Yacht and Boat Preparation

There are all types of yacht and boat preparations depending on where you're going and what you're doing!

It could be that you're entertaining at the dock and your preparations would include food, drink, a good boat wash down, and music of course. There are other boat preparations if you're taking an offshore run to the Bahamas, Bermuda, or the Caribbean. These longer runs, either by powerboat or sailboat that can last overnight or several days to weeks need to have quite a bit more preparation, from plenty of food and fuel storage, to all kinds of safety equipment. You would also want to have an experienced crew that knows the rigors needed for these longer voyages.

Coastal running does take a little of each... you must have enough fuel, food, and safety equipment to guard against any unforeseen event. One of the things you might consider is a bilge alarm allowing you to know how often and long your bilge pump is running. Whether it's a powerboat or sailboat, things do happen like a through-hull fitting coming loose, to your stuffing box letting in water...for reasons it could be many for these two. The hoses attached to the through-hull fittings may start leaking or the hoses themselves may blow off. This could be because of the motion of the boat pushing through the water, which puts higher pressure into these hoses, especially if you are falling off waves, or slamming into them. If the hoses are in good shape and the two hose clamps (you should have two) are tight and in good condition then these problems should not occur. You could get leaky stuffing boxes from shaft misalignment, which heats the stuffing box and burns away the stuffing within (waxed roping) and lets water flow into your bilge. Even your water tank and/or related hoses and fittings can start coming loose and begin to leak also from the ocean's relentless motion. You never know if it's going to happen inshore or offshore. How many times have you heard about a crew member waking up and stepping into water above the floor boards... The thing is to have replacements or some sort of repair-ability to stop the water flow if this does happen. This is why the bilge alarm is so important, it lets you know that it's pumping out more often or at longer times. Because of this alarm, it gets you to look under the floorboards and into the bilge. A man overboard system, whether electronically setup or a manual type with a flag and buoy, should be onboard as well. This equipment helps you get back to where that person or object fell overboard.

Basically, having a well maintained and safety oriented yacht or boat always helps keep an emergency or unwanted event to a minimum. As you find yourself cruising in certain areas you will find that you usually gear your boat to that area. Reading more about offshore or coastal voyages, will give you insight on different ways and additional boat equipment to prepare your boat with.

By Capt. Doug Malat
Douglas Malat is a Captain with 30,000 Offshore miles, Sailor, Powerboater, Scuba diver, and creator of YachtAuthority.com, a Website where you will find thousands of new & used boats and yachts for sale, along with all kinds of Boating Accessories, Products and Services! Take a look at all the great Boats and Yachts...get that info you need! Check-out our Featured Yachts on the homepage!