Owning, living and traveling on a sailboat requires several essentials – the obvious one’s that come to mind are a working engine, tip-top rigging, good sails, a strong hull and crew that know what they’re doing.
Aside from the core basics, however, I have a list of my top 10 essentials for making life on a sailboat easier and more fulfilling
Is your list similar? Please add a comment at the bottom to highlight your top essentials!
UPDATE: I originally made this list in 2014 when we lived on our sailboat in the Mediterranean. Now that we’ve been in the Caribbean there’s a few items that we just don’t use like a hot water bottle and slippers. Hahahaha. For the most part, however, we still use everything else mentioned below.
For a full list of our recommended kit to have on a sailboat, visit our Kit Page.
Top 10 essentials for living on a sailboat
Living on a sailboat essential item #1: Dyson DC34 (powerful hand-held vacuum)
Before setting off on our around the world sailing adventure I assumed my cleaning schedule would be much more relaxed on our boat in comparison to the house we left. That being noted, I was wrong! Very wrong. Sand, salt, dust and crumbs seem to waft through the boat and sprinkle tiny messes everywhere every day.
Therefore, my number one ‘must-have’ is our Dyson handheld vacuum cleaner
I use it to vacuum up the layer of particles that settle on the shelves, over the seating area and the floor. Furthermore, the Dyson is very handy when cleaning up the crumbs that all through the floorboards into the bilge. Life would not be worth living without the Dyson.
Living on a sailboat essential item #2: Stove-top coffee maker
I’ve always been first to admit that I’m a coffee snob. Previous to becoming a live-aboard, I frequented a coffee shop every day requesting my usual ‘Large Flat Latte.’ ‘Flat’ means that there’s no foam – it’s essentially a shot or two of express with warm milk. Nothing prevented me from getting my daily fix of quality coffee – not even the flu as I’d have hubby go out and collect my latte for me.
When we moved onto the boat I knew that finding quality coffee was going to be an issue
Instant coffee was not an option. I contemplated getting one of those espresso machines but countertop and cupboard space is very limited. Fortunately for me, my cousin introduced me to the above styled coffee maker – It’s called a stovetop espresso maker. Read and watch my video: How to use a Stovetop Espresso Maker
As long as I can source quality coffee grounds, using this handy coffee maker produces excellent lattes. Every day I prepare the coffee maker and a pan of warm milk so to feed my latte addiction. Without this little contraption life would be incomplete.
Living on a sailboat essential item #3: Washing Machine
When we lived in England and had a sailboat on the south coast our longest trip would be around two weeks. We never concerned ourselves with laundry. I would just put all the dirty clothes into a bag and bring them home to wash. Now that we live aboard a boat full time, laundry is a serious issue. Even though we extend the normal wear time of our clothes as long as possible, dirty laundry piles up in an unexpectedly quick fashion.
Fortunate for us, we don’t have to fill backpacks and load up bags of stinky clothes to haul them to the closest laundry mat – sometimes miles away! If we did, it’s amazing how expensive it is – To do a couple weeks wash for us I would have to spend around €20 – €30 to wash and dry them. To have someone else do our laundry, you’re talking about €50 and up.
We have a washing machine that is discretely hidden inside a cupboard (see above). As I write this, we’re wintering on our boat in a marina in Sicily. By far, the most popular ‘wish list’ item within the marina community is a washing machine. Just yesterday I was listening to a couple that is installing a new washing machine on top of their bottom bunk bed.
What non-live-aboards might not recognize is that it’s not just clothes that have to be washed…
…everything in a boat gets dirty quickly. Sheets, duvets, blankets, pillow covers, towels, outdoor cushion covers and even curtains have to be washed on a regular basis.
Living on a sailboat essential item #4: Watermaker
If you’re going to have a washing machine you’ll also need a watermaker unless you’ll be near a fresh water supply. So, if you go from one marina to the next, this piece of kit isn’t necessary.
For us, however, the plan is to circumnavigate the world so a watermaker is essential
Not only does the watermaker allow us to top up our fresh water for the washing machine, but it also gives us the freedom to stay at anchor far longer than if we were without one. Rather than having to find a marina or a dock with a fresh water tap, we simply make water every time we’re motoring or whenever necessary. And having that self-sufficient feeling is great.
Living on a sailboat essential item #5: Ipad
We’re fortunate to have two Ipads as we use these devices for a multitude of reasons. Most importantly, it’s a backup to our navigation system. Especially when entering a harbor, we use an app called Navionics. My husband puts it above the steering wheel and has a very close view of our location and the surrounding area.
