What item could I buy now that would serve for my future sailing boat?

[Auspicious]

Hmm. Lots of "stuff" since the first few posts. Add me to their list: lessons.

[Emouchet]

Buy a good weather forecasting training, for instance from Starpath School of Navigation Title Page
Weather is the first thing that matters when sailing.

[anacapaisland42]

a good pair of binoculars
Bill



[QUOTE=fernandosmooth;2481973]I want to buy something, that would be long lasting, an investment that would serve to a better life on the ocean. Something that would be useful.

[bioandy]

Nautical charts for the areas you may want to sail.

[toddster8]

Another vote for knowledge: books and lessons. Time on the water.

Any kind of "stuff" will become obsolete, won't be quite what you need in the end, and weighs you down. Impedimenta. In fact, start getting rid of the stuff you already have! And remember that the purpose of magazines is to sell you more stuff, so resist that.

Beyond sailing lessons, consider books and courses in: navigation, weather, Ham Radio certification, first aid, wilderness medicine, SCUBA, surfing, kayaking... well you get the picture. At each step, people will try to sell you more stuff. The trick is figuring out the minimum kit to do the things that you enjoy doing. And will it all stow comfortably on a (30 ft? 40 ft?) boat?




Once you've got all that figured out, let me know the secret :/

[Jim Cate]

The most useful thing that you can acquire for a future in yachting is a large basket of hundred dollar bills. You will be surprised at the frequency of events that bring out its innate usefulness!

And despite having done celestial navigation in anger long ago and still carrying one aboard, I'd not bother with purchasing a sextant at this time. Looks nice on the coffee table,but in all likleyhood you will never use it or even learn how to use it. A handheld GPS would be more in keeping with your situation: can use it now, even without a boat, you can become familiar with its operation, and you can learn the process of plotting positions on a local chart... something I'd suggest buying as well.

Good luck, and happy sailing when the time comes.

Jim

[Cadence]

I had said investing your money. On second thought invest it in training. That might be the best investment? Something like a good Marlin Spike knife looks good but that is only worth it if you need it.

[JPA Cate]

I'll mention the binoculars, yet again. Buy the best you can afford, with the best optics. Image stabilizing is a bonus, when you want to read boat names. The built in compasses are good for when you've figured out that when the charted feature is bearing xxx deg, you should come to a heading of xxx. So they are useful in piloting, and also for figuring out if what you're seeing with the naked eye is what you want to see and where it is relative to you. ....And they're nice for bird watching--in both senses. ;-)

Ann

[ranger58sb]

Knowledge is power.

If you choose books, consider electronics (softcopy) format. Partly for the ease of keyword searches. Partly to save space later on, since it's usually at a premium on the boat. Chapman's for example, is available on Nook. Calder's are available in Google Play or Kindle. Et cetera. Presumably some books are compatible with iThings.

-Chris

[Lepke]

"I want to buy something, that would be long lasting, an investment that would serve to a better life on the ocean. Something that would be useful."

The very best investment, long lasting guarantee of my continuing life on the ocean was buying a divorce. Had I been younger, a vasectomy would have been my second best investment. And a series of black labs. Great companion, always glad to see me and other people. Rarely causes trouble. No known relatives. Always up for a new adventure. Lotta tail wagging. 30 years, but whose counting?

[nautitrix]

Take out a membership in a yacht club and start taking courses. If you want to sail, show up for Wednesday night racing and volunteer to help or crew.
Knowledge and experience are the best tools a human being can have for any endeavour. It cannot be lost or stolen and is worth every penny or hour you spend.
Every boat, sail or motor, will teach you something. Mine have taught me all I know, but not for free.
BobV

[nautitrix]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

The most useful thing that you can acquire for a future in yachting is a large basket of hundred dollar bills. You will be surprised at the frequency of events that bring out its innate usefulness!

And despite having done celestial navigation in anger long ago and still carrying one aboard, I'd not bother with purchasing a sextant at this time. Looks nice on the coffee table,but in all likleyhood you will never use it or even learn how to use it. A handheld GPS would be more in keeping with your situation: can use it now, even without a boat, you can become familiar with its operation, and you can learn the process of plotting positions on a local chart... something I'd suggest buying as well.

Good luck, and happy sailing when the time comes.

Jim

Yes Jim, he may as well learn that ten of those hundreds = one boat unit, sooner than later.
BobV

[Skipper Phil]

well, years before I finally could buy my boat, I bought a ships clock and barometer (Schatz) in a shop at the London St. Catherine docks.

While waiting for my yacht to come (saving!) I looked at those beautiful brass instruments every day, dreaming of my boat, and motivated to make it happen.

Your time will come!

[Scout 30]

I say buy a sailing dinghy! It's a great way to learn boating skills like sailing, rowing, motoring with a small outboard, reading the wind, weather & currents as well as simply not falling out of a boat or balance. I recommend a Bauer, Trinka, Fatty Knees or a Portland Pudgy which can even be turned into a lifeboat.

Anything that gets you onto the water sooner is a good thing.

[picklesandjesse]

Originally Posted by fernandosmooth

I want to buy something, that would be long lasting, an investment that would serve to a better life on the ocean. Something that would be useful.

It could range from food utensils to sailing equipment. The thing is , I dont have a sailing boat yet but I will and all the things I can think of are camping like equipment. There must be some kind of tool that every sailor likes and that it will be useful in the future. Thanks a lot!

Seeing that you mentioned life on the ocean I would suggest that just for the experience try shopping for about 4 weeks of groceries etc and live on them only with no refrigeration. You should also during this time allow yourself 1 gallon of water a day for everything. If that sounds a bit extreme then maybe push it to 2. It will give you some idea of what can be ahead at times, but not quite, as you will be able to sleep and stay dry at night and not fear for your life and wonder what's going to break next. I guess that you are still working so you'd be allowed to wear clean clothes in order to keep your job!!!! No cheating