Minimum Equipment List

Looking for lessons learned... or a list of the items that you keep on your boat (what tool are you glad you had or wish you would have had)? Beyond the obvious Coast Guard Required items.

• Large channel Locks
• Rubber mallet (persuader)
• Spark Plug Wrench
• 1-3" spanner wrench
• Through Hull Plugs
• Long handle Slotted Screw Driver (to get that impleller cover plate)
• Lots of extra cotter pins
• Random Velcro Straps/Bungees
• Lots of AA Batteries
• Bolt (shroud) cutters

(Father's day is coming....)

Huge box of assorted band aids and other blood-staunching products.

A good knife (one that will zip through modern synthetic lines)

A good LED flashlight (Surefire P3X "fury" is amazing)

A floating handheld VHF

An inflatable PFD that is so comfortable that you always wear it on the boat. Bonus points if it has a personal strobe and a whistle attached

Wire clothes hanger. It can be a clothes hanger until you need it to be a long stiff wire.

(and your favorite craft beer for Father's Day)

We are probably the wrong people to ask as we have a huge inventory of tools and parts but in the past few years of continuous cruising here are some of the things we use most often (in no particular order):

1) basic screwdriver with interchangeable tip
2) Headlamps with red and white light
3) Sail ties
4) I second the suggestion for comfortable inflatable PFD with light (we STRONGLY recommend the Spinlock Deckvest)
5) Stainless steel coffee/tea mug with non-slip bottom and/or big bowels with non-slip bottom (West Marine has excellent ones)
6) Non-skid placemats for dishes that don't have non-slip bottoms (again West Marine or Home Depot sells the material in bulk)
7) Very thin Spectra line for lashing and low friction rings for fairleads (if dad knows how to use them)
8) I second the floating hand-held VHF suggestion, especially one with GPS/DSC
9) Inflatable rechargeable solar powered LED lanterns for hanging in the cockpit or spare anchor light (we have the Luci Lux)
10) We have a basic West Marine socket wrench set / tool kit that came with our previous boat. We use it regularly and have for over three years now with no problems. It is our go-to item for most basic repairs. It has hex keys, screw driver, socket wrenches, a few fixed wrenches in common sizes, and needle nose pliers. Yes, we know it's not Craftsman or whatever (we have all that too) but this West Marine kit continues to serve us well so I'm happy to recommend it.

A bucket.

A towel.

Roll of quarters for marina showers. A Benjamin or two stashed in a safe place for emergencies.

Sunscreen, insect repellent, complete change of clothes for all crew, including jacket, shoes (I have been stuck in Anacortes with no shoes... Brrr), and hats. (OK, I really need to invest in some keepers for my hats. But sometimes guests need one.)

I've got far too many tools on the boat. (Since nothing worked when I bought it...)
Still... Verify that you have the right wrench for the shaft packing nut, the propane nut, etc. All adjustable wrenches that look the same don't necessarily open to the same width...
Hmm... I put a very large (1/2 inch blade) screwdriver on board for one specific purpose, and now I can't recall what that purpose was... Something vital but rare, apparently. Maybe something I've since replaced? Nope. Can't risk taking it off.

Rigging knife, Self-fusing tape, electrical tape, duct tape, extra oil, water, wire, rope, screws, impellers, gaskets, hose.

I ended up buying the boat its own multimeter and compact drill gun.

Recently decided to start keeping a spare wetsuit and snorkel gear on board, in case the prop ever gets fouled again. Likewise I just leave the inflatable kayak on board for those situations where you might need to leave the boat unexpectedly, but don't want to escalate to the point of deploying the life raft. Such as, oh, I don't know, rowing an anchor out to deep water to kedge the boat... (Ahem, actually, I almost never carry the life raft, or the dinghy, on board ...

Some of this stuff just doesn't do any good, sitting back in the garage at home.

Too much stuff

Hi Respected Sailors
Loading boat this afternoon for Memorial Day Launch. Respected wife said "do we really need all these lifejackets" (14 adults)? "What should we do with the lifejackets that are still in the basement"? Hmm. Now I am too tired to unpack them :<{)) .
Best Regards
Pat
1981 E28+ Universal 5411
6 Foot Cockpit

Spare fuel filters, impeller, alternator belts, sail repair tape, electrical repair items like wire and butt connectors, spare fuses. More snacks!

Pat O'Connell said:

Hi Respected Sailors
Loading boat this afternoon for Memorial Day Launch. Respected wife said "do we really need all these lifejackets" (14 adults)? "What should we do with the lifejackets that are still in the basement"? Hmm. Now I am too tired to unpack them :<{)) .
Best Regards
Pat
1981 E28+ Universal 5411
6 Foot Cockpit

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If you have ensolite PFD's in decent condition, you might contact your local water safety or marine patrol (or State boating agency). Around here they often are looking for PFD's to use as loaners for boaters with children. They maintain racks for these at popular launch ramps.
We have recycled some of ours this way. The local USCG or Coast Guard Aux may have a similar need.

