Looping alternatives

I've been thinking that doing the loop more or less meant getting a boat and doing it while living aboard more or less full time for up to a year. It occurs to me, though, that there are alternatives.

One would involve getting a boat and doing the loop in shorter stages of a few months, say 3 or 4 with extended breaks. When the season was bad the boat could be put on the hard until the start of the next appropriate season. This might allow a much smaller and less expensive boat, perhaps even a 40' express, that might be more appropriate for ATL (after the loop). It's a thought and I'll bounce it off of BB.