Hi Isabellaa, indeed the link provided in post #2 will give lots of info, there has been quite a few of these kind of threads.
As a basic
rule you need stuff to enable to get back home or to a safe port. So for a daysail, you don't need much. For a year long
cruise in
remote areas, you need to take a lot.
It also depends on the size of your
boat, a 28 ft
boat does not allow for a lot of spares and tools, while you can take nearly everything on a 48 ft boat.
It also depends on your skills. I would be silly to take a welder if you can not weld, or fibreglass
repair stuff, if you do not know how to use it.
And lastly, it depends on the type of boat: a simple boat with very little
equipment does not need many spares and tools, while a large boat with complex
electrical, hydraulic, and
plumbing systems needs more, and likely specialised tools.
And as a very lasty comment... it also depend on the
maintenance you do. A well maintained boat needs less repairs than a poorly maintained boat.
You can also approach it in a different way, like a matrix:
1. List the
equipment you have on board
2. Then for each part the likelyhood of breaking that
3. Then how important that part is for a return to port
4. If point 2 and 3 scores high then you need spares, tools to make it
work, and knowledge to use the tools.
Last 2 tips:
- have 3 sockets of 10 mm on board (or its imperial equivalent)
- have a healthy fear of the time '0200 hrs', as that is when things usually break
Hmm, not sure while you mentioned "swimming". Is that for
hull repairs?