Coastal cruising equipment and accessories

[exMaggieDrum]

The biggest thing I had on our list, and one I never regretted was spares and tools:
engine spares - normal stuff like impellers, zincs, water pump/alternator belt), oil, filters
AA, AAA, D cell batteries - lots of them (Costco has good quality/price)
electrical connectors & and some lengths of common size wire
spare flashlights
spare cabin bulbs
spare fuses - big and little for absolutely all critical gear
battery water for wet cell batts if you have them
hand bilge pump of some sort
voltmeter
tools - metric (for engine if needed) plus regular, hammers, wrenches
special tools if needed for anything major
extra line to jury-rig around problems - old halyards, small line
plug up stuff - epoxy repair tubes, tape, wood plugs for thru hulls
dinghy pump

hand held VHF
cold weather gear - even in the hotter areas like Florida
sunscreen
handheld GPS pre-programmed with critical waypoints and ports (especially port entrances)
extra fuel and water in jerry cans/jugs
binoculars
extra glasses if you wear them
cash & credit cards & passport if needed (sounds silly to say but people sometimes lose their wallets)

Of course, the distance from a port would dictate how far overboard you might go with this list. But you have to be able to stay alive and be able to get to that port.

The A-Number One item - a well-prepared boat

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Bulawayo

my dinghy gets used every day whilst at anchor and we are all familiar with it and how it handles rough weather. Incidently, it is also certified in Australia as a lifeboat / rescue craft.

What dinghy do you have? It sounds very substantial. I am assuming it is not the common 8-9' RIB found on most cruising boats?

Mark

[RTB]

Probably more important than an EPIRB or Liferaft....insect repellant with deet, and other good stuff - Chikungunya | Disease Directory | Travelers' Health | CDC



Don't forget to get some boat cards made up before you head out.

Ralph

[Stu Jackson]

ICW and the Bahamas

Click on Significant Deviation (journal) for a PDF, the appendix has a great tools and gear list for a Bahamas trip

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by RTB

Probably more important than an EPIRB or Liferaft....insect repellant with deet, and other good stuff - Chikungunya | Disease Directory | Travelers' Health | CDC

Hey Don, don't forget to get some boat cards made up before you head out.

Ralph

good one and they say Dengue is getting real bad too, the leading acute illness coming out of the carribean .. Then there is Dingy fever which is contracted from mosquito that live in ,you guessed it dinghys..ha ha ha

[Capt.Don]

Your insurance company is going to require a minimum set of safety requirements, including an EPIRB, life-raft,... and possibly a survey, with recommended items address/resolved.
Don

[reduc]

Thanks for this thread, I like to hear differing opinions and expect folks won't agree on everything...

I'm in Boston, planning a broadly similar trip this year - except that I don't yet have the boat. I'm currently looking at the CS36 T - a number are available around Lake Ontario. I am hoping to find one early this year and sail it around for a month or two figuring out what might need immediate attention that a survey might have missed. After that the St Lawrence Seaway and down the east coast (with a multi month stop in PEI to visit my GF). I hoping getting CG documentation wont take too long, if so this trip might get delayed, but I can be flexible. Anyone have ideas about how long that might take?

A number of people have suggested 'Tools' - I'm curious outside of the obvious what is included in this category? Maybe a better question - what tools have you found extremely useful that were unexpected?

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by reduc

...................

A number of people have suggested 'Tools' - I'm curious outside of the obvious what is included in this category? Maybe a better question - what tools have you found extremely useful that were unexpected?

Apart from parts and replacement materials such a wiring, hose, filters, etc; it seems that most of my tools are related in function for fastening items together or separating them and these seem most basic. A great factor in tool selection is the availability of power. With a diesel generator I have different choices, but I need to keep some simple hand tools too.

I hesitate to start a long list of standard tools, but I will mention an unusual item that I will never cruise without,- a good turkey baster!
This might sound silly, but the turkey baster, sometimes with a length of hose attached, can be very important for moving and sampling small volumes of fluid in tight spaces.

Another unusual tool that I find very useful is a 6' to 8' section of surfboard leash along with some wooden dowel rods of various diameters to be used as an auger or cleaning rod within hose or pipe that you do not want to scratch.

BTW - I had my posted list of main equipment earlier on this tread and I forgot the auto pilot,- 'a very important item for our cruising.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Capt.Don

Your insurance company is going to require a minimum set of safety requirements, including an EPIRB, life-raft,... and possibly a survey, with recommended items address/resolved.
Don

We have never had an insurance company require an EPIRB or life raft.

Mark

[Capt.Don]

Mark,

I never did either until our recent trip to Mexico (Oct/Nov 2014). With Boat US, they required a new marine survey, rigging survey, EPRIB and liferaft for coverage past Ensenada. They further wanted 2 additional crew with my experience on board. I seriously objected with them regarding the survey, as it is ultimately my responsibility to ready the boat -and- additional crew - it is my choice of crew. Needless to say, I am no longer a Boat US customer.

I'm OK with having an EPRIB onboard. I was able to borrow a friend's certified life-raft, so this wasn't a big deal. Both gave me the piece of mind, re: safety gear. I'm glad I did the rigging survey. It didn't cost much and discovered a problem with inner shrouds seized on my spreaders causing compression loads and broken wires. I learned a lot from the rigger and feel the boat was better prepared based on his suggestions.

Came across a broker in San Diego that worked my 3 1/2 year old survey and provided coverage in Mexico. I had to "certify" that I corrected all the recommended items from the survey and request coverage earlier than Nov 1st. I don't recall if the new insurance company required EPIRB and liferaft (this wasn't a deal-breaker for me), but they did insure the boat based on my qualifications alone.

