Too many spares?!?

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Life is different on a 34ft boat
Filters, impellers, Alt, that’s about it. I a spare starter, FW pump, macerator pump parts.
I have 3 drawers for bunkie’s cloth, half of a small closet 1 drawer and 1/2 a closet for ME ME ME!!
The remaining space for parts, tools, canned goods, pots and pans and spare parts.
Spare sheets and towels.
I Still need to find space for more TP.
 
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Kind of in reverse order:

Tator: Gasket material, we already have various types, cork, neoprene, plus RTV, form a gasket, etc. I think we're covered there.
On the reading glasses. I've lightened the load to the extent of the one pair off the swimstep in my marina, plus the pair two slips over where I was helping a friend, glasses were on top of my head, line zipped over my head and they were sacrificed to the marina gods . . .

I have two drip pans, as well as a spare shower pump, just forgot to list!
Luna, the raw water pump is indeed Gilbert Sikes & Gordon Ltd. I'll look into that. . .

Seriously, thanks for the thoughts and ideas, keep them coming!:dance:
 
I think you are rushing into this trip of a lifetime. You are obviously not ready .
Take a year or two to make sure you have it all covered. Hold drills for finding things and use a stop watch to see your time improvements.

So far I have not seen a thing-a-ma-bob or a doo-hickey mentioned.
 
A thought:
If you cannot “just turn over” the end plate of the engine water pump, better add in one.
 
I have to presume your post and question about spare parts is "Tongue in Cheek".
If it is not and you are asking a serious question, I have one response to you.

Unless you know where the spare parts are located and can find them, you might as well leave them at home.

pete
 
I have a fairly simple system for finding a needed spare that I have onboard. After I have searched for a few hours I go buy a new one. The onboard spare usually turns up within 48 hours.
 
Inbreaker said:
I have a fairly simple system for finding a needed spare that I have onboard. After I have searched for a few hours I go buy a new one. The onboard spare usually turns up within 48 hours.
Click to expand...

Funny but true.
One advantage of your system is, you dont have to replace the ‘spare
‘It’s on the boat’
 
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Have a label maker. Either inside or outside the door there’s a list of everything in there. In spite of that still screw up. Have a jump on it by putting like with like. All electrical in one place, all plumbing in one place, and so one. Still screw up but fortunately the admiral is better than me in remembering stuff like this. But overall having everything (but tools) for a particular job in one place helps. Fortunately have never owned a boat where thee was enough room so unfortunately on occasion have had to break that rule. Then label go to xxx if not here.
Other trick is to keep a running count of what you bought and from where. If you do that at least you know it’s on the boat somewhere and if you can’t find it where to get another one.
 
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I landed on translucent plastic bins with a number on all sides/top. I have an Excel sheet with what is in each bin. Spreadsheet is in Google Drive so retrievable from phone/tablet/PC and easily searched or updated when something gets added, subtracted, or moved. Not perfect, but seems to work better than my prior system.

Peter
 
Pete Meisinger said:
I have to presume your post and question about spare parts is "Tongue in Cheek".
If it is not and you are asking a serious question, I have one response to you.

Unless you know where the spare parts are located and can find them, you might as well leave them at home.

pete
Click to expand...


Pete: Not really Tongue in Cheek. I'm actively soliciting input on suggested additions to spares.
All the spares are inventoried. We use a searchable spreadsheet listing all the locations on the boat (lockers, under dinette storage, spaces under all the stair treads, under the bunks, etc) with description, quantity, etc. We can search for an item, and it will take us to it. Spreadsheet is accessible from three computers and two phones.

The previous owners of 32 years stated that when they unloaded the boat during Covid, pre-sale, they found stuff that they hadn't seen in 30 years! We're trying not to be in the same [STRIKE]boat[/STRIKE] situation.:whistling:
 
One of the few legal healthy ecstatic moments an old guy can have, married or unmarried, is the occasion of discovering that you have and can find in your lockers the exact replacement for a failed part on your boat
 
Does the engine have high-pressure fuel lines. I'd carry spares.
 
Just a cautionary tale. I bought a brand new boat with a brand new engine. I asked the main agent for the engine for a spares kit. He called up the engine on the manufacturers website and got all the spares I asked from the manufacturer.

