How much is too much?

[Tangler]

When I first got my boat it was complete with all the spares and all you have described. Being a rookie I tried to downsize and stored a lot of it on shore...It was about a year but it all migrated it’s way back to the boat. Even the tools the multiple previous owners left me had anything I needed to do just about anything the boat required. I learned from their experience and have faithfully replaced all spares as I use them.

 

[Bigsfish]

RonR

You never need any spares until you need them. I carry tons of spares but no spare props after carrying two for over 20 years and needing them only once. Yes I changed them underwater in The Bahamas.

So you decided and take your shot and hopefully your correct. Have you ever met Murphy?

 

[Captankirk]

If it comes down to room for provisions and spare parts, careful consideration should be taken to get the optimum selection/quantity of both. Read all the posts and get the good and bad of the list, and make your best guess. The more general spare parts are the preferred list for most, but that's the great thing about boating; everyone has their own opinion, and they are all the best decision for the individual.

 

[Donna]

Keep anything engine related. I came out of the old bay Bahamas at 4am and started overheating. Anchored and changed the impeller as the sun was coming up. I keep EVERYTHING engine related. Even though I have no major trips planned currently. Anything can happen anywhere. Be prepared.

 

[timb7734]

Spares

We had a boat like that, funny thing is within a year our travels expanded to more remote places and we quickly grew into needing all the stuff

 

[stubones99]

You have an 83' boat. The OP has a 33' boat. Big difference in space and in the impact of added weight.

The biggest difference is whether the boat is expected to plane or be run in displacement speeds. Planing takes horsepower to push every pound over the water. Displacement doesn't really care that much since all you're doing is adding a square foot or two of wetted hull drag.

 

[rslifkin]

The biggest difference is whether the boat is expected to plane or be run in displacement speeds. Planing takes horsepower to push every pound over the water. Displacement doesn't really care that much since all you're doing is adding a square foot or two of wetted hull drag.

And on planing hulls, location of weight matters too. On my boat, for example, weight up forward has a bigger performance impact than weight kept aft.

 

[RonR]

RonR

You never need any spares until you need them. I carry tons of spares but no spare props after carrying two for over 20 years and needing them only once. Yes I changed them underwater in The Bahamas.

So you decided and take your shot and hopefully your correct. Have you ever met Murphy?

I know Murphy well, I married his daughter.

 

[RonR]

The biggest difference is whether the boat is expected to plane or be run in displacement speeds. Planing takes horsepower to push every pound over the water. Displacement doesn't really care that much since all you're doing is adding a square foot or two of wetted hull drag.

It should be on-step, but it rides a little aft heavy right now with all the extra parts, anchors, tools, I swear it has more tools on board than I do at my home. I think there are 4 tool boxes total, you could drop 1/2 in the water and still have enough to rebuild the boat!

 

[Bigsfish]

RonR

We are related then!

 

[OldDan1943]

RonR

You never need any spares until you need them. I carry tons of spares but no spare props after carrying two for over 20 years and needing them only once. Yes I changed them underwater in The Bahamas.

So you decided and take your shot and hopefully your correct. Have you ever met Murphy?

And you have a suitably sized wheel puller to remove the props?

 

[RonR]

And you have a suitably sized wheel puller to remove the props?

Have not ran across one as of yet, but there are still 2-3 more places to unload.

 

[OldDan1943]

Have not ran across one as of yet, but there are still 2-3 more places to unload.

Have a spare prop and no wheel puller doesn't help much.

Plus having a spare prop or two, how much additional fuel will be consumed?

 

[Bigsfish]

Old Dan

Yes I carried two prop pullers in case one fell in deep water. I doubt a few pounds, perhaps 20, would make much of a difference, if so I need a diet. (No comments guys).

Cheers

 

[koliver]

Ha
My wheel puller is presently off the boat, being used by my son who is into big maintenance on his sailboat. It will return to my boat to rest alongside my pair of spare props.

 

[RonR]

We pulled the spare props, spare tool box, miles of rope, supplies that have been on the boat for 5+ years, I think the boat now sits about 1.5" higher in the water now. It was about 5 cart loads of stuff. I now have room for important items such as rum/ice/fishing gear!

It still has two full tool boxes, most of the spare hoses/filters/plugs/wires/caps/rotors/pumps/pump impellers.... you know the deal!