Additionally, I use the Ipad for reading – all my books from Kindle on are it
Furthermore, when I need inspiration on what to cook, I can search for recipes. Our Ipad is also chock full of educational apps to partially help with our daughters’ homeschooling. We have ABC’s, reading, math’s, science and all sorts of spectacular apps. It’s not our main mode of teaching but it sure is helpful. With an iPad and an Internet connection there’s nothing that can’t be researched. We have several movies to assist with entertainment during long passages.
Lastly, the iPad helps us to stay in touch with family and friends through Facebook and Skype
It’s definitely a sailboat essential item. Special note: Although I can run Kindle off my Ipad it’s only useful when I’m reading below decks. If I want to read in the cockpit my polarized sunglasses prevent me from seeing the screen so…I also have Kindle on board and love that too!
Living on a sailboat essential item #5: Hotwater Bottle
Depending on where you’re sailing, a hotwater bottle is an absolute must-have in cooler climates. Even in warm climates the temperatures at night can drop and during the winter evenings can get damp.
If you’ve never used a hot water bottle, it’s a rubber container that you can fill with boiling water
Over the rubber holder, there’s a cover that protects the bottle from getting too hot. Once the container is filled and covered you can use it to hold against your stomach during a night watch, put under your sheets/duvet before getting into bed or simply move it around your body to warm various bits up.
Often during the night time, I’ll start with my hot water bottle around my tummy and then push it down to my feet to make sure I’m nice and cozy. Nothing is worse than being cold and with a hot water bottle, you don’t ever have to suffer. The heat lasts for hours!
Having Checklists is Essential too – Make Sure You Have These!
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Living on a sailboat essential item #6: Camera and Video Recorder
I’m a blogger so a camera and video recorder is absolutely essential…but that being noted, whether you write about your travels/experiences or not, it’s nice to have a physical record of your adventures.
Photo’s and video’s help to show friends and family of your adventures and they create a journey for you to look back upon to relive the experience. I use my iPhone and Nikon SLR camera as if they were a part of my body now – I’m never without one or the other.
Living on a sailboat essential item #7: Galley helpers
I’m going to bundle the following items into one essential item as they’re all equally important. I’d be lost without my blender/mixer, sandwich maker/grill and a bread maker.
All of these tools are used on a weekly if not daily basis
The mixer I have is a soup blender that also comes with small bladed slicer/chopper – contained in a attachable bowl. I use the blender on soups and juices and the blade is very handy with onions, celery, etc. Regarding the sandwich maker – we have a Foreman grill. It’s great because you can plug it in and make a grilled cheese sandwich or grill a chicken fillet without having to use the stove/oven. It’s fast, easy to clean up and you can store it in a cupboard.
Regarding the bread maker – this is mandatory if you’re sailing around the world
Once in the Pacific there will be weeks/months without seeing a store. Nothing is more spirit-lifting and comforting the smell and taste of fresh bread. With a bread maker, you simply add the ingredients and let the machine do the rest. I’ve also been told that a pressure cooker is also a ‘must-have’ but thus far I’ve only made a few things in ours. Pressure cookers cook food very quickly and preserve more nutrients so they’re a serious essential on a sailboat.
Living on a sailboat essential item #8: Slippers
During the summer or in hot climates you won’t be likely to use slippers but in areas like the Mediterranean, that cool down in the winter, slipper not only keep your feet warm but they also provide that nice homey feeling. We have a no shoes below decks policy so it’s nice to take off our footwear and then put some cozy non-slip slippers on to protect our feet from the cold floors. I purchased the above ‘bad boys’ at Carfour in Palma, Mallorca for €5 – bargain!
Living on a sailboat essential item #9: Portable DVD Player
We’re very fortunate as we have a TV and DVD player in our saloon. My husband and I rarely use it during the summer but when our daughter has friends over we’ll put on a Disney movie. And on the days when it rains, or during winter nights when it gets dark early, we’ll sit around in our pajamas and have a movie marathon. Days like this are very far and few between.
That being noted, however, we’ve used our portable DVD player far more often than the TV in the saloon
With the portable player, we can cuddle up in bed and watch a movie or take it up on the deck in the hammock. Or…my daughter spends hours laying on top of our main sail in our boom. She creates tree houses (boom houses) by pegging towels around the lazy lines. Once her house is made, she’ll watch a movie.