About three months later I was anchoring off Cannes in the Isles de Lerin when the engine heat alarm went off. Next day I renchored and the alarm came on again. Did all the checks and it was the impeller. Got the spare out and guess what it didn't fit. Called the Coastguard who put out two pan pans. Although there were about 400 boats around me no one answered (it was Sunday lunch time in France). The Coastguard said I couldn't stay there because of a storm and sent a lifeboat.

French lifeboats have one accessory that is missing on British Lifeboats - a credit card machine. Cost €400.

To be fair the engine manufacturer paid the tow fee, fitted a new impeller and gave the engine a free service.

Moral of the story if you have a spare and the part number is computer generated it may be wrong. Make sure it fits.
 
Spare Parts

We spent 8 years cruising down from San Francisco Bay to Mexico going as far south as Z town and several 2- and 3-month excursions into the Sea of Cortez where the village you anchor off of is 50 miles from a paved road. Unless you are in a major boating center (Cabo, La Paz, Mazatlán, Banderas Bay, Manzanillo etc.) parts can be a problem, so having spares saved our bacon on several occasions. From a keeping us on the water scenario to not having to pay outrageous prices to have parts shipped from the US. Your list looks pretty extensive but do bear in mind that often the one part you need is the one you don't have.
 
rjwilliams11741 said:
. Your list looks pretty extensive but do bear in mind that often the one part you need is the one you don't have.
Click to expand...
True
And a reason why we never fully cleared out the shelves of what looked like junk on ours.

That junk and next level Mcguyvering has saved us a few times out in the middle of nowhere.
 
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mark ketcham said:
If you have a spare you will never need it!
Click to expand...


I wish that were true.
Impellers, starter, alternator, filters

If you can keep the main engine running, you can get home or at least shore.
 
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But can you install them?

slowgoesit said:
So when does the normal stock of replacement parts become an unhealthy obsession?

We are departing the PNW this Fall, heading down the West Coast of the United States, to the Sea of Cortez, and then next year, through the Panama Canal, over to the Bahamas, and East Coast.

Our itinerary and schedule is pretty fluid as we're planning on loitering/cruising pretty much as the fancy takes us. Certain items have the potential of being show stoppers in remote areas, and even in other areas, it's nice to be able to immediately replace a failed component, while awaiting the replacement item at your leisure.

My wife seems to think we have enough on board to open a Chandlery. :D

Aside from the normal supply of filters for mechanical items like transmissions, engine(s), breathers, watermaker and such, we carry:

  • spare macerator pumps (for offshore use)
  • spare fresh water pumps, (in addition to the two installed in parallel)
  • spare bilge pumps
  • spare shower pumps
  • spare fuel/water/black tank deck plugs
  • spare isolation transformer
  • spare Victron Quattro Inverter Charger
  • spare 24v charger (start battery bank)
  • spare IR Temp gun
  • spare 4/0 battery wire, terminal ends, and crimper
  • large quantity of smaller ga wiring and connectors
  • large assortment of zip ties, wire bundle ties, clamps, etc
  • spare plumbing parts, fittings, tubing, glue, hangers etc.
  • multiple soldering irons
  • spare dinghy fuel tank, fuel hoses, and filters
  • spare dinghy air pump and patch kit
  • spare bulbs galore including Nav lights, interior lights etc, both LED and incandescent
  • extra light fixtures of various types
  • spare windshield wiper arms and blades
  • spare anchors, chain, and rode (5 total)
  • spare anchor swivel
  • spare anchor chain bridle, all set up for use
  • spare anchor windlass (the one that was removed when the current one was installed), inspected and serviced to ensure proper operation.
  • spare foot switches for windlass
  • large assortment of shackles, swivels, etc
  • large assortment of various hardware
  • spare wash down pump for deck/anchor chain
  • spare paravane fish, as well as one complete set of cable/chain rigging
  • spare coffee maker (2) and spare coffee grinders (2) Heaven forbid we can't make coffee!:eek:
  • spare reverse cycle heating/air raw water pumps (2)
  • spare watermaker low pressure raw water pump (1)
  • spare shop vac filters (2)
  • spare hydronic heater radiator
  • distilled water in jugs, as well as an onboard distiller (for CPAP, and FLA start batteries and auxiliary (get home) engine start battery)
  • extra shore power cords (2), and spare ends as well.
  • multiple adapters/Y's etc for shore power
  • spare shore power insert into boat
  • backup small freezer in the event the 10cu ft freezer fails
  • spare pair(s) of reading glasses, multiple, as I keep misplacing the damn things!
  • spare CPAP along with associated spare hoses, masks, water trays, filters, etc
  • Both Passports, and Passport Cards
  • spare (backup) credit cards (several)
  • spare Kindle
  • spare tablet loaded with Navionics
  • Two installed VHF radios, along with 3 handheld VHF's
  • We have a Sat Phone, but with Starlink, I don't know if we'll enroll in the service or not.
  • our two older I-phones in case we accidentally drop one in the water, will new new SIM card though.
  • multiple PFD's, 4 offshore w/ plb's and 20+ others, offshore, and near shore. All serviceable, we can give them to people who may have theirs lost/stolen
  • Extra foul WX gear for people who fly in to visit
  • more scuba gear than any sane individual could possibly need (says my wife!)
  • spare boat poles, total of 4
  • spare fenders, too many to count . . . the darned things keep floating by our marina, and we keep the good ones!
  • spare blade for the Hundested CPP (came with the boat)
  • spare hydaulic fluid, enough for total replacement of system oil
  • enough engine oil for 4 oil changes (along with containers for used oil)
  • spare engine oil removal pump
  • spare torque wrench, as well as multiple tool duplicates
  • complete set (8) rebuilt injectors, along with tooling required to install
  • spare impellers for auxiliary engine cooling system (main engine raw water and fresh water cooling pumps are bronze, gear driven)
  • spare engine driven bilge pump impellers
  • spare belts/hoses
  • spare boarding ladder
  • fiberglass mat/roving/resin etc for projects, or repairs
  • Sailrite sewing machine and misc canvas, etc for projects/repairs
I know I've missed some items, but for the most part that covers it.

Anything I've missed? Suggestions?

With a lot of the items, I think it's more likely we end up using spares to help out fellow boaters than actually end up using them ourselves, but that's okay too. They're there to be used.:dance:
So regarding spares what say you? Am I crazy or what?

Note: Please keep comments as to whether I'm crazy or not relevant to question of spares, after all, the larger question has already been answered as we own a boat.:whistling:
Click to expand...

Great list, but make sure you have the proper tools to be able to install or fix them.
 
I would include extra starter for main engine. ( Aux, could get you somewhere, but maybe not easily or as safely.) I don't know what route you will be taking, but we have done this trip 2x down, and 1x back up to Calif. We did have to do engine oil change at sea, and if a starter failure at that point.....

I also carried valve grinding compound. We did a valve job on the generator mid Atlantic.

Definitely high pressure injector lines.

We did have a water maker transfer valve go bad, so had to improvise until next guests brought new one.

If refrigeration--set of gauges, extra gas and compressor oil, (you already have the copper tubing and flare fittings?) Torch for silver solder and silver solder.

Threaded rod in SS, multiple sizes, with nuts.

We also had a bench grinder, with several different wheels, & a good workbench vise. Pieces of steel flat bar and angle iron, to make brackets if necessary, Head gaskets for engines. (Probably will not need for Gardner). Also a drill press is a machine which can do lots of things if necessary.

We carried 7 anchors. One night we had to "cut and run", where we left 2 primaries on the bottom. We did recover them the next day (use of SCUBA essential). However we wanted to anchor in a different location that night, and it was good to have the back up anchors! We never did use the really big storm anchor (3 pieces), fortunately but still it was there in case of....! It was also nice to have lunch hook and kedge anchors. All were used at one time or another.

Enjoy the trip--it is fantastic!
 
I have not studied the entire list or suggestions in detail but I don't think there has been any mention of the ability to replace the cable, patch the air line or seal the hydraulics that are used by the helm mounted levels to put you in gear and advance the throttles.

The cables in some ways are the worst, as it's almost impossible to tell when they are going to fail because they are entirely concealed in a sheath. When is the last time you tried to lube them?

Yes, you can always engage a gear and advance the throttle by having someone in the ER, but then you would need a voicepipe!
 
thataway said:
We did have to do engine oil change at sea, and if a starter failure at that point.....
Click to expand...

