Success! Thank You For Requesting Access To My Boat Problem Prevention Tool

STEP #1: WATCH THIS VIDEO

My Boat Problem Prevention tool is the mighty checklist. My wife (talking in the video) and I didn’t start with checklists but I wish we did. Over the last seven year’s we’ve built up a library of checklists that ultimately save us time, reduce costs, and allow us to be proactive!

Pilots have checklists to ensure success and sailors should too. Watch the video to get a good idea of the checklists you might want on your boat and check out the PDF I emailed you. Then scroll down.

STEP #2: CHECK YOUR INBOX FOR THE DOWNLOAD

In your inbox, you’ll find that I sent you the PDF ‘Suggested Checklists For Sailors‘ download mentioned in the video.

Have a look over our suggestions and earmark what checklists you think will have the largest impact. And then get to work making them.

In the email, I also included a video my wife made on how to make your own checklists – the types of checklists, how to decide what to include and how best to ensure they’re going to support you and your boating lifestyle.

STEP #3: HIT THE GROUND RUNNING – PREVENT BOAT ISSUES NOW

While you’re here…

If you don’t mind, I’d like to tell you a little story about how checklists have helped to save our boating lifestyle dreams and maybe even our marriage! 

If we didn’t have them we’d probably be back on land feeling miserable by now. 

During the process of getting our sailboat, we were stressed. When we finally got our boat we were even more stressed.

Our generator would run for 1/2 hour and then stop. All sorts of ‘experts’ would spend hours trying to fix it (and charge us) but we never got it working for long. This went on for a year!

We’d pay for so-called ‘experts’ to fix issues only the find out that the same problem returned – usually after we had sailed several miles away.

Our first reaction in the early years was to put our heads in the sand. It was a sour realization that a great majority of marine technicians were crooks.

After several months we didn’t feel more knowledgable. We felt more hopeless. Our new boat was costing us a fortune and we seemed none the wiser. A heavy pit in my stomach seemed to be growing heavier and heavier. 

Our cruising friends would move on and we’d have to stay put for another month waiting for parts and thinking that perhaps we weren’t cut out to manage a boat.

Instead of spending our limited money on seeing the world, we were spending more time seeing marinas and boatyards.

But after spending so much time, effort, and money to get the boat we couldn’t quit. We couldn’t go on either – we were running out of money.

My wife, Kim, started to doubt my abilities to keep the boat running. She was increasingly getting nervous that we’d have some sort of catastrophe and not know how to get out of it.

I was confident about my sailing skills but I underestimated what it took to maintain a large cruising boat.

What I wanted to achieve was a situation where I could troubleshoot and fix most problems with the boat. 

I wanted to know what major spares I needed so I could stock them and didn’t have to wait around for parts to be shipped in.

I wanted to know what needed to be done to prevent issues before they happened and how to fix issues when they struck.

Ultimately I wanted to be in control and not beholden to yet another marine expert that actually wasn’t an expert at all.

I wanted to see the world – not another boatyard!

I wanted to be able to look at Kim and say, ‘I know exactly what the problem is and I know how to fix it.’ OR find a way to minimize the problems in the first place.

Looking back over my life I worked hard to become good at my job. There were rare experiences where I felt incompetent or unable to do something. Changing our lifestyle to living on the boat put me in unchartered waters. I felt out of my depth and it wasn’t comfortable.

I had confidence in passage planning, sailing, and getting us safely from one place to another but I underestimated that amount of knowledge a boater needs to know to manage all the systems.

It’s hard to admit this but felt like I was failing in the eyes of my wife and daughter.

Previous to getting on our boat my wife and I took quite a few courses about engine maintenance, motors, pumps, refrigeration, electricity, safety, and First Aid. None of the courses really prepared us to actually fix anything.

And when an ‘expert’ came on board I’d shadow him to learn so I could fix the issue the next time but as I mentioned the ‘expert’ rarely fixed the problem!

We didn’t know what we didn’t know and relying on previous training or experts didn’t work either!

And then we got a lucky break. And when I say ‘break,’ it was a break! While sailing the Ionian Sea I discovered oil below our engine – too much oil. After making a phone call a 6’5” Italian guy came out to our anchored boat.

He wasn’t a guy that I’d want to meet on a dark alley. Let me put it that way. I ran our engine for 3 minutes. We turned it off and the man, Andreas, said “You have four problems.”

And then he listed them. Andreas asked me to move the boat closer to his boat and he said he’d help me out.

Every morning for a few weeks Andreas helped me take apart my Perkins engine, sending some parts off for repair/reconditioning. He taught me how the engine worked, how to service it, and what to do when a variety of things happened. He showed me how to use the multimeter, solder, and troubleshoot on my own engine. In the end, we even repainted the Perkins making her look brand new.

Andreas also helped me once and for all sort out our generator issues. Furthermore, he noticed we weren’t greasing our driveshaft or rudder so he prevented a massive issue had we kept going without doing so. Andreas also had a friend help me fix an ongoing rigging problem.

By the time I was done with Andreas I had the knowledge and more importantly, I had my confidence back.

