I’ve been going over all the things I’ve bought, used, or have planned on buying for the Pretty Gee. I’ve found a few things essential for sailing and maintenance. The list of indispensable things for sailing so far are:
My Boye’s Rigging Knife with Marlinspike. The knife blade is made of cobalt carbide and doesn’t rust. It also cuts through synthetic lines used on a sailboat very well.
My SpinLock Deckware Pro Safety Harness and PFD. Although the DeckWare Pro isn’t USCG approved yet, it is by far the easiest harness and PFD to put on, and one of the most comfortable I’ve ever worn. It has leg straps as well as a spray hood, strobe and whistle. I also have a Mustang MD0200 inflatable PFD, which is normally worn by one of my crew.
LED Flashlights. I have a dozen LED flashlights scattered around the boat. Flashlights are always needed on a small sailboat, my favorite is a Coast Dual Color Tactical Torch, which has five white LEDs and a single red LED, and allows you to turn on either the white or red lights. The red LED is great if you need some more light, but need to preserve your night vision. I also have one mounted right next to the companionway, which is easily reachable from both the cockpit or the cabin.
The Garmin 192C GPS Chartplotter. This GPS came with all of the coastal BlueChart navigation charts pre-loaded. It has a decent size screen and allows me to setup the waypoints, routes and tracks on a computer, using a memory card. It seems to be a pretty popular unit, as there are at least four or five other boats at my marina that use the same unit.
The Raymarine 1000+ Tillerpilot. It steers far more steady a course than I generally do. It also allows me and my crew to get other things done, while underway. A friend once told me “Hell is a long bluewater passage without any self-steering.”
My Musto MPX Foul Weather Jacket. This jacket is pretty comfortable, and very good at keeping me dry, even in the worst of conditions. Being dry is a good thing.
The Nicro 2000 Solar Ventilators. I’ve got two of these, but I’ve only installed the first so far. This keeps the boat at a reasonable temperature, even when I’ve got it closed up in the hottest weather. Prior to installing it, opening the companionway on a hot day was like opening the door to a good sauna.
Rolls of Tape. I use several brands of silicone self-fusing tape for many different repairs and tasks on the boat. I also use duct tape for a lot of things on the boat. The duct tape tends to be used in temporary repair situations, or for mounting gear until I finish working on it. The self-fusing tape is generally used for many maintenance tasks—anti-chafe, whipping rope ends, insulating electrical connections, etc.
A pocket multi-tool. The one I use most is my Leatherman ChargeTi. This is my standard pocket tool. The pliers and scissors are invaluable for most general tasks on a sailboat. The screwdriver, with interchangeable bits is also very useful.
Boeshield T-9. This is like industrial strength WD-40. Developed by Boeing for the aviation industry, Boeshield T-9 is meant to be used in really hostile environments, and leaves a thin protective film behind. I’ve used it on electronics, tools, rigging, and a million other places.
What do you find is indispensable on your boat? Is there anything that you’re using on your boat regularly, that you wouldn’t do without now?
Big bottle of Gatorade tied to a shockcord in the cockpit and, of course, two Clif Bars in the pocket of my PFD.
I added a nifty little gadget to my Honda motor. After reading the manual, I decided that I was going to need an hour meter. All the maintenance requirements refer to hours on the motor…how do you keep track of Hr. on the motor without a meter? I guess you could keep track by keeping a running log. But, I know I wouldn’t remember to log the running time. So I went on a search for an hour meter. The meters that I found at the marine supplies were quite expensive. Then I went to Honda’s web site and found, under accessories, a neat little digital Usage Meter/Tachometer. I called my closest local Honda dealer (Shields Marina) and found out that they had the meter in stock. Installing the meter only took about 30 minutes…and the thing worked the first time I tried it! The neat thing I like about it is it doesn’t need any DC power. The meter works on induction that it picked up through a clip that attaches to the spark plug wire. There is also a ground wire that you connect to a motor ground. Operating the unit is a “No Brainier” It only has one button. Pushing the button rotates the function between Total Usage (hours) or Engine Speed(RPMs).
Terry