A journey in the water is almost always fraught with danger! Even if you don’t suffer from any bodily harm, chances are that your boat might end up getting damaged by the end of the journey. By acquiring the proper sailing equipments, you will ensure that your journey is not only easy but also pleasurable. By keeping these equipments handy and knowing how and when to use them, you can prepare yourself for the worst!
Granted that there are some boat accessories which are required only by special kinds of boats; for example, if you want to go fishing, then water skiing accessories would obviously be useless. At the same time, there are certain boating equipments which are MUST-haves for ALL kinds of boats. In this article I will talk about 14 such boating equipments!
First-Aid Kit: If you are going to spend a lot of the daytime out on your boat, you should have a first aid kid with you to prevent you from any issue such as dehydration, heatstroke, dry and itchy skin, etc. You would want to have a sunscreen with you to protect your skin from the scorching heart of the sun and sunglasses in order to protect your eyes; in addition, you would also want to have any other skin ointment you may need!
Bilge Pump: If water enters into the bilge of your boat (and it can happen any time), you are going to need a bilge pump to remove the water from your boat. As they say, better to be safe than sorry!
Marine Radio: A communication radio is a MUST-have for any kind of boat, whether yours is a powered vessel or a non-powered one. What if you suddenly find yourself in danger? How are you going to communicate with your crew members or the rescue team? Well that is where this radio is going to help you out! A radio will also be able to notify you instantly in case of any drastic change in the weather!
Flashlight and Batteries: You should also keep a flash light (helpful in case you are in danger) and some extra batteries.
Compass and Charts: On the sea, it is easy to lose directions. This is why you should keep all the necessary charts, maps and compass with you whenever you are sailing anywhere (UNLESS you plan to remain very near to the seashore or your house).
Food and Water: You are obviously going to feel hungry if you plan to remain your boat for days on end! Therefore, you should keep some non-perishable snacks – in other words, snacks which can be preserved well even in spite of heat and humidity! A high-protein diet is perhaps most suitable in such conditions. Along with that, you should keep a sufficient supply of drinking water along with you; if you don’t, you are going to suffer from thirst, dehydration, etc. (note that you are also going to suffer from dehydration if you drink sea water)!
Boat Anchors and Hooks: Anything can happen when you are going to dock or unlock your boat; in fact, it is not uncommon for boats to get damaged during this time. Sustaining bodily injuries during the time of docking the boat is also not unheard of. With the help of proper boat hooks and mooring lines, you can ensure that your boat is safely and securely docked.
Boat anchors, on the other hand, are pretty useful if your bloat engine fails you all of a sudden; anchors are extremely useful whether you are sailing in sea water or freshwater! Boat anchors come in varying sizes and weights, and you would want to choose the kind that is most suitable for your boat. Anchors often come coated in powder; they also come with other accessories such as spool line, anchor chain, ropes, etc.
Clothing and Shoes: The weather at the sea can change at the drop of a hat! This is why you must make sure that you have all the proper kind of clothing needed to face any kind of weather! From jackets, trousers, gloves, hats, you should have everything you need onboard!
Don’t assume that the weather is always going to be cold and don’t take just warm clothes with you. You never know when the weather can get too hot for your skin, so you are going to need sunscreen lotions and sunglasses too, in order to protect your skin from the scorching sunlight.
Above all, make sure that you are comfortable in the clothes and shoes you carry with yourself; a sea voyage can be distressing and uncomfortable enough, so there is no point in increasing your discomfort any further by choosing the wrong kinds of clothes!
Boat covers: When your boat is not in use, you would want to cover it properly so as to protect it from dirt and dust! Boat covers can be made of either fabric or canvas; in any case, when you are buying a boat cover you also get tie-down straps, support poles (made of either steel or aluminum), etc., as part of the package; plus, you also get cleaners for removing any stains or dust from your boat!
Bumpers: At the end of the day, when you are tired of sailing, you would want to dock the boat somewhere so that you can eat, take a little nap, etc. Often, the beautiful exteriors of boats get damaged when they are being docked; now, I am sure you cannot tolerate if something like that happens to your beautiful boat, right? Well, to protect your boat from getting damaged during the process of docking, you should get bumpers. You should also get several good quality ropes in order to dock the boat securely; these ropes would also come handy when you want to carry your boat on the trailer at the end of your journey!
Gas Cans: It is always a good idea to keep enough storage of gasoline onboard. You can use gas cans for this purpose. Even if I assume that your boat is already filled with plenty of gasoline, what if you like the sea voyage a bit more than you expected, and stay on your boat longer than you originally planned? That is when this backup gasoline would bail you out!
GPS systems: Though sailing on an electric (or gasoline-powered) boat can be both exciting and fun, danger may not be too far way. This is why it is essential that you never lose contact with your fellow crew members. I already suggested the standard radio communication system for the purpose. However, radios are known to crash! In such desperate hours, a GPS system can help you keep in touch with the shore. Remember that keeping a backup is always a good thing!
Boat convertible top: Sometimes the weather conditions can get pretty harsh. What if the sun rages heavily, or it starts raining all of a sudden? A convertible top would not only offer relief from such harsh weather conditions to you and your passengers, it would also help keep the interior of your boat dry!
Insurance: Boats and ships can be subject to pirate attacks at any time. What if you are carrying expensive fishing equipments and a thief strikes you? If you have your equipments insured, you would be able to have the stolen equipments replaced easily! Although insurance is optional, it is highly recommended that you opt for it, especially if you are journeying into questionable areas or going out for fishing! You can get insurance coverage for almost anything and everything you want, such as tackles, fishing rods, electronic equipments, as well as any other kind of boat accessory!
To learn about other important boat accessories and equipments, as well as purchasing guidelines, please visit, [adrotate banner=”7″]