Erie Canal looks like an an awesome trip. My wife and I were talking about how to get up there via the Hudson. Challenge for us is the time to get up there, time to actually see the canal, and get back when we both work and kids have school/sports.
we see lots of people leave their boats for a few days to a week or so while they carry on with life then come back. My only concern with that (and anyone who docks on the canal) is there is really unabated access to your boat from the canal paths. I have no evidence showing it’s an actual problem, but it always struck me as very trusting in humanity to just leave the boats “open” to the public
there are a couple marinas in cuts and turnarounds but they’re few and far between at least in our stretch of the canal