Boats Spares Tool kit
What you carry in the boats tool kit will be useful for many boat repairs, but you might want to add some more tools to the list.
Spare shackles
Shackles have been known to break and also useful for emergency repairs to the rig.
Spare ropes
You can never have too many ropes on board but always useful is a tow rope and spare mooring ropes.
Wire cutters
Mainly for sail boats if the rig should come down.
Sharp knife
Essential and have it ready for use.
Torches
Again essential and the rechargeable type can be a better option. Have close at hand for night sailing.
Glues and epoxy putty
For emergency repairs on wood and fibreglass.
Spare blocks
For sailboats where blocks may fail or where you want to experiment with new sheet leads.
Winch spares
For sailboats and the most important spare will be first winch handles and then what the manufacturer might recommend.
Snippet from the new app for iPhone & Android:
Dag Pike’s Boating Checklists
About the author:
Dag Pike began his career as a merchant captain, went on to test lifeboats, and took up fast boat navigation, winning a string of trophies for powerboat races around the world, including navigating Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Challenger on the record-breaking fastest Atlantic crossing by powerboat.
Rig check – how to prevent failure at sea
Essential Knots: Sheet bend
Boat Handling – anchoring
Engine failure at sea – keeping the boat safe
If the engine stops when you are underway, or your have to shut it down when a warning buzzer sounds, you also need to make sure the boat remains safe. It’s important therefore to recognise situations in which the boat would be immediately put in danger if the engine were to fail.
Hourly Checks when sailing or motoring
Safety Briefings – leave nothing to chance
The give-way hierarchy – sail boats and power boats
Who gives way to who at sea? Even seasoned sailors sometimes get this wrong and in a crowded harbour this can easily lead to a collision or at best considerable embarrassment for a boat that mistakenly thinks it has right of way over another.
Safe Skipper – crew management tips
Effective crew briefings are a vital part of the good on-board communication that helps everything to run smoothly on a sailing vessel at sea, whether it is cruising or racing.
Antifouling for leisure boats – Part 1
Boats that are kept afloat can very quickly become a home for small marine organisms such as barnacles, weed and slime. Applying an antifouling paint to your hull is necessary to protect it from these micro-organisms, as a fouled hull can cause problems and will slow down a boat’s maximum speed considerably if left unchecked.
Cleaning & polishing painted topsides
The gelcoat topsides of a GRP boat can be pampered and restored to their former glory relatively easily when it is ashore. Gelcoat is only a very thin outer layer of the hull, often less than 1mm thick, so you should avoid cleaning it with highly abrasive cleaners, or an-ything that could potentially damage its surface.
Dripless shaft seals
Dripless shaft seals are designed to completely stop water from entering a boat’s hull via the stern tube. There are two main types of dripless seals known as face seals and lip seals which many boat manufacturers now fit to production boats.
Essential Yachting + Power Boat Safety Briefing
How to cope with an emergency at sea
A safe skipper will be mentally prepared for all kinds of potential emergencies happening at sea, including medical emergencies, engine failure, fire, a holed hull, capsize and dismasting.
Jester Challenge 2022 – Sailing single handed from Plymouth UK to the Azores: Part 8 – Arriving at the Azores
Jester Challenge – A modern experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self sufficiency, and personal responsibility. This is the eighth of a 10-part post where solo sailor, Bernie Branfield, shares his first-hand account of his single-handed, 2022 Jester Challenge, from Plymouth, UK to the Azores, in his 26′ Invicta Mk2, Louisa.
Gybing a sailing boat
Antifouling for leisure boats – Part 4
Applying antifouling. Antifouling is best applied on a dry, calm day. It is best to apply the antifouling in the middle of the day to ensure the hull is dry and as warm as possible.
A simple guide to understanding tides when passage planning
Marine engine oil system maintenance
The regular maintenance of a marine diesel is key to preventing engine failure at sea. This means doing regular checks of the fuel, cooling, electrical and oil systems.
Boat Improvements
How to improve a yacht’s upwind performance
There are several ways to improve the upwind performance of a sailing yacht. Read on for some useful tips including headsail reefing, heavy weather jibs and motor sailing.