In readying the boat for Mexico, I found working with the insurance company to be the most frustrating, time-consuming and difficult thing to do.... The rest of the prep just takes time and is fun!

Your experiences may vary - this is what I dealt with.
Don

[sailorboy1]

My first boat had a liferaft that the cert had expired on. The insurance company required me to get it inspected, but they didn't require me to have a liferaft on the boat. So I just told them we got rid of it.

[Bulawayo]

Remember the Baileys and their ordeal. Read their story - their Avon dinghy survived without issue whilst their liferaft was a constant mission to keep afloat.

[Bulawayo]

A RIB is not stable if its less than 16ft? Really? I wonder why so many rescue services use them if this is fact? What is the basis for such a statement?
The cruisers that read this should all remember to advise the various national life saving institutes around the world that their RIB's are unstable..........
If these 'experts' ever go cruising beyond their backyard they'll soon find that many cruisers have given up on their liferafts and the issues of trying to maintain them and instead place their resources into their dinghy. I agree that some folk do keep their liferafts in date - but these are the exception and not the rule. I also note there is total silence about certain dinghies being certified as liferafts despite them being less than 16ft. As do many people in remote achorages we eventaully end up discussing what we carry - we have a sat phone on board & which is being used right now - it is a great bit of kit but we have to use up over 400 minutes of airtime before they expire on 31st Jan. However, we also know that we can alert help within minutes of firing up the 'phone if necessary from the relative saftey of our very secure,very stable lifeboat certified all aluminium dinghy!

[Steadman Uhlich]

Coastal Cruising Gear and Accessories?

While some of the following may already be on some boats, and some are not commonly used while a boat is day-sailed from a marina or while making ocean crossing voyages, I will include these items on my boat when I go coastal cruising in the tropics.

1. Bug Spray (Mosquitos and No-See-Ums can ruin a mood.) Priority #1 in the tropics!
I hope to visit the Mosquito Coast someday too. Having been along the bug favored shores in several locations in Alaska, the Gulf Coast, Caribbean , Central America, and Atlantic Tidal Marsh areas, I can testify that biting bugs are to be found in the tropics and the high latitudes too. They bug me. But, so would getting Dengue fever! DEET is your friend.
2. Mosquito Netting for all opening hatches and portholes and vents.
3. Sun Shade (tarp etc.) for over the boom when anchored.
4. Bimini (for shade while sailing or motoring)
5. Rat Guards for Dock Lines. It only takes one rat to ruin your day or night or sleep or food.
6. Kedge anchor in case of grounding
7. Comfortable Cockpit Cushions (So I can really enjoy a book while lounging in the cockpit. Also nice for guests who come aboard.)
8. Good Boarding Ladder (assuming one does not have a swim step transom)
9. Planks for use with fenders when against pilings at commercial docks
10. Rig for lifting the dinghy out of the water at night
11. Cable or Security device (locks/chain) for the dinghy motor
12. Hatch Grill. A good way (e.g. metal grill) of securing the hatches and still allow air flow. Most likely used while I go ashore to explore.
13. Fishing gear such as reels and line, hooks, lures, etc. (I like fresh fish.)
14. Fish Gaff. Many larger fish are lost while trying to board them. A gaff makes all the difference.
15. Barbecue Grill (for the fish I would catch) and some Wasabi Paste and Pickled Ginger (sushi is good food).
16. Crab Trap (I like fresh crab.)
17. Throw Net (To catch bait for the crab trap, or for shrimp. Speaking of shrimp, add some Old Bay spice to the larder.)
18. Line Cutters on Prop Shaft (to cut the crab trap lines I may snag)
19. Dorades. I like good air flow and ventilation of the boat, even if it is raining every day in the tropics and if the hatches are all closed while I am ashore or aboard.
20. Air Scoop for the Vberth Hatch (to promote air flow)
21. Baja Fuel Filter (to pre-filter the fuel at fuel docks)

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Bulawayo

A RIB is not stable if its less than 16ft? Really? I wonder why so many rescue services use them if this is fact? What is the basis for such a statement?
The cruisers that read this should all remember to advise the various national life saving institutes around the world that their RIB's are unstable..........
If these 'experts' ever go cruising beyond their backyard they'll soon find that many cruisers have given up on their liferafts and the issues of trying to maintain them and instead place their resources into their dinghy. I agree that some folk do keep their liferafts in date - but these are the exception and not the rule. I also note there is total silence about certain dinghies being certified as liferafts despite them being less than 16ft. As do many people in remote achorages we eventaully end up discussing what we carry - we have a sat phone on board & which is being used right now - it is a great bit of kit but we have to use up over 400 minutes of airtime before they expire on 31st Jan. However, we also know that we can alert help within minutes of firing up the 'phone if necessary from the relative saftey of our very secure,very stable lifeboat certified all aluminium dinghy!

Look, I don't know why you need to keep taking swipes about, and denigrating, people's experience and distances traveled. It really detracts from you making any positive contribution here.

I mentioned typical cruising inflatables as being unsuitable for relying on being lifeboats. Pretty much all dinghies in use by cruisers are not life raft certified. If they are, then they are certainly qualified for that use - and nobody is arguing that. Do you suggest that someone rely on their 8' Zodiac lashed on their foredeck as a survival platform in storm conditions?

I was the one who stated that typical cruising inflatables less than ~16' are not very stable in large seas. This is an extrapolation from using our heavy 12' in large seas, as well as operating many lighter and smaller ones in these conditions.

You keep refusing to state what your dinghy is. I suspect from the clues that it is not an inflatable, and fairly large, so you are using a bit of sleight-of-hand to continue arguing this point.

Most of the many RIBs and small craft I have experienced being used by commercial and governmental organizations are certainly larger than the typical 8-10' cruiser dinghy. They also tend to be 16' or more.

Mark