Loren

ps: about the "equipment list", it's hard to top the excellent replies already, but an additional item that has proven indispensable on our boat for decades is a short-handled 2 or 3 pound "drilling hammer". There are a lot of situations where you need some real force but you only have an inch or two to swing a weight/hammer. A ball peen hammer is too light and the flat side of your wrench is too awkward. What's needed is controlled force on a chisel or end of a wrench. A soft Thud with this handy tool is often juuuust right. Ours was found @ Harbor Freight for a couple bux. We refer to it as the "thudder".....

Boat supplies.

You might want to add something else up near the top of your list and that is vessel assist insurance. We've had it for years and used it a few times. Six months ago I helped a friend deliver her new-to-her, 1982 E25+ from Oxnard CA to Marina del Rey. This was an unproven boat to the two of us other than a short sea trial and as such, I strongly encouraged her to get that service. Well, you got it, she forgot or didn't want to spend the money or some such thing and less than an hour out to her new nome, the engine failed and she had to pay an astronomic price to have the same boat that would have helped her for free, take her in tow and return her to where she started. Seriously consider not being put in the same position, buy vessel assist coverage. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey CA

I have been debating the Boat US or similar. At the moment, my "towing" is a 8hp Yamaha o/b on a hard floored dingy. I added U bolts to the transom which allows me to bow and stern tie it to the E-34. I found this combo will give me about 5knts in calm conditions. The 3 1/2 gallon tank gives enough range to get into a safe haven anywhere I am going. If the wind is blowing, I sail. By itself, the dink is able to do ridiculous speeds so you can scare yourself if you wish to. My yacht policy does have towing coverage. Everyone might check theirs.

Don't be like the Mayday I heard last summer in Puget Sound. The boat was identified as a 30' sailboat that had lost it's engine and was drifting. The wind conditions at that time were 15-20 from the west. I guess that they thought the rags on the mast were for shade!

I paid the Boat US towing insurance for a couple of years. It seemed like a pretty good deal. Until I noticed that I hadn't actually been anywhere near one of their "service areas" during those years. Gotta check the fine print...

Oh yes, this is what the spare Benjamin was for, that I suggested above. Wave it at a passing fisherman...

Loren Beach said:

... an additional item that has proven indispensable on our boat for decades is a short-handled 2 or 3 pound "drilling hammer"...

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In the same spirit, a tool that I always carry is a good-sized "lineman's pliers". It seems to get used just about every time I go out. Great for opening shackles or just gripping something that doesn't want to move.

Bolt Cutters and Hacksaw...

These 2 tools are mandatory components of the Chicago to Mac Safety checklist, ostensibly for use if the rig comes down and there's a need to cutaway the threat of holing the boat. Sized to meet need of the largest diameter shroud (itty-bitty little one-handers will probably get one busted at inspection).

Hope neither get used for the stated purpose, placing them in the same category as fire extinguishers.

+1 on the 'coat hangers'!

We do a lot of off shore cruising so my list may be different than what you would need
SeaTow Card
sockets
led flashlights with red lense for night
handheld VHF
PFD with PLB
Rigging knife
extra fue filters, impellers, belts
charts
Backup GPS
Sextant / Nautical Almanac
screwdriver with interchangeable bits
box wrenches
diapers for fuel spills
enough drinking water for each crew member
Spot tracker
Jacklines , harnesses, tether

I was thinking of getting a SPOT tracker for xmas. But I couldn't think of anybody who would care where I'm at, except for people to whom I owe money.

Enough toilet paper that is compatible with your choice of onboard relief facilities.

The Right Tools

A tool for every job on the boat, on the boat. But boxes to hold them have sharp edges, and bags mean digging in the dark for the allen wrenches.

These roll-up bags, made of scrap fabric, have been working well and pretty much solved the problem.

They contain one (only) of each size and description necessary for all the usual jobs. They make it easy to see what you've got. They store in a soft package in our oddly shaped hull lockers.

The spanner bag has two sub-bags: one for socket sets and one for metric. Imperial spanners lie in the master bag. .

You can make the rollups yourself, or buy versions on line starting at only $10.

GrandpaSteve said:

Wire clothes hanger. It can be a clothes hanger until you need it to be a long stiff wire.

(and your favorite craft beer for Father's Day)

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Great for retrieving stray halyards!

Cordless drill, solar panel, sunblock, mix

toddster said:

I was thinking of getting a SPOT tracker for xmas. But I couldn't think of anybody who would care where I'm at, except for people to whom I owe money.

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I used to be a fan of the SPOT. I think they have fallen behind in the tech world. Now I use a Delorme InReach. I love it and it provides two way communication to text and other delorme devices. You can send unlimited preset messages that are free (after the subscription that is) or custom messages. It interfaces nicely with a smart device. They have an Earthmate app where you can download free of charge all the topo and noaa charts.

Alaska is pretty remote and I use it fairly frequently. I rarely leave home without it whether it is a hike, boating trip, a vacation somewhere or just for a long drive.