Cruising gadgets, knowledge, and ideas for the cruising sailor
We keep a “mini” scuba tank aboard. I say keep aboard, because I’ve actually never had to use it while cruising. I keep it for emergencies. It’s small, light weight, and easy to store aboard. I do use it while in home port. Recently, without hauling the boat, I pulled my prop, painted it, and put it back on the
» Read moreDinghy Mate Saddle Tank This is a dinghy motor fuel tank that attaches to the transom of your dinghy. It has two brackets that hold it in place. It is up off the floor and out of the way. It gives you more room in the dinghy, a real luxury. The one shown here is the three gallon model on
» Read moreDrop Cloth at companionway – I’ve always liked to have one of these on my boats. They keep the rain out, help keep the AC in, and protect the finish on the drop boards while the boat is in storage mode. At night, if there are lights on inside the boat, this can help block the light for the helmsman.
» Read moreMosquito Net at Companionway and Hatches – OK guys, it’s time to learn a new word. “Tulle”, it pronounced like tool. This is a light weight mesh material that women use in sewing things like veils. Have you ever looked at a wedding bride and though, “gee, that would make a great mosquito netting.” Well it does. There are a
» Read moreSoda Stream – We make our own diet coke and tonic water with our Soda Stream. The cost of buying coke in some places will certainly make you hesitate, and to bring enough sodas for a cruise to the islands is a real burden. However, we find the biggest benefit is that we don’t generate trash from cans and cartons.
» Read moreLooky Bucket – This is near the top of my list ! < This is sometimes also called a viewing bucket. It’s essentially a glass bottom bucket that allows you to see the bottom from sitting in your dinghy. What cruisers use this for is to take a look at their anchor set. If you want to check your set,
» Read moreSecurity Alarm for $10 This is a “pull pin” personal alarm. When the pin is pulled, a 90 dB alarm sounds. It’s loud. I have found these at Lowe’s and Home Depot for about $6. As you can see, there is a key ring attached to the main part, and a small ring with a cord on it attached to
» Read moreWi-Fi Booster- We use a small, inexpensive 1 watt booster to better our wi-fi reception in anchorages. The one we use is made by Alfa, and cost less than $30. It works well, and frees us of trips to shore to the local “hot spot” to do email. Often we can tune into a free hot spot at a nearby
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Making ice is easy- We’ve tried ice cube trays, both the one’s with the lids by Tupperware, and the vertical ones that come with some freezers. But these take up a lot of space, and you then have to have a place for the extra cubes that you store. Try this. Fill a quart size Ziploc bag about 1/2 full
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Oven Stove– This is another heat diffuser. We find that when baking in the oven, some things get scorched or burned on the bottom. Biscuits and pizza are good examples. The stone protects your food from getting too much heat on the bottom. And spreads the heat out more evenly of better baking. My daughter was about to toss out
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