New gear recommendations for born again motorboater!

[CLOUD9]

As the handover gets closer I am thinking about the gear Im going to need to get. Ive been looking at old threads, as I know most of these questions have been asked before... but some are quite historic so things may have changed. Also googled of course but always nice to get some personal feedback from real customers. So Im looking for recommended top quality equipment and reliable suppliers for......

1. Life-raft? Will probably get a 6 man canister and mount on flybridge to keep it out of the way. (Although I do worry about its accessibility up there if it all went Pete Tong very quickly)
2. Fender baskets? Worthwhile? Im thinking on Pulpit or close-by, although I know it will restrict access forward a bit? I hate falling over fenders everywhere and they seem to take up every inch of storage space. Although Im not keen on the clamp-together ones as they look a little lightweight, so I may have to consider getting something fabricated.
3. Duvets and bedding to fit the curved ends of the double beds. I will ask Princess who they use for original kit, but wondered if there are good alternatives. (Question from Mrs T).

Grateful for any thoughts.

 

[jrudge]

1. Life-raft? Will probably get a 6 man canister and mount on flybridge to keep it out of the way. (Although I do worry about its accessibility up there if it all went Pete Tong very quickly)


Clearly each to their own, but unless you are a long way offshore on a regular basis or the boat is coded personal they are not on my list (personal view)

2. Fender baskets? Worthwhile? Im thinking on Pulpit or close-by, although I know it will restrict access forward a bit? I hate falling over fenders everywhere and they seem to take up every inch of storage space. Although Im not keen on the clamp-together ones as they look a little lightweight, so I may have to consider getting something fabricated.

I used to have them and used then once in a while. If we are going along then generally unless going a ling way they are on the side decks and then flipped back over again. Again personal choice! Ours was not a flybrdieg and if the fenders were in the baskets then they part obstructed the view form the helm. I now have large fender lockers in the side of the boat which I have never used ( so maybe it is me!)


3. Duvets and bedding to fit the curved ends of the double beds. I will ask Princess who they use for original kit, but wondered if there are good alternatives. (Question from Mrs T).


It will depend on your boat, but we found the shaped ones matched the bed yes, but also ended up being a bit smaller than ideal. Depending on bed shape standard stuff maybe better. For our aft cabin on our last boat we bought duvet covers and as the berths were thin then ran a swing matching line down one edge to make them smaller. This also allowed us to get the cover we wanted and the quality as opposed to whatever the manufacturer wanted to provide. There are quality companies out there of course, but the price they want for a duvet cover ( they they have run a sewing machine down ...) seemed at odds with the DIY route which only took about half an hour.


Read more at http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...r-born-again-motorboater!#ycs3eeHSkFOCc6Bs.99

 

[CLOUD9]

Thanks for the thoughts. I guess there is a whole debate around life raft pros and cons, locations and canister or valise etc etc? I do feel that I would rather have one on board than not though.
I used to always leave fenders attached but pulled up on deck. I have good intentions of being tidier this time around, but we will see. I think its a good call to modify bedding ourselves and it opens out the choices, which has been a concern (for her, not me...!)

 

[benjenbav]

I reckon flybridge is a v good place for life raft. Might stop it being deployed before absolutely necessary. (Only ever step up into a life raft - vile things, except when there's no alternative)

Fender baskets: any storage which keeps them tidy and out of your sightlines is better than leaving them lying around, imho. Chuck them in the garage is even better if boat allows - sorry, I've forgotten what yours is.

 

[lisilou]

It's a Princess 58 if my quick flick thru is right? With that in mind, will you really need fender baskets? We've only a 36 footer and 3 of the fenders can fit comfortably in the anchor locker so you'll probably have room and then some to stow the rest?
As for custom bedding, I thought about it but the price makes me cringe so I just tuck the duvets in and tbh, you can't tell the difference when it's made up.
L

P.S. Aside from the boat bits, the best purchase i made recently was a lovely, warm and comfy pair of Dubarry boots. Luverly!!

 

[benjenbav]

It's a Princess 58 if my quick flick thru is right? With that in mind, will you really need fender baskets? We've only a 36 footer and 3 of the fenders can fit comfortably in the anchor locker so you'll probably have room and then some to stow the rest?
As for custom bedding, I thought about it but the price makes me cringe so I just tuck the duvets in and tbh, you can't tell the difference when it's made up.
L

P.S. Aside from the boat bits, the best purchase i made recently was a lovely, warm and comfy pair of Dubarry boots. Luverly!!

Oh lord, Dubarry boots are just toasty!

 

[lisilou]

They are aren't they.

 

[P4Paul]

It's a Princess 58 if my quick flick thru is right? With that in mind, will you really need fender baskets? We've only a 36 footer and 3 of the fenders can fit comfortably in the anchor locker so you'll probably have room and then some to stow the rest?
As for custom bedding, I thought about it but the price makes me cringe so I just tuck the duvets in and tbh, you can't tell the difference when it's made up.
L

P.S. Aside from the boat bits, the best purchase i made recently was a lovely, warm and comfy pair of Dubarry boots. Luverly!!

But the ice maker must be a close second, followed by the foot spa, the Dyson air blade hand dryer for the heads, Bob the tender, the Mifi dongle and of course your forum burgee!

 

[lisilou]

The ice maker is a must for sure so, to the OP...if you haven't got one fitted...you so need to get it done. (your wife will agree )

 

[Andrew M]

One of the best tips we've had was ; get two small wicker baskets , one for me, one for the misses, put them somewhere by the door from the cockpit, everything of mine goes in one, everything of Gail's goes in the other, then when I need my eg: car keys, I know exactly where they'll be etc.

 

[Jurgen]

P.S. Aside from the boat bits, the best purchase i made recently was a lovely, warm and comfy pair of Dubarry boots. Luverly!!

My wife purchased some last year, OMG she lives in the darn things lol

 

[Nick_H]

I think the flybridge is a good place for the liferaft, and there's an obvious location on the P58 behind the guardrail for the access hatch. That's where we keep ours.

It's personal choice of course, but I prefer fenders to be out of sight when we're away from port, so I made a divider for the anchor locker so we can store 6-8 fenders in there.

As well as not liking the look of fender baskets, I also think they limit your view from the lower helm, which you'll probably use more often in UK

 

[CLOUD9]

I think the flybridge is a good place for the liferaft, and there's an obvious location on the P58 behind the guardrail for the access hatch. That's where we keep ours.

It's personal choice of course, but I prefer fenders to be out of sight when we're away from port, so I made a divider for the anchor locker so we can store 6-8 fenders in there.

Thanks Nick. The anchor locker idea looks great. Very neat. I didn't realise it was big enough for that many fenders.

Thanks guys for the list of all the other essential items Im going to need! Ice-maker always at the top of any serious motor boating list, naturally. Whats the point of a Gin Palace without a decent Gin?? Luckily we already have one.