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Equipment of a Sailboat: What You Need to Have on Board While Sailing

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Just what sail boat equipment should be aboard? Like so many things in life, that’s a simple question with a complex answer. You can be as minimalist or as gadget-oriented as you like; most people fall somewhere in between. One sailor may find a particular accessory an essential part of sailing and can’t imagine leaving the dock without it. Another sailor may find the same gadget an expensive waste of very limited space. Still another may find it useful but feel that its weight slows his boat speed. All these points of view are valid. My purpose, for this discussion, is to give you a framework for making your own decisions.

Of course, I’ve got my own biases and opinions, and I’ll mention if I’ve found a particular thing useful in my travels. But there’s lots of equipment I haven’t tried yet, especially the costlier items. I’ve never sailed on a boat with an electric windlass, for example, and the ground tackle on most trailer sailers is light enough that this piece of equipment is unnecessary. But if you are cruising a larger trailer sailer – in the 25-foot range, for example – in an area with lots of coral heads, and you use an all-chain anchor rode, then an electric windlass might not be such a superfluous expense.

I lean toward the minimalist/traditional side of things, within reason. My boat has a house electrical system and a motor, though some sailors go without these things and are quite happy. I admire these people, and I love sailing with them. I often learn alternative ways to do things from the way they keep their boats. But I like the extra security of having a motor and a depth sounder. Yes, this equipment can and does break down and requires maintenance, which takes time away from sailing. But having these things aboard has made sailing more enjoyable for me, and that’s usually the best test of whether a piece of optional equipment stays or goes.

USCG-Required Equipment

We start with the US Coast Guard – equired equipment, which must be aboard your vessel for it to be legal. (The equipment that is legally required aboard recreational boats is subject to change. I have relied on the publication «Federal Requirements and Safety Tips for Recreational Boaters» for the information in this section. This is a basic, bare-bones list of safety equipment, and most boatowners are encouraged to go beyond this minimum.

The US Coast Guard sets standards for this equipment; to be fully within the law, the equipment must be marked «Coast Guard – Approved Equipment». Ski belts are a good example – some people think that these are personal flotation devices, or PFDs, since they do help people stay afloat, but they are not Coast Guard – approved PFDs. If this is all you have aboard, expect to be fined if inspected by the Coast Guard, or (heaven forbid) sued if a passenger on your vessel drowns.

Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)

PFDs – also known as life jackets – are the most basic, commonsense items to have aboard any boat. The Coast Guard lists five approved types of PFDs: four wearable types (Type I, II, III, or V) and one throwable type (Type IV). There must be at least one wearable PFD for each person on board. PFDs must be Coast Guard approved, in good, serviceable condition, and appropriately sized for the intended user. This is especially important if you have young children aboard – adult-sized PFDs won’t work for them. In addition, you must have at least one throwable PFD on board.

PFDs must be readily accessible. They’re of little help if you have to dig through a pile of inflatable toys and fishing gear to get to them. You must be able to put them on quickly in an emergency. They should not be stowed in plastic bags or in locked or closed compartments. Throwable devices must be available for immediate use in order for them to be accepted as legal equipment.

When to worn a Personal Flotation Devices?

It’s best if a PFD is worn at all times when the vessel is under way. A PFD can save your life, but only if you wear it. Try several different types and buy a properly fitting PFD for each crewmember.

While the Coast Guard requirements for PFDs can be satisfied easily and cheaply, your requirements might be quite different, especially if you’ve just fallen overboard in a storm and your boat and crew are sailing away at a blistering pace. A dark head bobbing in the water is a mighty small target to see. Some simple and inexpensive additions include patches of reflective tape sewn to the PFD, along with a few Velcro pockets. These could hold a flare or two, a whistle or mini air horn, a plastic distress flag, and a flashlight or personal strobe. More expensive items include a personal EPIRB (see section «What’s an EPIRB?» below), now available for about $250. A little expensive, maybe, but what’s a life worth these days? At the very least, all your PFDs should have reflective patches and whistles.

Coast Guard Life Jacket Classifications. Exactly what are the different types of PFDs? Here are the Coast Guard classifications:

  • Type I is an «Off-Shore Life Preserver», designed to turn an unconscious wearer to a face-up position. An adult Type I PFD has at least 22 pounds of buoyancy.
  • Type II is a «Near-Shore Buoyancy Aid». This type will also turn an unconscious person face-up, but its turning force isn’t as great. It’s designed for calm inland waters where there’s a good chance of a rapid rescue. Adult Type II PFDs have 15,5 pounds of buoyancy.
  • Type III is a «Flotation Aid». These can be the most comfortable, and are often tailored to the wearer’s activity, like fishing, kayaking, or waterskiing. The downside of this comfort is that there is often no turning ability, and the device may not keep the wearer’s face clear in rough water. It has 15,5 pounds of buoyancy and is designed for inland water use.
  • Type IV is a «Throwable», designed to be held by the user until rescued. Typically, it’s what you toss to a person who has fallen overboard. Floating seat cushions are very common throwables, but horseshoe buoys or the Lifesling would be a good choice to have on board in addition to floating cushions.
  • Type V is a «Special Use Device». This category can include manually inflatable paddlesports vests or «float jackets», where a PFD is integrated with a rain jacket. You need to check the label carefully with Type Vs, though – in some cases, a Type V must be worn by the user to satisfy the PFD regulation.

What’s an EPIRB? EPIRB stands for emergency position-indicating radio beacon. An EPIRB is a sailor’s last best chance for rescue, only to be activated if you’re in the water and the boat is sailing away under autopilot, or the boat has gone down or is about to do so – all extremely unpleasant thoughts. Activating an EPIRB starts an international chain of events using satellites, monitoring stations, a mission control center, and local search and rescue agencies or the Coast Guard. The system allows rescue operators to locate you quickly, without having to conduct a wide area search that can easily be futile. A person in a life raft or in the water is often invisible from a helicopter.

The types of jacket
The types of Coast Guard life jacket

The EPIRB system has been in place since the 1970s, but the older Class A and Class B VHF units will not be monitored after February 2009, so be sure to look for the newer, more accurate 406 MHz EPIRBs. These units are able to locate within a 2-nautical-mile radius. The 406 EPIRBs broadcast a unique identification code that allows the mission control center to determine your name, phone number, vessel type, and emergency contact information, which enables them to verify your itinerary before scrambling the troops. This greatly reduces the number of very expensive false alarms. EPIRBs can be combined with a built-in GPS to transmit your exact position along with the locator radio signal.

A new class of EPIRB is called a personal locator beacon, or PLB. These smaller, less expensive EPIRBs work nearly as well as the larger units. While the large 406 EPIRBs are marine only, PLBs can be used anywhere. Weighing under a pound, they are small enough to be worn with a life jacket. Electronically, PLBs are very similar to the large 406 EPIRBs, but the battery lasts half as long, they don’t have a strobe, and they aren’t required to float (though most sold for the boating market do).

Both 406 EPIRBs and PLBs must be registered with NOAA/SARSAT, but this is easy. Prices currently run from about $500 for a PLB with GPS to about $1 200 for a fully automatic auto-release 406 EPIRB.

Do you need an EPIRB on a trailer sailer? Like everything else, it depends on where you’re going. Daysailing within sight of land? Probably not. Heading offshore for a long trip? Can’t hurt, especially one of the smaller PLB types. If you take only one long trip per year and daysail the rest of the time, check out the Boat US EPIRB rental program.

Visual Distress Signals. Visual distress signals (VDS) are required for most boats, with a few exceptions. If you operate your vessel in US coastal waters (that is, within 12 nautical miles of the US coastline), the Great Lakes, or the US territorial seas, visual distress signals must be on board. If you sail only in small lakes and rivers, then you might be able to get away with not carrying day signals – check the Coast Guard regulations. Some exceptions to the day signal requirement include small boats (under 16 feet), boats participating in organized events like regattas, and open sailboats without motors. All vessels are required to carry night signals when operating at night.

