"Ive got to have that"- where did we go wrong

[chef2sail]

After reading and posting on another thread in a different forum I came to the conclusion that all of us have purchase stuff for our boats which either collect dust or are not as important to have as we thought they were when we bought them. Maybe some would share their "I got to have it experiences". Since the Annapolis boat show is comming up I thought it an appropriate topic for some .

One which I face all the time is that handy dandy solar light I have clamped on by davits/ stern rail for light in the cockpiy at night. It works great but is very rarely used.- ( only when we take a nightime dinghy ride in an anchorage so I can find our boat). We prefer a candle in the cokpit ar night when sitting in it.

I have more

What have you bought with good intentions or were lured into buying by some "Sirens" at a boat show or magazine article.

Dave

[SEMIJim]

Nothing like that, so far. We don't have money to burn, so we tend to be very, very careful about what we buy for our boats.

Lots of stuff we'd like to have, tho

Jim

[smackdaddy]

Solar panels. I'm not dedicated enough to need them yet. Sad...but true.

[Omatako]

Nope, I only buy stuff that I need and nothing on my boat is dormant other than maybe the radar because where I routinely sail I don't need it.

But I will when I go cruising.

[puddinlegs]

There are things I've thought I wanted, but thankfully couldn't afford. The best piece of advice that was ever received was from someone who said," Don't do or buy anything for your boat (that isn't fixing something you would include in general maintenance) until you've really really felt you needed it for at least 6 months, and don't change the location of any hardware in the first year." I have to say, it's saved me from buying a lot of stuff I doubt I'd be using much. Things I'd like that might find their way onto the boat in the next year or so? The Standard Horizon combo AIS/VHF is high on the list. There are also a couple of thing that would get us up to Cat I. standards for racing, but we're a couple of years out on that for the moment.

[SVAuspicious]

Got a really small microwave and built it into a cabinet. Used it twice in a year and converted the cabinet back to storage.

Shadetree Awnings work great to reduce the heat in the boat, but for me took too long to put up and take down. They are for sale.

Air chair - takes up too much room on the boat and takes too long to rig -- hanging from a tree at my girl friend's house now.

[painkiller]

I bought one of these bad-boys. Looks awesome.

[painkiller]

We also ordered our boat with a microwave. What a waste. It takes up a whole cabinet and we've used it only once or twice.

[St Anna]

Originally Posted by painkiller

We also ordered our boat with a microwave. What a waste. It takes up a whole cabinet and we've used it only once or twice.

Recently we heard on their morning scheds, a lady called up Sunsail Charter and complain that the microwave did not work. The tactful person on the other end told her to return to the maina and connect to shore power - then use the microwave.

Hey Painkiller, if the microwave is steel, it is a faraday cage - think about nearby lightning. Protection for anything electrical - gps/mobile phone/ipod etc

[SimonV]

Originally Posted by painkiller

I bought one of these bad-boys. Looks awesome.

I like it, I want it, I need it, where do I get it and what is it and where does it go??