Spare Parts?

[exposure]

As I look forward toward a departure date for the typical US East Coast/Bahamas/East & West Caribbean trip, I am ready to start stocking up on spares and getting their storage organized. While I certainly have some ideas as to what to take, I am interested in compiling a list and doing things in a logical manner. Does anyone have a list, or a link to one, that will help get me started.

Thanks, Woody

[kimberlite]

what is yiur sailing plan? where are you going and what size and make boat do you have. are you looking for just engine spares or what?
are you going offshore?
faier winds
eric

[exposure]

The very loose plan is to start on the US East Coast, then the Bahamas, Eastern Caribbean, Venezuela, Panama, and then turn left or right. More than likely it will be a right turn and head north to Honduras and the Rio before returning to the states. Should take about three years if that's how the plan works out.

I am interested in spares for all of the boats critical systems such as rigging, engine, stove, head, etc. I do most of my work myself. I also plan to add a watermaker before departure.

I am interested in a good list to start to customize for my own use.

Thanks, Woody

[kimberlite]

Here is a short list:
Engine-we have a 100 hp Yanmar
I have many Racor filters
engine fuel filters
oil filters
all electrical senders and relays
all gaskets
impellers
starter motor
12 volt and 175 amp 24 volt alternators
all hoses
spare muffler.
Misc specialized bolts and alternator bolts and brackets.
raw water pump and rebuild kit
fresh water pump.
3 sets of fan belts.
thermostat and cap
spare injectors
heat exchanger rebuild kit
zincs


For the Onan generator I have the same spares.


Instruments
we have a second autopilot drive installed
spare complete autopilot computer, fluxgate compass, rudder reference transducer.
spare fixed Gps and antenna
2 hand held GPS
wind machine masthead anemometer and st60 wind instrument
we have a fixed sat phone and a spare iridium handheld.
2 hand held VHF
2nd autopilot control head-installed
2nd-chart plotter-radar display- installed

Spare radar drive belt
Brushes for autopilot motor

complete set of pump rebuild kits
spare complete fresh water pump and expansion tank
spare bilge pump complete
toilet rebuild kit
toilet (electric ) macerator pump and water pump
many assorted hoses.
many assorted plumbing fittings
spare watermaker parts and pickling solution

hundreds of feet of assorted running rigging.
A few hundred feet of assorted bungee cord and hog rings
motor rebuild kits for electric furling
sail material, needles etc
sticky sail tape and large roll of 24 inch wide sail tape
spare blocks and snatch blocks
shackles and pins
assorted s/s rigging parts
bull dog clamps
spare rigging wire.
boards to cover all hatches and ports.
spare port and hatch handles and knobs

stove rebuild kit
spare burners
assorted worldwide butane to propane fittings
spare stove solenoid
spare regulator

Electrical wire
Circuit breakers
Spare light bulbs
Exterior zincs-for rudder mount
Many assorted electrical fittings and cables
Assorted fuses

boxes of nuts, bolts and screws.
Fast pins, cotter pins , o rings, metric bolts and nuts
Stainless steel banding Kit
Many zip ties

8 drawer tool chest and tools
2 boxes of chemicals, lubricants, seals, and tapes.
Oils, atf fluid, grease and grease gun

We also carry most spares that are unique to our boats manufacture.
I am positive I have left a lot out.
Fair winds
Eric
Fair Winds,
Amel Super Maramu #376

[kimberlite]

The boat came with a spare prop
also keys for engine pulleys and prop shaft
eric

[delmarrey]

Don't forget the bailing wire and duct tape

[Euro Cruiser]

Woody, my counsel would be somewhat the opposite of Eric's "kitchen sink" approach. Here are the key issues I would consider when making your decisions:

1. The Caribbean is North America's backyard. There is no place I've been there (which is just about all of it...) from where you can't manage to contact a NA vendor, have something shipped in, and get it out of Customs and to the boat. From some places, arranging this is easy (e.g. Trinidad) and even cheap (PR and the USVI, with secure, cheap Priority or Global Priority USPS service) while in other places it is frustrating and expensive...but it's do-able. At first blush, perhaps 'frustrating & expensive' sounds undesirable, but consider how much time & expense is involved in assembling a comprehensive collection of spares (vs. zeroing in on only specific items; see below). Also keep in mind that you will only use some of those spares, ever. Plus you must then find space for it all (which you'll need for things that will - guaranteed - save you money; see below). And truth be told, you won't buy every spare recommended to you (there are more of us than you!) and so to some extent may STILL need to resupply from NA after your departure, anyway. No...for that cruising venue, I think the general rule of thumb is to be selective, not inclusive.