Several different types of visual distress signals will keep you USCG compliant. In a nutshell, they are divided into day signals and night signals, pyrotechnic and nonpyrotechnic. Pyrotechnic means flares and smoke signals. Three red meteor flares that have not expired (flares are dated just like a gallon of milk – they are usually good for about three years) and are rated for day and night use will make you legal, though you might want more ways to call for help if your engine conks out and you’re being swept out to sea by the current.

Nonpyrotechnic options include a distress flag, which is a large (at least 3 feet square) orange flag with a black circle and a square. Naturally, this is only a daytime signal. A nonpyrotechnic nighttime signal would be an electric distress light, but in order to fulfill the VDS requirement, this light must automatically flash the international SOS distress signal (. . . – . . .) and must be marked «Night Visual Distress Signal for Boats. Complies with US Coast Guard Requirements in 46 CFR 161.013. For Emergency Use Only». (Note that under the inland rules, a rapidly flashing light, such as a strobe, can be used to indicate a vessel in distress, but curiously these types of strobes are not considered distress signals under the VDS requirement.)

Why Aren’t Strobe Lights Legal? Strobe lights have a lot going for them as distress signals. They are very bright, effective attention-getters, and they last a long time under low battery power. Small waterproof strobes are available for use on life jackets and can greatly increase the chances of finding a crew lost overboard, even in daylight. A permanently mounted masthead strobe has prevented more than one collision between sailboats and large commercial ships at sea.

So why aren’t strobe lights accepted as legal visual distress signals by the Coast Guard? The reason probably has to do with Colregs, the International Regulations for Avoiding Collisions at Sea. These are sometimes called the International Rules of the Road. Under Colregs rule 36, «Any light to attract the attention of another vessel shall be such that it cannot be mistaken for any aid to navigation. For the purpose of this Rule the use of high-intensity intermittent or revolving lights, such as strobe lights, shall be avoided».

The US Inland Rules are different. In Annex IV, Distress Signals, subpart 87.1, Need of Assistance, «The following signals indicate distress and need of assistance: A high-intensity white light flashing at regular intervals from 50 to 70 times per minute». So while strobe lights aren’t specifically legal for use in international waters, I personally wouldn’t hesitate to use one if my vessel were in any sort of danger, and I have one on board my Buying Trailerable Sailboats: Condition Assessment and Riskstrailer sailer. I keep flares to meet the nighttime VDS requirement.

Fire Extinguishers. Hopefully you’ll never need to use one of these, but any fire aboard a boat is serious. The Coast Guard requirements are very specific and contain provisions for inboard-powered boats and larger boats, but for the size we’re talking about here – under 26 feet – the rules can be summarized by saying you must have at least one Type B-I (5-BC or higher rating) portable fire extinguisher. A typical Type B-I fire extinguisher contains 2 pounds of dry chemical, such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and can be purchased for less than $20. It’s not a bad idea to carry more than one fire extinguisher – one for the cockpit, near the engine and gasoline, and one near the galley.

Type B-II fire extinguishers hold twice as much dry chemical and aren’t much more expensive than B-I. Of course, you can spend more on a fire extinguisher if you want – Kiddie Halotron 1 Portables are USCG approved and leave no residue whatsoever, whereas dry chemical fire extinguishers are messy (though not as messy as a hull that’s burned to the waterline). Expect to pay around $185 for a 5-BC type Halotron 1 extinguisher. Remember that grease fires can sometimes be extinguished by the quick application of a lid, and some fires are made worse by adding water.

Replace your fire extinguisher(s) once every few years, but don’t throw the old ones away – use them to practice. In a safe area onshore, start a small fire and put it out with your old fire extinguisher. What you learn may surprise you.

Ventilation. On a trailerable sailboat, a forced-air ventilation system or a bilge blower is required for gasoline inboard engines with electrical starters. Outboard motors get plenty of ventilation when mounted on a bracket. The big concern is fuel storage – where do you keep your fuel tanks? If you keep them stored in a locker, then that locker must be ventilated with a natural, or passive, system with at least two ventilator ducts fitted with cowls. This usually means both a forward-facing and an aft-facing cowl. (A cowl is a device designed to direct airflow into or out of a duct.)

Sound-Producing Devices. On a trailerable sailboat, this means a horn. Usually a small compressed-air horn is best. We used to call them Freon horns, but now they use an ozone-safe gas. Unless they’re stainless steel, you’ll want to renew these every few years – exposure to sunlight can make the plastic weak and brittle, and the cans get rusty. Some horns are quite small and would be really nice to have attached to a life jacket if you were to fall overboard while your off-watch crew was sleeping below. I don’t mean to make light of this situation – I once read a nightmare tale of a woman who was cruising offshore with her husband. She woke up from a nap and came on deck. The boat was sailing nicely along under autopilot. Her husband was gone, presumably fallen overboard, and was never found.

Navigation Lights. If you operate your boat after sunset, you are required to display navigation lights. The requirements for sailboats can be tricky, since they are considered powerboats when the engine is running and must display one set of lights, but if they are under sail alone, they must display a different set of lights. For most trailerable sailboats, we can summarize the navigation light requirements by saying you need red and green bow lights, a white stern light, and a white all-around masthead anchor light. You’ll need a separate switch for the stern light and the anchor light, because sailboats under 39,4 feet may display:

  • A bicolor bow light and white all-around masthead light (anchor light) when under power (no stern light).
  • A bicolor bow light and white 135-degree stern light when under sail (no masthead light).

While you’re anchored, you need to display a 360-degree white light «where it can best be seen». Usually, the best place for this is at the masthead, but you can suspend an anchor light from the rigging. This is possibly a better location than the masthead, because if you are anchored and another vessel approaches on a dark night, your boat is more noticeable when its anchor light is closer to the hull.

If your boat is under 23 feet, the rules state that you should display lights as above, but as an option you can carry only a flashlight to show in sufficient time to prevent a collision. I certainly wouldn’t want to depend on a flashlight to keep me from being run over, however. The rule is intended for a smaller boat – a Sunfish, say, or a ship’s tender – that gets caught out after dark. A flashlight may satisfy the rules, but this isn’t the safest situation.

For small boats like dinghies, you can now get really neat self-contained LED navigation lights. They use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs and look similar to a flashlight. There are several different mounting styles, including:

  • suction cup,
  • clamp-on,
  • and inflatable mounts.

Pollution Regulations

New laws aimed at controlling water pollution have affected recreational sailors, but the regulations affect only boats that are 26 feet and larger. While you are not legally required to display Discharge of Oil Prohibited or Discharge of Garbage Prohibited placards if you sail a vessel under 26 feet, you are still required to know and abide by these laws. If you’ve got the space, it doesn’t hurt to screw these placards to a bulkhead. The Discharge of Oil Prohibited placard reads:

Discharge of Oil Prohibited
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act prohibits the discharge of oil or oily waste upon or into any navigable waters of the US. The prohibition includes any discharge which causes a film or discoloration of the surface of the water or causes a sludge or emulsion beneath the surface of the water. Violators are subject to substantial civil and/or criminal sanctions including fines and imprisonment.

Although the placard is optional on most trailerables, spill cleanup materials are required if your boat has a motor that uses gas or oil. The USCG Federal Regulations website says:

On recreational vessels, a bucket, oil absorbent pads and heavy duty plastic bag, bailer or portable pump are some suitable means that meet the requirement for retention on board until transferring the oily mixture to a reception facility. No person may intentionally drain oil or oily waste from any source into the bilge of any vessel. You must immediately notify the US Coast Guard if your vessel discharges oil or hazardous substances in the water.

