Small boat Necessities - what can't you live without

[starcrest]

way back in the late 1970s my father had a 23 foot motor boat.... well we were anchored so this counts....while scuba diving off of molasses reef in the florida keys......no spearfishing allowed in the state park...and the patrol boats had all sorts of confiscated spearguns to prove it....but rod and reel fishing totally acceptable....we would take fishing rods ...complete with bait and all ...down to the reef and go fishing under water.great fun.... but the hooked fish actually did attract sharks.... so we had to leave the water once. ;D

[watsongs]

Hate the dutchman system.  We have it on several boats in our fleet (http://www.windworkssailing.com/) and each one has given us problems, from extra chafe on the sails to having the lines pin on the leach to having the sailcover not line up after a year or two of shrinking to not being able to adjust the topping lift to etc etc.

It's a great idea in theory, like so many other things, but in practice I think it takes a great deal of setting up and working through to get it right.  I still prefer a full batten main with retractable lazy jacks.

[Zen]

 :o

[s/v Faith]

Pillow shams. These pillow covers are available in bed and bath stores and are a great place to store sweaters, fleece clothing and extra bedding, and turn them into back rests.

  I was at the  REI storein Corte Madera, and found the perfect 'next step' for this idea.  I have never used pillow shams, but having slept on jackets and the like as pillows I usually wind up with a button, or a zipper right where my face wants to be.

  The REI store had these Pillow stuff sacks that had a fleece liner.  You would probably fill them up with nearly anything and sleep well.  I have my extra blanket, and spare clothes in two of them.  Wish I had picked up one more.

  I also bought a couple of their really heave duty mesh stuff sacks.  Much better quality then the flimsy ones you usually come across.

[CapnK]

Craig -

Taking a fleece jacket, and stuffing it into it's own arm works as pillow pretty well. That's what I use when backpacking. :)

I think it is in Cost Conscious Cruiser that the Pardeys talk about using fleece-lined stuff sacks, turned inside out and filled, as spare pillows. It's a good idea.

Watsongs - Thanks for the info, its valuable to hear what people who have certain systems/gadgets have to say about them. Also, I looked at your site and checked out the charter rates, since I'd like to sail that part of the coast sometime, but don't see myself getting there any time soon in my own boat. Looks good! If the opportunity comes up, I'll be in touch regarding that. Welcome aboard sailFar, too!

[Solace]

I just purchased some zippered pillow shams from Ikea. They are intended for the long cylinder style bolster pillows. We are using them for clothes storage. The last time my girls came with me for  three week cruise they came with all kinds of clothes. We have managed to narrow that down but still have an issue as to where to keep all of the extra clothes. We are remodeling the cabin somewhat and decided to add a couple of cushions which will make the settess look more like couches and less like sleeping berths, during the day. The small area that is created behind the new cushions will hide these clothes holding pillow shams - at least thats the plan.

Cheers!

John

[CharlieJ]

See the pillow in this picture? It's one of four that we have aboard Tehani. That's a Mola from the San Blas Islands on the front, made by the Cuna Indians.

There's a velcroed opening in the back of each one of them. Several have blankets, one has a set of long johns and a sweater for Laura.

Can't temember where I got the idea, but we've used it on our last two boats now. Really works great and simple to make- hey- Even *I* could probably do it :)

[s/v Faith]

So OK what do you do for fun when your at anchor or underway. Here is what I have on board for those odd moments.

1. A pocket Kite  Para sail design multi colors. I have sailed it underway it a blast or sail it when anchored . If Im meeting someone its easy to find my boat just look for the kite you can see it for miles. Might be good in the rescue kit too. ......

  FWIW, just re-stockled my kite locker.  Was walking the ship's master - at - arms past the dollar store this weekend.  They had kites, 2 for a buck! in the window. 

  hard to go wrong with a $.50 kite.... (well, I will let you know how they work out.)  ;D

[Skipper Dave]

I have to remember to get a kite and try it, never have.  Maybe it would be more fun naked...but only on a warm day.

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This morning it looked so nice out I thought I'd leave it out.

S/V "Tina Marie" Cal 2-27

[Fortis]

My essential item (other then the obvious stuff) is some really good waterproof flashlights. Not too big, not the signalling spotlights...just penlights or bigger so that you have personal light when you need it to handle fissly jobs at night or when something goes kersnap behing the engine. I alos have a few of those multi LED headband lamps on board, also nifty and usefull.

One of our other essentials is a big 4 litre pump-top thermos. This allows us to boil water in the morning and not need to do anything for a hot cup of tea or coffe other then hold the cup under the spigot and press the button a couple of times for most of the rest of the day. Surprisingly good for morale.

After hand steering for 14 hours on the same tack, I would have to say one of my essentials is a cute little waterproof nean-bag type cushion that can be wedged into any position and assumes any shape to give you a comfortable place to sit. I'm not kidding, 14 hours with a couple of 2 minute breaks to attend to nature's calls and my butt was only numb at the end of it. My brain was all the way to poridge.

Autohelm. For the best justification see above paragraph.