 

[Bigsfish]

Yep, did that once and never needed any of it until I was in the middle of nowhere and needed it.

 

[rslifkin]

As I go through all of the stuff on the boat and remove some of it, there are certain things where the spots they go in will remain empty. Like the spare props. For the most part, I don't need to carry them. But there are certain trips where I may feel it's worth bringing them along, so I'll make sure they still have a place to go.

 

[Bigsfish]

I admit to not being very smart but assuming one removes lots of superfluous stuff because it might NOT be needed how much will you save in fuel in a year? I assume that’s the reason to remove all the stuff you might not need.

 

[rslifkin]

In my case with a planing hull, it'll save some fuel and add some performance, but specifically in the case of the spare props (which are stored up forward), it'll allow me to add beefier ground tackle without adding more weight up forward for the 90% of the time where carrying the spare props isn't worthwhile.

 

[RonR]

90% of it is to just lose weight so I can get up on step/ use less fuel.
I see no reason to pack an extra 1000lb of gear when I am within a few hours of the house.

 

[Gdavid]

Boxes of inherited gear that came with a boat is limited in usefulness unless you have gone through it and at least have a loose mental inventory. I suspect we have all bought parts for a boat only to later find the same part stashed away onboard by the previous owner. Props and spare ground tackle is pretty easy to identify at glance, boxes of parts and tools are a mystery until you go through them.

 

[BandB]

Boxes of inherited gear that came with a boat is limited in usefulness unless you have gone through it and at least have a loose mental inventory. I suspect we have all bought parts for a boat only to later find the same part stashed away onboard by the previous owner. Props and spare ground tackle is pretty easy to identify at glance, boxes of parts and tools are a mystery until you go through them.

And while not weight, tons of old spare hoses and impellers, now far beyond ideal states and essentially trash.

 

[slowgoesit]

And while not weight, tons of old spare hoses and impellers, now far beyond ideal states and essentially trash.

Yes . . . . But in the middle of nowhere, with a failed hose, I'll take an old "expired" hose or impeller in a heartbeat, just to get me home!


In an IDEAL world, we would always have fresh, new spare parts . . .

 

[diver dave]

Old Dan

Yes I carried two prop pullers in case one fell in deep water. ..

Knowing where BF has gone, I agree! I've had to loan my puller and even one of my spare props to a cruising buddy while in the islands. Talk about lucky!

OTOH; have had to make a Looong cruise back to FL after a reef run-in with no spares. Different buddies boat and nothing like a spare anything on board.

 

[Bigsfish]

Slow is exactly correct. Once I was on the back side of the Abacos (the marls) and ruined an impellar, no problem I had two brand new spares. Put number one in and it isn’t working, defective out of the box. Easy fix I put number two in and it’s working fine, generator is running the AC on the boat. All is good. A few days later it sucks something up and quits. I go thru my old saved emergency parts and find a used impellar, vanes are bent and it looks bad. It’s all I had so I put it in and it did great for another two weeks until I got back to Miami and replaced it with a new one.

 

[BandB]

Yes . . . . But in the middle of nowhere, with a failed hose, I'll take an old "expired" hose or impeller in a heartbeat, just to get me home!


In an IDEAL world, we would always have fresh, new spare parts . . .

Except when that hose is cracked worse than the one in use or the impeller is ready to break into pieces the moment installed. My point is that instead of false security, one needs to check and replace if needed.

 

[diver dave]

My ideal world doesn't seem to ever exist. I had (no... wanted to) return to FL from Bimini. But, I had two bad cylinders (no compression) on an 8 cylinder boat. Went anyway. Engine was notorious for exhaust valve seat recession issues, but spare cylinder heads didn't quite make my spares list.
I did have to pitch that boat once kids came along.

 

[RonR]

I got most of the junk off the boat and into the trash. I have the props hanging on the wall in the garage. With everything off the boat it sits about 1.5-2 inches higher in the water. I'm guessing it was 1500lb a stuff (including service items for equipment that is no longer on the boat). Now to reload what I think should be on it, in the locations I think it should be! Yes I will load spares, no I will not store parts for a major overall at sea. Worse case I tow it back with the dink. Often times we are just in the Everett area or San Juans.