Desires

2024.04.12 - AYB - Reading time ~10 Minutes

Importand note:

{.disclaimer}

This page was made mostly for businesses willing to promote their equipment with me but human beings rich enough to gift me something from the list below will have their credit in my heart forever. {.disclaimer}

So, here you are. This page is made for one single purpose: ease the people willing to make me happy with the choice how to. Boat is incredibly expensive at all aspects. Just for example, a single leech (just a simple rope) for the head-sail for my boat is about €70 and there are two of them and they wear off in about 3-5 years. Therefore there are a lot of things that every non-rich captain just can’t afford immediately but will be utterly happy to have it as a present.

I wish you got here because you’d like to make my life better, so below are things I know I’d like to but don’t have yet for various reasons.

Electricity

That’s always a hard thing to speak about. Electricity at the sea is always a subject to fail, so there are always quite expensive stuff that is desired to have installed/replaced but absent for some reason. For example, I’d like to have an inverter onboard but have no one yet, since I’d like to power the galley that consumes about 2kWh and inverter that I need for that is quite pricey.

If you are willing to sponsor any electric stuff for my boat — please, contact me to know what I need the most right now. There are a lot of things in need from $100 to $10000.

Windwane

The windwane is one of the most wanted devices on any cruising boat for several reasons.

First of all, this is an autopilot that does not fail until it’s mechanically broken. It works just with wind, steering the boat the way it was set up to the wind. The drawback — it shifts the course of the boat if the wind changes, so it requires periodical attention.

The second reason is that the windwane is a spare rudder. Smaller, less effective, but still — if you lose the rudder in the middle of the ocean, that’s not the end of a story.

Third — it does not neither consume nor require the electricity to operate. Electric systems failing in the sea very often. So sailors love windwanes because they’re pure engineering miracle.

And, because of the all the reasons listed above, they are insanely expensive. There are cheaper options, but anyway, this thing can’t be cheap for obvious reasons.

Communications

Radio is vitally important. No matter what you need a working radio on board. Right now I have a very old and already failing some M-Tech unit and would like to change it asap to something like this or this. Marine radios are not cheap: at least $250 and there is no cap. Given examples are what I’d be absolutely happy with.

Also there is always need in handheld radios, which shall be at least two to communicate with someone off-board. Good example is Icom IC-M25 for $180/piece. Very good and robust handheld VHF.

Rugged phone and tablet

Modern navigation at sea is always about digital tech. Sure thing the one may navigate by sun and stars but there is absolutely no reason why the one shall do so, beside having fun locating himself at the sea using 500 years old techniques.

At the other hand, sea conditions are very harsh to any electronics, hence there’s need to have spare devices and preferably use the ones that are quite protected by their origin.

Kinda strange that major brands has nothing about that, may be because it’s a very niche device category, so among others I would prefer Oukitel tablets and phones. They’re really great for the price. Lacking some features, but having all I really need and are really bulletproof for the conditions expected.

Tools

Things that are almost always in deficite onboard are tools. Just anything imaginable. Sailor should have tools to do anything on the boat, starting with basic wood-working through electricity things down to fully dis- and assembling the diesel engine. The worst thing about tools that they’re getting rusty very quick in marine conditions but tools made of stainless steel are really scary at the price tag.

For now I lack of diesel service tool-set like that. I need a full set of battery operated angle-grinder, oscillating tool, sanding machine, heat gun and all that stuff. I have some other tools from DeWalt and would like to have more from them to keep batteries interchangeable.

Winches

Winches are one of the most reliable mechanism on the boat. But in my case “effective managers” from Bavaria once decided to put undersised winches and didn’t put enough of them. I have only 4 winches on my boat and would like to have couple more.

The plan is to replace main winches with these new ones, old-main replacing front ones, and front ones are going to the back to have a separate winches for the genoa and spinnaker furlers.

Winches are expensive af, but usually they’re bought once for all the boat lifespan and usually being sold at the aftermarket after the boat was retired.

I need two selftailing winches of the size 48 and will be no less happy to have used ones since there is no great difference between new and used ones. Moreover, old winches sometimes are preferred since they were made using brass and other metals only but new ones are plastic whenever “effective managers” had applied their “vision”.

Decent anchor

Right now I have a plowshare anchor which is somewhat good but can’t be trusted in high winds. I made a research and found out that for my boat I need 10 more kilograms of the same anchor or replace it with the better one to safely widthstand against 45+ knots of wind. Heavier anchor will lead to much heavier chain and will require way more powerfull windlass which, summarized, will cost me over €8k. That’s not a desirable option, so I’d better go for the modern anchor and a little heavier chain.

Since I’m planning to spend a lot of time anchored, I need a better anchor like Rocna. Would be nice to have an anchor made of stainless steel but it’s insanely expensive, so I’d be absolutely happy with 25kg galvanized Rocna anchor or 21-27kg Ultra.