You can put these materials together yourself for minimal cost. Sealed in a plastic bag, they should last indefinitely if kept dry. A company called Dawg sells an economy spill kit for $33. Most kits contain bilge socks and special oil-only pads that will absorb oil, not water. Bilge socks are made of a similar oil-absorbent material and are shaped like a tube. These materials are also readily available at most boat chandleries.

One thing you don’t want to do is disperse a spill by adding detergent. This breaks the surface tension of the water, allowing the pollutant to sink, where it’s more difficult to clean. It continues to damage the ecosystem on the bottom, and it will bring you a hefty fine. You can learn more about ecologically sound boating with the «Help Stop the Drops» program from Boat US.

Garbage discharge laws require a similar placard on boats over 26 feet. Again, though most trailer sailers are legally exempt from displaying the placard (but not exempt from the rules), posting the notice is a good idea. The placard reads:

The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Annex V) places limitations on the discharge of garbage from vessels. It is illegal to dump plastic trash anywhere in the ocean or navigable waters of the United States. It is also illegal to discharge garbage in the navigable waters of the United States, including inland waters as well as anywhere in the Great Lakes. The discharge of other types of garbage is permitted outside of specific distances offshore as determined by the nature of that garbage.

Garbage Type:

  • Plastics, including synthetic ropes, fishing nets, and plastic bags – Prohibited in all areas.
  • Floating dunnage, lining and packing materials – Prohibited less than 25 miles from nearest land.
  • Food waste, paper, rags, glass, metal, bottles, crockery and similar refuse – Prohibited less than 12 miles from nearest land.
  • Comminuted or ground food waste, paper, rags, glass, etc. – Prohibited less than 3 miles from nearest land.

United States vessels of 26 feet or longer must display in a prominent location, a durable placard at least 4 by 9 inches notifying the crew and passengers of the discharge restrictions.

When I lived on board my How to Choose Your First Boat?first boat back in 1992, this law hadn’t been passed. But we (meaning the liveaboard community at the marina) knew how deadly plastic was to marine life. I can clearly remember my good friend and slipmate Larry Lee cutting the rings of plastic bottle carriers before throwing them in the trash, just in case they found their way to a garbage barge that was dumped offshore. (I still cut these up before I throw them away.) We would, however, sink empty glass bottles, thinking that these were fairly inert and wouldn’t harm the environment. But the MARPOL regulation brings a «pack it in, pack it out» requirement to coastal sailing and cruising, and that’s a good thing. You can’t sink a bottle anymore unless you’re 12 miles offshore. This may seem like an environmental regulation that goes a little too far, but it’s important. If these rules are enforced and followed, our impact on the sea that we all love will be reduced to almost nil, and our children will be able to enjoy the same beauty that we do. Now, if we could just solve the problem of global warming and rising sea temperatures with a placard…

You’ll notice that I haven’t addressed another «trash» issue that no one likes to talk about but everyone has to deal with, and that’s the problem of human waste. There are several options, see section «Cruising in Comfort on a SailboatPersonal Comforts On Board», but for now it’s important to know that there’s one place this stuff can’t go, and that’s overboard. The days of cedar buckets as an effective solution are gone forever.

MSDs. The Coast Guard regulations regarding human waste appear in a section on marine sanitation devices, or MSDs, and apply only to permanently installed heads. Most trailer sailers have some kind of portable toilet. However, some larger trailer sailers have a permanently installed head. Basically the regulations simply require that the head be connected to a holding tank that can be emptied at a pumpout station. (It was common practice on older boats to pipe the head outlet directly overboard, an installation that is now illegal.) Pumpouts are usually located at marinas and some state-run facilities and are much more common than they once were.

MSD regulations can be a thorny subject and are apt to change. There are certain cruising areas where any provision to pump waste overboard – even if it is a locked Y-valve installation (where one hose connects to a deck pumpout fitting and the other to a through-hull for overboard discharge) – has been declared illegal. It’s best to check with the Coast Guard before making any changes to your MSD system to make sure the regulations haven’t changed.

Optional Equipment

If you are buying a brand-new, empty boat, the list of USCG-required equipment may seem pretty extensive, but it is far from complete. There are several items that aren’t specifically required but you’ll certainly need for your boat. Other pieces of equipment aren’t so much needed as nice to have.

Anchors

It is almost unbelievable that anchors are not required equipment on boats. In 2005, two teenage boys from Charleston, South Carolina, set out for a little fishing in a small boat – a JY15 with no mast or sails (they were using it as a rowboat). They hadn’t heard about the small craft advisory for that day. They were aiming for a sandbar that was perhaps 50 yards out in a protected inlet, but between the shore and the sandbar was a strong rip current. They realized almost immediately that they were in trouble but couldn’t row or swim the boat back to shore. Six days later they were found by a fishing boat off Cape Fear, North Carolina, nearly 111 miles from where they started. They were alive – barely.

While an anchor might not have prevented this very close call, it probably would have slowed them down enough that they might have been rescued sooner. Over a hundred Coast Guard personnel were involved in an extensive search, but their drift rate was faster than computer models suggested and they were quickly swept out of the search area. (Then again, their boat had no safety equipment on board whatsoever, and just about anything would have helped. But as all teenagers know, they are immortal and tend to stay out of trouble.)

Read also: How to Choose the Perfect Sailboat: Tips on Selection, Ownership, and Alternatives

Of course, every boat should always carry anchors (along with life jackets, distress signals, and other emergency equipment). When the weather begins to sour, sailboats, being naturally slower vessels, cannot run for cover as quickly as a planing powerboat, so good ground tackle becomes very important.

Different types of anchors have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses, and no one type of anchor is best for all bottom conditions. What you carry on board will depend on your local conditions, the space available, and your experience. Some people think I’m nuts for carrying three anchors, but I’ve seen conditions when all three were needed. Seek the advice of others about anchors, especially those with local knowledge. Here’s a very brief summary of anchor types to get you started.

Danforth Anchors. These popular lightweight anchors have pivoting flukes. They are usually a good all-around choice and are best in hard sand or mud. Fortress aluminum anchors are Danforth types and are often carried aboard trailerables as a second anchor because of their very light weight.

Plow, CQR, and Delta Anchors. These anchors look similar to an old-time single turning plow that was pulled by a mule. The shaft can be either pivoting, as in the CQR, or fixed, as in the Delta. Best in:

  • sand,
  • weeds,
  • grass,
  • and rocky bottoms.

Bruce or «Claw» Anchors. A Bruce anchor performs much like a plow but with a lighter weight; reportedly resets quickly if the boat pivots and the anchor breaks out.

Yachtsman or Herreshoff Anchors. This more traditional type of anchor is reminiscent of something you’d see tattooed on Popeye’s forearm. It’s not normally used among recreational boats but has been reported to hold when nothing else would.

Mushroom Anchors and «Hookers» Mushroom «anchors» are usually seen in discount stores as little vinyl-covered things. I’m not quite sure who buys them or what they’re used for. They certainly aren’t used as anchors, though giant versions work as moorings.

Types of anchors
Types of anchors for your sailboat

«Hookers» – they really are called that, an unfortunate name if you’re trying to research them online – are inexpensive anchors with a long U-shaped rod shaft and a ring. You’ll find these at flea markets and Buying a Used Boat: What to Look for, Tips for the Buyerused boat places, mainly because, although they make fine decorations, they don’t work that well as anchors. A 1994 anchor test in San Francisco by US. Sailing showed this anchor «had no interest in sticking to anything» and had a pull of about 60 pounds as it dragged along the bottom. Even when the flukes were forced in by hand, the anchor popped out at 95 pounds. They’d make good garden decorations or something to drag behind the car of a newly married couple.

