Spares: what do you carry?

[Letterkenny]

Got word that my boat has finished construction at the factory and will make a ship soon bound for the west coast. She will be a coastal cruiser with likely longest voyages being a week long, though, I might take her on longer trips down the road. This is my first boat and I like to be prepared. What spares, fluids, and other technical equipment should I stock onboard? I’d like to make an inventory list so I don’t forget anything. My initial thought are:

- engine oil (diesel, dinghy, Honda generator)
- fuel and oil filters (all three)
- gear oil and change system (dinghy)
- spark plugs (all three)
- impellers (diesel and dignhy)
- Ryobi power tools (18v set) and misc tools
- diesel coolant
- grease & WD40
- spare alternator belt? Worth carrying?
- saw a couple items that expand to fill a through hull in case of issue. Stocking those?

What else should I have to cover common issues that might occur while in the water? Granted, if anything really happens, it’s likely just a Sea Tow call and figuring it out at the dock but I’d rather be prepared. Thanks!

[Joh.Ghurt]

Half my boat is filled with spares, some of those I inherited are still a mystery to me. Just recently I identified yet another mystery-part as a very useful spare.

If you have the choice, cruise for a season in a region where you can have quick delivery instead of moving directly to Patagonia. In this year, you'll learn which spares you need.

Other good ideas:

• Some emergency-sealant like LEAK HERO or similar. Those are really great in case of troubles with throughhull though they leave a mess behind.
• Spares for the head. You'll going to disassemble the poop-pump a lot more than any other thing on your boat.
• One spare alternator belt is really a good idea, because it's very shitty if yours breaks and if you have the spare it's quick to fix.

Besides this, you'll accumulate the spares you need over time. If something breaks and isn't too expensive, order two of them.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Joh.Ghurt

Half my boat is filled with spares, some I inherited are still a mystery to me.

Ha, same here and we bought her 14 years ago.

LT, don't bother with the outboard spares if you are coastal cruising, just service it once a year.

Yes to the diesel spares, lots of oil + filters and belts etc. Electrical tape, self amalgamating tape and gaffer tape. Cable ties and distilled water if the batteries are the flooded type. Antifreeze for the coolant?

Puncture repair kit for dinghy.

Don't think the Honda has a filter, on mine you change the oil and that's it.

Pete

[GILow]

Much of the three tons weight loss in my boat came from removing spares.

When it came down to it, I really could not see the point in carrying spares for an engine that had been removed from the boat 20 years before I bought her.

KISS principle applies, I like the idea of cruising somewhere well developed to get a feel for what is needed.

However, I do not see devices for plugging failed through hulls as “spares”. I seem them as utterly essential safety gear. I am old school and have an appropriately sized bung tied to every through-hull in the boat, plus a selection of rubber cones in a pouch with the grab bag, life raft, EPIRB and other safety related gear.

Not sure what comes with new boats these days but I also carry six fire extinguishers dotted around the boat plus a fire blanket in the kitchen. I suspect new boats take a more minimalist approach to such things.

[Greatest Lakes]

Cotter pins.
A few different shackles and pins.
A few different blocks.
Extra rope. Small stuff, as well as a hundred foot or so of what you use most.
Sail repair kit
Rebuild kit for the head.
Misc. Fasteners, common bolts and screws on your boat.
Inflatable repair kit.
Through hull emergency plugs.
Electrical connector ends and some wire.
Safety wire.

With your boat being factory new, the issues are most likely to be things that were not assembled completely, loose nuts, bolts, the odd unbent cotter pin. Recheck the tightness and existence of hose clamps and fittings below the waterline. Check Rudder cables clamps and packings. So long as the commissioning is thourough, you should be in good shape.

[Mike OReilly]

Most of my spares are consumables; stuff like filters, impellers, fasteners, pins, shackles, oils, coolant, lubricants, gaskets, hoses, clamps, pipe fittings, epoxy, fibreglass, etc.

The only true spares I carry are water pumps, and a lift pump for my main diesel engine. But experience has shown that with enough basic material, I've always been able to jury-rig a repair when needed -- so far.

[rslifkin]

In general, the best spares are ones you can make use of. If you don't have the skills or tools to install something (or would need to haul the boat), it's not a good spare (unless traveling to an area where getting a part may be hard).

I took the spare props off my boat based on this theory. Yes, they might be useful some day, but even though I own a prop puller, I'm not equipped to change the props myself in the water. I'd either need a diver or a haulout, so at that point, it's not a big deal to get someone to go to my house, grab the props and puller from the garage and ship them to me. No reason to carry around 70 lbs of stuff (and consume the storage space) for something I can't install myself on short notice anyway.

Basically, if having something could get you out of a bad situation or save you a tow, it's good to carry. If it may save you hunting for a store away from home on short notice, it's also a good idea to have, as you can use it and then replace at the first opportunity.