2. Load up on consummables because a) you know you will use them, and b) they may not be readily at hand AND will be more costly, when you find them: fuel and oil filters; filters for your water system (you really should have a Seagull IV filter for the Caribbean); pre-filters if you carry a watermaker; you get the idea...

3. Do an honest assessment of your boat's critical systems, which I would list as rig, rudder, engine and - from a civilized lifestyle standpoint - DC electrics, fresh water, propane & marine toilet systems. First, if the engine is "venerable" but long of tooth, put the 'spares' money into the engine *before* you leave: replace the water pump (always a dodgy component on older engines used hard), take down the #1 alternator to the shop to disassemble, clean & service), ditto the start motor (along with an electrical check), replace all the cooling and oil hoses plus belts, and you'll cure most potential ills and be benefitting from the expense involved during the run. Ditto the rig. Survey the steering system - carefully. Service it where needed, replace what is worn (idler bushings, perhaps chain & wire) - again, put the money into the system, gaining reliability & peace of mind, rather than stuffing something in your locker.

Re: the fresh water, head and propane systems, you can adopt 1 of 2 schools of thought: Either 1) you will instantly drop what else you are doing and repair a FW pump, rebuild the solenoid valve (Caribbean propane has lots of oil in it from worn compressors, which in turn plug up the solenoid over time), or head pump when (not if) it's worn enough to fail...OR 2) you know you might not have the time or immediate inclination, in which case carry a full spare assembly (FW pump, Head pump assembly, fresh solenoid). You can mix this up, too - perhaps the FW pump is too expensive, so you choose a rebuild kit instead. I don't know many crews who want to live without their pressure water system, head & stove, so be realistic about which approach is for you.

Re: DC system, most of that won't wear. However, I would recommend carrying a spare alternator that you install and trial run before leaving, then cushion, bag and seal up.

Overall, the point of #3 is to prioritize what you really don't want to live without on YOUR boat, AND what you know will be heavily used. Then zero in on those items, replace what is dodgy, old or worrisome up front and carry the rest.

4. While coming S and then leaving NA, keep in the back of your mind that Puerto Rico is you 'real' stepping off point re: logistics. 800#s work, the island has every vendor needed, USPS is reliable and takes only 1 extra day for every kind of service, and things aren't that much more expensive there (unlike much of the E Caribbean). Keep a little list going as you realize you forgot something or you're burning thru filters faster than expected. When you get to PR, hit the NAPA store and check off all the other things on your list...and at the same time, stop and enjoy a great cruising venue that most N Americans fail to enjoy.

Jack

[kimberlite]

Woody,
as Jack pointed out there are two schools of thought with
respect to spare parts.

we have a lot of storage on board the boat. so space is not a problem.

we also have a boat made in Europe so spares take time to get.

On the other hand we do make long passages and are often 5 or more days from land. i check all systems before leaving and replace anything that i believe might go bad on the passsage.

on our last trip south we were motor sailing and sucked some air into the sea chest. this caused the water lift muffler to get very hot and melt before the engine gauges or the idiot lights went out. without a spare muffler we would have been offshore without an engine for 6 days.

