7,400 Miles of Real-World Testing on the Great Loop Challenge

Big Bumper takes on 7,400 miles of real-world testing aboard the Great Loop Challenge while supporting a mission bigger than boating.

There are product demonstrations, and then there is putting a marine product to work across 7,400 miles of changing waterways, locks, docks and marinas.

The Big Bumper Company got that opportunity aboard the Dark 30 Velocity vessel used for the 2026 Great Loop Challenge powered by Honda Marine.

Big Bumper supplied two bumpers for the boat as the team traveled approximately 7,400 miles on a route that included Nova Scotia, the Great Lakes, Mississippi and Tennessee River systems and the Gulf.

Along the way, the crew encountered one of the situations where substantial docking protection becomes especially valuable: locks. Visit Big Bumper https://tinyurl.com/y8uk8nkh

During our recent The Next Boat Journey conversation, we passed along a thank-you from the Great Loop Challenge crew, who said the bumpers had made a significant difference in protecting the boat throughout the journey.

Think about what a trip like that asks of both a boat and its equipment.

Different docks.

Different pilings.

Locks.

Changing weather.

Unfamiliar marinas.

And thousands of miles where the captain doesn't get to choose the docking infrastructure waiting at the next stop.

That is where equipment moves beyond specifications on a website and becomes part of the actual boating experience.

The Big Bumper system creates a large protective area when needed and can then be deflated and stored when the boat is underway.

But the Great Loop Challenge represents something much larger than testing marine equipment.

The journey also brought together companies and people from throughout the marine industry around a mission supporting pediatric cancer research.

Joe said that connection was especially meaningful to Big Bumper.

That's another important part of The Next Boat Journey.

Marine innovation can help make boating safer and more comfortable. But when manufacturers, suppliers, boaters and organizations come together around a greater purpose, the boating community can accomplish something far beyond selling another product.

That's when an industry becomes a community

Thank You to Our Founding Partners

The Next Boat Journey is made possible by marine businesses and individuals who believe in creating year-long conversations that help people discover boating, purchase their first boat, move into their next boat and stay connected to the boating lifestyle.

Thank you to our Founding Partners:

DockMate

SOS Screens

Big Bumper Company

Let's Go Boating

The Florida Mariner Magazine

Sirius Signal

Franklin Pillsbury IV

Together, we're helping boaters make better decisions throughout their journey and supporting a stronger future for the boating lifestyle.

The Next Boat Journey

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