Anchor chain

Same “effective managers” decided that 12 meters 8 tons sailboat will be fine with 8mm chain and a relatively small anchor. That’s a bummer. By any means 12 meter boat shall have 10mm chain with the heavier anchor to stay safe on anchorage.

So I need also a new chain. Nothing special, galvanized is still fine, but anchor chains are also crazy expensive. 10mm are from €17 to €30 per meter (tho I think that svb24 isn’t the best place to buy a chain) and I need 100 meters.

UPD: There is an even cheaper choice but it looks cheaper and less reliable too.

Safety equipment

Having good safety equipment is same as insurance — you spend a fortune and hoping it will never pops out. But in the list of priorities most of it is placed way down below. Right now I have a couple of inflatable jackets and that’s all I got. Would be nice to have an inflatable raft, more jackets, special torches, laser pointers etc.

The raft

Rafts for 8 people — the maximum capacity of my boat, — for example, starts at $1400 and grows up to $6k.

EPIRB

EPIRB goes for an “emergency position-indicating radiobeacon”. Stupid simple in use, but a very complex thing, that makes its best to notify the whole world that you’re in trouble. If you are. Of course, it’s expensive as hell but very nice to have.

Grab-bags

This term is used for an emergency bag that contains a minimum assortment of stuff to maximise the chance of being rescued for the person. In case of emergency the one inflates the raft, drops in the EPIRB, grab-bag, jumps in and leave the sinking boat. Guess what? Yeah, expensive thing too.

Clothing

Sure thing there is one of the top-priority things every sailor shall get as soon as possible — the most comfortable sailing clothing sailor can afford. Lack of comfort at the sea leads to faster exhaust, sickness and life-shortening mistakes.

But good sailor gear may be shockingly expensive. Full set of jacket+trousers+footwear for a relatively warm off-shore sailing will cost over a thoursand US dollars. Closer to 1500, to be honest, if you’re buying not the cheapest gear, and up to $1200 for the jacket only.

So if you want to make your pal really happy — offer him a gift of some decent sailing gear like Helly Hansen, Musto, Zhik or something similar.

Since I’m poor, I wear Decathlon stuff, which is somewhat ok, but I tried the right clothes and dreaming of them every time I have to gear up.

Binoculars

One of the most important pieces of equipment onboard. Marine binoculars are always 7x50 to make the view through it always the same so any captain using any marine optics will have the same size picture so no confusion expected with estimating distances at the sea. Also, having a compass integrated into binoculars helps a lot with estimating the location, course and speed of your ship or the watched object/vessel.

These binoculars are the simple, relatively cheap option to have onboard. Price: $200-600. There are a lot of even more expensive binoculars but they are a bit overpriced for the conditions onboard. It will be very upsetting to drop and break such an expensive thing.

Laser rangefinder

There are a lot of them mostly around 100-150 US dollars. But they are extremely useful in boat life since you have a very precise measurement of the distance to the nearby objects. E.g. you came to the busy or very tight anchorage and this small device will grant you a fortune of knowing exactly that you will (not) hit anyone/anything around when the wind will change.

Food related stuff

Cooking stuff

There are several things important about food stuff at the boat. Understandable will to have all the assortment of pots and pans hits the reality of very small storage space available onboard. Also usually sailors cook on propane off-shore and on electricity when docked. So it’s a little bit challenging to manage all desires and this stuff is a bit costy.

The cornerstone for the good cooking gear onboard is “it must be reliable, compatible with gas and induction and stackable to save the storage space”.

Vacuum storage

Another storage issue is for the raw products like rice, corn, oats, flour, spaghetti — anything will eventually get contaminated with a micro-life if not vacuum-stored. So there are some solutions for that but, as always, something good is available for a somewhat upsetting money.

I’ve seen this system in person and it’s very good. Unfortunately, I’ve made a some market research but didn’t find anything even close to this solution.

Flashlights

There is no such thing as “too many” flashlights on board. Starting from the headlights from Decathlon and the cheapest waterproof snorkling flashlights to the most powerful “seeker” lights to seek for a man overboard and sending signals miles away — you must have them all. And spares too. And chargeable via USB-C, because it’s 2024 already!

Blocks, cleats, carabiners, shackles etc.

Don’t know what to gift to the sailor and low on budget? — Buy a block or a shackle!

They’re almost always in shortage, and every sailor will be glad to have a spare. Just find out which size is in the most demand for the size of the boat this thing goes to.

By the way, set of screws, bolts, nuts and washers made of 316 stainless steel in assortment will be met very warmly by any sailor. Just because they’re also very pricey. Starting from a $0.5 a piece, every joint costs $2 at least because of the bolt, two washers and a self-locking nut. And there are hundreds of joints at the boat.