Help me shop, new boat needs outfitting.

[bccoast]

Originally Posted by Snore

Using an inverter to charge electronics is inefficient, install USB plugs. Or simply get 12VDC>usb and USB-c adapters

Also the new Jeanneaus have USB plugs in the staterooms, a great addition as you can plug in your phone to use as an anchor alarm.

Definitely something that will be outfitted. We have LED lighting which is great but they don't have USB anywhere so will have to install that and for our MacBooks.

Start by calling the kitchen the ‘galley’!

LOL will do.


Another thing outside the kitchen I mean galley, is a tender. With the self-tacking Jib, not a ton of room to store on deck while underway. I suppose will tow it and then store on deck and the marina. Will hold off on a davit system until we figure out what best option is.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by bccoast

We are about to take possession of our "like" new boat. The previous owners never used the kitchen, stove, fridge so it is literally brand new and empty. This will be our first sailboat and will be going shopping to get it set up. The boat is 40' Jeanneau SO409 with 2 cabins, 2 heads so it has plenty of space.

We are putting a list together and looking for recommendations, even on basics like square plates, plastic vs. china etc. Ikea is 2 blocks away. lol.

I love cooking and am going to get some good knives and a magnet wall mount for them.

We are west coast of Canada and will be weekend coastal cruising until summer when we will take off for a couple months.

What are some of your must-haves?

You specifically mention the galley. So let me start there. First, if it is a propane stove, make absolutely certain that there is a solenoid shutoff system, all connections inside the skin of the boat are absolutely leak free, and the gas tanks are in a locker that does not open into the boat, because the connection to the tank is where you are most likely to have a leak. Don't play with gas. It can be seriously dangerous if used carelessly or the installation is not done properly. Myself, I prefer not to have any gas appliances whatsoever on a boat, particularly down below, but it does have some undeniable advantages and is very popular. Just make sure your setup is SAFE. I would much rather have a diesel stove that vents outside the boat. They do put out a lot of heat, though, which is bothersome in hot climates. If you are all electric, I would urge you to also get a backpacker type stove that will burn diesel, for emergency use out in the cockpit. A pint of diesel will make a lot of ramen noodles if you should lose the ability to make enough electricity for cooking. Use good judgement though. If conditions are not conducive to having a portable item producing an open flame, do without. Some folks like alcohol stoves. I don't. You can starve to death while trying to cook on alcohol. Okay not literally, but alcohol doesn't have nearly as many BTU per gallon as diesel or kerosene. One point in favor of alcohol though, is you can burn pure ethanol, and also drink it. (suitably diluted, in proper moderation!) If your galley is all electric, you probably want induction burners. And an electric pressure cooker. These are very efficient, and don't heat up the cabin. Great for making beans or soup or stew or pot roast.

One problem with cooking on a boat in cool or cold climates is condensation. A gas or alcohol stove makes a lot of water vapor. Cooking produces steam. Things can get pretty damp. A hood and vent over the stove is a fine upgrade if you can deal with the vent sticking up on deck where the stove is. A fully vented wood or diesel stove helps to dry the cabin air. An unvented propane or alcohol stove does just the opposite.

You might think about a wood stove up where you are. They are a PITA in warmer climates because they produce a lot of heat, but if you need a source of dry heat anyway, they are great. Plus some of your trash you can burn in the stove. Paper plates, paper napkins and paper towels, for instance.

