OK - you have the boat .. you later bought an item that far exceeded expectation ?

[AntarcticPilot]

Arrr yes - but if the reflective tape is same length coverage as the Radar Reflector its stuck to - then who knows if it helps or not ... IMHO it doesn't as surface area is not increased ... but anyway - its a good idea to be able to find your boat !!

Unless it's conductive (which it almost certainly isn't), it won't help. And if it is conductive, it's still entirely the wrong shape to enhance the reflection, and might well mess up the characteristics of the reflector it's stuck onto. Pretty much the best outcome is that it has no effect; the worst case is that it will diminish the already poor effectiveness of the radar reflector.

Entirely agree it's a good idea to help find your boat - just responding to someone who thought that being a good reflector of light meant that it would be a good reflector of radar. It won't, and has a tiny chance of making things worse.

 

[Lightwave395]

Fender step not mentioned yet.

Are they any good ?
Thinking of buying one.

I have a four step one, It's a roughly rectangular shape and it's place is by the shrouds, my OH uses it and she has never fallen off or in when doing so.
The original use was to easily board from the dinghy when we were moored / anchored but it's permenantly 'hung' whilst at our mrina berth too

 

[Roberto]

I'd love to know if that would improve

As a curiosity, I once went up there to cover it in a bag: it was before an overnight sailing from Trinidad to Grenada, at the time the CG advised to be as stealth as possible, no navigation lights either just the occasional flash, pretty much like fishermen in remote areas do

 

[doug748]

A lot of stuff has proved up to expectations over the years genoa furling, chart plotters etc but stuff that surprised:

AIS receiver NASA (alternatives are available)
Head torch

 

[Roberto]

Very surprised by the Leatherman multitool: I always thought "one tool one job", but many years ago I was offered a Leatherman as a gift and basically it has never left my belt since, it's the tool I use the most on the boat (and at home). Ok the first one is accidentally resting somewhere on the bottom of the ocean so I had to buy a second one

 

[Bouba]

So what stops it rocking inwards as your C of G pushes against it?

Your toes

 

[dgadee]

Just getting to grips with OpenPlotter and PyPilot but such good value to a tight sailor.

 

[Stemar]

Very surprised by the Leatherman multitool: I always thought "one tool one job", but many years ago I was offered a Leatherman as a gift and basically it has never left my belt since, it's the tool I use the most on the boat (and at home). Ok the first one is accidentally resting somewhere on the bottom of the ocean so I had to buy a second one

Watch out for that. If the blade locks open, as mine does, carrying it in public is the same offence as the gangster with a machete.

 

[Bouba]

Watch out for that. If the blade locks open, as mine does, carrying it in public is the same offence as the gangster with a machete.

Yes, it’s a silly law because if the blade doesn’t lock it’s dangerous to use…and if you remove the blade then the tool loses a lot of its utility (as well as value)
Of course if it is legalised then all the school kids will start carrying multi tools.
I have been caught out a few times…once I was visiting FBI headquarters when we told to put all multi tools on a tray…surprising how many of us had them
And once I completely forgot I had it on when visiting the British embassy in an African country…that was quite a kerfuffle

 

[Supertramp]

Secondhand Samsung tablet with Navionics. Simply really useful.

So good I'm getting a second one to show UKHO charts/Antares without switching screens etc.

 

[DanTribe]

OK - just to jivvy things up ... the most useless items ??

I bought a pair of 'roller chart rules' one small - other large. I was a parallel ruler user - dab hand at walking a set across a chart ... but of course on a yacht - you don't have that massive chart bench. I saw a set of roller in a shop one day and thought - give em a try ...

example :

Bloody useless ! OK if boat is rock steady and no movement - but slightest twitch and rollers slip ... so back to two triangles and pair of dividers.

I didd navigation classes with Charlie Stock in the 1970s
One tip I remember, when it's really too rough for parallel rulers, your forearm is surprisingly accurate.

 

[Bouba]

This


It’s a small cheap compressor with a small tank…excellent for cleaning out the carbon in the bow thruster without taking it to bits…but also good for fenders and I use it to clean my electric razor

 

[zoidberg]

Here's a couple of my more useful devices...

The long one I use for stirring the tea and back-scratching.
The shorter one - the 5" Douglas Protractor - I use on small scale charts. I have a larger 10" one which I use on large scale charts....

 

[lustyd]

Watch out for that. If the blade locks open, as mine does, carrying it in public is the same offence as the gangster with a machete.

It's not as cut and dry as that. You're allowed a locking blade if you have a good reason, and you're also allowed a machete if you have a good reason. Needless to say good reasons are subjective and context sensitive so while "I use this on my boat" will work when you're on your way to the marina, it won't work in the pub.
I accidentally took a 4" fixed blade dive knife as carry on luggage to Lanzarote, I can only assume they saw it and ignored it since it was bolted to a regulator hose in a bag full of dive stuff on a flight to a diving destination. I can't imagine a scenario where they didn't see it as I think we flew from Heathrow or Gatwick.

 

[Sea Change]

Thought this would be a failure but it’s the best coffee maker we’ve had at home or on the boat and works for camping and hiking too!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wacaco-Minipresso-Compatible-Nespresso-compatibles/dp/B01M4J94WY

I don't drink coffee but SWMBO has I've if those and absolutely swears by it. No more wasteful/expensive capsules either.

 

[Sea Change]

In the 'cheap and surprisingly effective' camp, it's got to be the silicon non slip mats for our induction hob.

The hob sits on top of the old gas cooker so you don't benefit from the full depth of the pan clamps- they rest on top of the hob surface and only work with pans that aren't rounded at the bottom.

The mats cost a few quid and the non slip is very impressive. We've not lost a pan off the hob since we bought them. And they're thin enough that the induction still works perfectly through them. Highly recommended.

 

[Sea Change]

Fender step not mentioned yet.

Are they any good ?
Thinking of buying one.

We've got this one:
TALAMEX Stair Fender / 3 Steps only 64,95 € buy | SVB

It's good. Visitors generally use it in preference to our stern ladder, which involves a limbo dance under our dinghy.

We fit it near the shrouds and it never hurts to have another fender at the fattest part of the boat.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

… AIS receiver NASA (alternatives are available)
Head torch

Wow, taking integration to the next level, an AIS receiver head torch. Intrigued, does it project AIS targets on the sails, or flash madly when CPA is too close?

My unexpectedly useful thing is a pressure cooker. Didn’t like it at first, but now it is a boon for quick cooking, low gas usage.

 

[Stingo]

Yep, a pressure cooker that doesn't have a long handle like a frying pan does.

 

[Poignard]

In the 'cheap and surprisingly effective' camp, it's got to be the silicon non slip mats for our induction hob.

The hob sits on top of the old gas cooker so you don't benefit from the full depth of the pan clamps- they rest on top of the hob surface and only work with pans that aren't rounded at the bottom.

The mats cost a few quid and the non slip is very impressive. We've not lost a pan off the hob since we bought them. And they're thin enough that the induction still works perfectly through them. Highly recommended.

I could do with one of those, where do you get them?