Some new types of anchors (such as the Barnacle, Bullwagga, Spade, and SuperMax) have been developed that may prove useful in the future, but they haven’t yet seen widespread use. These might work for you if they’re offered in small sizes. Practical Sailor has done several very good anchor test articles over the years; check their results before spending a lot of money on an unfamiliar type.

I carry three anchors aboard my current boat Tiny Dancer:

  • one small Danforth;
  • one large Danforth;
  • and a Delta plow-type.

I firmly believe that anchors are not an area for economy. When I was a liveaboard I had two anchors – one was a genuine Danforth, but the larger storm anchor was a low-cost Danforth copy that was rated for a boat three times bigger than my boat. After a particularly bad storm (Hurricane Hugo), my smaller genuine Danforth was undamaged, but the half-inch shaft on the big storm anchor was bent over 45 degrees. Ever since then, I’ve believed in spending the money to buy good, name-brand anchors.

A set of anchors
My anchor collection: a small Danforth with 12 feet of chain and 100 feet of nylon rode (left); a Delta plow with 15 feet of chain and 150 feet of nylon rode (center); another older, larger Danforth from a previous boat with about 15 feet of chain and 75 feet of rode (right)

Size isn’t everything when it comes to anchors. Small, lightweight anchors sometimes set better than large anchors, and they are certainly easier to store and handle. I keep the small anchor at the bow, ready to go over at a moment’s notice. Its light weight doesn’t impact the boat’s sailing ability as much as a heavier anchor would. It is generally better to keep heavy stuff off the very ends of the boat, and since trailer sailers are by nature lighter craft, it pays to keep this in mind. My other anchors live in the cockpit locker and are brought out when anchoring for the night.

How Heavy Should Your Anchors Be? Actually, this is a pretty tricky question. There is a standard answer – the usual tables published for a 20-foot sailboat show that the «lunch hook» should hold to about 90 pounds, the working anchor needs to hold to 360 pounds, and the storm anchor should be able to hold to 720 pounds before breaking out. If you were using three standard Danforth anchors, this translates to a 3,5-pound lunch hook (with 160 pounds of holding power), a 5-pound working anchor (with 300 pounds of holding power), and a 14-pound storm anchor (with 920 pounds of holding power). Other anchor types list recommended boat sizes rather than holding power. For example, an 11-pound Simpson-Lawrence claw is recommended for 17- to 22-foot boats.

Going with the manufacturer’s recommendations is probably your best bet, though a 3,5-pound Danforth is pretty tiny. I think I’d go up to a 5-pounder, because handling either anchor is pretty easy. Some recent work suggests that the long-published and accepted estimates of wind loading don’t reflect realworld conditions. A lightweight boat with a fin keel tends to yaw during a high wind or sail around the anchor, first to port, then to starboard. As she does this, the wind loading on the boat increases as she shows more of her broadside to the wind. I’ve experienced this firsthand: in a very high wind, my Catalina 27 would yaw at anchor until she had the wind on the beam, bringing huge loads on her anchors and rodes.

In a really heavy storm, everything should be increased a size or two:

  • anchor,
  • rode,
  • chain,
  • shackle.

But, conversely, I’ve come to believe that a light, small anchor has value, too. A smaller anchor will bite in and set with less power, while a larger anchor may not bite very far under power. If it isn’t set well, you might not discover this until the wind starts blowing, which isn’t a good time to get bad news about your anchor set. And the wind never blows while you’re setting the anchor – it seems to always start about 3 a. m. I used to think bigger was always better when it came to anchors, but I’ve changed my thinking. Most of the time I use a small (but high-quality) Danforth Deepset for anchoring, and it seems to be working quite well. I use my Delta for overnights.

Anchor Rodes. All of the gear that attaches the anchor to the boat is called the rode. On nearly all trailer sailers, the rode consists of a line and a length of chain.

The most commonly used anchor line is three-strand or braided nylon. It’s strong, doesn’t rot, and, most important, it’s stretchy – it can stretch 15 to 25 percent under a load. This helps absorb shock loads as the boat surges at anchor. (In fact, I keep a length of small nylon three-strand to use as a shock absorber. One end is tied to the anchor line; the other end is led to the sheet winches. In a storm, it acts like a giant bungee cord, stretching and distributing shock loads to several points on the boat.)

Much less desirable but more common is cheap polypropylene rope, which has poor knot strength, rapidly degrades in sunlight, and floats, which tends to foul other boats’ props.

Most anchors should have some chain attached to them. The weight of the chain helps hold the anchor shaft parallel to the bottom, and few anchors will set properly without some chain before the rode. Although heavy chain is cumbersome, that weight is essential. Cruising sailors recommend using all-chain rodes, but this isn’t practical for most trailer sailers. Allchain rodes usually require a windlass to haul aboard, and the weight of the rode would be tough for a small, light boat to cope with.

Remember that the entire rode is a «chain» in terms of the weakest link. Ten feet of chain before the anchor is good, but longer is better. Anchor shackles are metal clips that connect the chain to the anchor and line (see figure).

Attaching the shackle and chain
Anchor shackle and chain properly secured

They are weaker than the chain in the same size and should be rated for a similar breaking strength. Shackles often seize up tight. A common practice is to screw the pin in all the way, then back it out a quarter turn. You can coat the threads with:

  • Desitin,
  • Never-Seez,
  • or dielectric grease.

It’s imperative to secure the shackle pin so that it doesn’t work loose. Stainless or Monel wire works, but I’ve found that electric fence wire costs very little and resists corrosion well. Be sure to dress sharp wire ends so they don’t cut your hands. Another noncorroding option is nylon cable ties (often called zip ties). The black ones resist UV radiation better than white. The line should have a thimble – a teardrop-shaped insert – to resist chafe. Special nylon thimbles are good to prevent the thimble from working loose as the eye splice stretches, and seizings around stainless steel thimbles will keep them secure. Other types of connectors are available, though questions have been raised about their strength and the materials used. Swivels should generally be avoided because of strength issues. The big advantage of patented anchor connectors is that they won’t foul an anchor windlass. Since most trailer sailors won’t need a windlass, you shouldn’t need anything more than a standard shackle.

Mark your anchor line so you have some idea how much rode is out. You can buy premade plastic tags, but a few turns of dark thread or tape works just as well. Something that can be identified by feel yet won’t snag as it passes through a fairlead is ideal. Wrap a single band of thread at 25 feet, two bands at 50 feet, three bands at 75 feet, and a wrap of tape at 100 feet. Then you continue the sequence: a band of tape plus a single band of thread is 125 feet, and so on. With my rode marked this way, I never have to guess how much of it is in the water.

Lifelines, Harnesses, Tethers, and Jacklines

We all want to keep ourselves and our crew from falling off the boat. Double lifelines rigged with strong stanchions are a good idea. I know they add windage, tend to snag shrouds as you’re raising the mast, and generally complicate things. Nevertheless, I’m extremely nervous working a deck with no lifelines, and I tend to hug the fiberglass like a leech. Anyone who has ever sailed with children aboard will tell you that a boat with lifelines is safer than one without. They can get in the way of deck-sweeping headsails, but they can also help keep sails out of the water as they are being lowered. Netting between the lifelines increases this ability, as well as preventing small children (and bigger sailors) from being swept under the lines.

Double lifelines
Double lifelines on a small sailboat

But lifelines aren’t accident-proof. A stanchion with a 150-pound crewmember falling against it is likely to break. Additional measures are sometimes necessary to keep your crew on board, besides the obvious grabrails running the full length of the cabintop. On most boats the grabrails are installed by the builder, though in a few cases they aren’t as long as they should be. They should be through-bolted, with large backing plates on the underside.

