Stocking up Your Boat

There, you have just got a boat. A nice new hobby for the weekend and it is time to stock it out. It is time to get all that equipment and gear that you have read about in all the magazines and that you have dreamt about for so long. Time to fill that boat up with all the latest goodies and set sail into the unknown. Sail out and over the horizon, ready for all that may be placed in your way!

The engine has always been my greatest problem and I have this constant nightmare of breaking down whilst away from shore. The last thing that I want to do is to call for help and admit to everybody that I was not ready. Spanners, screwdrivers, engine tool kit and a few essential spares are of course a necessity but the Chain Block and the torque wrench, the hydraulic spanner and the ten-pound hammer? I am not so sure that I will ever really need them at sea.

What are you going to do with them? Lift the engine off the block and do a complete strip down whilst bobbing on the water? Let us look into this before we dive in and fill the boat up full to the brim with unessential items. Before we fill up the cabin drawers with tools of all shapes and sizes and electrical equipment that would stretch your power supply to its limits. It must be remembered that if the problem is a serious one then nine times out of ten you will not have the correct spare part anyway! So what do you really need before you make a storeroom out of every available space onboard?

Tools are essential and maybe the saving grace to any that lose their power at sea. Tools are required to unblock a fuel filter or cure a leaking pipe, but you are not going to be doing a complete overhaul so leave the 18" monkey wrench behind along with the engine lifting frame and the welding machine. Leave them safely at home in the garage and set sail with the minimum of required tools for essential repairs. Have in your boat enough tools to do the job and leave plenty of space for all the food and goodies that will make the trip into what you dreamt it would be like. Don't turn your boat into a nightmare with unnecessary tools falling out of cupboards and leaving oily stains everywhere, just have what you need and set sail happily. Don't have your friends and guests complaining of stubbed toes and bruises on the head as they work there way through the cupboards whilst searching for some food to eat!

The crucial point to remember about engine maintenance and repair is that it should all have been done before you left port. The engine and auxiliary equipment should be in a good condition and able to do the job it is meant to do before you take the last rope off the jetty. So any repairs and work should have been carried out before you even thought of stocking up for the trip. When you set sail you should have underneath you a boat ready and prepared for all occasions, one that you can trust in to do the job that it is required to do.

In many situations the amount of equipment that you carry does depend on the skills that you yourself possess. First of all, if you are not very good at engine overhauls then it is pointless to have the larger pieces of equipment anyway. If you are good at doing engine overhauls and have knowledge about what you are doing then you should not have set sail with a faulty engine in the first place. It is possible that you breakdown through no fault of your own but it is far better to have a good communication system to call for help and swallow your pride than to try and fix the engine yourself.

Essential items therefore consist of a set of spanners, a couple of hammers, a set of screwdrivers, and an adjustable wrench. One monkey wrench of a small size, filter removal strap for the Fuel filters and LO filters, hand crank handle if the engine is small, a spare set of batteries, some spare Lubricating Oil and some odds and ends of screws and nuts and bolts. Along with these items should be the engines tool kit, essential spares for the engine including a couple of injectors, fuel filter and LO filter inserts and anything else that the manufacturer recommends for that engine.

Leave behind the Chain Block, the large Monkey Wrench and the Hydraulic Spanners. Leave behind the spare heads and the spare crankshaft and all the spares that require the use of a chain block. Make sure before you leave that the engine is in top working condition and that you can trust in its ability to take you where you want to go without breaking down on the way. And finally make sure that your communication system is suitable and in a good working condition, so that if a problem does arise help is not far away.

There is no pride to think of when you breakdown. Safety is of a higher priority.

About The Author

Author and Webmaster of Seamania. As a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Navy he has sailed the world for fifteen years. Now living in Taiwan he writes about cultures across the globe and life as he sees it.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Cruising & Sailing Information:

Related Articles

Boat Timeshares - A Unique Vacationing Experience
If you've dreamed of sailing the seven seas, but don't necessarily have the bank account to buy a luxury vessel, don't despair. There are ways to make that dream happen without breaking your bank.
Celebrity Alaska Cruises!
Alaska cruises can be the experience of a lifetime. Enhance that magnificent experience with Celebrity Alaska cruises.
Hawaii Cruise Expert Guide
Experiencing a Hawaii cruise is a dream come true for many people around the world. Very few travel adventures can live up to the thrill of sailing out into the depths of the Pacific Ocean on a luxury cruise liner in search of a paradise that is Hawaii and her neighboring islands.
Holidays Afloat: Your Guide To Yachting Vacations
Yachting vacations used to be the sole preserve of the rich or famous; the price being unachievable for most people. Prices have now dropped considerably with the introduction of chartering and many yacht owners now offer other potential seafarers the opportunity to 'rent' their boat for their dream vacation.
Why a Cruise Vacation is YOUR Dream Holiday
Thinking you could use an escape from the wintertime blahs, maybe even that dream holiday you've been thinking about for years? A Caribbean cruise vacation is the answer! What makes a cruise your dream holiday, you ask? Well, put simply, a cruise combines all the elements of a dream vacation into one blissful trip. There is ALWAYS something to do, no matter your age or interests.
From Ocean Cruises and Ocean Liners to Vacation Cruises and Cruise Ships
The golden age of transatlantic ocean shipping and travel began long after Columbus' trying to prove that the earth was round. After that time, ocean sailing vessels traveled to the new world on a rather infrequent schedule.
Boat Hull Cleaning; Equipment Needed
How do you clean the hull on a boat when it is out of the water? As a boat cleaner or detailer there are ways to speed up the process of boat hull cleaning. It is important to do a perfect job if you are to later detail the boat or put wax on it.
Defeating the Drug Smugglers in Ultra Fast Boats, Skimmer Craft and Hydrofoils
The drug smugglers have ultra fast boats, skimmer craft and hydrofoils, which makes it difficult to give pursuit by conventional marine craft. The problem is getting worse as drug smugglers ratchet up the game stakes using ultra fast water craft, submarines and aircraft.
Airboats - The Right Boat For Many People
The state of Florida is filled with lakes, swamps and unchartered territory that can only be reached by airboat. Airboat popularity continues to rise in Florida and boating enthusiasts are making new airboat purchases everyday.
Want To Know More About Cruises and Cruise Ships?
Today, Norm Goldman Editor of Sketchandtravel.com, is pleased to have as a guest of Sketchandtravel.
Cunard! The Name Alone Evokes Nostalgia For A More Civilized Era
Traveling famously on a Transatlantic crossing or cruising the world on a stately Cunard has been the exemplar of the good life for 163 years. Cunard's rich legacy of lustrous White Star Service? and realm of privileged indulgence are the gold standard by which others are measured.
Learning How to Sail
When it comes to sailing, there are all kinds of things to learn how to do. How you go about learning will depend on your particular style.
A Land Divided - A World United - The Panama Canal
It has been called "the big ditch", "the bridge between two continents" and "the greatest shortcut in the world". One look at the immensity of the Canal, and you will understand why a French company with a labor force of 10,000 men went bankrupt trying to excavate it.
Italy Cruise Expert Guide
History, wine, serene beauty, dramatic people andstunning views - an Italy cruise has it all! You canvisit the main sites of Italy on a European cruiseor a Mediterranean cruise, but to really experienceItaly - to really taste it - you need to immerseyourself in everything that Italy has to offer bytaking an Italy cruise.Italy cruises depart from several ports around thecountry.
Disney Cruise Expert Guide
Experiencing the magic of Disney at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort Paris is something that is rarely forgotten as a child or as an adult. With a Disney cruise, you can now recapture that magic on board one of Disney's elite cruise ships.
Yacht Charter From Rhodos Base - Dodecanese
The most famous of the Dodecanese, beautiful and famous for its mixed lifestyles, Rhodos has contributed the Colossus, a huge statue which stood at the port's entrance, to the seven wonders of the world. The old city is surrounded by powerful fortifications with bastions, battlements, gates and moat; a fine example of 15-16th century art.
The Skipper on a Charter Yacht
The skipper is the heart of every floating vessel on earth. His word is (or should be) law to everybody on board.
The Alaska Cruise- A Living Memory
The Alaska cruise is a major attraction drawing vacationers with its majestic scenery, gleaming glaciers, exotic wildlife, and Native American culture. Ships are normally on a seven-day excursion package to Alaska and they stop at four ports on their passage, visiting Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay National Park.
Find Many Cruise Deals That Suit Your Personal Style And Needs!
Finding Cruise Deals are half the battle when considering a cruise vacation! In order to maximize the value of your cruise, it's a good idea to do some research and find out what type of cruise ship is right for your personal needs, and the Internet is a great place to start!Some questions you want to write down are: What appeals to you most in your vacation? What are your likes and dislikes? Are you very active, or do you like to sit on the beach all day and soak up the sun, while sipping on a refreshing cocktail? Are you adventurous? Do you love to shop till you drop? Do you prefer the ship experience, or do you prefer to visit a port a day to take in the endless variety of culture? There are so many other factors you can write down to determine what type of cruising experience is right for you, so grab your paper and pencil and start writing away.Once you establish your requirements for your cruise holiday, the next step is to power-up your computer and do a little research on the types of vessels out there.
Alaska - Easy Cruise Guide
WHAT TO SEE: Legendary beautiful scenery of Alaska- magnificent coastal fjords, rugged glaciers, vast evergreen forests, sky-high mountains, 7 of which are the tallest peaks in North America (to see Mt. McKinley, North America's tallest peak, you'll need to take a tour to the shore into the Denali National Park), abundant land and marine wildlife- moose, kodiak and grizzly bears, caribou, dall sheep, puffin, otters, seals, humpback and killer whales, dolphins, bald-headed eagles and much more.