What works and what doesn't is a very personal thing. Lifestyle and expectations drive our priorities.
In my opinion this is most apparent in the
galley. The way one cooks on land is the way you cook aboard. Change is hard.
I moved aboard in May 2006.
Off the boat:
microwave - always had one ashore, didn't use it much, used it less aboard.
ex gf - enthusiastic sailor, no grip on rules of the road - everything went downhill after she tried to t-bone a dinner boat.
80% of sailing/boat
books - most were of limited utility after reading once; some weren't worth that much. I've got about 30" of
books I've hung onto.
Delta anchor - replaced, see below.
Coffee press - too much
water to clean and too much
work - replaced, see below.
Magazine subscriptions - mail is an issue; interestingly the sailing and
boating pubs are way behind the mainstream press on electronic
delivery. Good news: Good Old Boat just announced electronic subscriptions. SSCA has done for years.
CDs & DVDs - everything ripped to electronic media and originals stored ashore.
Storage hammocks - never could get them to
work for me - I don't like orange and apple juice dripping on me in my bunk.
Retained
Vacuum sealer - a change from my life ashore but I wouldn't sail without one.
Pressure cooker - another change for me but I love mine and use it regularly.
Battery monitor - way better than an ammeter and a much better indicator of charge state than a voltmeter.
Generator & A/C - after you have it, way less expensive to use for
charging batteries than the main, and there are times and places when A/C is nirvana.
Spinnaker - love my 1.5 oz asym and
shopping for a .75 oz sym.
Hot
water - I tend toward cooler climes and a warm
shower, no matter how brief, is a pleasure.
Pressure water - lifestyle choice
12V boat except TV and stick blender - The only things I turn on the
inverter for are TV and blender. We like movies, and the stick blender replaced the
food processor and bar blender I used ashore.
Rail mount gas
grill - big griller ashore and still do aboard.
2 x
iPhone, iPod Touch, iPod
Classic, iPod Nano - I'm a techy geeky guy. Lots of nav stuff on the iPhones plus easy check on e-mail and SMS. iPod Touch is low energy way to run movies (including
training on boat systems) on watch. 160 GB
Classic and Nano are mostly for
music and movies on watch.
Marine SSB and ham radios - my experience with sat phones is not good. I stick with tried and true radio for long range
communications,
weather, and
communications at landfall.
Espar
diesel heater - replacement for OEM Webasto. Good stuff.
Baby wipes - great water saver
offshore
China and crystal - Two place settings of
family china and Riedel stemless are great at
anchor. Underway we use the plastic stuff but
living aboard does NOT have to be camping.
Added over the last seven years:
New gf - somewhat less enthusiastic but much less prone to running into things.
Spinnaker - almost, but not quite. Light air chute is this year's
Christmas present to myself.
Rocna anchor - Two actually. Any of the
current generation spoon anchors beat the bejeepers out of the older designs.
Percolator - economic, reasonably fast, and good coffee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by onestepcsy37
we have a rail mounted gas grill. the admiral insisted we needed it. but we never barbecue at home so why barbecue at sea? i've used it once in the past five years. and it got so greasy i took it ashore and washed it in beach sand. but i'll keep it as a 'backup' stove in case the main stove goes bad.
admiral also thought we had to have a pressure cooker. (she read those 'cruising wife' books). we never used one at home. we haven't used it at sea yet either, but it is the largest deep pot we have so maybe it will come in handy some day. |
Which illustrates my point above - you're going to cook pretty much the way you did ashore. Don't let the books tell you what to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SVTatia
Gas grill is great sometimes, but only if you eat meat
|
I don't agree. Lots of roasted and steamed veg work great on the grill, especially in warmer places where getting the heat out of the boat is a good idea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey
......It's all about choices based on own needs and experiances (and simply wants  ), so no one else can tell you what "you" need (and everyone changes at least some of their own ideas anyway over time).... |
Right - so get off the
dock and go sailing. Build a few months into your plans a few months after you leave to adjust. Why spend
money on stuff you spend
money and time ripping out?
Quote:
Originally Posted by barnakiel
I am trying to toss off at least one old item for any new item onboard.
|
I agree. Most people get to the point where they realize that something old has to come off for every new thing brought aboard.
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