We have movies on the Ipad but there’s a limit to the amount you have
With the DVD’s we can play them on the portable or the normal player. That being said, we also have a few external hard drives with 1000’s of movies on them that we play over our laptop. Boaties are often very happy to share their movies with you so it’s not uncommon to see people dropping off hard drives to other boaties to get loaded up with movies or the latest popular TV series.
Living on a sailboat essential item #10: Fold up bicycle
My husband and I debated over getting bicycles for weeks.
The two issues we debated were whether or not we’d use them AND storage space
The fold up bicycles are space saving however they’re still very large! In most places, you can rent a bicycle so we felt that rental made more sense. Throughout the summer, while in the Mediterranean, we hired a bicycle to go for short sightseeing trips or to reduce the time it took to go to the grocery store.
Rental worked well as we didn’t feel the need for a bike that often
However, once we got to Marina di Ragusa, Sicily we started to see more of a value in having a bike. For the winter, we booked a spot in the marina to stay for 6 months. The Med is not a year-round sailing spot contrary to what many people might think. From October to April the weather can be very unsettled. All the tourist destinations shut up shop and you’ll only see a sailboat out on the water for a day sail.
That being noted, and after taking the 15 minute walk to the marina bathrooms, we started to seriously contemplate getting some bikes
When we found an opportunity for our daughter to go to an Italian pre-school (up a hill!), the decision was easy to make. Transportation was an obvious need. So, we hired a car, went to a sporting store called Decathalon and purchased two fold-up bicycles. We had the option of getting the lowest cost bike, having no gears for around €150 or the €280 option with gears and storage areas.
We went for the more expensive bikes
There are quite a few hills around us and I figured I’d need to use various gears. Our decision was a good one! Since getting our bikes over a month ago not one day has gone by without us using them. It was an excellent purchase and now I consider my bicycle an absolute essential.
What about you? What essentials do you have on your sailboat?
Please leave a comment below as I’m sure I’m missing some things and would love to add to my list 🙂
You might also be interested in readying: 12 Non-essentials for long passage sailing that make the journey easier, more comfortable and increase enjoyment
And head over to our recommended kit to have on a sailboat, visit our Kit Page.
The main essential you have missed is the female partner who knows what all these strange devices do and how to switch them on.
Mark – smart man!
Mark – I’d be very interested to hear your Top 10… Your amazing wife, Angelina is obviously number 1, but what other items are essential for you? I’m sure you’d create a very interesting article on this topic! Everything you write about cracks me up 🙂
A heated mattress pad makes life a lot cozier for those of us who have to tie up for the winter AND is a really nice treat on those cold, rainy days at anchor when we have to run the generator!
Stephanie – that’s a great ‘essential’! Instead of having to move my hot water bottle around I could have heat from all directions! Thank you for your addition 🙂
Y3s, electric blanket.
Interesting how everyone’s essentials can be so different! I wouldn’t come anywhere near to having a bread-maker (power?) and water maker as an essential.
Whereas a good oven and access to the water tanks (in case the water pump broke down) would be some of my essentials.
A good mattress and cabin to ensure good sleep (help avoid fatigue issues)
A good red light for reading and books for sure!
Good safety gear and radios and seaworthy boat – as you mentioned – aside from that!
A comfortable home that is dry! 🙂
To me these are more ‘luxury’ ‘items. But that is not a criticism – Like I say, we are all different and so are our needs and wants. The great thing is you KNOW what you want and address them – a happy boat is a safer boat – great article! I enjoyed it.
On our first cruiser, we didn’t have a radar and it certainly wasn’t on a wish list. On our second boat it came with one – now we couldn’t live without one (well, we could, but wouldn’t want to!) – so it also depends on what we become accustomed to! Looking forward to reading more! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your comments Jackie! When we owned our first boat, a 35′ Moody, I would have never considered a water maker, washing machine or a bread maker…but that’s because I didn’t know what life was like with them. Now that I have these luxuries I’ve been spoiled 🙂 Very spoiled! We were very fortunate to buy a boat that came with quite a few goodies. Thanks again for your great comments 🙂
Essentials are always personal, what is an absolute necessity for one, another could easily leave behind. Definitely agree with you about the coffee – my boyfriend would NOT want to be around me without it! This go around we didn’t have a water maker, but you better believe we will the next time!
