Outfitting our little boat....

[Hook]

My wife and two girls, eight and five, are setting sail in 5 months. Our boat, a 30 foot double-ender, needs everything..... or nothing? We have never lived aboard and are planning for one year. The list is long and expensive. Espar heater, Katadyn water maker, solar panel, dodger, bimini, auto pilot, chart chips for our Northstar 952x, interior cushions, and cockpit cushions. Our engine is a 1979 Volvo MD7A, 13hp that probably wont make it the whole way, but it runs like a top now. The engine is fitted with a rebuilt 50 amp alt. Our head system is new last year. Our plan is to start in Maine, head north to Nova Scotia, and then head to the Bahamas. Our budget is small. So our thoughts are either we buy an engine or buy the "essentials" off the list. Just an FYI: I am a boat builder by trade, so we won't be spending money on the installs. What we want are the creature comforts that will keep us enjoying the experience. We are hearty people, but........ any suggestions?

[Ex-Calif]

Hi Hook and welcome aboard Cruisers Forum. Sounds like the big adventure will start soon. 4 on a 30 footer sounds a bit sporty but you sound like you know what you are getting into.

Have you had the boat long or is it new to you? If you are starting in May and going in the summer, why not avoid the northern winter that year and avoid the need for a heater?

I am sure you will get lot's more opinions and advice - Good Luck

[DeepFrz]

Welcome to the forum,

If you engine "runs like a top now" then why do you suspect it wont last for a year? If it is running well keep it.

Maybe a cheaper source of heat, such as a Dickinson diesel heater in the main cabin with a fan to circulate the heat throughout the boat. Cheaper and probably easier to install and probably more reliable.

[limmer]

I have the espar heater and it is nice, really heats the boat, but if I were to install another I would not go with a diesel heater I would install a propane heater, the diesel really smells and every piece of clothing or fabric on the boat will stink of diesel. I have gotten used to it but the misses hates it. and we all know happy wife happy life. cheers

[James S]

I'd add a minimum of some paper charts.
I also agree with DeepFrz about the engine....if its in good shape now...and you're only going a year...and at the end of the day its an aux....you could go a year and only put a 150 more hours on it.
Sounds like a great adventure.

[BadFish]

Ahhh yes, the ol' B.O.A.T... Bring Out Another Thousand. Money well spent, IMHO though.

I live on a 30 footer. Three women livin on de boat with ya, eh? You're a better man than I

Will take a little gettin used to, but you guys will be a happy bunch.

Cheers

Bill

[slomotion]

My first thought was the same as Dan's. Why not just head south? You can skip the heater and do Nova Scotia in the summer when you get back. OTOH, beware of the Bahamas - you may decide not to come back at all.

In the Bahamas you will spend a lot of time at anchor. Most of your 'awake' time on the boat will be spent topside and you will want to go ashore frequently. IMO one of the most important 'creature comforts' is a good hard bottom dinghy, big enough to hold all of you plus some 'stuff', a good outboard, and a convenient way to store and launch it all when you are at anchor. If your boat can support dinghy davits, I highly recommend them. Without them your dinghy inevitably winds up in the water when it shouldn't be - usually upside down with the motor head under water.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Hook,
Got all the galley comforts? Gimbaled propane stove, small 12V cooler? Got LED lights? I too like the Dickenson Diesel Heaters and love the smell of diesel. I agree that if your engine runs like a top then change the oil and filters, clean out the diesel tanks and use good clean fuel and it should not need anything. Oh, check all the cooling hoses and pumps to the engine. It should be able to run good for a year easily.
Good luck.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[Hudson Force]

I agree with Slowmotion regarding the dinghy. Good ground tackle and a good dinghy will be best for living on the hook and saving the marina costs. We seasonally travel from Maine to the Bahamas and commonly use about thirty ports en route that give us access to groceries, laundry, water, diesel, entertainment,- all in a protecrted harbor with good anchorage. My only choice different from Slowmotion's would be to suggest the hard bottom inflatable for transporting your crew of four with provisions, but I know you'll have some limiting choices with davits or deck storage on a 30' double-ender. I personally don't like towing a dinghy off shore, having had them fly and spin in a squall. 'take care and joy, Aythya crew

[s/v Moondancer]

If you go north in May you will be heading south in Hurricane season and you will need three heavy anchors if the boat is to survive even a tropical storm. Stay north until October/November and then head to the Bahamas...My insurace company insisted that I was north of Hataras for the whole summer.

If you do come south in Hurricane season come down the US coast and ICW and then cross to the Bahamas from South Florida...summer is not a time to be off shore in a small boat with small children.

[MarkJ]

I was going to suggest not buying anything for the first year... but you are only going for 1 year!

You surely don't need a watermaker!

[MarkJ]

Just on the bit about watermakers. The small SEaRecovery one is $15,000 so for a 1 year cruise you would be paying $288 per week for water. Its just not worth it.




Mark