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Mimsy · 24-04-2013, 10:46

A care package- Pelican box for storing important stuff, a good engraved knife, a years subscription to Skype and a good quality Boonie hat would be most welcome.

David_Old_Jersey · 24-04-2013, 11:13

A Mantus Anchor!

Small sized - designed for opening Beer!

Mantus Bottle Opener -

I've got one

......and I can confirm it not only works

but will never wear out

.

sy_gilana · 24-04-2013, 12:47

The binoculars idea was great.
What about a pair of Kindles with Wifi and 3g, get the paperwhite one with backlighting.

hellosailor · 24-04-2013, 12:48

fixer, the one thing I would not get him is a plaque. That's "stuff" and if he's going around the world, stuff is often dead weight. Remember he's selling all of his "stuff".

Big question, what's your budget? There's always things a cruiser needs and most of them can certainly be engraved, but what's the budget?

acfixerdude · 24-04-2013, 13:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellosailor

fixer, the one thing I would not get him is a plaque. That's "stuff" and if he's going around the world, stuff is often dead weight. Remember he's selling all of his "stuff".

Big question, what's your budget? There's always things a cruiser needs and most of them can certainly be engraved, but what's the budget?

Budget: we have not discussed a budget, although we can afford to budget quite a bit if we found a great gift... we may also be able to get the college to put up some money and make it a joint gift.

I agree with your thoughts on not getting a plaque too.

MarkJ · 24-04-2013, 13:12

It's extremely important to not waste your own money (and the other contributors) by buying some lump of dog poop that will be thrown off the boat as soon as you turn your backs!

Boats have an EXTREMELY small amount of stowage space and junk can't be allowed.

I think the only way you can proceed is to ask him what sort of things he could use and like but maybe can't afford.

Good binoculars are a great present... But not if he already has some... Ad good ones may be far out of your budget and cheap ones be sold on eBay before he goes...

So ask him!

Try to work out some budget and then you could be able to help him in his modesty....

Mark

TeddyDiver · 24-04-2013, 13:42

A tablet fully loaded with nav apps..

hellosailor · 24-04-2013, 14:22

Good binoculars are a good idea but if they've already got a boat, odds are they already own them. Nightvision spans a wide range, from Gen1 monoculars to Gen4 binoculars, and few sailors have them but they can make a great gift. The 3rd and 4th generation stuff is pricey--but very different from the cheap stuff.

If they are into music, an iPod Classic, which has a hard drive and holds 160gb of music and audiobooks, can be good on a boat. There are also some new handheld VHFs with GPS and other options built in that are new enough they may not have them. The trick would be to find out what they have, what is on their "I wish" list, and then try to get them something they hadn't planned on getting for themselves.

But really, you'd want to set a budget first. If it is big enough...a satellite phone with some service would be a real treat. On a lesser budget, a SPOT transmitter or something similar (also with service) so they can let folks know where they are.

**JPA Cate** · 24-04-2013, 14:52

Hi, everyone,

One way to approach this is simply ask him to generate a "wish list". When you know what he's interested in, you're a long way towards the type of gift you want to give, something he values and "keeps on giving." People who decide to go cruising tend to be highly independent, and chock-a-block with various prejudices about "stuff", which makes it hard for land based folks to make good guess relative to gifts. So, decide a budget window you can live with first, talk to the guy's wife, too (she'll be a good source of information), then see what works for you and the rest of the folks involved.

Good luck, I hope you all are successful with it.

Ann

D&D · 24-04-2013, 15:07

Our website (www.floatingimpressions.com.au) is full of great suggestions.

One idea that is reasonably priced and may be particularly apt would be a framed original artwork of his boat, based on any photo you can send us. You don't need anything other than a photo (not even hi-res!) of the boat and Scott Rigney, our multi-award winning artist, will turn it into something special, a unique and memorable treasure that will be proudly displayed. Original Artwork, Floating Impressions

That's just a thought, but perhaps also consider an original 'burned' stainless steel creation by Jo Wooler...? Original Creations, Floating Impressions

Good luck to you...and fair winds and following seas to your Dean and his wife!