IMHO no boat is properly equipped without a superautomatic espresso machine. Nothing starts a day at the boat or a watch at sea off as well as a nice cappuccino. More hands-on manual machines are preferred by many espressophiles but I like pushing a button and hearing the machine grind the beans, push out the espresso shot, and then making steam to froth the milk with another button press or knob turn. They are also partially self cleaning. You just have to rinse the frother nozzle after each use, keep it filled with distilled water and coffee beans, and empty the puck bin when it gets full. Deep cleaning including descaling as needed. DeLonghi is my favorite brand. I have two machines that have been onboard and also in the house on the hard, used daily, for 6 or 7 years and I haven't even had to replace any O rings yet, just keep them clean. Best $600 you can spend on a boat's creature comforts, IMHO. If providing electricity is a problem, you can make "sorta" espresso with a Bialetti moka pot but to me they are a PITA and the coffee doesn't taste or look like proper espresso, and it takes more than just the espresso to make my cappuccino, anyway. YMMV. But the DeLonghi Magnifica is much more convenient than practically any other way of making coffee fit to drink. No way would I ever go back to drip, pour-over, french press, or other more pedestrian methods of caffeinization. Too much bother, weak sister coffee.

Often you will find regular 120V house or dorm refrigerators on boats and okay, I see how they are convenient and crazy cheap to install, but sometimes it is nice to be able to run the compressor with a belt off the main engine or the genset. If you have a gas refrigerator, I would think strongly about replacing it with electric or mechanical. For coastal cruising and one or two day getaways, a humble icebox or even a very well insulated ice chest is safe and effective. With ice chests, go for quality, high ice retention ratings, and use two of them. One is the active one with food and drinks in it. It gets opened a lot and no matter how good it is, it will probably only hold ice for 24 hours or so. The other is filled to the top with ice, and it will only be opened to replenish the ice in the working ice chest. If it is a good one you will still have ice after 3 or even 4 days, especially in a cool climate. If you can buy or make block ice, it will last a lot longer.

Aluminum pie plates. They are ugly, especially after they have been banged around for a few years, but you can't break them, and the raised sides help keep your food on the plate. They are cheap and expendable, too. Insulated mugs are nice to have, too. I really don't care much for crockery or glassware on a boat.

One universal truth about boat galleys is the sink is always too small for washing dishes. Have a couple of large plastic wash basins for that. Wash dishes in seawater in the cockpit. Joy dishwashing soap works well in seawater. You can then rinse in freshwater down below in the micro-sink, but if you wipe them dry there really isn't all that much salt left on them when they are fully dry.

You want plenty of knives, and a knife block to keep them from rattling around in a drawer. I do not like magnetic knife holders on a boat. You could also use a sheath for each knife, but meh. You can custom build your own knife block and screw it to a bulkhead. For maintaining the edge while at sea I like a butcher's steel for day to day re-aligning of the edge, and a Lansky Quad-sharp pull-through sharpener, for when stropping on the steel will no longer bring the edge back sufficiently. Knife snobs will howl with outrage, but the Quad-sharp works great for making an edge that CUTS, quickly and easily and about as safely as you can do anything with a knife on a boat.

These days, a bigger boat ought to have a trash compactor. I am thinking about installing one on Brute Force, actually. We don't throw any trash overboard EVER, except for food scraps well away from any harbor.

NOTHING can properly replace cast iron cookware. Period. You should have a 12" skillet and a large dutch oven. A small skillet for eggs can be handy, too. That's not to say that more modern pots and pans don't also have their place, but I can't imagine scrambling eggs or making cornbread in anything besides cast iron. Just keep your cast iron well seasoned and oiled, and it won't rust on you.

[Cynara]

Don't use plastic plates. None breakable stuff like corelle, will make you feel at home

[Cheechako]

-One thing about Corelle Ware; when it does break, it's like glass not ceramics! Razor sharp thin shards everywhere. We used Dansk Bistro ceramic china, fine grain and dense material. They make some plate designs with a tall outer lip which is nice on a boat.
-I lean to no glass on the boat. Have used thick glass extensively though. I bought some insulated plastic glasses out of Florida and it makes a big difference in warm weather keeping the drink cold and not running condensation all over. So mostly quit with the glass. The glass rattles in the cupboard bad too.
-Nesting pots and pans work great. We liked the Revere Ware deep ones for the boat. I know people knock them and want expensive highly polished sets. But the depth is a plus and the non mirror like surface stays good where the highly polished stuff gets all scratched up.
-Snap Lid plastic storage containers are great, no problem with lids not fitting well. Costco has a big kit of them.
-Not a big fan of magnetic knife holders but I guess they work.
-We put leather straps on the inside of a locker door for pan lids.
-The cabinet under the sink door can be made to hold a garbage bin that tips out or swings out.
-We put silicone rubber on the bottom of bowls to make them non slip. Lay it on wax paper until cured. This one shown below has silicone about 25 years old!

