Customer Reviews

Honey, Let's Get a Boat... A Cruising Adventure of America's Great Loop

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There is not a day that goes by when I don't eat, sleep, and dream about boats. Whether you're an avid fan of boating or just enjoy a day on the water, "Honey, Let's Get A Boat" is a must read.The Stob's have the uncanney ability to describe every detail in such a way, it makes you feel as though you are on board with them. From one who reads as many boating books as I can lay my hands on, none are written better than "Honey, Let's Get a Boat!"Once you start reading this book, you won't be able to put it down. There's only one problem with it though - By the time you're finished reading this book, you'll want to cruise America's Great Loop. Buy the book and you won't stop talking about it!

I have a nautical library of over 450 books dealing with all aspects of boating. This is one of my favorites. If you want technical, try Chapman's, If you want to capture the "why" we go boating, get this book.

I have been a sailor all my life, well, except for the Navy, which was powerboating, so to speak. Anyway, I had not heard of the "Great Loop" until I read this book. Now my wife and I will be buying a power catamaran in January of 2004 and starting our own great loop trip. Thank you Ron and Eva Stob. How many books have you read that spur you to spend a small fortune, risk becoming a boat bum, just so you can enjoy the experiences of the author? A precious few I suspect.

It's nice to see so many other people have read and enjoyed this book and I hope you'll be the next one because that way, I'll see you out on the loop along with us.

"Honey, Let's Get A Boat" is fun, it's practical, and it's humorous: what more could you want? A great read!

A fine informative book. An easy read that is also entertaining as well as a reference book for many locations along the way. Spelling out restaurants, marinas, anchorages,costs for the trip ,etc.Any boatman or would-be boatman will enjoy this book.

Honey, Let's Get a Boat"
by Ron and Eva Stob

Here is a must read for not only boating enthusiasts but all those who ever imagined themselves pulling up stakes and setting out on a year or more adventure of travel. Ron and Eva Stob do a wonderful job of recounting their year-long journey on a forty-foot trawler, which began in Florida and circled up along the intercoastal waterway to New York and then up the Hudson River to Lakes George and Champlain to the Saint Lawrence River in Canada and on to the Great Lakes and Chicago and then down the river systems to the Gulf of Mexico and back to Florida. This route, known as "America's Great Loop," took them through waterways, locks, scenery, history, and cultures as varied as one could find anywhere.

Even though the book is written in the first person by Ron as the narrator, I can assure you, on the basis of having had the good fortune of meeting this delightful couple, Eva had a big part in helping relate the experiences encountered throughout their year of traveling these waterways. The book is a great read from start to finish and includes an appendix, which is a guidebook to anyone contemplating a similar venture. From the interesting and humorous aspects of just how this couple took the leap of quitting their jobs and finding and purchasing the trawler to their final encounter with the tropical storm Gordon,( becoming Hurricane Gordon,) as they returned to Florida after their year of cruising, the reader will be fascinated by vivid descriptions of places and cultures, as well as the difficulties and near disasters. Ron's "tongue in cheek" satire and humor and his honest self-criticism enhance the imagery of the book and bring alive the characters and places.

The book relates as much about the history and culture of the places visited along the way as it does the process of navigating the waterways. Even though I had been to a number of places mentioned, I was not aware of all the history and cultural aspects the narrator reveals.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in travel, by whatever means, as it is just the thing for the intellectually curious.

This book is published by Raven Cove Publishing of Greenback, Tennessee, and can be ordered at Raven Cove Publishing; P.O. Box 168, Greenback, TN 37742-0168 or phone 865/856-7888. The book is also available through Amazon Books on the Internet. And the authors are available for speaking engagements.

How many books could send you out the door to spend your life savings. The only one I know of is "Honey Lets get a Boat." We first found the Stobs at a boat show in Florida, we heard of their book and bought a copy, we read through it in one night and we were hooked. We bought a boat of our own, a 46 footer and we started in Florida last summer (2000), we left it in New York on the Erie Canal for the winter. I should say here that we only can travel in the summer during school break, we're on the move with 4 kids ages 9 to 13. And this is not a race, it is an adventure of a lifetime. We bought 6 more books from the Stobs, their book explains better than we could what we are doing. One of the people we sent it to took one month to read it, he would read a few pages each night, just to make it last. James Clausen, Motor Vessel "Summer School".

There are lots of technical boating books out there and they are easy to find. This book chronicles one couple's own adventure on the "Great Loop" in their first cruiser, a 40' (wow) trawler. I loved the writing style--great humor and sometimes romantic descriptions of the goings on (Mr.'s descriptions of Mrs., their married kids' near "marital conflagration" on deck, the story of the chocolates, cruising with the senior ladies. The descriptions of the travel are very well written. The experiences aboard will be appreciated by addicted boaters and non-boaters alike. This is an adventure story. When I finally retire and head for the Great Loop in my cruiser, I will think often and fondly of the Stob's and this delightful book.

Honey, Let's Get a Boat is a must read for any boater or "Armchair Sailor" who longs for that "Great Adventure". Ron and Eva have beautifully captured all the fun, laughter, trials & tribulations of leaving home and hearth for a year and following a dream. This book combines the best of cruise guide and travelogue with a little comic relief thrown in for good measure.

Live the great cruising adventure vicariously through Ron and Eva. This book is fun and funny! I lived each moment with Ron and Eva as they picked up their new treasure and attempted one of the great American dreams--going crusing. Ron is a delightful and descriptive writer. A good read for anyone but particularly for anyone thinking about a change of lifestyle. Cruising is not for everyone and as Ron points out different ages need different comforts. Read this book if you are THINKING about cruising and give it to anyone who might possibly be entertaining the thought. The spouses will thank you!!

Excellent little narrative!

Even for people (like myself) with no desire ever to own a boat, the picturesque descriptions of the locales and stops along the way make the book more than worthwhile (though I do wish they could have spent more coverage on each spot). Further, I found the tale of the couple on their newly-acquired boat to be both eventful and engaging.

For those thinking of getting a boat the book really shines. The information appendix in the back includes things such as alternative routes and places to stop, how to get into boating, the budgeted and actual expenses, miles, etc. of the authors. Mildly interesting to me, but probably extremely useful for anyone thinking of either starting boating or taking a long trip like the Great Loop.

Even a non-boater like me can enjoy this adventure in madness. Ron Stob can really put the words and the action together. Russ Connors