[benderamp]

Most people passionate about traveling offshore don’t suffer from this self-reliance flaw. They plan. They execute. They return safely. They live to head offshore another day. The U.S. Coast Guard motto, Semper Paratus (Always Ready), applies to every boater, not just the Coast Guard. And not only does being ready mean having all the likely spares aboard that you might need, it also means having the tools to swap them out and the knowledge of how to do it. Here are the most common solutions boaters are likely to face.

[tcatm]

• Trailer Issues
Many anglers trailer their boats, and the trailer itself can often be the weak link. Brakes and bearings can corrode and fail. Tires can degrade and fail from naught more than sitting idle in the sunlight. Connections and bulbs in lights that submerge each time you launch and retrieve your precious cargo can fail. The tension put on your winch cable can cause the cable to snap — always at the most inopportune moment. Frequent inspection and preventive main-tenance can help you avoid most of these problems. here

[0x0]

Troubleshooting for No. 1 should follow a logical path. It takes several ingredients for an engine to function: fuel, air, spark. Subtract any one of these and your engine stops. When troubleshooting, start at one end of a system and work your way to the other end. For example, if you think your problem is fuel, start with the fuel filter. If that’s clear, continue to check the path to the engine from the fuel tank to see where the blockage has occurred. Diagnosing air and spark issues can be handled similarly. here

[pnnac]

3. White Vinegar. It may not keep you from sinking or get that stalled engine to re-start, but the emergency uses for white vinegar on a boat are almost endless. For starters, it comes in handy when nature gets unfriendly and you need to "fix" yourself or another boater. Wipe it on after mosquitoes attack, and it will mitigate the itch. Use it to relieve the sting after a swimmer or water-skier has a close encounter with a nasty jellyfish. Now, let’s say the head is clogged—that certainly qualifies as an emergency on a boat, but white vinegar can save the day because it does an excellent Drano imitation. Finally, if you’re a cold-weather boater, this stuff can prevent the windshield from icing up. Just splash some on, at the beginning of your chilly cruise. more

[narisseproe]

1. Epoxy Sticks, and JB Weld. Either one or both of these emergency fix-its belongs in your boat. You can use this stuff to temporarily patch just about anything from a broken Bimini top support to a trashed transducer mount, and it’s super-strong. Better yet, it will adhere to nearly any material, including gel-coated fiberglass. It only takes a few minutes to set, can be molded into virtually any shape or size, and (as long as you choose the right type) can even be used below the waterline. more

[julia6roberts]

7. Wax Candles. Forget about lighting up the cabin, the real reason to carry a candle onboard is for lubrication. Everything from jammed zippers to corroded snaps to sticky cables to jerky steering arms can be loosened up and smoothed out, by rubbing a wax candle over the offending part. Give it a few swipes, move the part(s) around a bit, and the wax will keep things sliding until you can get home and fix them for good. [links]

[SmokeTooMuch]

9. A Plastic Water Bottle. Again, the main emergency use—hydration—is obvious. But there’s more here than meets the eye. The bottle can be chopped off at the end, and turned into a bailing device. Or you might want to slice off a section and use it to cover cracks or holes in a hose.

[mixedunicc]

Whether on an overnight run or just returning to the marina late from a long day on the water, running a boat at night can be an exciting experience. However running a boat at night without proper lighting is extremely dangerous. Th e corrosive bumpy environment we boat in is tough on light bulbs. Having the ability to replace a burned-out bulb with a spare will get you home safely.

[carrier785]

These items are only the beginning of what could be hundreds of spares kept aboard. Consult with the manufacturers of your boat’s engines and more complex components, many of them have spare kits already assembled or at least a suggested list of commonly used spare parts. [links]

[diven]

They keep the music playing on the boat’s stereo and without one the VHF radio and GPS will not work. Fuses are located in many devices aboard the boat. Locate all of them and make an inventory of each type and size. Be careful when re-applying power to a device with a blown fuse, the fuse failure may be an indication of a larger problem. Fuses are safety devices, to protect the device they are in and for the boat. Never bypass a blown fuse with direct wiring.

[h_corey]

If you’re MacGyver, all you need to keep your boat running is a Swiss Army Knife, some wire and duct tape, but lacking that resourcefulness, it is best to keep a good set of spare parts aboard the boat. Like so many things in boating, how a boat will be used drives many of the decisions made. The list of spares kept aboard could be very different for a day boater in confined water versus a boat intending to be days at sea in the open ocean. But those differences notwithstanding, there are common items all boaters should have on board. Of course a basic tool kit should be maintained, enabling you to change the defective part with the spare. Like spares, the contents of the tool kit will vary with the boat and type of cruising. One of the most important items to consider in utilizing any spare part is the boat’s anchor. It is much safer to perform a repair while securely anchored than while drifting with the wind or current and yes many boaters carry a spare anchor as well. Even if you’re not very mechanically inclined, having the right spare part can still save the day. Quite often a mechanic is easy to find, but without the spare part on hand to repair the problem, the mechanic is of no help.

[JonCage]

“I take those big containers you get at Home Depot and fill it full of spare parts, and then I make a list of what’s inside,” says Perera, who runs his 54-foot cruising boat to The Bahamas two or three times a year. “We started going over there in 1999 and have been all over The Bahamas, from the Abacos to the Exumas.” Having the proper tools to make the changes—such as an oil filter wrench—is also important. “It’s practice at the dock so you know how to use your tools,” Perera quips. “That way when you get out there you know what to do with those tools.”

[lusid]

Some items, such as life jackets and flares are more than spare parts, they’re must-haves. “If you are going to do long-range boating, then have the Type I life jackets with the whistle and the light,” Perera recommends. “You will also want a life raft that is certified annually, and make sure your flares are up to date.” Emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) and personal location devices (PLBs) are among many products available that can save lives when catastrophe strikes. [links]

[sherryparent90]

Perhaps the weakest link on the boat is the impellers, the muscles inside raw-water pumps. Having a spare impeller for every pump can be invaluable in an emergency. Debris that clogs the raw-water supply can cause engine overheating, and the impeller can implode. “Again, you need to know how to replace impellers and that takes practice,” Perera affirms. “If you can’t do it if you are at the dock, you can find someone who can.” Bad impellers will have cracking where the vanes are at the base, or the tips will show damage. Because they are inexpensive—and you have a spare—if there is a question
then always change the impeller.

[claw]

Every boating adventure promises an amalgam of excitement, relaxation, mistakes, and mishaps. Rarely does something not go wrong; it’s a truism every boat owner knows from experience. That’s why extra fluids and impellers—and a handheld VHF radio that’s always
charged—can save the day in remote locales where help from other boat owners or towboats is lacking.