The Cruisers Essentials List

[sailorboy1]

This is becoming another thread that basically says I must have died at sea 3 years ago, but no one told me so I ignored it.

Since lots of people on this thread posted on the "life raft yes:no" thread and 60+% said yes; why isn't a life raft an essential?

And to be real; why isn't beer on the list yet? If you can not have a beer what is point?

PS - you know West marine has a "suggested" cruising list already, I wonder how that compares?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

PS - you know West marine has a "suggested" cruising list already, I wonder how that compares?

The West Advisor: Suggested Cruising Gear

I haven't read it yet - probably much which is available at West Marine.....

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

The West Advisor: Suggested Cruising Gear

I haven't read it yet - probably much which is available at West Marine.....

Ya...I just read it...you're right. Pretty hilarious. Emergency water maker...$800. Tri-color mast light...essential...and so on.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Ya...I just read it...you're right. Pretty hilarious. Emergency water maker...$800. Tri-color mast light...essential...and so on.

If you scan up to earlier posts you will find the emergency watermaker on the list, so not a WM thing (I bet they sell ALL the stuff we come up with regardless of whose list it is on). I could see making a good case for the mast tri-light without too much effort.

It just goes to show that most "essential" stuff, isn't!

so far for me it's still self steering, clothes, water

[LeaseOnLife]

Originally Posted by foolishsailor

I dont know about you but i sure wouldnt want to try and cut stainless steel rigging on a broken mast in the dead of night in heavy seas with the mast doing its best to punch a hole in my boat.

Bolt cutter for me are an essential safety item.

Friends lost their mast on March 1st this year.

Lessons: The boat without mast rolls violently. Mast left 'nice' scratches in steel hull, time is of essence to get it off. Look at the bent toggles, turnbuckles, etc. Unscrewing is no option. Pulling cotter pins and pushing clevis pins might not work. Hack saw might work, but slow. They cut it off with a good size bolt cutter.

Blog is in German, but pictures will speak for themselves.

MV MOMO, wir sind wieder da! - momo - express

Dirk

[s/v Breakaway]

Originally Posted by conachair

I found a cheap tiller autopilot connected to the vane of the windvane works well for motoring.

Not such a disaster when it breaks as well.

I'm lucky, if there's enough wind to move there boat, the aries will steer it.

I've heard of this solution before. Anyone else here have this set-up?

[Bash]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

BTW- the bolt cutters, or some way to cut away a rig is probably essential. I have a hacksaw with good blades. What do you guys think?

Negative on the hacksaw, except as a backup tool. I was once involved in a dismasting where the top portion of the mast came down but the bottom 2/3rds was still standing. Mast had broken at the second set of spreaders. The only way to cut the top half of the mast free and leave the bottom standing was to go up the rig. Wouldn't have wanted to do that with a hacksaw.

[sabray]

I'm wondering are people saying cut the turnbuckles with bolt cutters or cut the cable. I tried today cutting 3/8 s.s cable with bolt cutters. The cable kept trying to force its way out of the jaw. It was not so easy. I then grabbed the purpose made cable cutter. Much easier. Not sure I could get through my turnbuckles unless I had a 5' set of bolt cutters. The cable cutters I experimented with we're 4'6" I think.
On using rings instead of split pins. Never again. I lost several of these rings last year. They appeared good and although not new had been taken off for maintenance and re installed. They vanished during the night while getting some heavy wash across the deck. Others have confirmed similar experience using the rings. I am sworn off them.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by sabray

I'm wondering are people saying cut the turnbuckles with bolt cutters or cut the cable. I tried today cutting 3/8 s.s cable with bolt cutters. The cable kept trying to force its way out of the jaw. It was not so easy. I then grabbed the purpose made cable cutter. Much easier. Not sure I could get through my turnbuckles unless I had a 5' set of bolt cutters. The cable cutters I experimented with we're 4'6" I think.

Good point. When I said "bolt cutters" I was referring to special-made cable cutters. In a seaway, it really helps to have that U in the jaws where you can snag a cable.

[ChrisnCate]

Hmm, cable cutters instead of bolt cutters - good call.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by jm21

That's probably true...but I was thinking of this more as a list of stuff to look for when buying a used boat. A lot of the items are expensive (or expensive when taken as a whole) but don't add much resale value to the boat.

The issue is that most sellers seem to think otherwise.

b.

[bella]

Gosh Newt, I thought you wanted to go simple... I mean..... geez..

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

OK guys, now we are really going to have some fun. I took a list of essential cruising equiptment from “Cost Conscious Cruiser” by Lin and Larry Pardey. I hope to define the essential equiptment for a 30- 35 foot ocean going cruiser. No backups will be mentioned unless they are different from the primary. For example a GPS handheld is primary, the sextant is backup. Nav. Lights primary, lamps that can be used as nav lights secondary.

Also I want to catagorise the equiptment into 3 classes for complexity. Class 1 is portable without the need for electricity. Hand tools is a good example. Class 2 is either electric portable or nonelectric and intergrated into the boat. An example would be a handheld GPS and or a head without a macerator. Class 3 is electric and intergrated into the boat. A chartplotter with digital radar comes to mind. A electric windlass also meets the requirements. When all else is equal, the simplier option ( and usually the lower class) would be where we would go to get to the bare essentials. Enough of the ground rules, here is the starting list:

Handheld GPS
Shortwave receiver
VHF, handheld
Dingy
Dodger
Windvane self steering
Depth Sounder
Distance log and knotmeter
Bilge pump
Liferaft
Emergency watermaker (hand held?)
EPIRB
Emergency Harness and tether (per sailor)
Flares
First Aid Kit
Fire extinguishers
12v Spotlight
Radar Reflector
Navigation lights, electric
Ships Batteries
Voltmeter
weather gear">Foul weather gear (per sailor)
Hand tools
Lifesling hoisting tackle
Whisker pole
Water cans
Fuel cans
Bosun's chair
Swim ladder or rear step up
Snorkling gear
Oil Lamps with red and green paper.
Anchor roller
Anchor ready
Anchors (3)
Hand bearing compass
Binoculars
Chronometer
metal sextant
Charts, nav tables, cruising guides
Sails, including storm jib, storm trysail, drifters and MPS
Awning, cockpit canvas
rain catcher
Flags
Chain for anchors
Anchor windlass (mech vs electric)
Abandon ship bag
Sailing rig for dinghy.


Optional Items: a must for some but not for others.
Radar
SSB
Autopilot
Fuel Filter (must for jerry cans)
High output alternator
Outboard motor
Solar panel
Cabin fans
12 volt vacuum cleaner
Watermaker
Refrigeration
Sewing Machine
SCUBA gear
Weather Fax
Inverter
Towing generator
Computer (must for C.F.er's)
Satphone
Video Camcorder
Folding Bike
Roller Furling Sails
Underwater Camera?
TV
Fully Battened main and Batt-cars.

OK- let the debate begin. In order to have something removed from the essentials list, you must have cruised over a few months and did not need it at all and did not believe you will ever need it.

[bella]

Originally Posted by s/v Breakaway

I've heard of this solution before. Anyone else here have this set-up?

its been around for a long time...almost as long as windvanes and tiller pilots...
http://www.selfsteer.com/faqs/faq.php?ID=134

google "tiller pilot to windvane"

[bella]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

And to be real; why isn't beer on the list yet? If you can not have a beer what is point?

Sir Francis Chichester sailed with a built in beer tap... I am offended no one mentioned rum..

[barnakiel]

Well to some it will be beer or rum to others a good book or an instrument to play on. In any case do not go sailing without the little pleasures.

b.