Hey Kelley…No one would want me around without my daily dose of coffee either! I totally agree that essentials are personal…and as Jackie commented earlier, they’re also based on what you’re accustomed to. I have a great friend that has an incredible laundry routine – she has 2 buckets on the deck…one is for the soak cycle and the other is for the rinse and spin cycle. If she had a washing machine she’d miss out on a very integral part of her day! I think it’s an interesting exercise, however, for all of us to think about what makes our life happier/easier – when I wrote this article I felt quite a bit of gratitude. Thank you so much for your comments 🙂
I used to have a pair of slippers just like yours! It was -17F when I woke up this morning with plenty of snow on the ground. I was sure wishing I still had those slippers! Cheers – Ellen
Hey Ellen – I won’t tell you the temperature here in Marina di Ragusa! 17F is not nice… That being said, we’re heading up to England soon and we’ll soon be hitting some cold weather. I will most certainly be bringing my slippers. Thank you for commenting 🙂
Great post Kim! Your boat sounds amazing! Out of interest what do you use to power your electrical things? Solar panels?
Great idea re the hottie. I wish I had one on our delivery trip yesterday. It is supposed to be the first day of summer but I was freezing! Would have LOVED a hottie to warm me up.
I also love our iPad. We used Navionics all the way up the coast. Works so much better than my ‘real’ GPS.
And I soooo want some folding bikes too!
Happy sailing and I love reading your blog 🙂
Great list! I want to come over to curl up on a clean settee for a flat latte and watch a movie with you in my bunny slippers. 😉 OK seriously- creature comfort is important and you’ve got excellent ideas. BUT: I would love to see how it changes after you spend a year in the tropics and without the option of a dock for power or water. I think… I think it could change quite a lot. You’ll have to tell us later!
Thanks for the comment Behan. I’m hoping I won’t need my slippers or hot water bottle in the tropics!
I was thinking that we’d use our generator every day (for an hour or two) to run the water maker and keep the batteries topped up for power. We mostly stay at anchor and that’s what I assumed we’d do in the Tropics. Are you saying that it’s impractical to run a generator every day?
Or…perhaps you’re saying that my list of essentials is going to include totally different items?
Other than sailing in the Caribbean I have no experience of the tropics and I’m scared out of my whits to even think about it.. My mind won’t let me think of any destination past the Panama Canal – I’m such a worry wart.. If you have any tips on what you think my essential items might be please let me know! Or if you think I’m crazy to think we’ll use our water maker/washing machine…again, please let me know! I’d rather start to prepare myself now than freak out later!
And as usual…thank you for all your amazing advice!
Bit of both, actually!
Partly, I think you’ll pick different items (you have a style gene which I totally lack, and will have something cute and fun instead of slippers- my brain stops at “um, sarong?”!). And partly, I wonder how the experience of extended time without options for fueling will affect your relatively power-intensive list. It might not change it at all: it might just affect your cruising range. But you might find that the limit it imposes on you chafes against at what you’d rather be doing. It is the out-of-the-way corners that for us have been tremendously rewarding to visit as cruisers. They make us want to simplify our needs so we have fewer potential complications. I want to spend more time in those spots instead of worrying about our carrying capacity for the various fuels needed on board, and where / how we’ll next resupply. Like next year, when we’ll spend several months between Maldives and Chagos, and need to meet our needs for extended periods of time. Or those islands in Papua New Guinea, which I will NEVER forget and hope to see again. But like EVERYTHING on a boat, and cruising in general, it’s just a matter of where you choose to compromise- and where your fun:suck ratio kicks in!
Do you use your iPad for writing such epic posts like this one? I think I would include a laptop on this list.
I also love the underwater environment so much that I would have to have my mask, snorkel, and fins at a minimum. In your cold weather I think I’d seriously have to look into a dry-suit.
I would REALLY like to have my BCD, Regulator, Tanks, and Weights too. Not sure if these items would be essential, but….actually, what am I talking about? All of my diving gear would be ABSOLUTELY essential. It’s the compressor to fill my own tanks that probably isn’t essential.
– Teddy
Hey Teddy! Thank you for the comment. Yes, I do have a laptop and it’s definitely essential. In fact, it’s more than essential. My laptop is a part of my body! Hehehehe.
And I’m sure that underwater gear will eventually be a ‘must have,’ but with a 4 year old on board, hubby and I are a bit restricted. Once our daughter can dive with us I’m sure I’ll have to update my ‘essentials’ list! Thanks again for taking the time to add a comment 🙂
Hi Kim! I know this post is kind of old but I’d be curious to know if any of your “essentials” have changed over the last few years. I currently live on a 25′ Catalina but it’s just me. I hope to upgrade up to a 30 this year but so far I’ve been pretty cozy. Get’s pretty chilly in the SF Bay so I’d have to say the top of my list is an electric blanket, I don’t need to run it all night it times out a couple hours after I’m already asleep. The other essential for me has been an oil lamp. I use smokeless odorless oil and I burn it for a couple hours every night. Keeps the cabin pretty dry and mold free. I don’t have too many fancy gadgets, as I’m a writer and it doesn’t require much, however the Ipad has become my best friend. Great for navigation aid as well. Take care and Happy New Year!