Jacklines, tethers, and safety harnesses all help ensure that your sailing companions stay safely on board. A jackline is a strong line, cable, or flat webbing that runs fore and aft along the deck, secured to strong pad eyes. A crew clips one end of a tether to the jackline, and the other end to a harness that is connected to the sailor’s PFD. The tether should be long enough so the crew can work the deck without hindrance, yet short enough to keep the crew from falling overboard. There is one chilling account of a sailor who was swept overboard. He was wearing a safety harness, but the tether was too long. His wife, who was not strong enough to haul him back aboard and didn’t know how to stop the boat, watched her husband drown in the quarter wave. Some tethers have double ends, a short and a long – that way, you’re always connected to something when you’re on deck. You should never clip a tether to the lifelines – they aren’t strong enough for this. If you don’t have a jackline, clip the tether to the windward side of something strong, like a stanchion base or mooring cleat. (This is one reason why larger metal mooring cleats with open bases are better than smaller nylon ones.)

Docklines and Towlines. You need at least four strong docklines. (See section «Getting Underway and Sailing on the SailboatDocking» for tips on technique.) Stretchy nylon is good for preventing shock loads to your mooring cleats, and remember, small-diameter nylon stretches more than large-diameter lines. It’s also easier to secure smaller lines to cleats. In addition to docklines, you’ll want two longer spring lines. You’ll need to inspect docklines for chafe, though – lines smaller than 1/2 inch tend to wear out quickly. Some books say that all docklines should be at least 1/2 inch, but since trailer sailers are smaller and lighter overall, a smaller line might be easier to handle.

Types of docklines
Five types of docklines

A long towline is good to have aboard to help other vessels. Although it’s expensive, the best towline is double-braid nylon. It’s still shock absorbing, but not so much as three-strand nylon. A towline should be a little stretchy, but not too much. If a deck fitting rips off under a towing load, it can shoot toward the towing boat with deadly force, potentially causing a serious accident.

Compass

A compass is not required on a boat, but it should be if only for tradition’s sake. My first trailer sailer had no compass aboard and technically didn’t need one. The boat never sailed any farther than Lake Chickamauga in Tennessee, where you’re never very far from land and nearly all navigation is by eye. But a good marine-grade compass was one of the first things I bought for that boat, and I never sailed it without my hand bearing compass as well. It is a captain’s responsibility to know the boat’s position and heading at all times, and you can’t do that without a compass. No selfrespecting captain should put to sea – even if that sea is a lake – without one.

A compass inside the cabin is an even better idea. A long time ago, compass makers developed a special model called a telltale compass. These are designed to be read from the bottom, and are mounted to the overhead above the captain’s berth. While you’re sleeping at anchor, all you have to do is open one eye to see if the boat has shifted in the night. If not, fine, you go back to sleep. But if the boat has shifted, and the breeze has gotten up a bit, you had better take a look around the deck, just to make sure the anchor is still set and you’re not blowing onto a dangerous lee shore. Or worse, you might find the other boat in the anchorage that was safely downwind has shifted and is now dragging anchor straight toward Technical Recommendations for Inspecting Your Boatyour boat while the captain is down below sleeping like a baby. I’ll bet he’s never heard of a telltale compass!

Types of hand compasses
Hand bearing compasses: left, the classic (and relatively inexpensive) Davis, and right, a hockey-puck type by Plastimo. Either type will get the job done

You can still buy telltale compasses, but they are expensive. I found one listed at $360.

A hand bearing compass is extremely useful to have in addition to your mounted compass. Davis still makes its old hand bearing model, which is a large ball-type compass mounted on a handle with plastic pointers. It floats. I’ve also used one of the more expensive hockey-puck types of hand bearing compass, and it was a nice piece of gear. At about $100, it’s roughly double the price of the old Davis model, but if my Davis ever gets lost overboard (not likely, since it floats), I’ll treat myself to an Plastimo Iris 50.

There are two other types of hand bearing compass to consider:

  • the Plastimo Iris 100;
  • the Silva 70UN.

Both of these include a mounting bracket. This way they can do double-duty as the ship’s compass and the hand bearing compass, plus they’re easy to take home, reducing the risk of theft.

Bilge Pumps. Bilge pumps are a good idea, but on certain boats they’re apt to be used rarely. If your boat has no bilge, then you won’t have a huge amount of use – or room – for a large bilge pump. My first trailerable sailboat had no bilge space, and no place to put a pump that wouldn’t be continually tripped over, so I didn’t install one. I got plenty of water inside my boat, usually following a large rainstorm or from splashes coming from the keel pendant opening during rowdy sails. (The keel pendant is a line or cable attached to the keel to lift it up; it passes through a small hole in the centerboard trunk. On many boats, water can splash up through this hole when sailing.) However, these were mostly small nuisance puddles that were better addressed with a sponge. Bilge pumps always leave a little water that needs to be sponged out anyway, especially if your bilge is the cabin sole.

A diaphram-type bilge pump
A diaphram-type bilge pump mounted on the side of the cockpit that can be operated from the helm while underway

If you’re sinking, however, a bilge pump may be your only line of defense. You’ll want a big, clog-resistant, diaphragm-type pump. A bucket will move more water faster, but you can’t operate a bucket and steer the boat at the same time. Plunger-type pumps can be handy, but they’re not much help if you’re sinking.

Electric bilge pumps are another story. When equipped with a float switch, they can pump out your boat while you’re having dinner at a restaurant (try that with a bucket). They do add a level of complexity to the electrical system, and only large, expensive pumps can handle large amounts of water. Even a small hole below the waterline can admit stunning amounts of water into your vessel – I once had to clean out a speed impeller that was fouled on my just-purchased Catalina 27. It had a screw mount and a cap so that you could do this from inside the boat. All I had to do was unscrew the impeller with one hand and cap the hole with the other – simple. I got everything ready and unscrewed.

The impeller shot into my hand with the force from the water, and what seemed to be a giant fountain of seawater sprang up from the impeller’s mounting hole. I screwed the cap on quickly – it was all over in three or four seconds – and looked at the water that had come in from a 11/2-inch hole. Maybe 4 or 5 gallons! I remember getting a distinctive case of the new-boatowner shakes for a few minutes after that. That experience forever diminished my faith in bilge pumps and their ability to cope with anything but a trickle below the waterline. You’d need a pump almost as big as my Atomic Four inboard motor to cope with the water entering from an unobstructed 1-inch hole.

To summarize, bilge pumps can be useful, important items to have aboard, but only if they’re strong, high-quality, high-capacity installations. Don’t rely on an undersized, cheap pump to save you if you’re taking on water.

First-Aid Kit

A first-aid kit isn’t a USCG-required item, but no prudent mariner should leave the dock without one. Accidents happen, and, depending on your type of sailing, help could be hours or even days away. If your radio doesn’t have a lot of coverage or you’re out of cell phone range, minor problems can easily escalate into serious situations, so be prepared.

First-aid kit
A basic first-aid kit

The complexity of your first-aid kit can vary with the type of sailing you’ll do. If you’re primarily daysailing, you can get by with a relatively small, prepackaged first-aid kit. If you’re heading toward more distant horizons, though, you’ll want to create a more complete medical kit. However, medical equipment must be accompanied by the knowledge to use it properly. The first thing to buy for any first-aid kit is a good first-aid manual. A manual written specifically for small-boat mariners is best. One highly recommended guide is Advanced First Aid Afloat, by Peter Eastman, but there are others.

Be sure to examine the contents of your first-aid kit annually. The often hot, humid environment of a sailboat seems to accelerate deterioration of medications and adhesives, so check expiration dates carefully and replace supplies as needed. I like to keep my first-aid kit in a fishing tackle box. While this is a little bulky, it helps to keep things organized, and you don’t want to waste time hunting for supplies in an emergency.

