What Is the Best Gear Ya Put on the Boat, Considering Price?

[CSY Man]

Well, I will start:

Been pondering all the $$$ going into gizzmos and gear.

One of the most expensive was probably the SSB:

Paid $2,100.00 for the SEA 235 R. Another $800.00 for proffesional installation. Then $500.00 for haul-out and grounding plate under the hull. Then another $800.00 for 3 insulators on the back-stay, including the rigger and the new wires, etc, etc.

All told, the SSB cost me around 4K some 6 years ago.
It is the most expensive piece of gear, and the least used.
(Coastal cruising, including the Bahamas)

We use it occasionally for phone patches via WLO, but at a premium price after SSCA lost the discount.

It works great and I love the 235 R, but for the money....

Spent another $3,000.00 on anchor gear.
No regrets there, got great windlass, anchors, chain, line, all brand new....Good value for the dollars.

$2,000.00 for fridge and freezer conversion.
Got a Cool Blue, insulated the boxes, added fans and stuff...problem-free and lots of pleasure over the last 5 years..Good value.

Solar panels, mounting archs, regulators, wires, etc, etc.
Probably around $1,200.00 after all is said and done and after the discounts...Another great value that is being used every day. (Two 75 watt Siemens panels)

Autopilot, Simrad WP-32, $800.00 including remote.
Works fine, makes life good crossing them Bahamas banks and the Gulfstream. Good value...

Chartplotter: S-H. 180i..less than $400.00. Hooked up to autopilot and AIS as well as DSC VHF radio.
Works fine, money well spent...

In retrospect, the SSB is the most expensive and least used piece of gear.

Any similar experiences?

Best gear on the boat for the money?

[dana-tenacity]

You really don't need any of it, buy a wind vane and go, put the rest of the funds into a cruising kitty.

[Lynx]

Anchor

Better lighting

Auto pilot

GPS

Vent in the head

[GordMay]

AUTO-PILOT

[CSY Man]

You really don't need any of it, buy a wind vane and go, put the rest of the funds into a cruising kitty.

Nah, strictly speaking we don't "need" much.
Heck the vikings crossed the Atlantic in open boats, roving and sailing.

On present boat I sailed for 2 years without auto pilot and wihtout fridge.7 years without chart plotter.
No plans to install A/C, radar, watermaker, microwave, TV/DVD..

Previous boat 3 years without auto pilot, fridge etc.

Learn to appreciate an autopilot and fridge if ya lived without it. (kind of decadent sitting for anchor in the Exumas eating ice cream...)

As for just bolting on a windvane: Good for passage making but would not do much around here as we usually motor into the wind across the Gulfstream and the banks, then coming back dead-downwind, sometimes poled out.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

Been pondering all the $$$ going into gizzmos and gear.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[CSY Man]

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

True it is.

The reason for starting this thread was not to promote the West Marine catalog or advocate more and more, but rather to talk about what cost more than it is worth.
Or unnecesarry spending......

Forgot to mention I spent $2,500 on cutter conversion. Added a ProFurl roller, new sail, blocks, lines etc, etc.

That one I really appreciate, worth every penny and probably don't qualify as a "gizzmo".

[Raven]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

The reason for starting this thread was not to promote the West Marine catalog or advocate more and more, but rather to talk about what cost more than it is worth.
Or unnecesarry spending......

On the occasions when I've been actively searching the market for boats, the thing that was most troubling to me was the degree to which owners equipped with drills or other "implements of destruction" had taken to the task of "improvements." Often, such improvements included the willy nilly attachment of "gizmos" throughout the boat while at the same time primary systems were neglected. What I value most, in my own boat, are well-maintained standing and running rigging, the condition of my sails, ground tackle, the soundness of my hull and deck, the reliability of my engine, etc.

Although they may never be used, I think that a big bang for the buck can be had from EPIRB's, liferafts, jacklines, harnesses, Lifeslings, sea anchors, and all those other things that get packed away for emergency or heavy weather conditions. When needed, they pay for themselves beyond measure.

[Strygaldwir]

Our SSB has the distinction of being the least used for the cost piece of equipment on board.

While we are underway, our autopilot w/GPS is the most beloved piece of equipment.

While not underway, our computer is the most versatile and most used piece of equipment. It provides music, video, weather, internet (sometimes), games, logs, recipies, diagrams, books, and IDE. I couldn't stay on the boat without it.

[CSY Man]

Our SSB has the distinction of being the least used for the cost piece of equipment on board

Yup, same here....

Often, such improvements included the willy nilly attachment of "gizmos" throughout the boat while at the same time primary systems were neglected.

So true..I have seen horrors out there, created by morons with drills.
I was lucky, my Previous Owner was knowledgeable and ugraded only important stuff, such as having the boat proffesionally rewired, adding all Rolls batteries. New canvas inside and out, etc...But no gizzmos bolted on every bulkhead with exposed wires hanging all over the place..

[Songline]

We bought our boat well equiped. I have added gizmos to be sure but most of my time (and money) is spent on maintaining what's there. For coastal cruising I would have to the say the watermaker is the biggest nuisance on the boat. I imagine this will change once we are underway but if all we did was cruise the coast it would be yanked out and the room used for something else. One of the best pieces of gear is the full hard dodger. The SSB will be good once underway but again for coastal cruising it has very little utility for me. Pressure hot and cold water is very nice. The Monitor wind vane would get a place at the table if it wasn't so busy steering the boat all the time. I was going to add a wash down pump but gave myself a whack up the side of the head and have since smartened up. I now have a partially installed pump that can be used as a spare something or other. I've never used my liferaft although I think I'll keep it, same goes for the parachute anchor.

In my case it's my wife who is the minimalist, she would own a square rigger with a His and Hers bucket.

Pete

[CSY Man]

In my case it's my wife who is the minimalist, she would own a square rigger with a His and Hers bucket.

Lucky man...

[Tnflakbait]

Autopilot hahaha

[CSY Man]

Speaking of gizzmos, here is one I found most useful:

A base unit with 2 (or 3) remote wire less sensors.
Put sensors in the fridge and the freezer boxes and ya can read tempratures on the base unit. Also has a built in barometer and atomic clock...No wires to run or holes to drill. I paid around $40.00 for all the pieces.



Had a small teak cabinet built to install the base unit in, then hung it on a bulk head. Gives a bit more "nautical" look than the plastic unit ya see above. .

[AnchorageGuy]

After covering tens of thousands of miles our SSB is extremely valuable and we can't imagine cruising without one. It allows us to receive weatherfax even when no internet is available and when we are parked in the boonies. It keeps us in communication with friends and gives us access to local nets for info, advise and current weather whether offshore or coastal cruising. To us this is money well spent and an important safety device. Anyone that has done any serious cruising will probably agree. We spent a lot of money for our liferaft and keeping it current and we NEVER use it, thank goodness, but never leave home without it. Autopilot is high on our list and about even with GPS. Other items like solar panels, wind generator and all of our charging devices are important.