Hey Joe! Great to read your comment. I looked over the article and I have to say that none of my ‘essentials’ have changed. I suppose that an electric blanket would be better than a hot water bottle…but I use my hot water bottle when I’m on night watch – something I couldn’t do with an electric blanket…hehehehe. I love your comment about the oil lamp – I’m just now about to publish and article about mold. We are having such a struggle here in Charleston…it’s often too cold to open the boat and our heater isn’t drying it out enough. After asking around it seems like many of the boats around us are having problems. It’s fine if you close it up and run a dehumidifer but that doesn’t work when you’re living on the boat. We had friends in Sicily that had a wood burning stove on the boat…that worked well! Anyway…thanks for your comments. I appreciate you taking the time to add your thoughts. Smiles, Kim
Love this article and agree with all the essentials…except breadmaker and coffee machine since neither my husband nor I consume either! Also we don’t need /use the sandwich maker as we use our wonderful Galleymate stainless steel BBQ for almost all cooking. We are power independent meaning that 98%of our power needs comes from solar panels (we have a catamaran so plenty of deck space) and can run both our watermaker and washing machine while at anchor if we wish. We have a portable hard drive onto which our son has loaded a multitude of movies and tv series for those rainy days. The thing I would add is a comfortable mattress or memory foam mattress topper. Didn’t think it would make that much difference but it does! A good night’s sleep is vital to good moods. Finally we both use.a fabulous nutrition system that provides us with all the essential micro and macronutrients we need to stay healthy on board – they come with us wherever we are in the world!
Hey Robin! Great to hear from you and thank you for the additions. I totally agree about the mattress. We were very fortunate on our boat to have good mattresses when we purchased the boat. Our neighbors across from us on s/v La Vida actually took their home based memory foam mattress and cut it up to overlay their normal mattress. After spending thousands on the nice mattress (before deciding to become live aboards) they didn’t want to give it up. Apparently there’s a YouTube video out there showing people how to do it. Also…I know that IKEA offers some inexpensive mattress toppers that would probably work as well. And on the topic of bedding…we have a very awesome mesh thick-ish netting that goes below the beds allowing air to circulate under them. By using this material/system it keeps away moisture and mold from under the beds. That really is a must-have also. I’m very interested in your nutrition system… what’s that all about? Are you growing sprouts.. Tell me more!!!!
Hiya alright,
you didn’t give a make of washing machine and how yours is doing can it run of batts how much power a cycle uses? the rest are items having watched hundreds of youtube videos i have pretty much decided on already apart from a bread maker Will have to have a look in to pros and cons on that one thanks for your advice S/V.H.M
Hiya S/V Happy Mondays! Our washing machine is from Spain. It’s a Balay. Everything on the machine is in Spanish and every time we get an error code, I have to use Google Translate to figure out what’s going on! It washes a small amount of clothes (1/2 a normal load) very well. It doesn’t, however, dry the clothes…It melts them instead. We never use the drying cycle. I don’t recommend the machine we have. We always run the washing machine when the generator is on. Often we’ll make water, do laundry, cook and charger our batteries all at the same time. This cuts down on how often we run the genset. Regarding the bread maker – I don’t use that anymore. I felt it took up too much space. Instead, I have a cast iron pot and I make the famous no-knead bread in it 🙂 Thanks for commenting on the website!!!
This is great! I have a battery powered handheld vacuum too that I LOVE! I made a list of my top 10, they are a little more practical compared to yours. I think yours would make my girlfriend happier though 😉 Thanks! If you want to take a look at my list it is here: http://junglepirate.com/how-to/top-10-essentials-living-boat/
Love your list Tyler…some good stuff there. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi everyone!
I do not live on a boat but am in need of suggestions of purchasing a gift for someone that is about to go on an excursion upon her 52ft Sailboat.
What do you recommend as a great gift idea? I know 52ft is big, but guessing can get small quick. I’d like to buy something “nice” but functional as well (I’ve already purchased a beautiful compass with engraving on it).
Any suggestions?
