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Started By
Message
71 year old finishes the great loop in a Jon boat today, record time
Posted on 7/31/25 at 8:51 pm
Posted on 7/31/25 at 8:51 pm
71 one year old from south texas makes the great loop in a record 16 days in a 16 foot Jon boat with 60 hp tohatsu motor . 6000 miles a significant portion of offshore travel. Pensacola to east side of Florida, to new york to Mississippi head waters and down the river. Motor had a tiller handle to control.
this was a very experienced dude
this was a very experienced dude
15
Posted on 7/31/25 at 9:03 pm to Trevaylin
That’s one hell of a long way to tiller
Posted on 7/31/25 at 9:05 pm to baldona
Man! I was about to post! I've been following the last few weeks. Just incredible. The great loop has fascinated me since I heard about it.
The fact that he crushed it, in an alweld with a 60 Tohatsu is wild! So happy for him. What an adventure.
I just cant imagine- Atlantic ocean, from the keys to NY- WOT in a 16' tiller boat!
The fact that he crushed it, in an alweld with a 60 Tohatsu is wild! So happy for him. What an adventure.
I just cant imagine- Atlantic ocean, from the keys to NY- WOT in a 16' tiller boat!
Posted on 7/31/25 at 9:15 pm to Trevaylin
That’s one tough SOB! 
Posted on 7/31/25 at 9:28 pm to Trevaylin
Been watching his journey since the start. I happen to be in Tupelo for a swim meet and went over to Fulton Lock and cheered him on there yesterday. He’s a tough dude.
Posted on 7/31/25 at 9:36 pm to Trevaylin
Makes my shoulders sore just thinking about all that tillering. 
Posted on 7/31/25 at 9:59 pm to Trevaylin
I’ve also been keeping up since the beginning. He started by crossing the Gulf straight across from Pensacola to Cape Coral without following the Fl coastline. That got him a huge time advantage over previous attempts. He was making great time until he fell asleep while driving and accidentally ran into the marsh in the Carolina's. He lost a few hours getting pulled out.
And then cracked the hull in the Great Lakes. So he spent a day getting it welded and fixed. So he could have even done it faster without having troubles. It’s been fun following along such a great adventure while being stuck at work! Lol
And then cracked the hull in the Great Lakes. So he spent a day getting it welded and fixed. So he could have even done it faster without having troubles. It’s been fun following along such a great adventure while being stuck at work! Lol
This post was edited on 7/31/25 at 10:00 pm
Posted on 7/31/25 at 10:23 pm to Trevaylin
quote:
16 days in a 16 foot Jon boat with 60 hp tohatsu motor . 6000 mi
That's almost unbelievable. I would t even want to drive 6000miles in 16days on the interstate
.
Posted on 7/31/25 at 10:31 pm to Trevaylin
Instant spokes person for Tohatsu outboard and whatever brand of aluminum Jon boat he used.
Posted on 7/31/25 at 11:34 pm to Trevaylin
Jon boats are completely underrated
Posted on 8/1/25 at 4:59 am to Trevaylin
IMO he had the perfect set up. That 60 Tohatsu is the lightest 60 on the market and the most fuel efficient. 16' Hull with a semi-v and a wave break welded on the bow. He also had that bimini top set perfect to act as a sail. When you would see him there was no bounce, just smooth sailing riding on the pad cruising at 28-30 knots. He slept a few days on the floor of his boat in between the fuel tanks. Congrats Robert on your achievement.
Posted on 8/1/25 at 7:47 am to Bow08tie
quote:
Instant spokes person for Tohatsu outboard and whatever brand of aluminum Jon boat he used
I think the jon boat was starting to get cracks all over it towards the end. I think he fell asleep and crashed it into a bank, though. If im thinking of the same guy.