Alex.

[AdriftAtSea]

I'd agree about the flashlights... I have about ten stashed all over the boat. A lot of them are the tiny LED type lights that have stupidly long battery life, and most have been loaded with the Energizer Lithium AA batteries to boot. 

Two things that I can't be without aboard any boat—a good pocket multitool and a good rigging knife.   The multitool I carry is a Leatherman ChargeTi, which is nice and light, but has full-sized pliers, a small set of scissors, and a screwdriver with interchangeable bits. The rigging knife i carry is a Boye's Cobalt Carbide knife.  Has a marlinspike and locks open.  It will never rust either. :D

Other things that I find useful:

A two-gallon bug sprayer bottle filled with fresh water.  This is great for rinsing things down, including the crew on a hot day. 

Instant hand sanitizer gel—helps keep your hands clean, and gets the smell of gasoliine out of your skin pretty well too.  Also works to remove "sharpie permanent marker ink" from a lot of surfaces.

Microfiber camping towels from REI—These are light, compact, reallly absorb water, and dry pretty fast.  They're made for campers, but are really great for sailors.

Mesh nylon storage bags—I use these in all sizes for all sorts of stuff.  I have the spare blades for my composite prop and the prop nut wrench in one, I keep my toiletries in another, I keep a large one, lined with a trash bag, for trash (paper, plastic, etc). Another large one acts as a hamper.

[Pixie Dust]

I just acquired another gadget.   ;D  My MP3 Player arrived yesterday.  I purchased a 20 GB Creative Zen in honor of our very own Zen.  I thought it has to be good if it has a name like Zen.    Being from the generation of albums, this is another "out of comfort zone"  purchase.   :D  Since my big stereo will not fit on PD, not to mention draw power, I thought this was the ticket to my music needs.   
Now to figure it all out.   :D

[Zen]

Indeed Connie!!
THose are great, I got a smaller version myself! You will Love it!! ;D ;D

[AdriftAtSea]

MP3 Players, whether Creative Zens or iPods are a great way to store a lot of music in a very compact space.  I use an iPod in a waterproof housing out on the Pretty Gee all the time.

[Pixie Dust]

I am so excited!!  I found some time to download some music on my MP3, purchased an FM tuner and played it this weekend on PD through my stereo.  COOL!!! 
So far the hammock and the MP3 player were gadgets I had to have after the trip to Pensacola trip.  I had no idea what I was missing until then.   When my sailing buddy Jenny heard about it, she ordered one off internet for her boat too.   Just like highschool only now we are trading CD's instead of albums.   :D

[AdriftAtSea]

Hmm... trading CDs...  better make sure that there are no RiAA spies on this site... ;)

[David_Old_Jersey]

a) Corkscrew and bottle opener

b) Spare Warm Clothing (for when yer thought the weather would be ok, but it weren't or when you get unexpectedly wet)

c) A Compass, a Watch, a Tidal Stream Atlas, a paper chart and a pencil - and the knowledge how to use them to get yerself home. and several GPS sets - (just in case  ;D  ;D)

d) A Knowledge of how your boats systems work, if not to fix them - so as to be able to work around the problem

e) An ability for the boat to function (and IMO preferably without much problem) without Electricity.

f) A "Proper sized" Anchor. and as much chain as you can carry.

g) Black Bin Bags, for wrapping up Clothes and Bedding when stored away.

h) Paper Towels - for cleaning hands and "stuff" when doing messey jobs.

i) Spare Engine Oil, plus basic spares for the Engine and tools for every nut and screw on the Engine - including the odd shaped ones  :'(

j) A good tool kit - even if you can't use it all yerself, someone else might be able to.

K) Binoculars

l) Spare prescription glasses.

m) Cigarettes - lots of them  ::)

o) A BOAT I HAD CONFIDENCE IN.

N) An ability to make a cuppa Tea..........nothing appears quite so bad after putting the kettle on  8) 8)


Obviously their are a few things on this list I would go to sea without............and I am sure I have missed a few things off  ;D ;D ;D...........I might make a list / thread of things I would consider essential - to see how folks views compare........

[Auspicious]

I think this thread has wandered off from necessities the way people like the Pardeys would define them to "important comforts." That's great. I think we all know we need sails. It's the other things that bring comfort and enjoyment that are so interesting to consider.

The kite and pillow sham ideas for example are one's I'm thrilled to steal from y'all.

For my part (on a slightly larger boat on which I live aboard), I  carry a laptop with a cellular card. On long day runs (like Annapolis to Solomon's Island, three times last year), with the laptop under the dodger I can surf the net, do work, or watch a DVD. I also have an iPod, playing cards, and backgammon for entertainment.

[Ged]

My PETZL is just fantastic. For reading, night repairs on deck etc., etc.

I can't do without it.

Best, Ged

[maxiSwede]

My PETZL is just fantastic. For reading, night repairs on deck etc., etc.

I can't do without it.

Best, Ged

FWIW i second that. I have a few of them(or the cheaper copies) all around the place. Great little helper.. Good for late reading too.