Hey Cindy! That’s a great question. I think your compass will be well received. A log book might be a good idea – you can get one that is engraved with the boats name on it. Even if they already have one, they’ll eventually need more. Books about the area they’re sailing too might be interesting. If they’re going to foreign countries, perhaps phrase books? Scrap book – to tape tickets, postcards, memories into?! If all else fails a Kindle Gift Certificate is always a good present! Thanks for asking such a great question 🙂
Hi Kim,
Are you still sailing? and if so where are you. I came across your Essentials onboard article whilst preparing for a year stint of sailing on a Catamaran with my husband and 11 year old daughter. A couple of things on your list weren’t on mine so I will definitely add them. Can you recommend a good forum for families sailing, we plan to set off in June this year start in the med then moving onto the Caribbean after that not sure where. Any tips would be appreciated.
Hey Karen. Yes, we are still sailing. We’re in the Bahamas now. There are loads of forums for sailors. All you have to do is do a search and join the more popular ones. There’s one called MedSailors, so check out that one as you’re in the Med now. Also, check out the WomenWhoSail forum…there’s always something interesting on there. Enjoy the journey and we’ll see you when you get on this side of the pond. Smiles, Kim
Karen,
Hi we are S/V Field Trip Lagoon 400 and are going to be starting in Greece June 1, 2018 then sailing up to Italy thru western med joining the arc November 25th 2018 and coming into the Caribbean. we have a 10 year old and 12 year old. Would love to connect with you! Fieldtrip4sail.com
Kim, love your info! I wish we could swing the washer…we are going with no generator, so we are looking to maximize solar still looking for a water maker to get installed onto the boat we were hoping before we get there ( we are leaving from California taking the kids at the end of school and heading degrees to start.) One of my concerns is only bringing eight bags with us on airplanes the whole way how do you bring all these things with you and if not how do you find them in remote areas of Greece when you start!!! We’re planning a year trip so I really appreciate reading about the things you’ve talked about. Do you think any of those things are readily available somewhere in Greece? We will start on Kos, near Bodrum, Turkey, south of Rhodes. I’ve started with what coffee maker to what blender/processor and where to go from there (bring, buy, ship to me somewhere???) We still need to get a freezer installed before we take off, as well.
How to keep fresh produce fresh longer (food saver?? Green bags from home?) Hoping to eat healthy meaning a lot more greens.
Getting to and fro, carting things…lots on my mind. We leave our house (renting it out) in the US May 31st …49 days!!!!
Here is our top 10 list of things so far
1 – A good multi tool : I use my Leatherman 20 times a day
2 – Strong plastic covers : in case of a leak during a rain you just patch the area
3 – Duct tape and plastic stranglers : I use duct tape and plastic stranglers 10 times a day
4 – Tuperware plastic food containers : I use them for everything and it’s all organised
5 – Fresh ginger : Whenever the weather gets rougher you can take a slice and cope with motion sickness better
6 – Portable led lights : we have one at nearly every corner of the boat
7 – A quality battery drill with extra battery
8 – A Dyson hoover : can’t clean without it
9 – Kitchen absorbent paper
10 – A good sense of humour : for all those occasions you really don’t feel like it’s funny at all
I love these Kriss! There are all awesome additions to essentials on a sailboat. Perhaps I need to make a top 50 or a top 100 items 🙂 Thank you for your contributions. Kim
Definitely agree re Dyson handheld, iPad (not just navigation, there are loads of useful apps), and good coffee. However, we have a cafetiere which is dead easy to use.
I also agree with Tupperware boxes , a multi tool and duck tape from the post above.
Another very useful item is resealable food bags. You can buy a box of 50 or so in a supermarket. These are used for everything from half an onion to small screws. Because they are see through, they make things easy to find in a tool box or fridge.
We always have a packet of ginger biscuits on board. Dont know what it is about ginger but it does taste good at sea!
Have been v tempted re folding bikes. This summer went sailing with my full size bike taken apart and in a bike bag. Its still very big, even in the bike bag, which had to be stowed on deck. Whats more, we now have a solar panel where the bike was stowed, so….Can you make any recommendations re folding bikes, or is that a no go area?
Im not clear why you need a water maker, if you are cruising or wintering in marinas. I can understand the need if you are sailing non stop across the Atlantic or round the world, but if you are regularly going into harbours, I would have thought a hose would be on the essential list.
Thank you so much for sharing 10 essentials tips for living on a sailboat. This article is amazing. It’s really helpful and informative. It’s helped me a lot. I am glad to you.
Your boat essentials sound a lot like landlubber essentials ;).