fitting a bare boat on a budget.

[orionmetzger]

so let assume i'm looking at a irwin 28.5 MRK 4 thats bare except for 1 set of sais and rigging (less than 2 years old), engine, and safety equipment (life jackets, flares, ect). but it has working head, faucet, unpressured alch. stove.

what would the experienced live aboards and cruisers recommend as needed equipment? assume little to no budget building as i go (meaning it'd be awesome if the list could be in an order of importance)


things like, what electronics are needed (autopilots?) vs what's just comfort (chart plotter?) or is a chart plotter (like 300 bucks now) worth just getting... i'm a little overwhelmed


thanks alot for the help

[tommays]

IMHP it would depend on what you want to do ?

I am fine with a solar shower and rinsing off on the deck of a J24 when we use to go boat camping

And have never had a sailboat with more than a handheld GPS and compass

[sww914]

A good, well installed VHF is an absolute must. Also I'd stock up a good damage control kit- plugs, oakum, some of that fiberglass tape that hardens underwater, fast epoxy putty that hardens underwater, etc.
Ground tackle is very important as well.

[sailingdog]

As Tommays said, it really depends. What level of comfort, automation, electronics, and such you're looking to have.

One one extreme, you can liveaboard a boat and cruise without any electronics, using only a handbearing compass, binoculars and a chart to keep track of your position. You can use a solar shower, and hand pump the water for the galley and head sinks and use oil lamps for lighting.

On the other extreme, you can have radar, a GPS chartplotter, microwave oven, 110 VAC, air conditioning, refrigeration, pressure hot and cold water, a TV, stereo, DVD player, laptop computer, an autopilot, VHF, SSB, and an EPIRB.

Or anything in-between.

At a minimum, a handheld GPS would be nice, as would a VHF radio, preferably connected to the GPS with DSC capability. I'd point out, that even if you have a good chartplotter, PAPER CHARTS ARE A NECESSITY.

Self-steering is nice, but not really necessary for coastal sailing IMHO.

Roller furling headsails are nice, but not necessary.

Good ground tackle is a necessity. It is also an important piece of safety gear, and for cruisers on a budget a great way to save money—since anchoring out is generally a lot less expensive than using a marina slip or mooring.

For a boat that size, I'd recommend a 22 lb. or 33 lb. Rocna or a 25 lb. or 35 lb. Manson Supreme anchor, with 30-60' of G43 high-test chain and 200' of 5/8" octoplait nylon for the rode.

[timebandit]

hand held raido
seatow insurance
chart of the area
spare fuel filter
picnic lunch
build from there and have fun

[orionmetzger]

thanks for the info. it actually has a roller jib and an anchor, not sure what size or shape. along with a newly serviced engine and new fuel tank (which isnt attached to the engine yet, lol)

it's clean and only 4.5k, which seems like a good deal

i'm gonna have to dock it though (i'm military, i have 2 years left and i plan on spending it fixing and customizing a boat while living on it till i get out)

i was thinking a shitty hand gps and paper charts will hold me over for a trip from miami (where she is) to savannah (where i live). it'll be me and a friend, both of whom are newbies.

this may be slightly off-topic, but does anyone know how long a trip like that would take?

[hellosailor]

Very roughly 400nm, probably more like 450nm and you'll be motoring at about 5 knots up the ICW, so 90 hours, nine or ten long days quite possibly twelve. Make sure your engine is reliable, do a shakedown cruise or plan to spend a couple of extra days en route in case something breaks down in the first 48 hours, as it often will.

I'd also ditch the alcohol stove, I hate them. Cold flame, hard to see, causes more fires than anything else on a boat. I'd rather use a 2-burner Coleman type propane grill or one of the single-burner $20 grills sold in the oriental supermarkets and flea markets, even though those gasses need some precautions on a boat. They're faster, cleaner, and in the long run safer.

[orionmetzger]

would it be possible to skip the icw and b-line it to savannah? in water/wind where we can use the sails, which i'm assuming is faster than the inboard diesel.

or is that unsafe?

[sailingfool]

Originally Posted by orionmetzger

would it be possible to skip the icw and b-line it to savannah? in water/wind where we can use the sails, which i'm assuming is faster than the inboard diesel.

or is that unsafe?

that's a bit at sea for a green boat and a green crew. Better to poke along the shoreline, spend a few nights at anchor exploring new places, and enjoy the adventure.

I assume you'll have a surveyor check out the boat, also be sure have a mechanic do an engine survey, as a replacement engine would cost more than the boat itself...and they do get replaced. Whatever the owner or broker may tell you about the condition of the engine simply should be ignored.

[tommays]

"it'll be me and a friend, both of whom are newbies. "

Is that newbies to ALL boats Or just sailboats ?

Because if is newbie to ALL boats there is a bit you need to learn first to even motor down