[Cynara]

Is your boat a HC41 originally from the west coast? Maybe Alaska?

[goboatingnow]

One universal truth about boat galleys is the sink is always too small for washing dishes. Have a couple of large plastic wash basins for that. Wash dishes in seawater in the cockpit. Joy dishwashing soap works well in seawater. You can then rinse in freshwater down below in the micro-sink, but if you wipe them dry there really isn't all that much salt left on them when they are fully dry.

This isnt the case with modern yachts, many have decent double sinks , my Bavaria 36 has more then enough space to wash in one sink and dry in the other

[goboatingnow]

I keep both glass and plastic wine glasses. One for at anchor and the other for underway, ceramic plates for the same idea , as underway we always eat from plastic bowls

[mako]

I’d say don’t waste a single penny on Wi-Fi or boosters. Signals are worthless everywhere.

Go with 5G hot point and a high quality antenna, possibly a booster for it.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by Bill_Giles

Start by calling the kitchen the ‘galley’! My must have is a square frying pan which leaves enough room to access the other burners. Avoid gadgets, who needs an olive pip remover, oyster shell openers and anything which needs more than 2 AA batteries?

Yes to square pans. We bought a Boaties Boat pan a couple of years ago and love it. On sale at Binnacle, but available elsewhere. We're going to get a second one this winter. They also make an oven pan with removable handle (but we don't have an oven).

We like having a pressure cooker, but not for fish! It'll be fish soup! How long does it take to fry a fish? A couple of minutes each side for normal filets? Your pressure cooker will still be getting up to pressure.

A pressure cooker is great for dried beans, soups and stews. You can do pretty well any beans from dry to cooked in under 40 mins. If you have A.C. power use an InstantPot.

We use steak knives for food prep. If you can make anything do two jobs...

A stern rail BBQ. We do pizza on it too, on square tiles.

Oven mitts, the ones that go way up your arms and can be used on the BBQ too, something like these from Lee Valley.

[jhagg]

Regarding the electronic flare for pleasure boats in Canada: https://letstalktransportation.ca/el...echnic-signals

it appears that they're now approved.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by jhagg

Regarding the electronic flare for pleasure boats in Canada: https://letstalktransportation.ca/el...echnic-signals

it appears that they're now approved.

Or in the process of being approved, at least.
Thanks for this!

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

This isnt the case with modern yachts, many have decent double sinks , my Bavaria 36 has more then enough space to wash in one sink and dry in the other

True, but beware. One can waste a lot of precious water on dishes. Some boats have a salt water tap for washing. A foot pump for fresh water instead of using pressure water can save a lot of water too.

[Jamme]

Originally Posted by Bill_Giles

…My must have is a square frying pan which leaves enough room to access the other burners. Avoid gadgets, who needs an olive pip remover, oyster shell openers and anything which needs more than 2 AA batteries?

We love oysters and always carry a shucking knife (many oyster farms in Long Island to choose from). Never fried on a boat — I would not want to deal with the aftermath. To each his/her own, as they say!

I agree with those posters that recommended you take some time to figure out what you really need and then possibly make better purchases, in the hope of reducing unnecessary weight and space use.

What an amazing time, enjoy! Best of luck, congratulations and fair winds!

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by SuW

Or in the process of being approved, at least.
Thanks for this!

Good news, but governments are slow.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

Good news, but governments are slow.

There's a publication which mentions the replacement for flares from yesterday.

It is the $300 multicoloured one (Sirius 1002); not the white one.

I've sent an email to the address on the website that you have posted, to ask if they will be approving the white Sirius 1003.