Carbon Monoxide Detector. If your boat has any form of heater, you should consider adding a carbon monoxide detector. Some preventable deaths have been caused by the accumulation of carbon monoxide in the confines of a small cabin. In one case, a faulty hot water heater was to blame. Any open flame has the potential to use up available oxygen, of course, but this is less of a problem in warm weather. Adequate ventilation is important for lots of reasons – not the least being the comfort of the crew – but carbon monoxide buildup is an often forgotten factor in Comprehensive Collection of Common Sailboat Rig Types and Designssailboat design. If you sail in cold weather, it’s especially important.

A Spares Kit. Putting together a spare parts kit for your boat is a fairly simple matter. Get a small tackle box, and every time you lose a little pin overboard, buy three or four. Put the extras in the spares box. A tackle box is good for another reason – it helps keep things organized. A spare part is useless if you can’t find it when you need it. Label the box spaces too, if that’s helpful. While it’s impossible to anticipate everything you’ll need in a spares kit, here’s a list for starters:

  • Rigging:
    • Clevis pins – sized correctly for your boat.
    • Stainless-steel cotter pins.
    • Split rings (sometimes called ring-dings).
    • Rigging tape.
    • Bulldog clamps (for temporary rigging repairs only).
  • Electrical:
    • Fuses.
    • Lightbulbs.
    • Dielectric grease.
  • Motor:
    • Propeller shear pins.
    • Fuel filter.
    • Hose clamps.
    • Spark plugs.
  • Trailer:
    • Extra bearing set.
    • Extra lug nuts or bolts.
    • Trailer bulbs.
  • Miscellaneous:
    • 3-In-One Oil.
    • WD-40.
    • Matches.

Tools Aboard. In addition to spares, having a small, basic tool kit on board is essential while sailing. It’s no use having a spare spark plug for your motor if you don’t have a wrench with you to install it. It’s impossible to anticipate every eventuality, but there are a few tools that can be adapted to a wide range of jobs.

Tools on board needn’t be all stainless steel, but I’ve learned that inexpensive tools are far more likely to rust than more expensive, professional-grade tools. Good tools generally work better as well. Chinese-made tools seem to be especially prone to rusting, often being made from the cheapest raw materials. Brands like:

  • Snap-on,
  • SK,
  • and older Craftsman (which were made in the United States; check the packaging),

are often wise investments, as long as you don’t drop them overboard. A small lump of charcoal, wrapped in a loose cloth and replaced once per season, is an oldtime rust prevention strategy. I give my tools a yearly spray of lubricant like WD-40 or Boeshield T-9. A rag in the toolbox is also essential to wipe away the excess, as slippery tools tend to bang knuckles and find their watery resting place more frequently.

Below is a basic list to get you started. You’ll want to add more tools as the need arises.

  • Knife – a small, locking folder. A Wegner/Victorinox Swiss Army type, or even an inexpensive stainless kitchen paring blade, can be useful.
  • Vise-Grips pliers, with wire cutters.
  • Needle-nose pliers.
  • Screwdrivers, slotted and Phillips, one large and one small of each.
  • Cable cutters – capable of cutting your largest rigging cable in an emergency.
  • Sewing needles, sailmaker’s palm, and strong polyester thread.
  • Spark plug wrench.
  • Quality multi-tool by Leatherman, Gerber, or Kershaw.
  • Duct tape – can be used for all sorts of emergency repairs, but watch out: the adhesive on duct tape can become a sticky, gooey mess after it warms up in the sun. And after it bakes for a few weeks, it’s nearly impossible to remove.

Charts. It’s hard to believe, but you are not required to carry nautical charts aboard. I never sail anywhere but the smallest of lakes on the smallest of boats without some kind of paper chart. Even if I had the money for a full electronic chartplotting system, I’d still want paper charts too – electronics can get wet, and they don’t like to work that way. A chart can tell you a great deal about where you are and how to get where you’re going safely. They need to be kept current and updated through the Notice to Mariners bulletin. See section «More Sailing Knowledge and SkillsNavigation and Piloting» for more information about acquiring and using charts.

Electronics

Electronics constitutes a huge category of optional equipment that you can add to your boat. Some items can significantly increase the safety of your vessel, while others are just nice to have. Some electronic gadgets are serious overkill for most trailerable boats – radar comes to mind. Mariners have been sailing for eons with nothing more than:

  • lead,
  • log,
  • lookout.

Then again, mariners have also spent a lot of time lost in the fog or unable to call for help.

Remember that size and power requirements will limit what you can put on board. Do not go crazy with gadgets. Flipping through the marine catalogs will present you with a bewildering selection of high-tech solutions to problems you never knew you had. Resist the temptation to turn your cockpit into a nautical version of the Starship Enterprise, especially before you’ve had several cruises under your belt. Here is a rundown of the most common additions to an electronic arsenal.

Depth Sounder/Lead Line. I used to think that a depth sounder wasn’t needed aboard smaller boats like trailer sailers – after all, good sailors have been navigating for millennia without them – but experience has changed my thinking.

My Catalina came with a working, highquality depth sounder. Whenever I sailed, I left it on, and discovered that I was constantly glancing at it. I quickly learned to use it as a navigation tool, and I followed the bottom contours on the chart. It seldom let me down, and knowing I had some water under my keel helped me to relax.

I never got around to installing a depth sounder on my first trailer sailer. Groundings are much less of an issue with a swing keel, right? And you can always jump overboard and push a trailerable boat off a shoal. Well, it didn’t always work out that way. The lake where I sail has a lot of gravelly shoals in unexpected places, and I ran aground a few times. I never got stuck, but I did do a little damage to my rudder because I couldn’t see the bottom shoaling due to the muddy water. I constantly wanted to know how much water I had, and our lake charts are much less detailed than NOAA charts. (NOAA stands for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US agency that produces charts.)

So the first improvement I made to Tiny Dancer, my Montgomery 17, was a brand-new digital depth sounder for the cockpit, and I love having that information available again. A new depth sounder costs about a hundred bucks, and for me it’s money well spent.

As neat as they are, electronic depth sounders aren’t infallible. You should have aboard a lead line, which is nothing more than a light, measured line with a weight on the end. Before the days of electronics, the ship’s lead was a large specialized weight with a hollow space in the bottom. A little dab of beef tallow – or Crisco – in the hollow permitted the lead to bring up a small sample of the bottom, which helped select the proper anchor and anchoring technique. The line itself was measured in fathoms, with markers that could be identified by feel, so that a light wasn’t necessary to read the depth.

A small-boat version of a lead line can be made with a large fishing sinker and some 1/8-inch line. You might want to devise your own system of marking – perhaps mark the first 5 or 10 feet with knots, then larger increments with various materials, like this:

2,5 feetone knot
5 feettwo knots
7,5 feetthree knots
10 feetleather strip sewn to the line
15 feetyarn
20 feetleather with two corners
25 feettwo pieces of yarn
30 feetleather with three corners
35 feetthree pieces of yarn
40 feetleather with four corners
50 feetcloth

 
Or you could come up with your own system. Some have suggested using nylon zip ties, which would be quick and permanent but hard on the hands. Those little printed tags sold at chandleries seem like a waste of money, but some sailors like them.

Lead lines are accurate and never need batteries, but they can be cumbersome and difficult to use in bad weather or higher speeds. You really need a crew to heave the line – it’s tricky to take soundings with the lead if you’re sailing solo. But they’re great for checking the depth around your anchored boat, or to see how accurate your depth sounder is.

