Where do you keep your owner's manuals/info?

[PBzeer]

As I live on the boat, and have no fixed "home base", my manuals reside in a large ziplock bag. I also back up as many as possible, digitally on my laptop and external HD.

[dacap06]

When you have had a lightning strike and all your electronics are just so many door stops; when your batteries are dead, you need to troubleshoot your electrical system, and you aren't sure which color wire goes where; when you need to read your references in bright light -- then you'll be glad you have hard copies of your manuals (with your originals at home for safe keeping).

[JimMcGee]

Why does it have to be either -- or?

I keep my hard copy manuals on board in four hard plastic 3 ring binders. All the "greasy" manuals are tucked into their own binder for when I 'm doing engine work.

Non-punched and small manuals can be added in sleeves and 1-20 page manuals get punched by me. I make note of things to remember right in the manual. The binders live in a cubby behind a seat.

I've also Googled and downloaded all the significant manuals for the boat and have them on my laptop and desktop. That way if I'm at home and need to know a part number or hose size I can look it up.

Having them on the laptop makes searching easier, but for me you can't beat reading through the manual with your coffee in the cockpit first thing in the morning before tackling a job. And like DaCap06 I've lived with electronics too long to trust my manuals to electronics alone.

My high tech maintenance log is a smudged wirebound notebook that lives in the same cubby. One of these days I'll put all those maintenance records into a nicely bound log book. Umm, yep one of these days...

[zeehag]

originals. hard copy. in baggies, next to my bed unless i placed into a safe place i cannot find later...... usually near my paper charts.....

[Tim R.]

All my manuals/documentation are stored in 3 ring binders. There are kept on the bookshelf right next to my bunk.

[Faster]

We use a plastic accordian file folder (like Hylite and jrd) on board for things we might need there, and a file folder at home for other records.

[joyinPNW]

Always great to learn from seasoned sailors. I will utilize the ipad more and keep copies at home and on board. I agree with wanting to take and organize photos along with the manuals-that would be useful along the way. I want to get in good habits now with organizing our paperwork since this is a new boat to us.

Many, many, thanks for all the advice!

[JimMcGee]

Originally Posted by joyinPNW

Always great to learn from seasoned sailors. I will utilize the ipad more and keep copies at home and on board. I agree with wanting to take and organize photos along with the manuals-that would be useful along the way. I want to get in good habits now with organizing our paperwork since this is a new boat to us.

Many, many, thanks for all the advice!

Taking photos of stuff before you take it apart can also help a lot when it's time to put it back together. Not that I've ever had any leftover parts!

[PaulinVictoria]

In my $2 hanging rack next to the head

[chef2sail]

We have done like in combination. Part like Jrd22 and Hylyte where we have the paper manuals in waterproof zip lock storage bags in a plastic box under the nav station.

I have recently scannned and also downloaded onto my I pad and flash drive for quick refeernece from home or in case I am in a store and need to know the proper screw, diameter, measurement of something, Much easier when you have your IPad and can bring it right up there for myself to look at. Has saved multiple trips for sizing a few times

Have done the same with my Yanmar engine book.