What Do You Carry For Parts?

[Razoo]

I'm currently putting together a parts list to carry with me when I set sail from the West Coast later this year to circumnavigate our watery world. Besides the obvious assorted O-rings, hose clamps and other little goodies, I'm curious to find out what you carry with you for parts or parts wish you had carried with you during your voyages.

[tkeithlu]

I cannot come close to offering advice for a circumnavigation, but let me share some general principles that come from scientific land expeditions to remote places. I look at each piece of equipment on which my cohort is dependent for success in the expedition. If that item were to fail or be lost, what would be my Plan B? It might be spares of the parts most likely to fail (injectors for a diesel on your boat, o-rings for a dart gun on my exped.), or it might be a manual back up (chart as well as sat nav on your boat, compass and tape rather than GPS land mapping on my exped.), or it might be a spare (VHF radio and antenna in storage on your boat, two water filters in my luggage). In each case the goal is putting layers (Plans B,C,&D) between you and disaster. Think through the most likely ways for failure to occur in your case, and be ready for it to happen. The exact items are particular to your boat and even your medical history. It's a way of thinking, not a laundry list. In my case thinking that way has resulted in a new species of primate getting radio collared, and a $10,000 trip to analyse monkey saliva not going up in a puff of smoke from a power supply. I use the same principles when I load up for an afternoon riding dirt bikes in a national forest.

One last note: Mr. Murphy, of "If it can fail, it will" fame, was a flaming optomist.

[maxingout]

Congratulations on having a Westsail 42. I had a Westsail 32, and I almost got a 42 until fate intervened and my wife told me she would sail around the world if I did it in a Catamaran.

Regarding spare parts. We did a circumnavigation over 11 years and we used no spares except for impellers, belts, and filters. I also carried a spare alternator. The other extensive and expensive spares never got used. (Several thousand dollars in spares)

Our situation was different because we had 2 Diesel engines, two steering wheels, separate fuel tanks because we were a catamaran.

Most importantly, we had a new catamaran, and there is a five year grace period before stuff starts failing since we were staring out new.

I also carried rigging spares (staylock terminals for all wires) and wire nuts for emergency repairs to wire. I backed up our cap shrouds with running back stays so if we ever lost a shroud we would be ok.

I just did a refit and put in new engines so I should not have any big engine problems for the next five years of cruising.

We have new rigging as well.

If I was starting out in a Westsail 42, I would put in a new engine and get new rigging. I would have spare alternator, impellers and belts.

DHL delivers worldwide, and I would use them to get stuff to me if I needed it.

If I was going to do high latitude remote sailing, I would have an extensive list of spares.

[chuckr]

Gosh the list could be endless. We have been out 12 years sailing the USA, most of the Carib, most of the Med and the entire Black Sea.


We carry a lot of stuff as extras and the admiral said I never saw a spare I did not like or want. But the big thing that worries me the most is the auto pilot so I carry spares for that and will get a few more before we leave Israel.
Second thing we had issue with was a dripless shaft bearing that we lost going into Cartagena Colombia; took us 3 weeks to get a new one shipped in. We lost a fresh water pump in Montenegro and they had one - we carry a spare now. Belts, hoses, alternator (we had a couple with 2 small kids come into Trini while we were there and they lost 2 alternators and did not have enough solar to keep the batteries charged for the auto pilot so they hand steered for the last 10 days on their crossing - (we have 550w of solar). we carry a bit of spare rigging and everything to attach it. we carry lots of spare parts for the engine - especially the unique hoses and fuses.
As for nav we have a solar gps that connects to our computers (we have 3 of various sizes) and have OpenCPN on all of them so we can nav if the chartplotter fails and we have had 2 failures. Spare cords for the windlass.
This is just a small list of things I can think of off hand without consulting the spreadsheet we carry on the parts and where they are.

[sailcrazy]

After cruising Asia for 10+ years, the Medd, and now the Caribb, think through what systems you have on your boat, and what could fail and leave you without. The bigger places you visit will have shops and "stuff", and you can always order it in (FedEx, DHL, etc) if you have an address, but that takes time and shipping is not cheap. What systems do you not want to be without...we carry spare house water pump, shower drain pump, toilet rebuild kits, hoses and hose clamps, wire and crimp-on wire connectors, controllers for solar and wind, autopilot spares, fuses, light bulbs, extra line (we have a duffel with a back-up line for every key line on the boat-they're all different length,diam,etc), plus a few others. We carry a pretty complete bench stock of fasteners(flathead and round head screws, bolts, washers, nuts, wire clamps, etc.We carry electricians tape, duct tape/Grorilla tape, and teflon tape. And don'y forget a good, well-stocked first aid kit. Also, we carry extra blocks, and a good selection of clevises, hooks, snaps, bungee, etc. And what do you have in case you spring a leak...a toilet wax ring, small piece of canvas, maybe some F/G cloth and resin? For eng spares we carry stuff that-if it quits and no ones around, maybe I can repair it...like fuel pumps and filters, injectors, alternator, starter, exhaust elbow, oil press and water temp sender, water pump(salt and fresh), fan belts, lots of oil and oil filters, etc. Lots of places around the world can repair/rewind what's broken....but you need to get there first! The list can be endless, and only you can decide what's enough. And you'll still buy stuff when you get to a well-stocked chandlery! Like Capt Ron says....if it's going to happen, it's going to happen out there!

[Stu Jackson]

This is a good start:


Spares for a Long Cruise 101 - Thanks to Steve Dolling

Engine Spares for a Long Cruise

[wingssail]

We live aboard and have cruised for many years. We have a philosophy about spares: Keep spares for the most important things, and have a back-up plan for the others. (for example, if your engine water pump failed can we use a spare electric water pump somehow?)

Engine. Alternator, regulator, starter, impellors, belts, filters hose clamps. etc. The fellow who sold us this motor recommended against carrying a lot more engine parts. He said, "You will have these in your bilge for years and never use them, they will just get rusty. If you need something, get to a port and I will ship it to you."

Sailing Equipment. Winch parts, spare lines, means to replace or jury rig rigging segments, shackles, pins and sail repair kit. (sewing machine if you have room), autopilot spares (ready to engage).

Navigation equipment. Multiple GPS. Spare navigation computer or chart plotter, back-ups of electronic charts and files.

General cabin and living. Toilet parts, freshwater pump, hoses, bilge pumps, plumbing fittings,

Tools and building materials. Electrical tools and parts, spare wire, connectors, multimeter, clamp meter, electric drills, sander, right angle grinder, bits, etc. Wood pieces. Glues. Fiberglass material and epoxy. brushes, acetone. O-rings, fasteners, micrometer, etc.

Most of the basic things you can find in any town, but it is nice to be able to fix things in a remote anchorage.

In 20+ years cruising we have never been disabled. And when we go to the boat store to buy something, it is not to "fix" a broken item, it is to replace the spare we already used.

[Razoo]

I'm surprised no one has suggested impellers so far. That's definitely on my list.

[Emmalina]

Whatever you carry it will always be the thing you don't have !

[gallatin1988]

All the tools you need to fit every nut, bolt fastener on board. Might consider doubling up propritary and hard to find tools. Manuals with parts list and part numbers. Oil, lubes, sovents, etc. Fiberglass repair kit. Bottom paint if you can find a good deal on some. Spare line. Spare cones if you use mechnical fittings.