Essential items

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Captain Daz

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Hi, could someone please direct me to a thread about what is essential to carry on board a yacht. I am sure there must be one but the search just brings up too many results.

OR

What would you say was essential to take on a yacht?
 
Captain Daz said:
Hi, could someone please direct me to a thread about what is essential to carry on board a yacht. I am sure there must be one but the search just brings up too many results.

OR

What would you say was essential to take on a yacht?
Click to expand...

Maybe give us a bit more background??!! My boat has hardly anything on it as it is being used as a round the cans racer this season. If I was setting off round the uk in it I would have a different list.

Also maybe depends a bit on size. When I get my 36 footer to go round the world the list would be different again?
 
Captain Daz said:
Hi, could someone please direct me to a thread about what is essential to carry on board a yacht. I am sure there must be one but the search just brings up too many results.

OR

What would you say was essential to take on a yacht?
Click to expand...

You will find useful information, particularly on safety equipment on both the RYA and RNLI sites. What you carry above the appropriate safety equipment for where and how you sail will depend mainly on your personal choice of tools, navigation tools, boat and engine spares, domestic aids etc. Everybody has their own personal preferences - but most people also carry far too much "just in case", the limit usually is the amount of space available to put the "stuff". Have just emptied the boat that I have had for 14 years and now sold. Five car loads and much of it i forgot I had! Expecting to have similar car loads for the new one
 
It's a 28 foot motor sailor that will be going not far from land. It has a compass, one heck of a compass.
It has VHF, chart plotter and a few more electric things.

I was thinking more like medicines, first aid, eating utensils, bedding, toilet roll, that kind of thing.

EDIT
Flags, torches , radios,
 
Last edited:
Captain Daz said:
It's a 28 foot motor sailor that will be going not far from land. It has a compass, one heck of a compass.
It has VHF, chart plotter and a few more electric things.

I was thinking more like medicines, first aid, eating utensils, bedding, toilet roll, that kind of thing.
Click to expand...

You can buy ready made first aid kits from chandlers, graded according to the range of sailing. Domestics entirely your choice and little different from what you would have at home, but of course the more time you spend on the boat, and the more cooking you do, the greater the amount of gear you need. This may well be influenced by family and the degree of comfort and catering they expect. For example we lived for fairly long periods on board (in a warmer climate!) so used fitted sheets and duvets rather than sleeping bags and cooked extensively so our cooking and eating utensils were very little different from home.

Makes sure your toilet paper is the easily soluble type.
 
Well the compass is a good start.I recently bought an old boat and have been ruthless about putting stuff aboard.Been sailing it now for three seasons and so far have been tempted to buy very little, mostly spares for the engine and a appropriate tool kit.Some type of depth sounder would be good and basic safety stuff if going out the harbour, like flares.Its very easy to buy stuff thinking it must come in useful and in time you will find it stays in the locker.
 
Captain Daz said:
Hi, could someone please direct me to a thread about what is essential to carry on board a yacht. I am sure there must be one but the search just brings up too many results.

OR

What would you say was essential to take on a yacht?
Click to expand...

+1. I was going to ask this. There are plain lists (lifejackets, torch, etc.) but I bet there's a whole lot of stuff that is useful that only an experienced sailor would know about and that you don't find on the textbook lists. The 'why didn't I think of that" kind of stuff.
 
That List is endless.........Lydll can be fatal a.Every week there is something that could come in handy .I bought a wonderful tool to pick up dropped stuff in the bilge but I am now at a loss to know where it is.Or a new coil of rope ,might come in handy in a gale as It is it sits there in the locker as a reminder that an offer is not always a so7nd investment.
 
One thing people forget until it's too late: as well as a first aid kit, you need a first aid manual. The one produced by St John Ambulance is excellent.
 
Life jackets
Anchor
Buckets
Flares
Vhf
First aid kit
Spare clothing
Nav kit, charts, compass
Tea
Secondary means of propulsion
Torch
Knife

What did I miss?
 
Ok so I have far too much aboard. For round the island I just about halved this but slowly it's all going back....

Engine tools and spares, filters, impellers etc. Spare grease for the stern gear greaser. Spare coolant and oil for the engine, spare oil for the gear box. Extra 10l of fuel in a can.

Electrical tools and spares including wire, soldering iron, multi meter, fuses and crimp tool and crimps.

Rigging tools and spares from shackles through to sta lock terminals and a spare wire stay long enough to replace any in the rig.

General toolkit with sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, knife, screws, bolts, nuts, electric drill, bits, etc.

Rope, bits of rope, needles, thread, sail cloth and whipping twine.

Wooden bungs, pieces of wood, canvas, nails, hammer and other stuff that I think would be helpful should my old wooden boat spring a leak. I feel no the 6x4 canvas tarp really helpful for all sorts from covering wet paint through to protecting the cockpit when I drag the dinghy through to the forepeak.

I also carry paint, varnish, brushes, thinners, pots etc so I can always get a bit of maintainence in.

First aid kit, manual and meds to cover from hay fever to hang overs and much in between. Sun cream and after sun cream.

Crow bar, hammer, saws various, and I quite like to carry an axe. Started as a bit of a joke but I've found several uses for it on several occasions.

Maths / bio fuel for the stove. Lots of cans, dried pasta, etc, porridge and breakfast bars .... Just in case ;)

Have a similar set of stuff in the boot of my car. Think mobile shed.
 
From personal experience:
Fuel filters, a strap wrench, and knowledge of how to bleed the diesel system.
Spare impeller, sufficient tools to allow you to change it.
A handheld VHF in case you lose your main power supply.
 
I decided to carry a long set of car jump leads a couple of years ago. Probably 10 foot and bought on eBay for £10-ish.

Last year my windlass solenoid went kaput out so I used a jump lead to bypass it.

This year my 12V charge solenoid went kaput so I am currently using the jump lead to bypass that.

Those leads have proven to be a God-send but you have to know a bit about 12V electrics of course.

Richard
 
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