Cold-Forging a Sounding Lead. To fashion your own sounding lead, you can use a large (2 to 3 ounces or so – heavier is better) surffishing sinker tied to a light calibrated line – I used one for years aboard my boat. But should you have a yearning for the traditional, or want to pull a sample of the bottom, you can cold-forge a small version of a traditional ship’s lead rather easily.

All you need is a fishing sinker, a hammer, and a heavy, relatively flat surface to use as an anvil. Lead is one of a few metals that can be shaped to some degree without heating. You’ll want to wear gloves, though, as a precaution.

First, flatten the bottom of the sinker a little. You can hold the lead in a vise if you wrap the sinker with a rag, or you can drive the sinker into firm ground upside down, like a tent stake. Once the bottom is flattened, make a slight depression in it. You can do this with a large drill, or you can forge a depression with a blunt piece of steel.

All that remains is to taper the sides a little to form a slight teardrop shape. Hammer the sides square, making a gentle angle between the hammer and anvil surface. Getting the sides even may take a little practice; fortunately, sinkers aren’t too expensive.

Once you’ve shaped the sides, make the surface octagonal by hammering the corners (you always forge a taper square first, then make it octagonal, and then, should you desire, round). After you’re done, spray-paint it with a little enamel to seal the lead.

Communications – VHF, FRS, Cell Phones, and Others

It’s not a bad idea to have some means of communication aboard your sailboat. Ideally, this should be a way to communicate with shore stations as well as other vessels. The best option for most recreational vessels has traditionally been the VHF radio.

VHF Radio. VHF – which stands for very high frequency, and is technically called VHF/FM – is primarily a short-range, line-of-sight communications medium. It’s the legally preferred medium for radio communication between ships and from ship to shore.

If you’ve never used one, a VHF radio might take a little getting used to. Early versions had few channels, and the channels were selected with crystals that plugged into the radio. Modern radios use synthesizers for channel selection, and have all channels available for use. But many channels are restricted and should be used only for specific purposes – you can’t just flip a switch and start yakking away. Channel 16 is the mandatory distress, safety, and calling channel. If you have a VHF on board, you are required to monitor Channel 16 for distress calls. If Channel 16 is clear and you want to talk to another vessel, ask them to switch to 71, 72, or 78, whichever is not being used. If these channels are busy, you can use 68 or 69, but Channel 70 is reserved for radios equipped with Digital Selective Calling (DSC). Following are the standard reserved channels:

VHF Channel USE
Channel 16Distress, urgent messages, safety messages, and calling other stations
Channel 6Intership safety. The Coast Guard may ask you to use this channel if you have an emergency
Channel 9Boater calling channel, often used by marinas and yacht clubs
Channel 13Navigation; the working channel for most locks and drawbridges
Channel 17Maritime control, used by state and local governments
Channels 21A, 22ACoast Guard working channels
Channels 24-28, 84-86Ship-to-shore telephone channels formerly operated by MariTEL, now operated by SeaSmart by subscription only
Channels 1, 5, 11, 12, 14, 20, 63, 66, 72, 74, 77Port operations
Channel 70Digital Selective Distress and Calling only
Channel WX1-3Weather reports
Channel 87Automatic Identification System (AIS) Repeater

 
What Is DSC? It is hoped that DSC, short for Digital Selective Calling, will revolutionize the way rescue operations are handled. DSC uses a digital signal to transmit specific information, such as:

  • The caller’s unique ID number (called a MMSI, for Marine Mobile Service Number, it’s similar to a telephone number).
  • The ID number of the unit being called – for example, all Coast Guard stations.
  • The caller’s location and the time of day.
  • The requested working frequency.
  • The priority and type of call (distress, emergency, safety, routine, priority, fire, taking on water, etc.).

Ideally, DSC will eliminate much of the human factor in monitoring radio frequencies for distress calls. However, there are still plenty of bugs in the system. For example, the Coast Guard is plagued with large numbers of relayed DSC distress signals, 99 percent of which are accidental transmissions. It remains to be seen whether DSC will mature into a vastly improved communications system as promised.

Rules and regulations for VHF use aboard boats are very specific. You no longer need an FCC license to operate a VHF radio unless you are cruising in waters controlled by another country. The licensing fee is rather high, around $200, but it’s good for ten years (it’s not transferable from boat to boat, even if you remove and reinstall the same radio).

Don’t use CB language on a VHF – there are no «good buddies» on the water. The Coast Guard does not provide «radio checks» to see if your radio is transmitting. Instead, use a local calling channel on low power. Listen first to make sure a calling channel is not busy, then call for a specific vessel or station and include the phrase «request radio check» in your initial call. «Over and out» is contradictory and used only in the movies. Over means «I’m finished transmitting and am waiting for your response»; out means «This is the end of my transmission and do not expect a response». Your use of Channel 16 should be kept to the bare minimum.

Larger vessels typically use a permanently mounted VHF as their main radio, and consider a handheld for dinghy use only. Since VHFs are line-of-sight radios, the masthead is typically the place to mount the separate antenna required. But since masts on trailer sailers are regularly raised and lowered, they need to be kept as uncluttered and snag-free as possible, and a masthead antenna is particularly vulnerable to damage when the mast is lowered. You could use a larger deck-mounted whip antenna – that’s what I had on my first trailer sailer. However, it was always in the way, and it didn’t have significantly better range than a handheld would.

So when I purchased my second boat, I opted for a handheld instead. It cost roughly $100 and, for me, has been a better solution, even though it has lower power (handhelds typically have a maximum transmit power of about 5 watts, whereas permanently mounted units have 25 watts). It’s easier to drop and break or steal, but it is fully submersible. Battery life has been good, and I can run it off the ship’s battery with an adapter if need be.

What is AIS? AIS stands for Automatic Identification System. It’s a digital radio-based system that’s required by the International Maritime Organization for all vessels over 300 tons, and it’s expected that the US Coast Guard will follow suit. With the AIS system, data from large vessels is continually broadcast digitally, and any vessel that can receive AIS data can instantly find out things like:

  • the ship’s name,
  • position,
  • speed,
  • course,
  • and destination.

While the large transmission systems on the ships are expensive, smaller, receive-only units are less expensive. Currently they are designed to integrate with electronic navigation systems such as chartplotters and onboard navigation computers, but AIS has reportedly «revolutionized marine traffic communications» in the eighteen months since it was first introduced. Just as GPS units have become smaller and more practical for the trailer sailor, look for smaller and more capable AIS receivers in the near future.

Cell Phones. In the early days of cell phones, having one aboard was pretty much useless because cell tower coverage was so spotty. While this is still true in remote cruising areas, you may find that your cell phone works in surprising places, especially as you approach major metropolitan areas.

A cell phone is a convenient and economical way to call home, if you can get a signal. Similarly, if there’s an emergency at home, your family can try your cell phone number before going to more expensive options. It also allows you to contact a marina to reserve a berth for the night before you’re in VHF range.

It will be interesting: Types of Sailboats and Their Management

It’s possible to increase the range of a cell phone by using an external antenna mounted at the masthead. Additionally, you can boost your cell phone’s output power with an external amplifier. In some areas, you can reach the Coast Guard by dialing CG. In fact, the Coast Guard sometimes prefers cell phone communications in rescue operations because they are far less susceptible to interference from other stations.

However, relying on a cell phone as your sole means of radio communication aboard a sailboat is folly. They are still one-point, person-to-person communication. If I’m taking on water, I want everybody to know about it – not just whoever’s in my speed-dial. For everyday ship-to-ship or ship-to-drawbridge communications, a VHF is unsurpassed. That’s why, in some countries, VHF is required equipment. Cell phones are certainly convenient and useful, but they shouldn’t be your only option.

