Your Favorite Purchase Under $150

[allanbranch]

What's your favorite thing on your boat that cost less than $150?

This can include tools or maintenance products that you use on your boat as well.

[UNCIVILIZED]

A case of Chilean Red (Wine), that I snagged for $70 + tax.
I'd picked up one bottle of it when shopping for other things one day. Some beverages for a party & such. Thinking that for $6/bottle, I could cook with if if it turned out to be piss.
But something told me to try it.

Well, that night, I opened it when making stir fry for me & the girlfriend. And it was spectacular. So, the next day I went back to the liquor store to get some more, & they had, you guessed it, 1 case left.
Mine!

I asked the Maven about it, and as it turns out, they got it on the cheap, from one of their distributors who was going belly up. Thus the price.
Best deal on any beverage I ever bought. And quite the handy item to have in my bilges... while it lasted :-)

[Paul54]

This siphon hose. One for water and one for diesel.

http://www.amazon.com/Shoreline-Mari.../dp/B01609ZKIQ

Quick, clean, and fast fill up of on board tanks from jerry cans. No mouthful of fuel either. About $15 or less each.

[travellerw]

Originally Posted by Paul54

This siphon hose. One for water and one for diesel.

http://www.amazon.com/Shoreline-Mari.../dp/B01609ZKIQ

Quick, clean, and fast fill up of on board tanks from jerry cans. No mouthful of fuel either. About $15 or less each.

Oh man.. Thats really overpriced though.. You can got those shaker siphons for $8-$12 if you look around.

[DefinitelyMe]

My leadline weight. Traded with another guy for some bit of junk that I had lying around. One of the old-fashioned ones with a void in the bottom for sticking a bit of dough (or modelling clay) so you can bring up a sample of the bottom. It's my primary depth-sounder. Love it.

[YachtBroker]

Best anchor snubber/mooring bridle around. Depending on size just about $150.
Mantus Anchors | Mantus Bridle - Mantus Anchors

[hodgmo]

I've found an IR remote thermometer to be very useful in monitoring the diesel during long runs. It can also be useful in finding hot spots in electrical systems. A waterproof one costs ~$20:

RadioShack® Waterproof Pocket IR Thermometer

(I've also started using the Seek thermal camera Android camera accessory but that costs ~$250, more than $150. FLIR now makes a similar product.)

[robwilk37]

well, i bought the boat for $1 and it came with the 6-pad cradle. might have over paid by about .85 cents but its coming together nicely...

[stbdtack]

At around $70 I love my remote oil filter. So tired of dealing with a horizontally installed oil filter! Stupid! The engine manufacturer Westerbeke) actually tells you to use an ice pick to punch holes in the horizontal filter to drain the remaining oil in the filter. Yeah, that works great.....NOT.

[W3GAC]

While certainly in a different category than deck or safety equipment... I'd rank our $150 microwave right up there with our most useful gadgets. We have propane stove, generator, inverter for usual boat cooking chores, but on crossing it's nice to warm up coffee/ tea warm-up on late night watches w/o waking up rest of crew, easy leftover meal warm-ups/ whole meal prep w/o adding to Summer cabin heat. During hose repair work I use microwave to get water hot to dip/ soften stiff hoses. You can heat up West System to speed up fire off time during Fall/ Winter repairs. Warms towels for bad back treatment. Softens honey, makes soup, popcorn, warms water to melt frost off dodger glass. With our batteries all of these tasks can be done w/o shore power or starting Gen. While 12v current draw is high (abt 120a) it's only on for a short period and doesn't run down the battery as some believe it would. Like diesels... actually good for batteries to get a good sustained high load once in a while. In fact, it's during such a high load that I check & record battery voltage in log and use as an important long-tern test/ measure of battery condition and its recent charging/ alternator charging effectiveness. All-in-all, our microwave has been one of our most versatile $150 purchases.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[redhead]

A high profile galley faucet (Delta) with pull down sprayer and one handle. It replaced a "state of the art" 1981 faucet with 2 handles. I use it for the dishes obviously, but also to wash myself,, the dog, fill a cleaning bucket and so many other things I can't think of them right now. I no longer need two hands to adjust the temp and when my better half has managed to get under my skin I've been know to give him a squirt as he walks by to bring him down to size.

Not very nautical, but sometimes the simple things are best.

[jillnord]

That's a tough one. As a top-notch bargain hunter I'd say a lot of stuff I love is in that price range. I'm going to say that it's between my pressure cooker and my hammock with built in mosquito netting. Since I'm on Lake Superior- I'll go with my hammock.

[hamburking]

Bought a 1972 Paceship 29, swing keel, atomic 4. $100 cash. Sailed it home. Sailed it all summer. Great fun.

[nockerwhite]

Originally Posted by hamburking

Bought a 1972 Paceship 29, swing keel, atomic 4. $100 cash. Sailed it home. Sailed it all summer. Great fun.

Now that's what I call a 'barg'.

[sailing_gal]

A bazooka watergun. This is a child's toy- under $10, about 2" wide, gets into little nooks and crannies and suckS out water better and faster than any pump I have bought for that purpose.