Before we parted ways Andreas told me that both our engines were in a terrible state when he met us. They hadn’t been serviced in years (contrary to what our broker told us) and we didn’t do them any good by not taking care of them as we should have. He basically yelled at us (in a friendly way) saying that we had to create better systems to look after our boat.

Both Kim and I decided to create a checklist on what we had to do when we had to do it – the first one we made was how to check our engine before we went on a voyage.

The next was how to service our engine and what to do after 100 hours, 300 hours, 500 hours, and so forth. We looked through every service manual to every system we had on the boat to find out if there was a checklist to help us prevent issues rather than wait until something broke.

Most, if not all, of the information we needed to properly care for the boat we had on board in the form of a manual or ‘how-to’ book. But there were too many to read! When we realized we could cheat and just find the service checklist it became easier to create systems of success. 

We pulled our heads out of the sand and created ways to be proactive.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, we took back control. Before you knew it we had checklists for passage planning, pre-passage checks, post-passage jobs, boat briefing lists, cleaning checklists, safety lists and on they went. 

The more we used our checklists the easier life got.

Over the last seven years we’ve created and updated our checklists and now consider them blueprints for success. Instead of trying to commit things to memory or ‘wing it’ we continuously get favorable results because we have a plan and follow the plan. Furthermore, the plan or checklist gets updated if and when we determine something else can be added to make the result even better.

• When we take our boat out of the water, we have a list of what to do before and after the boat is out.
• When we are going to have a long-term stay in a marina, we have a list of what questions to ask to determine which marina will suit us best.
• Before we renew our marine insurance we have a checklist on how to pick the best policy for us.
• And we have a variety of lists to ensure that our cleaning and maintenance are performed at set times so we never get mold or mildew damage.
• When we are doing a BBQ Pot Luck at the beach, we even have a checklist for that! Forgetting the forks or a garbage bag always results in an unnecessary trip back to the boat.

The result of our checklists is that we’re proactive rather than reactive and we have far fewer breakages or disasters.

Due to the systems, we’ve set up we catch things way before they’re a problem. We also know when certain things are going to break, such as our generator impeller, so we swap it out before it becomes an issue.

To say that our boating life has changed from good to great is an understatement.

These checklists haven’t helped just us out, we’ve been selling our checklists to other sailors for years and they’ve had similar results.

In many cases, the people that get our checklists didn’t know half of the things that they should have been doing but are now doing. Heck – we had no idea that there was a greaser system under a closet floorboard that we should have been turning every 24 engine hours until Andreas showed it to us!

Our checklists help people to know what they don’t yet know but need to know.

When we set out on our sailing lifestyle journey we envisioned having excellent sailing conditions, being anchored in picturesque bays, meeting new like-minded people, exploring different lands, learning about new cultures, and feeling what true freedom was like.

Now that things aren’t breaking all the time and we’re on top of our sailing maintenance schedules I can say that we truly are living-the-life. 

I’m confident in my abilities and so is Kim.

And throughout the process, I’ve learned something important. I learned that with a little help from a guide or teacher or friend that you can take back control. You really can have your cake and eat it too!

So now, allow me and my wife to be your guide. Take what we’ve spent perfecting for seven years and hit the ground running…

Checklists For Sailors – Fully Customizable! Get Your Copy Now!

On offer now: “Checklists for Sailors – Passage Planning, Sailboat Maintenance, Cleaning, Medical, and more”

Not only can you get a guide with most of our routine checklists but can you imagine how quickly you’ll get set procedures in place with an editable MS Word version of the checklists?

Once you have the checklists you will effectively have blueprints of success for engine maintenance, cleaning schedules, passage planning, and more!

100% Money-Back Guarantee. If at any point you’re not satisfied with the guide you can return it for a full refund. Checklists For Sailors is worth $1,000s but we’re currently selling it at the low price of $24.97. How much would you pay for something that can potentially help you avoid disasters and breakages?

Here are just some of the checklists included…

• The start to finish of a sailing voyage

  What do you do before, during, and after a passage? This list will walk you through the whole journey. 

• Passage planning – preparation and plan

  Check the weather, tides, passage, waypoints, safe havens, and more. 

• Boat briefing

  Things to cover with new guests and crew. All about the important boat operational and safety systems. General rules and how to get around the boat.

• Guests and or crew duties and responsibilities

  Not sure what to do with guests? Give them jobs to do! This checklist outlines all the different roles people can play. 

• Anchoring

  Ensure a good night sleeping by knowing the steps to anchor – preventing dragging!

• Packing and preparing for a sailing holiday

  Send your friends and crew a list of what to bring and what NOT to bring on your boat. Includes details about what luggage is appropriate and what is not.

• Maintenance and service checks

  Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly checklists for the engine and ancillary servicing tasks. 

• Wintering a boat

  Here’s all the tasks you need to complete to ensure your boat is safely on the hard for the winter or hurricane season. 

• Every time your boat is out of the water

  There are some tasks that can only be done when your boat is out of the water. Make sure to do this when you haul out. 