FRS and GMRS. FRS stands for Family Radio Service. It’s a relatively new, low-power handheld radio system that’s better than walkietalkies but not as good as VHF. FRS doesn’t require a license (though some radios also have GMRS – General Mobile Radio Service – channels). Power is limited to 0,5 watt, and the range is usually 2 miles or less. GMRS can be considered an expanded type of FRS. GMRS has higher allowable power at 5 watts. You must have an FCC license to transmit on GMRS channels.

Both these systems are designed for twoway voice communications for family use. They can be useful aboard ship, primarily to keep up with your teenager in the dinghy. They are small, inexpensive, and lightweight, and some models can even survive a minor dunking. But if the budget allows, a pair of handheld VHF radios is probably a better choice, unless you routinely have several family members going in different directions at the same time.

Ventilation

As noted in the USCG-mandated equipment section, a ventilation system is required on a trailer sailer only if you store fuel in lockers or have an inboard engine. Nevertheless, adequate ventilation is important for cabin comfort, mildew prevention, and safety. It’s an especially good idea if you use a heater or cook with propane. (Remember, propane is heavier than air, and explosive fumes from a leaky canister can collect in the bilge.)

So, if ventilation is a good thing, what’s the best way to provide it? Ventilators can be broadly classified into two groups: active and passive. Active vents use power and have moving parts; passive vents don’t and are usually operated by the wind.

Active Ventilation Devices. Active ventilation most commonly takes two forms – bilge blowers and powered deck vents. Forced-air bilge blowers use a 12-volt in-line fan to pull air from the bilge to the outside of the boat. They are important safety devices, but they don’t do much to increase cabin comfort. For that, you need an active deck vent, and the most popular of these are Solar Vents. These self-contained units include a motor, a solar cell, and, in some models, a battery. When the sun shines, the motor operates, drawing fresh air through the ventilator. The battery-operated units can ventilate the cabin at night as well, which makes sleeping aboard more pleasant. The vents themselves are small, low-profile units that won’t foul sheets on deck. They require a pretty big hole through the deck – 3 to 4 inches – and they don’t like to be stepped on. But they are especially effective at keeping the boat fresh while it is unattended.

Other active ventilation devices include fans to circulate air in the cabin. However, they can put a significant drain on the batteries if left on overnight. Some fans last longer than others – Practical Sailor has tested many cabin fans, and Hella is a brand that has consistently performed well.

Another option that may be worth investigating is the use of surplus 12-volt computer «muffin» fans. These are widely available and inexpensive, and often feature a low current draw. Some boatowners have found creative ways to use them, positioning them over berths, in bulkheads and lockers, and inside passive ventilation devices, making them active ventilators.

Passive Ventilation Devices. Passive ventilators are basically wind-powered devices. If it’s dead calm, you don’t get much air circulation. But since there’s usually some kind of breeze on the water, passive vents can help a great deal.

Clamshell vents are often seen on inboard boats to vent the bilge. As with most ventilators, they are best installed with one vent facing forward and one facing aft. One of their best qualities is their location aft, well out of the way. The best clamshell vents are deep, with a raised edge around the hole to keep out water that runs along the deck.

Mushroom vents are smaller, low-profile, deck-mounted vents that resemble the cap of a mushroom. They don’t have a lot of crosssectional area exposed to the wind, so they don’t bring vast quantities of air down below, but they are omnidirectional – performance is the same no matter what direction the wind is coming from. They are available in stainless or plastic, and some look like unpowered versions of Solar Vents. Like Solar Vents, their low profile helps them keep from snagging sheets.

Remember that in good weather, your forward hatch can bring a lot of air below – even more if you rig a wind catcher or other type of fabric cover to help funnel air below. Some designs allow you to keep your forward hatch open in the rain, which can be a great help. Most of these can’t be left open while under sail, and those that can would most likely be in the way. There are two basic designs of fabric ventilating sails: directional (or forward facing) and nondirectional. The nondirectional type rises straight above the hatch with a fabric X-shaped divider in the center. Commercial offerings include the original Windscoop, West Marine’s Down-the-Hatch, and the selfsupporting Breeze Booster. Expect to pay between $40 and $90 for these systems.

On larger boats, there’s often room to fit a small opening hatch over the head area; these are great for bringing light and fresh air where it’s often most appreciated. High-quality aluminum-framed plexiglass hatches are made by companies like Bomar and Forespar. Expect to pay around $150 for this upgrade.

Most boats these days come equipped with fixed ports or «deadlights». This keeps the price down, as they’re quick, easy to attach, and much less likely to leak. Real opening ports are sometimes offered as an option, but the high cost means few are fitted this way at the factory. And the cost can be staggering – even small, aluminum-framed opening portlights can go for $200 to $400 depending on the size; bronzeframed cost $200 to $650. Plastic portlights are a good bit less, around $130 each, but UV radiation will eventually take its toll. Plastic will deteriorate with age, whereas bronze will not.

Plastic ports on the boat
Opening plastic ports are factory installed in existing deadlights for improved ventilation. This black port in a smoked plexiglass deadlight is on a Precision 21

Retrofitting a deadlight with an opening port would improve ventilation, but on many boats it’s not that simple. Most deadlights are wedge shaped to give the cabin a racy look, and few portlights will bolt directly in their place. During the mid-1980s, some How to Buy a New Boat: Tips for Buyersnew boats began to appear with an unusual arrangement – an opening port was fitted in the middle of the deadlight. This seemed a pretty odd arrangement at first, but, depending on the style of the boat and the size of the deadlight, it doesn’t look too bad. If your boat is a similar type, it might be possible to retrofit new deadlights with an opening port mounted within.

It is possible to fiberglass an opening for a deadlight and install opening ports, but it’s very tricky. The work needs to be perfect and the gelcoat match has to be precise; otherwise, you could easily spoil the looks of your boat and spend a bunch of money in the process.

The type of plastic portlight
A plastic portlight used in the side of the footwell for ventilation and light. A clear inspection port works well, too

It’s possible to put an opening port in an unusual place, like the inside of the cockpit footwell. This allows light and air to enter the boat in a normally dark and airless place – the foot of the quarter berth or the sail locker. A much less expensive option would be a snap-in or screw-in deck plate with a clear cover. These are only $17 each, and you could add four to the footwell for less than the cost of the cheapest opening port. Although they are made with heavy rubber O-rings for «a watertight fit», they could possibly leak in this sort of application, since they weren’t designed for vertical mounting.

Good ventilation usually requires the use of several different types of vents. It’s almost impossible to overventilate your boat – no one has ever complained of a boat being too fresh and airy belowdeck.

Foul-Weather Gear. Since you don’t usually have the option of running for cover when rough weather approaches, you’ll have to be ready for some less-thanoptimal conditions. You might experience rain, waves, spray, or all three while sailing. When this happens, having quality rain gear aboard is a big plus.

Buying foul-weather gear can present you with a bewildering array of choices, but for a trailer sailor we can narrow things down a bit. You aren’t likely to need all the features found on a $600 set of offshore bibs and jacket unless you plan on making long passages. On the other hand, a $10 poncho from Sprawl-Mart isn’t going to cut it either. A good choice might be a set of house-brand foulies from one of the large chandleries. These are often made by name-brand manufacturers and are a good value with nearly all the features but not the label. A nylon outer shell is better than solid PVC, though I’ve been using a set of PVC rain gear since Hurricane Hugo and it’s still going strong. (PVC is a form of vinyl fabric with a smooth outer covering – the kind you probably had when you were a kid.) An inner liner makes rain gear more comfortable. A hat versus a hood is largely a matter of personal preference. Boots are needed for cooler weather, but deck shoes designed to get wet are an option that many sailors prefer.

Author
Author photo - Olga Nesvetailova
Freelancer
Literature
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