Of course we do have a SAILboat so that would not have been a tragedy and we do have a genset. but, in case of an emergency it was nice to have the spare Vetus muffler to enable us to have an engine.

if you are just making 2 day passages the spares can be greatly reduced.

as you can see i am a belt and suspenders guy.
fair winds,
eric

[roverhi]

A bare bones spares kit would be:

1. Spare halyard equal to longest one required.
2. Spare sheet equal to longest that may be required.
3. Impellor for raw water pump or a complete new pump.
4. Freshwater pump.
5. Spare injector.
6. Length of 1x19 wire equal to longest stay.
7. 2 Norseman/StaLok terminals for above wire. Install one of the terminals so you know how to do the other if/when you need to replace a stay.
8. Remove your alternator and have it rebuilt. Use it for a spare. Buy a new alternator and install it. An opportunity to up the amperage if your current alternator is a bit anemic.
9. A cheap alternator regulator wouldn't be such a bad idea, either. Once again, be sure that you can install it.


Before I left I'd replace all the chainplates if the boat is older than 10 years. Crevice corrosion usually attacks the backside that you can't see. A visual inspection gives you no idea what the actualy condition of the chainplates are. I'd replace with bronze if you can get it. Failing that use 316 stainless as it's supposedly less prone to corrosion. Nothing more embarassing than losing the stick 100s of miles from nowhere.

If you have the money,remove your your starter. Buy a new one and install it. You want to be sure that you can replace it, if needed.

If you have the dreaded wheel steering, take a length of the proper wire cable and one each of the blocks that they run through. I'd highly reccomend disassembling your complete pedestal re reassembling using never-sieze on the threads of all fasteners. Also, install the emergency tiller and go for a sail to be sure that you can install and use it at sea.

I'm assuming you are going to take along a supply of consumables like filters and oil.

There are probably many other things that you might want to take. At least with the above spares, you shouldn't get yourself stranded at sea.

Aloha
Peter O.

[GordMay]

One notable absence from many ‘tools & spares’ lists are manuals.
Shop and Parts Manuals (especially my weak point, engines) have assisted me in doing repair jobs, on our boat & for others, that would have been very difficult (or impossible) for me to otherwise perform.

In addition to manufacturer’s specific equipment manuals, I’ve always kept my own home made science, technology, and engineering text book - charts, tables, formulae, and misc. technical information that I may find useful, but cannot always remember with sufficient precision.

[Talbot]

"Help you get started"
I would have thought that the original spares list for Exposure (ex galea) would have been an excellent starter point. I would then list all the equipment onboard (taken from your original Spec), and then decide for each piece of equipment , what you require in the way of spares.

If you do this thoroughly, you could end up with a series of relational databases, one of which shows you where you have stowed the spares, the other telling you what additional spares might be needed and thence a part number and a manufacturer/chandler that can supply by mail order.

[Alan Wheeler]

Yep, Manuals. Every single thing I have on the boat, no matter how insignificant, I have either a manual for, or I have found info on, or looked at the item and drawn up somthing myself as far as how it works. It is amasing how 12mths later or more how you forgot how it worked. A quick glimpse of a manual and it all comes flooding back. But the most important aspect, is Part No's. If you have to order something, you can all up or go into shop and say, I need this part, here is the No. The Chandlery may not deal normaly with the supplier. But they can usually obtain the part or product easy enough. So if you have the info, mistakes due to being unfamiliar with a product are reduced considerably. Maybe not eliminated, but definately reduced.
I keep all info in a large Ring binder for easy reference.

Splash Zone or similar underwater curing epoxy. Hose clamps. Spare hose for every type on the boat.

[Matt Hager]

I made up three manuals with part numbers and illistrations of everything on my boat. It also has resources like NAPA, Universal and Kabota part numbers for my motor. And places to find spae parts. I am leaving 2 of the manuals to my brother and a close friend. A quick e-mail or phone call to send item number 6 on page 3 gets me the part I need. I have had 2 more friends say give me a copy I'll help.

Goodluck, Matt

Another handy item I carry is a tool that uses wire for clamps.( I wish I could remember the name of the darn thing.) Costs about $20 at the boat show, and has proven itself invaluable on all of my boats. Back to the bailing wire and duct tape thing. Not as hillbilly as you might think. Stainless wire is one of the most valuable spares you can have on board. Duct tape serves as the chafe protecter for all those wire repairs.