Posted on 8/1/25 at 8:29 am to Trevaylin
quote:
On my America's Great Loop I intend to do it as quickly as I possibly can. I'm hoping to complete AGL in 25 to 30 days, establishing several records while doing it. I will double my 2,405 mile record distance, but I hope to set a Solo Speed Record for AGL. The current multi man crew and overall record is 19 day, 19 hours and 50 minutes set in a 28' boat with a large single outboard and 3 man crew. Being me... I would love to push the big boat record... but hey... I'll be in a 16' tiller steer Jon Boat ??.
I will run a large portion of the AGL offshore in the Gulf and the Atlantic... not to mention crossing the Great Lakes from New York to Chicago. My plan is to exchange my Tohatsu MFS40 for a MFS60. I'm hoping to increase my top speed with full load from around 30 mph to around 37 mph. I will be running the same Weldbilt 1656MV that I ran 2,405 miles through the Inside Passage.
quote:
Additional changes for the trip. I will be running the high rise bow attachment built by Quinton Clark. This adds additional bow height to run dry in big seas. I will also be adding a Simrad TP22 tiller autopilot that will integrate with my Simrad NMEA 2,000 network and my Simrad Chart Plotter so I can automatically follow a route, getting breaks from the tiller. Finally I will be adding an AIS unit so I can see shipping traffic in the area on my chart plotter.
An autopilot tiller?
quote:
A Simrad tiller pilot is an autopilot designed for sailboats with tillers, offering features like course keeping, tacking, and even wind-based steering when connected to a compatible wind instrument. They are generally considered reliable and offer a good balance of features and affordability for boats up to a certain size.
[/img] Posted on 8/1/25 at 8:44 am to CHEDBALLZ
quote:
IMO he had the perfect set up. That 60 Tohatsu is the lightest 60 on the market and the most fuel efficient. 16' Hull with a semi-v and a wave break welded on the bow. He also had that bimini top set perfect to act as a sail. When you would see him there was no bounce, just smooth sailing riding on the pad cruising at 28-30 knots. He slept a few days on the floor of his boat in between the fuel tanks. Congrats Robert on your achievement.
Crazy set up. But I would disagree. He had a good set up to be fuel efficient. But if he was only able to average 30mph that seems very easy to beat now a days. I also don't understand why he would have used all those fuel cans, that's a PITA to fill up. Why not use one larger fuel bladder?
I would think a longer boat with a bigger motor that you can avg closer to 50mph would be better.
6000 miles / 30 mph = 200 hours
200 / 16 = 12.5 hours a day
Seems like that would be fairly easy to beat?
Posted on 8/1/25 at 8:58 am to Trevaylin
Makes me glad there are people out there like this doing some good ole fashioned exploring.
Props to him.
Props to him.
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:03 am to Trevaylin
My shoulder locked up as I read that.
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:32 am to Trevaylin
Did he take his little dog with him?
Posted on 8/1/25 at 10:17 am to Trevaylin
Damn, my shoulder and back hurt just reading that.
jk, I've been following him. That's awesome. I hope I'm healthy enough to do some shite like that when I retire. I want to hike the AP too.
jk, I've been following him. That's awesome. I hope I'm healthy enough to do some shite like that when I retire. I want to hike the AP too.
Posted on 8/1/25 at 10:34 am to Flats
quote:
My shoulder locked up as I read that.
The guy had an auto pilot on his tiller handle. He just locked it in and chilled.
quote:
I will also be adding a Simrad TP22 tiller autopilot that will integrate with my Simrad NMEA 2,000 network and my Simrad Chart Plotter so I can automatically follow a route, getting breaks from the tiller.
https://www.simrad-yachting.com/simrad/type/autopilots/tiller-pilots/simrad-tillerpilot-tp10/
This post was edited on 8/1/25 at 10:37 am
Posted on 8/1/25 at 11:03 am to TFLEX
He was in a Weldcraft, which is a pretty solid boat. Ida took mine that I kept at my camp in Grand Isle, and someone in Lafitte is probably still using it!
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