Item

Brand

Rating

Our personal experience and other comments

GPS

Magellan 3000XL

We bought this one recently. It is fully waterproof but the antenna is not very sensitive. If you do not hold the unit horizontally it will loose contact.

4.1 kg Danforth anchor, 8 m 8mm chain, 30 m 12 mm nylon anchor rope

Danforth

We choose a Danforth anchor after reading some articles on anchors. It became clear that with no-name anchors the risks are simply higher than with the well known brands. We have only limited experience with anchoring till now so I can't judge whether it is a good choice. The anchor chain started rusting within a year. Anybody with good ideas to prevent this, please send a mail.

6 flat fenders

Plastimo

These fenders are oblong blocks of a strong foam. They are of a good quality and don't roll away, but don't seem to fend as efficient as normal fenders. On the other hand they are very comfortable cushions to sit on! Thus they comply with the rule that preferable every item on board must have two tasks

1 pair of waterproof binoculars, model: Triton 6x32.

Fumoto

Ours have a magnification of only 6. This was a good choice. A small boat is constantly moving, the picture is much more stable than with the normal 10x magnification. It pays to buy a nitrogen filled waterproof one. Binoculars are important when trying to recognize where you ended up after a crossing. If the binoculars have fogged up lenses due to moisture inside this is difficult.

1 waterproof photo camera

Canon

Excellent. With a waterproof camera it is possible to make pictures when you want them, i.e. in bad weather.

Male foul weather gear, model: Offshore Jacket and trousers. Model U-239 and U-408.

Helly Hansen

Foul weather gear is probably the single most important piece of equipment you will buy. So get the best offshore gear you can find. For me, Helly Hanssen is excellent, it has a nice fit and keeps me warm. If only I didn't forget to put them on early enough!

Female foul weather gear, female

Musto HPX

My wife strongly prefers the soft HPX material of Musto. As it is breathable, it not only is excellent for keeping dry but also for getting dry. Please note that the jacket is cut very short, so try and fit before you buy.

1 Whale hand pump

Whale

Excellent, pumps out a couple of buckets full of bilge-water in 1 minute. Unfortunately we bought the version which you fix on rather than in a bulkhead. The result is that the handle is a constant annoyance for the helmsman.

Sailing boots

Musto

Get the high version and tuck your trousers over them. You will never ever get wet feet again! (well at least I don't)

2 waterproof torches

Colemann

Light weight, strong, soft bright orange rubber coating outside, waterproof. In my humble opinion the best product Coleman ever made. And I like their products a lot.

1 oil-lamp

Feuerhand

Limited experience, gives off a lot of heat in summer and very little in winter, but reliable, cheap and gives a nice, cozy atmosphere in the boat.

1 extendible hook

Plastimo

Hardly ever used. We usually pick up a bouy by bumping into it. With a small boat and heavy fendering this is easier than hanging overboard with a hook trying to grab the buoy. Maybe we just have to get more experience with it.

2 oars, 2.6 meter long

Plastimo

Oars where the only alternative to sailing in the first year. We bought an outboard for the second year! You don't need an outboard but it sure is handy! The quality of the oars we is fairly good but they don't fit very well into the rowlocks of the same company, making rowing a struggle.

1 Alcohol cooker, 1 burner, 1500 W

Origo

This must be the ultimate Dinghy Cruising cooker as it boasts the most reliable design possible. No small holes which clog up, no delicate moving parts. Full stainless steel, excellent simple design. It's capacity is fully adequate for two persons. And cooking on alcohol smells so nice!

1 outboard, model Malta, 3 hp

Yamaha

The standard small boat engine by now, very quite, starts easily, has more than enough power for our boat. Some of the fittings are flimsy. We broke the fittings of the cover during the first trip. The same applies to one of the carrying handles, it broke while attaching the engine to the boat. The big worry for me is theft. We have fixed our outboard in such a way that it takes us at least 15 minutes to get it on or of the transom.

1 5 liter petrol can

???

-

I don't feel secure with so much petrol on board. If a small diesel outboard existed, I would be one of the fools buying one. In the 50s, small model airplanes used 2-stroke diesel engines rather than petrol. I just wonder whether the same principal would not be possible for a small outboard. A 2-stroke diesel engine must be the most reliable engine possible. A 4-stroke 3 hp diesel engine would run 1.5 hours full-power at 1 liter of diesel and at least 4 hours at half power!

1 bearing Compass

Plastimo

In practice we don't use it a lot. Most navigation is based on dead reckoning and luck. Our boat moves to much in serious waves to be able to get an accurate bearing, when the boat doesn't move, I don't need a bearing. Remember that with a centerplate design there are almost no worries about shallows, at least not as much as in a keel-boat.

1 steering Compass, mini Contest

Plastimo

Excellent compass for small boats. Wish I had two, one on each side of the boat to avoid parallax errors

set of tools

???

-

Get good, stainless steel tools. You don't need a lot of them. We consider a screwdriver, a pair of pliers and a knife as the essentials. Liberal use of snap-shackles and rope for fitting has removed the necessity for us to use these tools in normal situation.

set of spare parts

???

-

We basically have enough spare parts on board to fix all but the biggest problems. Due to the simplicity of our boat, these spare parts and the tools fit in one box weighing about 3 kg.

2 red flares, 2 white flares, 2 parachute rockets

???

Never used till now

1 Almanac

ANWB

-

Legally required in Holland

2 self-inflating life-vests

???

Never used till now

Folding anchor ball

???

-

Legally required when anchoring

2x10 m of 10mm nylon mooring rope

???

10 meter is too short to be useful.

2x15m of 10mm nylon mooring rope

???

Far better.

1 hand bailer

???

Pumping is easier but a pump can clog up.

1 horn

???

-

Legally required in Holland

1 national flag

???

-

Legally required when sailing at sea