I would suggest you also look at boats that aren’t trawlers. We cast a wide net looking for a loop boat and ended up with cruiser not a trawler because we got a great deal. We ran most of the loop at trawler speeds but it was nice to put it up plane and cover more miles in a day.

Boat shopping - so much fun, so confusing, so hard to figure out priorities. We made a list of "must haves" and "like to haves" and then out we went. We ended up with a Marine Trader, 34'. It is on the small side, but we love, love, love the fuel efficiency. Our latest loop cost video (month 3) was just posted and Chris broke down the stats for the fuel efficiency. Having said that, I can totally see how nice it would be to be able to beetle it to a destination, if needed. Our days are usually longer than most since we are often one of the slowest. We are used to small spaces so while our boat is smallish, it doesn't bother us too much. Lower dock fees, more maneuverability. It works for us. Good luck with the search!

Oh my gosh! We just started! Crazy month to start in October! But we needed to wait for the locks to be repaired and they all tried to get through together...wild way to start! Good luck!🎉🛥

We've been trying to start our Loop a year or two (depending on how you count). We've had all kinds of hang-ups, but I'm hopeful we'll get started in December. My big take away from your video was the plan to install a real refrigerator. Before you go out and buy one, make sure you have enough battery juice to run it for a couple day (2 batteries wouldn't be enough) and if it requires 120 you'll need an inverter or to run your genset constantly. That's a no bueno. Good luck! We'll be following you on you journey

Hi, We previously owned an identical boat to the 36' Marine Trader Europa. Here in Australia they are called a Blue Seas 36. We lived aboard for 6 years. A beautiful old boat. But like all boats of that age had problems. We love our boat. But the biggest problem was getting some decent sleep. As the hull has a hard chine the waves slap under the chine which is directly under the bed. The noise will drive you crazy. Good luck with you boat hunting.

We got our loop boat in may. We got a cruiser with twin diesels. Looked at many trawlers. But came across this awesome Sea Ray 440 aft cabin.

Just watched you two. Great video! following from Davenport IA!

Fun to watch...make plenty of videos...

Good luck! I subscribed because my journey may be similar to your, one day. Love to hear more about your costs and such for my own editification. Thanks.

Getting ready to live my dream. Sure you've researched it. #1 regret is went too fast. Missed stuff trying to get somewhere. But then you can go for Platinum loopers after 1st trip around and take tour time.

Teak decking would be a deal killer for me.

Prices would be a Treat !!

Interesting-I came across your video by accident-and was surprised to see the spelling of your last name-which is VERY close to mine-Mike NEITZEL (Pronounced NIGHT-CELL) because in German names the first vowel is usually silent and the second vowel is pronounced. I have tons of relatives in Illinois-how about you folks? Good luck on your boat search!

Aurther DeFever was the developer of the Defever line of vessels. He was based in Southern California,most all built in Asia

We boaters call that " 2foot itis" BTW, Defevers were built in Taiwan too.

Are Y'all coming up for the Rendezvous next week?

Teak over fiberglass decks with soft spots is a big issue to resolve. Has wood core that is rotted and repair costs cannot be known until you start ripping it out. Hard pass on that one.

You've probably made your mind up on one of the first boats you saw but if not, beware of old Marine Traders. They were price-built by a used-car salesman who founded the company (I knew him) and unless they were maintained flawlessly they can cause heartbreak and wallet damage for buyers. Mainly, the decks and deckhouses were plywood-cored with a skim coat of fiberglass and water intrusion around windows, cleats, hatches and other areas can cause massive rot. Many 1970's and 1980's Taiwanese boats suffer from major rot in the decks and deckhouses. The old iron fuel tanks in early trawlers go bad by now and need to be replaced. Add in poorly-sealed windows, hatches, iffy wiring, old, funky plumbing and some old Taiwanese trawlers are literally worthless. The amount of money. time and work to bring an old, poorly-maintained Asian trawler yacht is formidable. Small Defevers (up to about 40') that were built in California were pretty good boats I believe. All the larger DeFevers were built overseas and vary in quality. An older 34' Back Cove may be out of your budget but they are goodt boats for the Loop. They can amble along at 8 knots but can also cruise aqt 12-14 knots which can be very helpful in many stretches of the Loop.

Promo>SM

Love your blog but the music must go. Looking forward to the your story.