• Spare parts checklist

  Use our spare part list as a starter for yours. Every boat is unique but each one had mission-critical spare parts that must be on board at all times!

• Cleaning and maintenance checklists

  Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly cleaning tasks. If you don’t stay on top of these tasks you’re going to have a dirty and stinky boat.

• Seasickness management

  This list covers what you can do to combat seasickness.

• Meal provisioning

  Provisioning for a long trip? This list will provide you with the meal groupings you’ll need to buy from. 

• Choosing a marina

  Staying in a marina for the long-term? Make sure to follow these steps so you know before you go. 

Now is the time to hit the sea sailing so click on the button and grab your fully customizable set of boat checklists now. If you’re still trying to decide if this is right for you or not, scroll to the bottom to read some of our reviews. 

Add to Cart – Digital Checklists For Sailors Only $24.97

(Unless you want a better offer – Scroll Down.)

Buy Both Of Our Best-Selling Guides And Save!

We also have a guide offering VHF Radio Checklists & Templates. This guide was created to help new boaters to get familiar with what to say, how to say it, and what to do if an emergency does occur.

Filled with examples, checklists, and fill in the blank templates, this guide can be given to any crew member for general help on how to make a ship-to-ship call or how to handle an emergency or safety broadcast. This publication can also be offered in MS Word so it can be fully customized with your Boat Name, MMSI and Call Sign.

The cost is normally $15.97 but if purchased right now with Checklists For Sailors, you’ll get a $5 savings. This offer cannot be found elsewhere. 

Add to Cart – Digital Checklists For Sailors Only $24.97

(Checklists For Sailors Only.)

Add to Cart – Checklists For Sailors & VHF Broadcasts $35.00

(Better value! Save $5.00 buying both guides.)

BEST VALUE! If you want a serious fast-track to boating success…Let’s have a beer and a chat in addition to getting our best selling guides!

If you’re new to the boating lifestyle and have questions or concerns about buying the right boat, refitting your boat, planning passages, weather forecasting, preparing the boat for long passages, what kit to spend money on (what to avoid), or any question about boat ownership, the management or handling…sign up for a one-off phone coaching session. Gather all your questions and we’ll arrange a time to answer them. This is a one-time offer and can’t be purchased anywhere else. Save over $40 now and get both guides in addition to a coaching call with me. Between the guides and our call if you don’t save $1,000’s I’ll happily refund your money!

Add to Cart – Both Guides & Coaching Call $100

(Best Value! Save $40)

Testimonials

Rated 5 out of 5 – Checklists For SailorsFrank Lauber (verified owner) – August 6, 2020Checklists are essential. Every boat, skipper, and crew are different and will have their special lists. Having a book full of lists from experienced bluewater sailors is extremely valuable to either use them straight out of the book or help you write or complete your own lists. I found quite a number of lists I had thought of starting myself but never got around doing. Thanks!!

Rated 5 out of 5 – Checklists For SailorsBart Brasseaux (verified owner) – June 23, 2020Whether you have just started your sailing journey or a seasoned sailor, this book is a must for your library and an amazing, well thought out and put together a reference guide. I can’t even imagine the hours poured into the efforts of putting this journal together. I would recommend this guide for any liveaboard, your life will be all the better for it!!! Thank You so very much, Kim!

5 out of 5 – CoachingDiana McDadeSimon and Kim on Britican were such a big help to me when I was preparing for our crossing from San Diego to Honolulu. My coaching talks I subscribed for were such a reassurance to me, and I incorporated all of the advice that was given as far as provisioning and tips for handling trash, spare parts, and just having someone to bounce thoughts off of…

Rated 5 out of 5 – Checklists For SailorsSeth Mixon (verified owner) – July 22, 2020After years of trying to find time to create useful checklists, our friends here at Sailing Britican have done it for me!Thanks so much!!

Rated 5 out of 5 – VHF Radio Checklists & BroadcastsGetting There – April 4, 2017Extremely Practical – The VHF Radio Checklist & Broadcast book likely will give confidence to boaters who might hesitate to ask for or provide assistance while on the water. It is exactly what it purports to be.

Rated 5 out of 5 – Checklists For SailorsSpyros Xenos (verified owner) – June 16, 2020FANTASTIC!!! Great Job Kim!!!
That is exactly what I was looking for.!!!Thank you so much for your time and effort to put all the lists together.

Rated 5 out of 5 – Checklists For SailorsRobin Garrity (verified owner) – June 4, 2020Looks just like what I need. Not used them yet but, as a newly qualified Day Skipper with an aviation background (= lots of checklists), I was going to write my own. This will ensure I don’t miss anything and will save lots of time. First solo voyage in July (COVID permitting!).
Thanks, Robin

Rated 5 out of 5 – Checklists For SailorsJulia (verified owner) – June 30, 2019Just what we needed to make sure that we are covering the bases on such a wide variety of items onboard. The checklists are very organized and look easy to use — just print one-off, or load it up on the tablet and we’re ready to go. Great time-saver and definitely a must-have onboard!Thanks, Britican, for putting this together!