And why on earth would you need to do that?
Its not like the oil gets to 500 hours and the engine explodes
 
Simi 60 said:
And why on earth would you need to do that?

Its not like the oil gets to 500 hours and the engine explodes
Click to expand...
Uncommon curcumstances, but I've changed oil a few times on new boats. OEM is very specific about oil change at 100 engine hours to remove break-in oil. Leave with 60-80 hours on the boat with a decent weather window for 5-days. Rather than pull in somewhere, just easier to change oil at sea.

Peter
 
Spare parts do wear out or more properly stated, they age out. Hoses and impellers become brittle, electronic spares are affected by vibration and humidity, some of the more fragile parts just develop cracks or other damage.

There is such a thing as too many spare parts

pete
 
Oil change supplies are useful to have. Even if you never use them at sea, it means when change time comes, you can just do it and replenish the supplies when practical (vs needing to obtain them first).



I've debated spare starters, but I'd have to carry 2. My engines counter rotate, so the starters are different between them. Between that and the size of the starters, I haven't bothered to carry spares.
 
thataway said:
I would include extra starter for main engine. ( Aux, could get you somewhere, but maybe not easily or as safely.) I don't know what route you will be taking, but we have done this trip 2x down, and 1x back up to Calif. We did have to do engine oil change at sea, and if a starter failure at that point.....

I also carried valve grinding compound. We did a valve job on the generator mid Atlantic.

Definitely high pressure injector lines.

We did have a water maker transfer valve go bad, so had to improvise until next guests brought new one.

If refrigeration--set of gauges, extra gas and compressor oil, (you already have the copper tubing and flare fittings?) Torch for silver solder and silver solder.

Threaded rod in SS, multiple sizes, with nuts.

We also had a bench grinder, with several different wheels, & a good workbench vise. Pieces of steel flat bar and angle iron, to make brackets if necessary, Head gaskets for engines. (Probably will not need for Gardner). Also a drill press is a machine which can do lots of things if necessary.

We carried 7 anchors. One night we had to "cut and run", where we left 2 primaries on the bottom. We did recover them the next day (use of SCUBA essential). However we wanted to anchor in a different location that night, and it was good to have the back up anchors! We never did use the really big storm anchor (3 pieces), fortunately but still it was there in case of....! It was also nice to have lunch hook and kedge anchors. All were used at one time or another.

Enjoy the trip--it is fantastic!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the post. We do have tools necessary to replace any of the spares we have. We have 5 anchors, and chain/rode for them. Grinders, bench grinder, bar stock, drills (although not drill press, workbench and vise, also scuba gear and compressor. We do NOT yet have a main engine starter, although getting one is already on the list. I'll probably install the brand new one, and use the running take-out as a spare. That way I know the spare is good.

Good point on injector lines, spare pipe, bender, and flare kit. I already have the flare kit and bender, but not the pipe.

On refrigeration, we'll not try and fix en-route, but we have backup fridge/freezers if we need it. We'll lose some food, but not everything.

On the watermaker, we have some spare parts, hoses, fittings, filters, raw water pump, but if the high pressure pump goes out, we'll be needing to get a replacement. Not something I'm really worried about, as we make water when we're down to about 200 gallons remaining, so if we have a problem, we'll still have 200 gallons left.

Our route is pretty much down the West Coast, to Sea of Cortez, then down the Mexican Coast when we depart Mexico, then offshore a little to Panama, not planning on stopping between Mexico and Panama unless Wx requires it. Once through the Panama Canal, up to Bocas del Toro, Costa Rica, offshore to either Belize, or Isla Mujeres Mexico (off of Cancun), around West end of Cuba and over to Florida. We'll be within no more than a day cruise of shore pretty much the entire way. We planning on taking our time as well, spending Winter in SOC, Summer in Panama, one side of another (yes, we know it'll be hot), then head up come Nov 2024 enroute to Florida. Then if no major issues with the boat, over to the Bahamas . . . . and from there? Who knows! We're retired!
 
I can see some of these posters needing bigger boats to carry endless spares and likely never leaving because they'll never have enough of them.
 
Simi 60 said:
I can see some of these posters needing bigger boats to carry endless spares and likely never leaving because they'll never have enough of them.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with you.
Hint; If you have a lady onboard, you can never have too much TP onboard
 
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