10 Things You Must Have On Your Boat
Boat reflection (Photo credit: Jesper Hauge)
There are a lot of things that people have on their boats now a days but there are at least 10 Things You Must Have On Your Boat and with you all the time. I will try to name 10 things that you must have on your boat as a standard gear. Let’s say something goes wrong while you are far out at sea. You won’t be able to do anything to help yourself if you dont have the basic tools to service your motor or repair your hull or stuff like that. But every experienced skipper knows that this tools are the basic need on boats and usualy come with the boat from the previous owner.
I will write about 10 Things You Must Have On Your Boat that are needed in order to sail safely and for you and your crew to feel good while you are on your boat at sea.
1. Marine Chart Plotter with GPS
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Back in the old days people were navigating their boats only with the use of navigation charts and navigation tools. Even now it is very important to own these things if you are going out at sea becouse they may still be usefull. But in modern age there are much easier ways to navigate your boat. The best option is to use a marine chart plotter with a vector marine chart installed on it. There are a lot of different manufacturers that sell this devices now a days. You can get them from Garmin, Humminbird, Lorentz, etc. One of the biggest advantages is that you can always know where is your current position just by viewing your map. This device can also connect with boats Auto Pilot system and can be used to navigate your boat automaticly. |
2. Sonder or Fishfinder
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It’s very usefull to have a fishfinder or sonder on your boat. These gadgets have a lot of very usefull fuctions. You can watch the sea floor, check the depth of water, temperature of water. They are very usefull when you are anchoring your boat as you can observe where the sea floor is suitable to anchor your boat and what is your current depth. If you own a fishfinder you can also easily discover fish in the sea and make your boat trip even more fun. There are also versions of GPS plotters which include the sonder in the system so you get two extremly usefull sailing tools for the price of one. These devices are also produced by Garmin, Humminbird, Lorentz, etc. |
3. VHF Marine Radio
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VHF marine radio is a must have on all the boats. Its main functions are distress and individual calling, as well as position reply, scan, instant weather access with weather alert. You can get in touch with marinas, other boats in your way or simply just call for help when something is wrong. It is a well invested money and when you get used to using it you will se what you have been mising and how much usefull info you can get with it. It makes sailing a lot easier and, more important, safer. |
4. Compass
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Compass is one of the oldest inventions in navigation. It’s used by milions of people every day. You sholud definetly buy a compass for your boat. You will be using it a lot in future. At least I do. You can never entirely trust electronic devices, such as GPS, which has a programmed compass based on your current location and course. You should always double check your real compass if your GPS is showing you correct data on display. There are a lot of places at sea where we can experience GPS signal problems. If don’t have a compas we are doomed. |
5. Bimini top
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Having a Bimini Top can really make a differnece. If go out for long trips at sea, you should protect your self from sun exposure. The best thing to have on your boat for that purpose is a bimini top. It is cheap but it will make your trip more comfortable. If you go out fishing or if you just go out at sea to have some fun you can use it as efective cover from the sun. It will also keep you dry if starts to rain while you are at sea. |
6. Fire Extingusher
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You probably heard of numerous situations where boat owners expirenced fire on their boats. It very common that you have an electrical fault or a fuel line problem and just a tiny spark is needed and your boat will be in flames. It is wise that you always have a Fire Extinguisher with you while you are rtaveling around with your boat. Two are even better. every time you must check on something in your engine compartment or around the fuel tank your Fire Extinguisher must be ready for action. The sea is a rough enviroment and you never know what is going to happen out there. |
7. Paper Marine Charts and Navigation Tools
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Modern electronic devices for boats are a good solution for navigation and you can in minutes find your position, course, design a path to follow, etc. However you can never entirely trust your GPS. You should always check your Paper Charts as well and track your every movement with navigation tools and pencil on the Paper Chart. You can suddenly loose reception on your GPS and you are lost. By drawing your path to a Paper Chart this can never happen. I always use both tecniques. This way you will bring you, your friends and family and your boat safely to harbor or desired destination. |
8. First Aid Kit
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You never know what can happen to you while you are sailing. You can have an accident or witness one and there is need to help injured people or you just hurt yourself and need medical attention. You can suffer major damage on your self if don’t have your First Aid kit with you. It usualy comes in a small box so it won’t take so much space on your boat but when you will be needing it you will be glad you took it along. |
9. Ropes and Additional Anchor
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Let’s say you decide that you will spend the night in a nice Bay on anchor. You forgot to check the weather reports and when the night falls the wind starts blowing strong and you are affraid that your anchor wont hold your boat in place. In this case it is always wise to have a spare anchor with you. You would then drop your second anchor and now there would be two anchors to hold you bow in place so your boat wouldn’t move so much. You would also be more calm knowing that if one anchor won’t hold you always have the backup one. Be sure to always have additional ropes with you. |
10. Second Outboard Motor
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I thing that the most important thing to have on your boat is a spare motor. I know from my expiriences that the most common thing to fail on my boat is my 90 HP Yamaha. That is why I always have a spare outboard motor that helps me get to the nearest harbor where I can fix my main engine. I use a 4 HP yamaha but you can also use an electric outboard motor. If you are not sailing far from the shore these are actualy more practical. They are light weight and if you have a sepparate battery for them they will run quite some time. |
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accessories, advice, anchor, boat, Boat Accessories, boat tips, boating, fishfinder, Garmin, Global Positioning System, gps, Nautical chart, Navigation, sonar, Watercraft
It has a 10 inch draft which will make navigation easier, and more comfortable. GPS Navigation
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