Tools wise, I carry a bunch, but for power tools, I prefer corded for a "lives on the boat" tool. Things like a drill get used infrequently, so it's easier to just plug it in (inverter, shore power, or generator) than to worry about the battery I haven't used in 6 months being dead.

Here's an approximate list of stuff I carry:

• Oil filters (1 per engine)
• Fuel filters (1 per engine)
• Coolant
• Engine oil (at least enough to change both engines twice and generator)
• Transmission fluid
• Steering fluid
• Impellers (1 engine, 1 generator)
• Belts (1 engine, 1 generator)
• Spark plugs (enough for 1 engine)
• Bilge pumps (replacements for both types of smaller maintenance pumps)
• Wood and foam plugs
• Assorted hose clamps
• Assorted screws, bolts, and other hardware
• Head parts (gaskets, etc.)
• Some basic wiring supplies
• Stuffing box packing
• Probably some more stuff I'm forgetting

[Nicholson58]

Hoses, clamps, complete alternator, charge controller, ignition switch.

Zincs

Solder iron, shrink wrap, calks and sealants, epoxy, glass, sanding tools,

About 150 pounds of hand tools and spare nuts and bolts.

Rope

Selected spare blocks, shackles, pins


These two should be standard on all marine power plants:
I installed a 1 micron fuel polisher and no longer need to replace Racor elements.
I installed a 1 micron crankcase oil cleaner and no longer change oil or filters.

[Clivevon]

A mobile phone & a credit card...

[Clivevon]

Originally Posted by Clivevon

A mobile phone & a credit card...

Sorry for the smartarse answer. I do carry spares, of course I do, all the recommended ones & then some. But the best guarantee I have found for something not breaking is to carry the required spare part to fix it. The bits that fail are usually the ones I didn't anticipate. Then you need a mobile phone & a credit card...

[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by Letterkenny

- spark plugs (all three)

Diesels don't have spark plugs.

[lhuff35204]

We're in a cat so we have two of everything:

Parts:
Alternator
Starter
Water pump
Macerator
Start solenoid
Start switch bypass
Hoses, clamps, belts
Gasket compound
316 Fasteners

Consumables:
2 oil changes on all systems
6 filters on all systems
Spark plugs
Zincs on all systems

Repairs:
T Rex tapes (all)
JB Weld (all)
Hull and through hull damage control stuff
Electrical crimps
Electrical corrosion stuff

[David Mark]

Don't by anything , except a big bottle of rum and a good stereo system !!! sit on your new boat and enjoy it !! a new boat or a used one is going to brake , problem is you don't know what that part is , especially if this is your first boat . as you use your boat it will tell you what you need . being you are coastal cruzing you will have plenty of time at the dock to get to know your boat before you go anywhere for a long period of time and stock those parts. have fun !!! boating is all about fixing your boat in exotic places .

[stormalong]

One spare belt is never enough. Carry at least three of every size you use. Why? Because if you have some kind of problem that causes a belt to fail you may not realize that there is a problem until you have destroyed the one spare that you carry. It may take a couple of itertions to get it right.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Letterkenny

Got word that my boat has finished construction at the factory and will make a ship soon bound for the west coast. She will be a coastal cruiser with likely longest voyages being a week long, though, I might take her on longer trips down the road. This is my first boat and I like to be prepared. What spares, fluids, and other technical equipment should I stock onboard? I’d like to make an inventory list so I don’t forget anything. My initial thought are:

- engine oil (diesel, dinghy, Honda generator)
- fuel and oil filters (all three)
- gear oil and change system (dinghy)
- spark plugs (all three)
- impellers (diesel and dignhy)
- Ryobi power tools (18v set) and misc tools
- diesel coolant
- grease & WD40
- spare alternator belt? Worth carrying?
- saw a couple items that expand to fill a through hull in case of issue. Stocking those?

What else should I have to cover common issues that might occur while in the water? Granted, if anything really happens, it’s likely just a Sea Tow call and figuring it out at the dock but I’d rather be prepared. Thanks!

Given you're getting a new boat, I wouldn't go too hog wild on the spares just yet. You will undoubtedly have issues during the shake down period but those are things the dealer should fix. If you're coastal sailing out of San Diego you're going to be a long way from any third world place where spares are impossible to find. I would get the Ryobi 18v set and anything you know you'll need in a year (impellers, filters etc) Since it's a new boat you won't find a bunch of random left over spares from the previous owner and you won't be doing any of the McGuivering people on older boats need to be equipped for. Keep it simple and in a year you'll have a better idea of what you really need. There's nothing worse than having something you need but can't find because of all the other crap in the way. New boats often need common things like fenders, snubbers and maybe even ground tackle - You'll have enough to buy without overdoing it on spares.