"Be Prepared" is another way of saying "leave nothing to chance." Before we take off for our two-month cruise every summer, we make sure both the crew and the boat are truly ready to go. The goal is to lessen the odds that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, because putting things in order before we leave the dock is much easier than dealing with problems at sea.
Our cruising holidays consist of two weeks at Christmas, 10 days in March when we typically "shake down" the boat in search of any potential problems leading up to our big two month summer cruise which begins at the end of June.
This spring, for example, we discovered two problems that needed attention. One of our portable GPS "pucks" was not working. We also discovered that our outboard motor would not run smoothly on marine gas. Ultimately, it seemed to prefer fuel from the car's gas station. Go figure.
RICK LEBLANCSea Foam and its tender, Catch-Up.
Obviously, everyone's list of preparations and inspections will be different, as will the problems you identify. What is important is that you have a list, that you make your checks and that you fix or replace anything that may give you trouble. In the end, you will have more confidence in your boat – and more fun on the water.
KNOW YOUR BOAT
Because we live on-board we have a ready pulse on the condition of our boat and hands-on knowledge of the condition of our equipment. For example, we recently encountered an issue when our bilge pump kept firing. We thought it might be the result of rain water getting into the hull from the lazarette hatch, but it turned out that one of the fittings on the hot water tank was broken. We caught it and fixed it.
After owning the Sea Foam for three years, we are still working on making changes and additions that we want for maximum comfort and performance. Throughout the year we make working lists of projects that need attention and equipment that we want to purchase or replace.
My husband Rick checks the engine routinely, both at the dock and underway. It's prudent to keep a comprehensive list of spares, and to have the parts on board that you need to make repairs (see links). But each captain's list will be different, based on their level of skill and the type of cruising they do.
For example, Rick feels that that some parts would be impossible to replace or repair while underway, and he insists that many of the jobs are too big to be done without a proper mechanic. While we have our share of spares, he feels some parts take up too much space or are too expensive to have lying around.
We stow oil and fuel filters in a plastic bucket in one of our forward hatches, and we have a full stock of replacement belts. We don't carry replacement hoses, but have the means to repair them until they can be replaced. Our air filter was recently replaced and we were able to run without it until we could secure a new part.
