Thread: Boat setup - onboard necessities

Hi all,

Now that the house reno is finally approaching completion and we’re back from holiday, it’s time to address some basic equipment levels on the new boat.
My first priority is rope, but as it’s been a considerable time since I spent time around them, I’m a bit lost as to where to start in regards to rope type/thickness/length suitable to carry onboard.

This is the boat in question and it’ll get light coastal and lake use but I’ll be taking it quietly till my experience level is back up to where I was in the 80/90’s.



I’ve not added anything else onboard except life jackets as I wanted to take time to think things through. Apart from a flare pack, a boat hook of some description, and maybe a couple of fenders, I consider ropes to a priority and one of the most useful things to have. I’m just getting to the point of overthinking it a bit much so some feedback would be useful. I’m heading to Invers next Thursday and planning to call into Cookes so any help would be appreciated.
Cheers, Sidetrack

so not anchor rope ? I guess it's a case of what you think you might use it for, chucking to someone who went overboard, or trying up to a dock etc.... I have one tied to the front ( 14mm from memory and about 7m) to hold onto when I push the boat off the trailer. One tied to my sea anchor about the same and of course my anchor rope. A throwing rope in a bag might be useful but that depends if you want ya mate back who went over the side

inflatable life jackets cheap as now wear them all the time also use them duck shooting whitebaiting etc and way more comfortable to wear so you dont take them off .

Nice boat!

- Ropes are never long enough! Get two, one for the bow and one for the stern. You can join them with a temporary knot if you're by yourself. Spliced loops at one end of a dock line make life easier.

- Female passengers will appreciate some sort of toilet. Doesn't have to be flash, bucket with seat is fine. My lucky lady got a bedpan for Christmas one year.

- Landing net and chilly bin are pretty essential. Landing net does not need to be huge. Add a gaff if larger fish are expected.

- I keep a bunch of old towels on the boat. It's nice to dry hands sometimes and I use them for quick cleaning jobs on the water.

- Emergency water/food/clothing is always on the boat. I also have a small emergency kit with a jump starter and a first aid kit.

- Fire extinguisher is mounted and easy to reach.

Whenever I was using boat access on TeAnau, Manapouri,etc to hunt, I’d always anchor bow out and tie off the stern to shore which meant a fair bit of length needed at times. Was thinking a couple at 20m? Then a couple of shorts for dock ties. What about floating as opposed to polypropylene? Floating type in a bag for throwing sounds like a good idea. Also, what’s suitable for towing or being towed?

Yes, have four onboard. Much more wearable full time.

Originally Posted by Sidetrack

Whenever I was using boat access on TeAnau, Manapouri,etc to hunt, I’d always anchor bow out and tie off the stern to shore which meant a fair bit of length needed at times. Was thinking a couple at 20m? Then a couple of shorts for dock ties. What about floating as opposed to polypropylene? Floating type in a bag for throwing sounds like a good idea. Also, what’s suitable for towing or being towed?

Nylon sinks or goes neutral. Polyprop floats, so that's what throw bag ropes are made from

Originally Posted by MB

Nice boat!

- Ropes are never long enough! Get two, one for the bow and one for the stern. You can join them with a temporary knot if you're by yourself. Spliced loops at one end of a dock line make life easier.

- Female passengers will appreciate some sort of toilet. Doesn't have to be flash, bucket with seat is fine. My lucky lady got a bedpan for Christmas one year.

- Landing net and chilly bin are pretty essential. Landing net does not need to be huge. Add a gaff if larger fish are expected.

- I keep a bunch of old towels on the boat. It's nice to dry hands sometimes and I use them for quick cleaning jobs on the water.

- Emergency water/food/clothing is always on the boat. I also have a small emergency kit with a jump starter and a first aid kit.

- Fire extinguisher is mounted and easy to reach.

Thanks, all good suggestions. I optioned this boat with my wife in mind and she’s largely the reason we bought it in the first place!! We’ll pick our days but as you know, sometimes you don’t get a choice of conditions. Got decent seats, a full cabin and clears to close off the rear. She’ll be learning to operate it so one of the main reasons we opted for hydraulic steering and electric anchor winch. Of course, we have to name the damn thing so settled on “Miss Adventure”. We’ll both get our VHF cert, which is something I’ve never bothered with in the past but there’s no excuse for that now.

Originally Posted by Sidetrack

Thanks, all good suggestions. I optioned this boat with my wife in mind and she’s largely the reason we bought it in the first place!! We’ll pick our days but as you know, sometimes you don’t get a choice of conditions. Got decent seats, a full cabin and clears to close off the rear. She’ll be learning to operate it so one of the main reasons we opted for hydraulic steering and electric anchor winch. Of course, we have to name the damn thing so settled on “Miss Adventure”. We’ll both get our VHF cert, which is something I’ve never bothered with in the past but there’s no excuse for that now.

My wife agreed on our boat too. It's a centre console, so we really pick our days! Had a few bumpy rides home, but haven't got wet yet. We were just talking about how we need to get her up to speed on basic operations.

Originally Posted by XR500

Nylon sinks or goes neutral. Polyprop floats, so that's what throw bag ropes are made from

Sorry yes, was thinking of polyester which is all I’ve ever used.

This is what I can think of ...

Some hand tools in a sealed bag for emergency use in a 1st aid kit box
- Spare sharp stainless knife, side cutter, multi tool, scissor, etc.

Rubbish bag to keep inorganic rubbish together

Spare rag, towel, rope are always handy

If you have an electric start motor,
Tie a rope for manual start and learn how to use it

Learn how to unhook yourself if you or someone get jab by a fishing hook
I made myself an iki spike with hole on the handle for this purpose.

I have spare folding grapnel anchor tucked away in the hull for emergency use

and list goes on...

Originally Posted by Snap 4T

Learn how to unhook yourself if you or someone get jab by a fishing hook
I made myself an iki spike with hole on the handle for this purpose.

That's a good thought. I have a bolt cutter in my emergency kit for cutting hooks.

Originally Posted by MB

That's a good thought. I have a bolt cutter in my emergency kit for cutting hooks.

Yup, I had to use side cutter once to cut off the hook loop so I can pushed it thru my toe nail.

Epirb/PLB/Flares/Radio/waterproof cellphone (or cellphone in waterproof case).

Bucket/bailer of some sort.

Spare fuses/electrical stuff that fits your boat.

Spare bungs, just on the off chance one gets brittle or wiped off in a whoops for whatever reason. Little tapered cone plugs can be useful for this too!

Emergency communications sticker for your area, as well as a contact sheet with important numbers etc.

Basic tools to do simple tasks on board.

Set up for the battery system (assuming you have a house and start for redundancy with a DVSR or isolation system). If not a jump start pack...

Wouldn't worry about a start rope - modern outboards cannot be pull started as they are the same as cars, if there isn't enough power the computer says F-U and you are walking!

As far as rope, sinking on the anchor and floating for tender lines. 12mm is a good diameter for a handling line, anything thinner gets a bit oww-ie if you are trying to hang onto it.

Something to put all this crap in, a vacuum packer is pretty helpful to keep things corrosion free and organised until you need them!

First aid stuff, suncream, burns if you have a cooker etc.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!!!!! See above.

Probably a decent ladder as most supplied ladders suck balls and it's really hard to get back in if the boat is pitching and you end up over the side in a lifejacket. Kill switch too, learn how that works.

GPS tracker, airtag. I have one on the trailer, one in the outboard and one in the boat. Way too many stolen boat around....
If the windows are glass Rain X works well it does make a difference especially if you start at night.